September 4, 2010
When you first study a language’s vocabulary, you’ll normally start with the often-used words and phrases, such as greetings, body parts and other common things. Most every language program will have a structure for the categories of words you’ll be learning and, if you want to follow your software’s lesson plans, it’s usually best to stick with that.
However, if you’re looking to speak a language as quickly as possible, you may want to make additional arrangements. If you’re in the foreign country now and will need some of the language to use when you go out to eat tomorrow, then foregoing the lesson plan to do your own vocabulary training might prove necessary.
In such instances, the best thing to do is narrow down your vocabulary learning. If you need the language so you don’t end up ordering mashed crickets and fried alligator tail, then turn to your vocabulary reference material’s section on food and start practicing the dishes you’ll want to have instead. Same goes when you need the language for any purpose: shopping, commuting or finding your way around the city.
Along with that, try learning the kinds of filler language people use to string words together. If a foreigner went to an English restaurant and said, “Good afternoon…hamburger,” the waiter might be confounded by what he’s saying. If the same guy learned some filler words like “well,” “ummm” and “and,” he could have said “Good morning…well… hamburger” and it would have made just a little more sense. Not so much, but just a tad more understandable than the first one.
By the way, that foreigner in an English restaurant, well, that will be you tomorrow in the restaurant in the foreign country. Just so you know.
September 3, 2010
If you’re traveling and haven’t had the time to sit down with your language practice software yet, you can make the most of it by trying to pick up some of the language during your daily interactions. Think of it like a mini-immersion, of sorts.
Here are some ways to learn bits and pieces of the language while you’re on the road:
- Read the signs. Provided the country doesn’t use its own alphabet system (e.g. Japan), you can read what those signs say. Right from the airport, you can probably figure out the local translations for male, female and restroom. Do this every place you visit.
- Learn the food. Food is a common denominator across every culture. When you hit a grocery or a market, point at stuff, trying to get vendors and staff to tell you the word for each. Keep them in mind – they’ll be useful the next time you enter a restaurant.
- Play with children. Little tykes love teaching foreigners what they know of a language. They won’t treat you like an idiot either (they’ll just assume you are – just kidding).
- Haggle. Don’t buy stuff at the first price you’re told. Always haggle. It opens up the interaction and you’ll learn plenty of words in the process (such as numbers, amounts and, if you’re lucky, numerous cuss words).
- Be open to foreigners who want to learn English. A lot of people the world over want to learn English. Chances are, you’ll meet some of them during your trips. Arranging for a “language exchange meeting” is common practice among English speakers traveling abroad.
September 2, 2010
Many people rely on phrasebooks when they’re learning a language or traveling in a foreign country. If you’re a student of a particular foreign language, we highly recommend writing your own phrasebook as one of your language learning activities.
Packaged Phrasebooks
We have nothing against buying a phrasebook off the shelf. In fact, we’ve all done it many times. However, phrasebooks can be very limiting, as they’re rarely personalized to your own needs and requirements for the language.
A Personalized Phrasebook
Making your own phrasebook means creating a personalized reference that’s specifically tailored to your own needs. Are you learning a language for business use? Fill it with phrases and terms that will serve you for that end. Do you enjoy dining in fine restaurants or bargain shopping when you go abroad? Yes, you can customize your phrasebook to focus on those activities.
Beyond having a phrasebook that’s been suited to your needs, the very act of writing down useful phrases (whether you hear them from a native speaker at a bar or from your favorite foreign language software) also helps you train your writing and listening skills. Plus, writing things down tend to make them more difficult to forget – a fact that will benefit your language training immensely.
September 1, 2010
There’s nothing wrong with learning a language from the same resource.
I’ve known people who’ve managed to make serious advancements in their language acquisition, even while studying under one teacher the whole time. Similarly, the first time I learned a foreign language was through six months of work with the same language training program, so I’m not knocking on the single-instructor model.
During a student’s advancement from an absolute beginner to intermediate learner, in fact, we recommend sticking with one teacher. That’s because the focus such a setup promotes will play a big part in your overall success.
Once you’re looking to really get good at a language, though, incorporating multiple sources will probably be your best recourse. Why?
- It helps you experience learning from different perspectives, something you don’t enjoy when sticking with one language program.
- Every language has many subtleties. You learn these subtle differences through learning from different resources, not staying with one throughout the course of your acquisition.
- It exposes you to a wider variety of vocabulary and pronunciation. Not all native speakers use the same language alike. If you don’t seek out other teachers, you’ll be stuck absorbing the default ones you’ve been learning since you started.
Branching out your learning has less to do with the quality of your primary language materials and more to do with experiencing the language in a fuller way. If you’ve gone past beyond the basics of a language, embracing this next step might be very beneficial for your overall development.
August 31, 2010
Talking like a native requires more than merely fixing your accent or expanding your vocabulary. If you’ve already done work with a language teaching software on both and still find yourself unable to pass off as a local, then it’s clear you’re missing the rest of the language ensemble.
- Understanding local dialects. In many countries, specific areas will have their own way of using the language. Being aware of the differences between local dialects can help you understand people better.
- Addressing generation gaps. Language addresses generation gaps. The words a local will use when talking to senior citizens for instance, will tend to differ with the ones they employ when chatting with children. Same goes when you’re interacting with teenagers and authority figures. This is the type of thing you pick up from observation and experience.
- Learning the gestures. Some languages rely more heavily on gestures than others. Picking up on these gestures and being able to use them should help when interacting with locals in a more complete capacity.
- Picking up slang. Colloquial usage of the language tend to be very important in casual conversations, as it helps give it color and vibrancy. Fact is, there’s little chance you can pick up such informal parlance unless you’ve spent time among locals.
August 30, 2010
Sometimes, the small decisions you make can pay off greatly. This is true in many areas of life, just as it is in language learning.
Here are few small things that, if you stick to, can really boost up your language learning without adding any additional stress in your life.
- Be willing to make mistakes. You’re allowed to make mistakes, you know. Most people end up stuck in many of their activities just from the fear of making mistakes. The sooner you embrace this, the faster you can get on with actually learning, so fail those tests, mess up those exercises and falter trying to use the language. It’s all part of the process.
- Embrace your language material. Hopefully, you took the time studying the various offerings out there before settling on a class or a language training software. If you did, then you probably made a good choice, so trust that it can help you get where you want to go.
- Don’t limit yourself to one source. Regardless of how good your primary material is, it doesn’t make sense to limit yourself to just one. Most classes and programs are based around one approach. While effective, integrating others can really work in your favor, especially as you progress towards the intermediate and advanced stages of language acquisition.
Older Posts » |
