Some language acquisition software I’ve seen emphasizes comprehension as the driving force of language learning. This approach focuses on learning to process messages in the target language, heralding the importance of understanding words and phrases before using them yourself.
It can help you learn language in an easy way and with advance learning options and comprehension. Memorizing endless amounts of phrases? Forget about it. In comprehension-driven learning, you work on comprehending the message each phrase is trying to convey. The idea is that if you can grasp what’s being said, the speaking will eventually emerge all on its own.
The most extreme example of this approach is full immersion. Drop yourself in a foreign land where everyone speaks the language, except you. Little by little, you’ll begin understanding their communication through observation. Once you gain a good facility for figuring it out, you can’t help but be able to converse yourself as well.
In comprehension-driven language learning, acquisition is believed to be a developmental process. First you must learn to receive input (lots and lots of it), then you can competently give your own. Your brain works to analyze language naturally, slowly giving you the facility to use what you’re absorbing from your environment.
What about memorized material? Under this concept, it does nothing but give a false impression of proficiency. If you work on comprehension first, your speaking becomes more ingrained, such that it will develop into a skill you can count on, rather than forget after a brief period of inactivity.
Tired of boring exercise books? Innovative Language Acquisition Software may be your saver. Read how state-of-the-art technology helps you to learn faster and more efficient in the surrounding of your quiet home or at work. Read more
Why should I learn a foreign language? After all the whole world speaks English. There may be some truth in this argument, but only a little bit. In truth only 5.6% of the worlds total population speak English as their first language. So what are the benefits of learning a foreign language?
Firstly learning a new language enables you to discover a new culture. Its not just about learning a huge list of vocabulary, it is also about learning how differently other people in the world live their lives, kind of like a buy one get one free offer on learning. This can be quite interesting, especially if you plan on doing a lot of travelling.
Learning a foreign language can also benefit your future. It may seem a little bit early to be thinking about that but the choices you make now will have some effect later in your life. Learning a foreign language can enable you to study abroad and it can also enable you to get a better, higher paid job. Having knowledge of a foreign language on you CV is attractive to employers and makes you stand out from the crowd. It has been proven that people who have an extra language earn on average an extra £3000 a year. How could anyone dream of turning that chance down? Sometimes learning a foreign language can help you understand your own language and culture better through comparison. Many English words are derived from other languages so you may even learning something new about English in the process.
If you are determined to stay young and carefree forever, learning a new language has been proven to keep your mind healthy as it delays the onset of dementia.
For socialites, learning a language can be beneficial because it enables them to meet many new people from all over the world.
For some people, none of the above reasons apply to them. Some people just enjoy challenging themselves and learning a new language is the perfect way to do this. It’s challenging but not impossible.
So whatever your reason is, why not try learning a language. You never know, you might just enjoy it!
Professor Diane M. Barone is one of my favorite researchers when it comes to understanding how to cater effectively to English language learners. (ELLs) She has so much to offer new teachers on the subject and I spend a lot of time reading her books, which has helped with some of my research questions and writing.
She has been gracious enough to provide in-depth answers to my questions on teaching ELLs. She has even been more gracious to answer any more questions, which you can either email to me or leave in the comment box. So with a round of applause, let’s welcome Diane M. Barone.
Professor Barone, thank you so much for participating in this interview. Here’s my first question:
Dorit: For those who haven’t read any of your content rich books and articles on teaching ELLs, could you please give a little overview to our readers on your teaching and research background especially with regard to your work with ELLs?
Professor Barone: So here goes. My experience with ELLs began when I taught a first, second, and third grade classroom of 30 children. Several of these children came to my classroom speaking a language other than English. At that time, my response was to group for some reading instruction, organize small activity centers in the room so that students could collaborate, and organize my instruction thematically so that the important topics recurred in instruction over time. These students were the participants in my doctoral work where I analyzed the written responses they wrote to books they read independently, although the focus was not on ELLs. One result was at the end of third grade all of these children met grade level expectations.
My first big research studies after this time were centered in classrooms where many students were ELLs. One study was in a bilingual first grade classroom. I co-taught with the teacher and we studied which language gained preference in the classroom. In that study, while English was clearly the dominant language, children whose home language was Spanish achieved at higher levels in reading and writing than did children whose home language was English. I was intrigued with this result.
At the same time as the previous study I began my study of children who were prenatally exposed to crack/cocaine. A few of these children also had a home language of Spanish.
Finally, I engaged in a seven-year study where I identified children in K and followed them until sixth grade. Many of these children had a home language of Spanish or Tagalog. I watched as they were taught in English-only classrooms.
Lately, I have worked with Reading First and other high poverty schools in Nevada that have low achievement data. The majority of these children come from homes where English is not the primary language. I work in these schools daily, sitting side-by-side with teachers as we determine how best to support students.
Dorit: Based on your own observations and research, what do you feel are some of the challenges teaching ELLs in mixed ability classes at the primary school level? Junior high and high school?
Professor Barone: I have never been in a classroom that did not have children with variety of academic levels. So rather than viewing the mixed abilities as challenges we just perceive them as an expectation. Here are some of the practices that seem to work.
