Every foreign missionary is confronted with one basic task. Without its successful accomplishment his work as a missionary will fail. It is the task of learning the language of the people among whom he is working. However laudable his motives may be, however great his consecration, and however capable he may be in many tasks, if he fails to gain the ability to understand readily speech addressed to him or to communicate his own thoughts intelligibly and accurately to them, he is working behind a closed door — a door which he failed to unlock, It is the purpose of this study (1) to inquire into the objectives and methods of language study; (2) to determine what preparation can actually be given the student for the task of learning the language; (3) to outline the courses to be offered. As not all missionaries have the same work, it will also be necessary to determine what courses would be an advantage to every missionary, and what additional courses are to be expected of those who have a more specialized language, teaching or theological task.