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May 10, 2011
Grammar translation is one of the most common strategies we pick up in school when it comes to studying our native language. Because of the familiarity, it’s an approach that sticks with us long after we’ve left grammar school and went out into the real world.
So now, when we venture to learn a foreign way of speaking, we tend to gravitate towards that which is familiar: grammar-translation. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as good an approach when it comes to acquiring a second language.
When we use this approach, we depend on language translations (e.g. electronic dictionaries, phrasebooks) and grammar explanations to learn a new language. While perfectly usable, modern research has shown that they are less than optimal ways of picking up a new language. Apparently, the one-size-fits-all method they embraced in school is far from the best you can do when learning a second language from the ground up.
Now, don’t get us wrong. Grammar translation and similar old-school methods have their place. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if all language learners carried around a phrasebook that they can check out every now and then. However, do consider going some other route as your primary language study, such as modern language software, as they tend to be more beneficial to training.
May 3, 2011
There are two main aspects to studying a new language: learning and practice.
Learning refers to taking language lessons. When you listen to a classroom lecture, read through pages of material or sit through a language software, you’re “learning” the language.
Practice involves actual use of the language, either through speaking, listening, reading or writing. When you practice, you go beyond simply memorizing new phrases and understanding the theories behind using them. You get a feel for how those lessons are applied in the real world.
Think of learning a new language in terms of playing basketball, for instance. A coach can show you how to dribble, layup and even make a crossover. Until you play a practice game with other players, though, it’s difficult to get a realistic feel of how things are going to be in a real game.
Practice doesn’t have to involve jumping into a table full of native speakers and chatting them up. There are other ways you can get practice in. You can spend 30 minutes a day speaking the new language by yourself, for instance, pretending you’re having a conversation. There are other things: you can write your shopping lists in the target language, think in the target language and even record a spoken audio diary in the target language.
The important thing is to treat both aspects of the language training process as equals, so that you appropriate sufficient amounts of time for each them.
November 28, 2009
Are you a right-brainer who’s trying to learn a second language? There are some things that come naturally to creative and intuitive individuals like you which you can use to boost your training.
1. Use a language acquisition software (or enroll in a course) that is based around either communicative techniques or immersive learning. Traditional grammar-based instructions are only likely to end up flying over your head.
2. If you’re designing your own learning program (incorporating numerous materials, for example), get help. Many of the skills required to make such preparations are left-brained by nature. As such, there’s a good chance you’ll end up drawing up inadequate plans and activities.
3. Incorporate plenty of opportunities for interaction with your learning, especially ones that call for innovation and creativity. Remember, you tend to learn best when employing your strengths.
4. Use your imagination to your advantage by integrating it when memorizing vocabulary, practicing speech and other activities.
5. Use your intuition to your advantage. Learn to trust your instincts when guessing the meaning of certain words and phrases. When practicing your speaking skills, don’t hold back. Chances are good that you’re doing it right. Even if you’re not, nobody’s watching.
6. Use visual and auditory stimulation to aid your studies. Pictures, music and art can be very beneficial tools for someone of your temperament.
July 24, 2009
Some proponents of language learning insist that conscious academe-style attempts at language learning are largely an exercise in futility, with the practice using up so much time better spent elsewhere. Instead of studying grammar and language rules, they’d rather you approach it from a more applied angle – memorizing vocabulary, engaging in interactions and letting it sink in.
Others, however, favor a more systematic approach, treating language study in a more structured manner. Just like regular schoolwork, you pore through lessons, understand the rules and apply them strategically. Whether it be inside a classroom or alone with a language software, the learning is facilitated in an organized manner.
In truth, though, both approaches are just as valid. I’ve met many people who picked up adequate language skills using either one of the two or even both approaches. The particular approach that will work best for you, for the most part, should be a function of opportunity and personal abilities.
Opportunities. If you’re living in a foreign country, for instance, the applied approach might be ideal for you as you will find plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in a language fully. In such a setting, you might indeed be able to easily assimilate the language into your skillset by studying a few simple phrases, observing and mindfully assessing all your local interactions.
Personal Abilities. Some people simply learn best right on the field, while others benefit immensely from formal instruction. Depending on the type of learner you are, it is always best to receive your language instruction in the way that serves your strengths.
July 10, 2009
In any form of learning, there are always different ways to achieve the same result. The field of language learning, in particular, can benefit from well-made strategies that can improve the student’s overall acquisition of skills.
Strategies for language acquisition are typically divided into two main areas: learning strategies and communicative techniques. They vary greatly in their overall implementations and are largely geared towards different things.
Learning Strategies
Learning strategies comprise of techniques we usually employ for language learning, such as using cue cards to review vocabulary terms, following exercises given by your language learning software or memorizing phrases grouped by function. Their aim is pretty straightforward: to provide a more effective manner for the student to acquire the language.
While learning strategies typically vary in their overall effectiveness depending on the student, there’s no denying their importance. A good set of learning strategies will allow you to gain facility in a language much faster and in a much more robust manner than a poor one.
Communicative Strategies
Communicative strategies are a set of techniques that help non-native speakers hold interactions in a language they are not yet well-versed in. Carrying a card of common phrases to read to people on the street (e.g. “Where is the bus stop?”), for instance, helps you carry out very basic interactions in a community whose language you don’t yet have the ability to speak. Similarly, using gestures and pro-forms serve the same purpose.
Your Language Acquisition
For the purposes of actual language acquisition, you should focus on learning strategies, while employing communicative strategies when trying to communicate with native speakers. The first expands your knowledge while the second can help improve your confidence when applying the foreign language. As such, employing both sets of strategies can be beneficial to your overall success.
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