· We engage children in small groups where they can chat throughout the day. There is always an academic task but we allow children to converse so they can practice English.
· We expect that teachers keep students engaged. So children are never called on one-at-a-time to respond. We may use whole class response when the answer is simple. We partner children where each child has a letter or number (1 & 2 or A & B). They we ask partner A to share with B or the reverse. With the simple letter or number we are assured that both partners participate. This partnering allows children numerous opportunities to practice.
· We have children writing and reading from the first days of school. We look at their writing to learn when they understand letters, letters and sounds, and how to represent words in English. We have simple books for children and we keep adding to these books so every table group has a variety to choose from.
· We explicitly teach phonemic awareness to our K and first graders. This is done in small groups with the teacher or aide. We use Road to the Code.
· We involve parents. In one school parents come to kindergarten and learn how to read with this child.
· We use a large number of photos or realia to support meaning.
· We group children in multiple ways throughout the day depending on need.
· We provide intervention or enrichment blocks each day depending on student need.
· We make sure that there is at least 90 minutes for reading instruction, a half hour for writing, and a half hour for intervention every day.
Dorit: What are some of the more critical areas new teachers need to know when planning differentiation lessons for their ELLs? Based on what you perceive as these critical areas, what advice can you give to new teachers?
Professor Barone: This is a very important question. We are asking teachers to extend the main objective from whole group to small, differentiated groups during reading instruction. So if the teacher is focused on author’s purpose during whole group, then we ask for this objective during small group. So whole group is for modeling and small group is for guided practice. Then we have children practice reading with a partner independently with this same objective before we ask them to perform independently. We are careful with the consistency in this sequence – same objective – model, guided practice, collaborative practice, independent practice.
Dorit: What should primary school general education teachers particularly take into account when differentiating instruction?
Professor Barone: Always the needs of children. So if there is a small group of students who struggle with an alphabet letter or sound, small group for short, focused instruction works. We also work with children reading at about the same level for part of the day so they can read similar titles for book group discussion. These groups stay together longer than the first. We also group children based on book choice that support a themes. So if the theme is survival, for instance, each group of children would read a different book that shares this theme.
We also group in writing. Some children might work together for revising and others for editing.
Dorit: At the beginning stages of teaching reading, what areas of instruction/differentiation are becoming increasingly challenging for new teachers to implement? Why is this? What are some of the ways that teachers can overcome this?
Professor Barone: When children are just beginning, they need to know the words and concepts first. So we work with ELLs and preteach this content. That way when the teacher shares a story or informational piece, ELLs have the background and vocabulary. We use photos, videos, realia, and whatever we can to make sure they understand. Often an aide or ESL expert is in charge of this instruction.
Then it depends, if children are in small group and are expected to read a text, we work on understanding, and then decoding. We will have children read this book, multiple times, for different purposes so they become automatic with reading it. Then it is added to books they read during independent time for practice.
So for beginners there are dual purposes – decoding and comprehending. Later when students are automatic with decoding most words, emphasis shifts to comprehension only.
We also focus constantly on vocabulary. We ask teachers to use fancy words all day so children become aware of them (wilted for dried out). We build charts with words daily. We have children sort words by pattern and meaning. We have word walls and other word support in rooms so children can refer to it as necessary.
Dorit: How would you define a struggling ELL in mixed ability classes?
Professor Barone: For me, it is a student who reads but does not comprehend. This child has learned to decode but there hasn’t been much emphasis on comprehension. We find this child to be difficult to work with and support because he or she sees reading as just getting the words right. We put the child into simpler text to support comprehension.
Dorit: How can teachers cater to struggling learners in mixed ability classes?
Professor Barone: Well I believe all children need instruction to support their growth, so in the schools where I collaborate we work on providing the best instruction for each student. So during the reading block, all students participate in small, guided reading groups. We have preteaching groups so that students who are new to English understand the content and vocabulary. We have intervention and enrichment groups each day. Children who are struggling get targeted instruction during this time and other students who are performing at grade level or above get enrichment. We are able to do this by using all grade level and special teachers for blocks throughout the day. For instance, all first graders in a school would have intervention time at 10 to 10:30. Some teachers work with the most struggling students while others work in enrichment activities.
We also have time before school and after for support or homework help provided by teachers, with extra pay, or others.
Dorit: Please explain the difference between pull-in and push out learning envrionments in terms of what teachers need to do to cater to both ESL and ELL effectively. Any advice would also be appreciated.
Professor Barone: We are really moving away from pull-out. We found that it was difficult for teachers to collaborate and the instruction did not necessarily cohesively support students.
So we are working on push in where other teachers or aides work directly with teachers. Each week we build in time for all of the teachers and aides to plan together. (This takes very creative scheduling.) At this time teachers plan instruction for all students in a single grade level. The following week, learning is explored, and new plans are created. With this planning, interventions and preteaching are coordinated so children do not experience random instructional events.
Dorit: What teaching techniques do you recommend for effectively bridging the gaps bewteen word and text-based levels especially at the junior high school level and beyond?
Professor Barone: Junior high and high school are much more difficult especially when students are new to English and the content is so much more abstract. In the schools where I am seeing success, teachers are organizing their language arts block around a theme. Within the theme students read books at their instructional level. Teachers can work with students on common vocabulary. They can also pull small groups for word level instruction as other students read their books silently.
In other classes, we are working with teachers to support students in the discipline specific vocabulary. They create charts or notebooks with these words. They utilize photos as well. We also have taught them to engage students in constructed response where students are expected to write answers or solve problems and explain. We have also worked with them to use graphic organizers that are completed collaboratively with students as new content is shared.
Dorit: Do you have any recommendations for using oral instruction effectively in both primary/junior high school settings?
Professor Barone: The big question. We ask teachers to monitor their talking. We have asked some to tape record instruction as we find that teachers are talking way too much and students are no getting the practice they need. We really work on student engagement so that students are expected to participate throughout all instruction. We work with teachers to use:
· Think, pair, share
· Numbered heads where every student in group has a number. After discussion, the teacher calls a number and those students share out.
· Partners with numbers or letters so each partner shares.
· Whole group response – thumbs up or down
· Quick written responses on sticky notes before any response
We are really working with teachers not to call on individual students as all other students lose focus.
We also read aloud to students where we repeat the reading of the book for several days. On the first day, students talk about plot. On the second day they might discuss characters. On the third day maybe setting. By the end of the week they are comfortable talking about all aspects of the book.
Make Your Teaching Sparkle. Teach for Success. Make a difference in the classroom.
Subscribe to receive your FREE e-zine and e-book, “Taking Charge in the Classroom” when you visit the New Teacher Resource Center at http://www.newteachersignup.com.
Purchase your ebook of classroom tested tips – “Tips and Tricks for Surviving and Thriving in the Classroom,” at: http://www.MakeYourTeachingSparkle.com and you’ll receive a FREE ebooklet, “Yes! You Can Teach K-12 English language learners Successfully!”
Dorit Sasson is a freelance writer, speaker, educator and founder of the New Teacher Resource Center.
When the world talks about science, culture, economy or politics, it speaks English. English speakers don’t really need a second language at all. So, what’s the use of a second language when the first one is enough? English speakers can look for the luxury items: cultural and linguistic enrichment. In this article, I will evaluate the world’s major languages for their usefulness to English speakers, according to three different criteria:
Demographics: Opportunity to use the language actively: the number of native and second language speakers, and the chances of communicating with them in this language: use as a lingua franca. It’s not simply a matter of numbers. Mandarin is by far the most spoken language but it is concentrated in one country, China, and that reduces the impact. In the case of Hindi, educated speakers will very likely also speak English, so the opportunity to speak to people in Hindi is greatly reduced.
Personal Impact: This subjective criterion looks at the impact on the learner. How does this language study increase the learner’s own sophistication regarding languages, whether English or another, third language? How does this language make the learner a more culturally literate person?
Business factors: How will this language open new business and commercial opportunities?
Criterion I. Demographics: I begin with demographics because this is the criterion that first comes to mind in such a discussion. However, this factor only weighs 40 percent in the ratings, and certain entries here, such as Italian, Swahili and Turkish, will only become understandable when one sees the tables that follow.
Spanish: Approx. 350 million native speakers, with many second language speakers in the Americas, North Africa and elsewhere. It is the official language of about 20 countries. (6 points). It is an important lingua franca in the Western Hemisphere and the Mediterranean, (3 points). (Total: 9 points).
French: Despite a relatively small native language base of 130 million, French has a major presence internationally, with a large second language population all over the world and official language status in over 25 countries. It is the working language of many international organizations (4 points). It is also the most recognized lingua franca, after English. (4 points). (Total: 8 points).
Arabic: Arabic speakers are hard to quantify. Modern Standard Arabic is a second dialect for 250 million people worldwide, but it is quite difference from the spoken Arabic in each of the 20 countries where it is official. It is an official language of the United Nations and of many international organizations. It is also the language of Islam. (4.5 points). Arabic is a major lingua franca. (2 points). (Total: 6.5 points).
Russian: Estimates are as high as 185 million for the native speaking population, and it is the second language in all the nations of the former Soviet Union (3 points). Russia spent much of the Twentieth Century securing the position of its language as the lingua franca in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and it continues to serve in that capacity, in a greatly diminished way. (2 points). (Total: 5 points).
Mandarin: It’s the native language of 875 million people, however, they are concentrated in one country, China. It is a second language for the rest of China, Taiwan, and for Chinese community world-wide. It has little currency beyond its ethnic boundaries and serves as lingua franca only in this context. (Total: 3 points).
German: It has approx. 120 million native speakers and many second language speakers throughout Europe. (2 points). It has had moderate success re-establishing itself as the lingua franca of Central Europe, after the disastrous history of the past century, however, this role has been taken up in the meantime by Russian and English (1 point). (Total: 3 points).
Hindustani: It includes Urdu at one end and Hindi at the other, with approx. 185 million native speakers in India, and 50 million in Pakistan. It is a second language for another 180 million people in these country. It has not had success as a lingua franca outside of this context, as that purpose is served by English. It has also been burdened by the reluctance of the Dravidian speaking people of South India to adopt it. (Total: 2.5 points).
Swahili: It is spoken natively by 5 million people and by another 50 million as a second language along the East African coast. It’s the official language of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (1 point). Swahili is the accepted lingua franca in that area, having achieved nearly neutral “tribal” status on a continent where language is politics, but for dealings with the world beyond, it is normally eclipsed by Arabic, English and French (1.5 points). (Total: 2.5 points).
Portuguese: Spoken by approx. 190 million people, it is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola and other states. It has not as yet been able to establish itself as a widely used lingua franca. (Total: 2 points).
Turkish: It is spoken by 70 million people in Turkey and Cyprus (1 point). It provides an alternative lingua franca throughout the Turkic speaking lands of Central Asia, replacing the more alien Russian (1 point). (Total: 2 points).
Japanese: It is spoken by 125 million people in Japan, but has little currency as a second language or a lingua franca. (Total: 1 point).
Italian: It is spoken by 60 million people in Italy, it is also the official language of the Vatican. It has little or no significance as a second language or a lingua franca. (1 point).
Criterion II: Personal Impact: This is the major consideration for the English speaker. It weighs 40 percent in my ratings. How will the learning of this language help one’s understanding of English? How will knowledge of this language open up a portal to other related languages? For the first question, Latin languages hold a distinct advantage, since the prestige, erudite forms of English are all constructed out of a Latin vocabulary. The second question favors languages which are seen as leading languages in particular linguistic families, wherever they may be located in the world.
French: It holds a particular position among Latin languages, in that it has been the major conduit of Latin vocabulary into English for the past one thousand years. Fully 30 percent of English words come from French, (6 points). In cultural terms, the centrality of France to European civilization cannot be overestimated, adding 6 more points. (Total: 12 points)
Spanish: This Latin language has enormous influence on the English of the Americas. It has, in turn, been influenced by Arabic and the indigenous languages of pre-Columbian America, giving insight into those languages. (4 points). Spanish culture continues to move into the forefront of Western civilization, ironically, often because of the patronage of its greatest rival, North American English (4 points). (Total: 8 points).
Italian: It is the direct descendant of Latin. Thus, a knowledge of Italian gives the learner an exceptionally clear idea of the classical language. By the same token, it is the central romance language, and the study of a second or third romance language is greatly facilitated when the first one learned is Italian. (4 points). Italian also opens up a store of cultural knowledge dating back two thousand years, and representing, with the Roman Empire, the Catholic tradition and the Italian Renaissance, some of the very highest achievements of European civilization. (4 points). (Total: 8 points).
German: The linguistic significance for English speakers is great. German provides a clear presentation of the Germanic roots of English, and of the syntactic and grammatical logic of the basic English language. As the major Germanic language it can also be considered a portal to other Germanic languages such as Dutch and Yiddish. (4 points). German culture is also greatly appreciated in Western culture, and its philosophers and artists are key figures. (2 points). (Total: 6 points).
Arabic: Although the immediate linguistic impact of the study of Arabic may be hard to discern for the English speaker, the benefits of Arabic in the study of other languages is high. Arabic has greatly influenced other languages of the Middle East and the Muslim world in religion, politics, and social life. Also, the study of the Arabic alphabet opens the way to many other languages, such as Persian, Urdu, Kurdish, etc. (3 points). Arabic culture has had major influence on western civilization but it remains largely unknown in the English speaking world. Knowledge of the language also leads to a greater understanding of Islam. (2 points). (Total: 5 points).
Hindustani: In its Hindi form, it is a window on the origins of the larger Indo-European language family with its Sanskrit vocabulary. As Urdu, it gives a significant introduction to many Persian and Arabic terms. Urdu also uses the Persian form of Arabic script, opening the way to wider studies. It is a starting point for the study of other languages of the subcontinent, an area rich in languages. (3 points). India’s rich culture has become more familiar in the English speaking world, in large part due to India’s ability to project its image through English. However, Hindustani language and Hindi culture are also spread through the Bollywood film industry. Pakistan has yet to make its presence felt, but the potential is there. (2 point). (Total: 5 points).
Russian: It has not had major influence in the west, given its geographical isolation. It is, however, the major Slavic language, and as such, opens the way to many other Eastern European languages. The Cyrillic alphabet, moreover, is a tremendous asset for reading many of those languages. (2 points). Russian high culture thrived under both tsarism and communism, and it has a significant place in European civilization. (2 points). (Total: 4 points).
Portuguese: As a Latin language, Portuguese has a built-in significance for English speakers, even without a direct relationship with English. (3 points). The cultural significance of Brazil, one of the largest nations of the Americas, is continually growing. (1 point). (Total: 4 points).
Mandarin: The official Chinese language has had very little influence on English. It has influenced other national languages of the areas, such as Korean and Japanese, and the other “dialects” of China. The Chinese written characters are the same for all of these dialects, and many of these characters are used in Japanese as well. (2 points). Chinese culture, with over two thousand years of history, is quite significant, if not directly applicable to English speaking civilization. (1.5 point). (Total: 3.5 points).
Swahili: As the only sub-Saharan language in the group, it serves to introduce the learner to one of the richest linguistic areas of the Earth. It is from the Bantu family of languages, but it incorporates many words from Arabic, Persian, English and French. (1.5 points). It is the language of trade along the East African coast, and as such, is richly descriptive of the culture there. The West African diaspora into the Americas is one of the great mass migrations of the past 500 years, but because of its tragic social dynamics, it has left many millions of people cut off from African culture. Swahili, although it is East African and not West African, can help to fill that gap. (1.5 points). (Total: 3 points).
Turkish: Though it has little direct relationship to English, it is the major language of a family of languages that extend eastward to the Chinese interior. It has been influenced by Persian, Kurdish and Arabic, and thus gives some introduction to those languages. (1.5 points). It also represents the culture of the Ottoman traditions, and of modern Turkey and Central Asian Turkistan. (1 point). (Total: 2.5 points).
Japanese: This language has had little impact on English and it provides little insight into other languages. It does, however, include many words from Chinese, and uses numerous Chinese characters. (0.5 points). This island nation has been one of the most successful exporters of culture of the Far East during the past century. (1.5 points). (Total: 2 points).
Criterion III. Economic Impact. Is this language useful in the world of commerce and business? Certainly English is by far the most useful language for business, but a knowledge of other key languages can be a distinct advantage. Twenty percent in the ratings:
French: has a long history as a language of commerce and trade. It is extremely important in the developing world, especially Africa. France itself is the world’s sixth largest economy. (4 points).
Spanish: the language of commerce and trade in Latin America. Spain is the world’s ninth largest economy and Mexico is its fourteenth largest. (4 points).
German: often used for business in Central Europe. Germany is the world’s third largest economy. (3 points).
Japanese: can be extremely helpful in dealing with Japanese business. Japan is the world’s second largest economy. (3 points).
Mandarin: China has recently become the world’s fourth largest economy, and it continues to grow. (3 points).
Russian: Used in a part of the world where English is not well-known. Russia is the eleventh largest economy and is moving up in the rankings. (2 points).
Portuguese: Brazil is the tenth largest economy, and continues to grow. (2 points).
Arabic: the language of commerce and trade for the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. (2 points).
Hindustani: is used in the world’s twelfth largest economy, however, English is often the language of business in this area. (2 points).
Italian: is the language of commerce in Italy, the world’s seventh largest economy. (1.5 points).
Swahili: is the language of business along the east coast of Africa. (1 point).
Turkish: is used in the world’s seventeenth largest economy, and to some extent in Central Asia. (1 point).
By these criteria we can come up with a ranking of the 12 most useful languages for an English speaker to learn:
French: 24 points
Spanish: 21 points
Arabic: 13.5 points
German: 12 points
Russian: 11 points
Italian: 10.5 points
Hindustani 9.5 points
Mandarin: 9.5 points
Portuguese: 8 points
Swahili: 6.5 points
Japanese: 5.5 points
Turkish: 5.5 points
Some readers may be familiar with George Weber’s well-known piece entitled, Top Languages, which first appeared in the journal Languages Today in 1997. His study rated languages according to their influence in world affairs and world culture. It is interesting, at this point to compare them. Here are Weber’s results:
English: 37 points
French: 23
Spanish: 20
Russian: 16
Arabic: 14
Chinese: 13
German: 12
Japanese: 10
Portuguese: 10
Hindi/Urdu: 9 pts.
The rankings are similar, with some major differences. My criteria are based on tangible and intangible benefits for the English speaker which are not heavily weighed in Weber’s paradigm. Thus, this subjective focus skewers my results in favor of European languages due to the cultural affinity of English for the languages of Western civilization.
Heritage Languages: The most striking example of a difference is my ranking of Italian as number 6, whereas it does not figure in Weber’s top ten. My justification for Italian is the phenomenon of the “heritage language”, i.e., a language that has usefulness in our understanding and appreciation of the past, rather than in the future. Italian is the vehicle for our understanding of ancient history, the development of Latin languages, Renaissance Art and classical music. It is also the ancestral language of over 100 million people strategically placed in both North and South America. For these reasons, it is the heritage language par excellence. Other languages that benefit from this heritage factor in my listings are German and Swahili.
Point values for English? French, with 24 points, is number one in my listing. Where does English stand in relation? If rating it for usefulness for speakers of other languages, I would give it 10 points in each category, for a total of 50 points. I think that the extraordinary position of English in today’s world is indisputable, and considering it to be twice as useful as its closest competition, French, is not a great stretch of the imagination.
The only English point assignment that may require explanation is ten points for linguistic value. The value of English in this area for world speakers is quite wide reaching and significant. English is the vehicle for the spread of the classical Latin vocabulary for abstract concepts, for the Greco-Roman terms for government, science, philosophy, etc. It absorbs world vocabulary without major spelling changes, effectively spreading new terminology from a variety of sources. As the official language of international organizations, it serves as a showplace for each nation and organization to present itself to the world. Like the other “empire” languages of Western Europe, French and Spanish, English is propagated by native speakers worldwide with no ethnic, social or political relationship to its motherland. But English goes one step further, English is capable of evolving and developing completely independently of its native speakers. Second language users of English drive the introduction of new words like “informatics” and “ufology” which gain currency first among these speakers. Foreign governments keep close control of their English language nomenclature, and make changes through the United Nations and non-government organizations. These changes are therefore immediate in English, with no consultation with native speakers necessary. While some European languages are still calling the capital of China “Peking”, English made the switch to “Beijing” during the late 1980s (for proof, look at contemporary reports regarding the Tian an Men Square events of June, 1989). Recently, the switch from Bombay to Mumbai has happened before most English speakers have even noticed.
Conclusion – The status of English in world affairs puts its native speakers in a unique position. We have the opportunity of living in a provincial English-only environment in which the world comes to us, or we can take advantage of this favored position to become acquainted with other cultures right within our own language. So, is any second language really useful for English speakers? No study can ever really measure the personal importance of second language learning. That is something we have to discover for ourselves. The fact is that every language is well worth the effort to learn, as every language is a complete way of describing the universe of human achievement, and thus it’s significance is as wide and as deep as we personally make it.
Note on Statistics: The statistics that I have used (population, economic ranking, etc.) come from diverse sources: world almanacs, encyclopedias, US government studies. I make no claims about their accuracy, as they are general estimates. Their importance is in relationship to each other.
Dominic Ambrose has taught languages for over twenty years, from Middle School to Community College, from adult ed to ESL to TOEFL training. He has also traveled as a teacher educator to many Eastern European countries as well as South America, including three years with the Romanian Ministry of Education. Presently, he works in Paris as a script developer for an independent film company, but he is still fascinated by and writing about languages. To see his blog, click on the link: http://dominicambrose.wordpress.com
There are, without doubt, difficult languages and easy languages, but I have never heard of a language which was impossible to learn, no matter what your age. The difference is the time it takes and the dedication you need to get to the point that your personal circumstances dictate. Whether you simply want to communicate whilst on holiday, or you have taken the huge step of moving abroad and you want to speak with the locals; if you are prepared to put some effort in…then you will learn, for sure.
If the language that you want to learn has more than 80% of “common” words with your mother tongue, then it can be done in only three months or so if you’re able to pick things up quickly, or 6 months if it isn’t something that comes to you so easily. Other, more remote languages, where you want to become more than simply conversational, can take you 2 to 3 years to reach a reasonable level. Anyway, one thing is for certain; people learning on their own will learn much more quickly than people taking classes or attending school.
What type of person can learn a new language?
Most people can learn almost any language if they work with a sensible method for a reasonable period of time (and work regularly too). Although it is true that some people are really bad at learning languages, there are actually very few of these. Generally speaking, it is people who were discouraged by bad experiences in school who believe that if they don’t speak a language with any fluency after having spent 10 years in school studying it, this is because they are not gifted (after all, maybe their teacher was the one who wasn’t gifted).
Most people can learn a new language if they do it the right way. When you think about it, everyone learns their mother tongue effortlessly. Of course adults learn differently than children, but the point is that it does not take special skills to be an efficient language learner, just an efficient method.
What can I achieve by learning another language?
Most people are able to speak like a native if they have lived in a country where they have to speak it all the time, especially if they were reasonably young when they arrived. For all the others, learning to speak another language can be very difficult, there are no two ways about it. It is, however, possible to learn a new language [http://www.firstforlanguages.com] with a good level of fluency; to be able to express your thoughts and feelings, and understand all the intricacies in the speech of the natives without having to spend half your life with your head in a book or a classroom.
The most important thing is to set realistic goals (the first step is to understand and be understood) and don’t be deterred at the first hurdle; persistence will pay dividends. This can be the difference between the mediocre and the outstanding language learner.
It is also important to realise that you will never stop learning a particular language and that there will nearly always be room for improvement. Try to improve your language skills whenever you can and never be satisfied with how much you have learned – keep pushing on.
The idea is not to work constantly in order to speak a new language (life is too short…). Instead, have an open mind toward learning, knowing that even if you speak really well, you can always improve; learn new words or new expressions or perfect your pronunciation. Aim for the sky, and you’ll get it!
About the Author: Clare Innes has a number of health, fitness and general lifestyle websites, including one showcasing the USA’s top selling method of exactly how to learn a new language…and in under 8 weeks! Visit [http://www.firstforlanguages.com] Look out for more websites in the First For….com’ series that is currently under development.
I took a poll at the end of our last lesson together – I asked my students what their favourite hobby was? Someone said ‘football’ (that’s ’soccer’ to our cousins across the Atlantic!), which we decided would be the theme for the next lesson. Their ‘homework’ was to bring something football related to this lesson. I arrived with all my Sunderland memorabilia – scarf, hat, coat and so on. This is how the lesson went:
Greetings! Usual warm up exercise of greeting one another. For a more advanced class I usually include a ‘family news’ section at the beginning, which is an opportunity to share with the class anything of significance that’s happened between lesson. I will then talk for five minutes or so about the team I am passionate about.
Responses: here’s where we find out who likes football, and why they think my choice of team is the wrong one. I will start asking questions of the students. Depending on their skill level we can talk about everything from colours to home towns, club history to current form.
Video: we will watch a section of a recent match on the TV together, and I will encourage more comment and discussion from the clip. We will brainstorm soccer vocabulary, and write new words on the board.
If this was a one-to-one course, we would probably follow up the lesson with a real enthusiast with a visit to see a match. Teaching into people’s enthusiasm is by far and away the best method of getting a language across – the student will be searching for new words for a subject that has fully engaged him or her!
Quiz: set a brief observation quiz (5-10 questions) about the video, using simple written answers to questions arising: ‘which number player scored the goal?; what colour shirt was the referee wearing? Get the person sitting to the left or right of each student to mark his or her colleague’s paper. Small chocolate based prizes all round!
As with every group lesson, end with feedback (from the student to the teacher) and farewell.
This kind of plan works well for any hobby / pastime / enthusiasm: engage the student, illustrate well, and, as the teacher, mostly sit back and listen.
Andrew is a qualified TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher, with 15 years experience of the global Automotive Industry as a Sales manager with an International component and systems supplier.
Why do we have language? So we can communicate. Sure, we can probably understand each other (somewhat) using hand gestures and grunts, but you have to admit – language does allow for a richer, more complex interaction.
Language consists of four main skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. While each area does help you develop the others, proficiency in one won’t ever guarantee the same level of ability on the rest.
If you want to communicate in a language, you’ll have to learn to speak and write in it. Those two abilities are widely different. In fact, while most second-language learners eventually develop proficiency in the former, many of them never develop skills in the latter. Now, why is that?
Speaking is natural. If you spend time among a group of native speakers of a language, you will eventually pick up bits and pieces of its speech. However, the same isn’t likely to hold true for writing. Putting words to paper, quite simply, is a learned skill – one you should spend considerable time building up.
There are differences in structure and style. When we speak, we rarely bother with formal grammar. In writing, we almost always make sure we write in an organized and structurally-correct manner. Obviously, the former is much less intimidating, making it easier to just dive in and embrace.
Writing is permanent. When you write, there’s a feeling of durability to the form, as the words you commit to paper can literally last a lifetime (and then some). Speaking, on the other hand, is more immediate, allowing you to express your thoughts to people right on the spot.
Understanding these differences helps you gain an appreciation for the learning you’re going to be doing, whether you’re taking language lessons or using a language training software.
Tired of boring exercise books? Innovative Language Training Software may be your saver. Read how state-of-the-art technology helps you to learn faster and more efficient in the surrounding of your quiet home or at work. Read more
An infinitive is a particular verb form which expresses the verbal idea in its simplest form. It has no marking for tense, person or mood. In English, the infinitive is the verb form which can immediately follow a modal auxiliary verb like should or must.
I should go now. We will wait.
An infinitive can also follow the particle to.
I want to go. We will have to wait.
Many people have, however, gained the false impression that infinitives are forms like to write and to go. This view is mistaken and learners should realize that that to does not form part of the infinitive at all. In fact, it is possible to separate the to from the following infinitive by a phrase. For example in the sentence ‘The teacher asked the student to carefully read the lesson’, the adverb carefully separates the particle to from the following infinitive read. Similarly in the sentence ‘She decided to never touch another beer can’, the adverb never separates the particle to from the infinitive touch. Here the sequences ‘to carefully read’ and ‘to never touch’ are examples of the split infinitive. Many grammarians still feel that it is wrong to separate the particle from the following infinitive. They are of the opinion that the adverb should be used either before to after the infinitive as in the following example: The teacher asked the student to read the lesson carefully.
In some sentences, however, the intervening adverb cannot be shifted to another position without changing the meaning of the sentence.
For example consider the sentence ‘She wishes to really understand his motives’. Now try changing the position of the adverb really:
She really wishes to understand his motives. She wishes really to understand his motives. She wishes to understand really his motives.
None of these sentences means the same thing as: She wishes to really understand his motives.
The use of split infinitives in such cases has been justified by modern grammarians.
Manjusha Nambiar is the editor of PerfectYourEnglish.com, an ESL site where you can learn English from qualified ESL tutors. She also gives free English Grammar and vocabulary lessons at her ESL blog.
Humans are lazy. They usually chose the most comfortable way of getting things done. This is especially true when North Americans speak English. The easiest way to talk is by starting words with consonants, then alternating consonant and vowel sounds. Regardless of how words are spelled or where printed word breaks occur, North Americans speak with the least amount of effort possible. Consequently, spoken English bears little resemblance to how it looks, and no matter how they look in print, most spoken English words actually start with a consonant, believe it or not.
The Impact of ‘Lazy’ Speech on ESL – Sharini’s Story
My adult ESL class was filing out of the computer lab when a student turned to me and asked, “Teacher, what means noff?”
I said, “Sharini, there is no such word as noff,” and asked her where she heard it.
“You, teacher. You say noff.”
“I said noff?!” I was incredulous. “Do remember the sentence or when I said it?
“Right now.” She answered without hesitation.
“I just said noff? What did I say?”
“You say, ‘Tur noff you compuda.’
She was 100% correct. I did say noff! Who knew?
“Ah, yes.” I looked down at my watch and shrugged my shoulders. “Unfortunately, we are out of time for today. We’ll have to talk about noff tomorrow.”
I had my work cut out for me. I had to figure out what was going on with noff by 9:00 a.m. the next day.
It turns out noff was not as complicated as I originally feared. Noff is a byproduct of a process called Linking. Linking is the three-part phenomenon where speaking flows independent of printed word breaks. It is incorrect to label linking as slurred or lazy speech because it is simply the most natural way for speaking to work.
A Lesson in Linking
Consonants are short sounds that ’stop’ and vowels are elastic sounds that ‘go’ or stretch. The easiest and most natural way for human beings to speak is by alternating ’stop’ and ‘go’ sounds, beginning with ’stop’ sounds.
Many languages are constructed just this way – alternating consonants and vowels, starting with consonants. Look at the names of these countries.
CA NA DA, CHI NA, GER MA NY, PE RU, JA PAN, ME XI CO…
Of course – English is different.
Groups of Consonants
Written English includes thousands of words with consonant blends as found in play or list. Runs of three or four or more consonants are also common in English, for example rlscl, ghtsbr, rchstr – although they are more easily recognized in their context: Earlscliffe, Knightsbridge and ChurchStreet. When speaking English, stopped sounds are pronounced consecutively with no difficulty at all.
Groups of Vowels
Pairs or short streams of vowels are also frequent in English. In words like please, friend and said, pairs of vowels represent only one sound. In other vowel pairs like poem, lion, react, each vowel makes an individual sound (which creates a new syllable). In beautiful, three vowels represent one sound, but in serious and quiet, three vowels make two. (There is no logic to this language.) Unlike consonant sounds, vowel sounds cannot be pronounced one after the other. Something amazing happens between vowel sounds; stay tuned.
Linking Happens in Three Predictable Places
Granted, sentences and phrases can start with vowel sounds, but the vast majority of words that begin with vowels occur inside sentences, where the three subconscious rules of ‘the easiest way to say it’ take over.
C/C – Consonant to Consonant Linking – When one word ends with the same consonant sound the next word starts with, the sound is pronounced only one time.
e.g. bus stop is pronounced /bu stop/good day is pronounced /goo day/
C/V – Consonant to Vowel Linking – When a word ends with a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, the consonant sound slips from the back of the first word to the front of the second.
e.g. turn off is pronounced /tur noff/North America is pronounced /nor thamerica/
V/V – Vowel to Vowel Linking – When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with another vowel sound, a consonant (that is not printed) is automatically pronounced in between. Elastic sounds cannot be pronounced next to each other. Try it.
e.g. go away is pronounced /go waway/; poem sounds like /po wem/I am is pronounced /I yam/; lion sounds like /li yon/
Native English speakers do not struggle consciously with these issues. Most have no idea they avoid starting words with vowels. They might even deny that they do it! English speakers learn vocabulary as distinct units for writing, then collapse those words wherever it is convenient when they talk. For non-native speakers, it is a different ball game.
The clumps of ’stop’ or ‘go’ sounds in English, combined with Linking, present many special challenges for learners whose first language strictly alternates C/V or C/V/C. Very few of the words learners detect in conversation match vocabulary they have studied in school, nor can they find the words they hear, like noff or waway in the dictionary.
English might be the only language where the alphabet is unconnected to the sounds of the words, which renders some familiar suggestions ridiculous.
Sound it out: /Soun di dout/Look it up in the dictionary: /loo ki du pin the dictionary/
Summary
Regardless of how English is written or who is aware of it, spoken English strives to follow the easy consonant/vowel flow of natural human speech. Linking is part of how English speaking works. With this information and a little practice, Sharini can decode noff on her own.
When native speakers learn they do not start words with vowels, they choose one of only two possible responses:
/Ye sIy do/ or /No wIy don’t/
English is Stupid is the definitive resource guide for spoken English in both the academic and corporate speaking world. Whether you are learning it, teaching it, or English is your first language, English is Stupid provides a fascinating expose on the mechanics of how Spoken English works. Six rules of spoken English are simple and absolute. English is Stupid is fascinating to those who are native speakers of English and critical to those who aren’t.
Many students come to British Study Centres with a ‘passive’ attitude to their course. These students really do not make the most of their time spent in the country. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Think of the time spent in the classroom as around 60% of the course. What do you can do in the classroom during an English course is clarify any areas of confusion. The remaining 40% of the course depends on you. Interacting with other students is a good way to speak English, so get involved with activities such as trips and visits to museums.
2. Do not think of the teacher as someone who can unlock the mystery of the language. It’s not that complicated! You should study the grammar yourself before beginning the course, and use the English course itself to clear up any doubts. There is no reason why you should not study from the coursebook yourself before even arriving in the UK.
3. Think of activities which involve speaking to people, and how you can use specific grammar and vocabulary that you have learnt during the morning. For example, if you have learnt to speak about the future, have a debate with three classmates about something which you think may or may not happen in the world. If you have studied the past, watch a film together and ask each other questions.
4. Bring a dictionary! You should aim to absorb and use around 100 words per day! That might seem like a lot, but that is the reason for doing the course. Make an effort.
5. Use the internet as much as possible. There are specific websites on the BBC and elsewhere which are aimed at speakers of other languages.
My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.
Loading ...
