Learning a Foreign Language
Tips and Hints
I.
The adult learner
The painless way to learn a foreign language is to learn it as a child. But as adult
students of a foreign language, we don't have the luxury of years of round-theclock exposure to the language being learned.
The adult student faces special challenges but also has certain advantages over a
child.
A.
Advantages
The adult can make logical connections much more quickly than a child.
What takes a child months or even years to understand can be explained to
and understood by an adult in a matter of minutes.
B.
Challenges
1.
Influence of native language
It is a fact that the farther we move away from childhood and adolescence,
the more firmly our brains become set around our native language. It becomes
hard to hear certain sounds in another language. The muscles in our mouths
suffer from a form of "lock-jaw," and it is difficult, sometimes impossible, to
pronounce some sounds just like a native speaker does. Moreover, we can
become confused if the language we're learning follows a different structure
from our own. English speakers who begin studying German, for example, say
that by the time German gets to the verb, which comes at the very end of the
sentence, they've forgotten what the subject of the sentence is. The habits we
acquire from our own language are deeply ingrained and can hinder our
acquisition of a different language.
2.
Constraint and self-consciousness
There are so many things that are different about a foreign
language that it is easy for an adult to feel thrown off balance and
ill at ease when studying one. We have to become willing to "stick
our necks out," make mistakes, and move ahead.
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3.
Need for hard work and practice
To become proficient at pronouncing new sounds and using new
structures, we must be ready to practice and to work hard.
Learning a foreign language will not be the relatively painless
procedure we undergo as children. But it is an extremely
rewarding experience--and well worth the time and effort it will
take.
II.
At the beginning of the semester
There are many things you can do before the semester is under way to maximize
your learning experience.
A.
Exploring the textbook.
As soon as you purchase your textbook, look through it carefully. Read
the Introduction. Scan the Table of Contents. Find the Index. Find the
Appendices of special explanations and of charts. Find the two
vocabulary lists at the back of the book--one listing English words
alphabetically with the meanings given in the target language, the other
listing words alphabetically in the target language, with the meanings
given in English. Some textbooks have answer pages. Find them, and
study how they are organized; do the same for any accompanying texts.
Determine which particular study aids are used in the book, such as
highlighting or special use of color.
B.
Organizing your materials.
A three-ring loose-leaf notebook and dividers is probably the most
efficient aid.
Your notebook should have a place for handouts you receive on the first
day, such as the syllabus) and for any other materials that the teacher
passes out to you throughout the course. Another section should have
completed homework assignments in it. Keep your returned tests and
quizzes in another part. Finally, you'll want a section that has clear paper
ready to use for notes or practice.
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III.
Day-to-day participation in class
A.
Attendance and preparation
Learning and achievement are directly related to regular attendance and
active participation, so you will want to attend, and prepare for, every
class.
Be on time, or even better, come early, to class. Give yourself the
opportunity to get ready both physically and mentally. Arriving late
diminishes your learning experience; it also creates an interruption that is
inconsiderate both to other students and to your instructor.
At end of class, remain at your seat until dismissed by the instructor.
B.
Being an active learner in class
Ask questions when you don't understand. Don't by shy--you are
probably not the only person with that question, probably just the only one
brave enough to ask!
Participate fully in group activities. If you finish early, use the time for
studying something else in the lesson. Don't waste time by chatting in
English.
C.
About homework
1. Doing it on a daily basis
You can't let it accumulate. You can't put it off until the weekend. Even
though steady, day by day work is best for learning any subject, it is true
that in many courses you can get yourself out of a jam with some high
pressure, last minute cramming. You can't learn a foreign language in this
way. For every hour in class, you can expect to work two-three hours
outside of class.
You are developing new habits, and habits are learned through steady
practice. Each concept must be understood and each skill mastered before
you can learn the next one, and there will be new vocabulary, new
grammatical concepts, and new skills at each class meeting. It may happen
on one or two occasions that you don't have time to prepare an assignment.
If so, don't stay away from class; making up the work will be twice as hard.
Come to class, tell the instructor that you are unprepared, and learn as much
as you can from the classroom work.
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2.
Writing homework assignments
Write your homework preferably in pencil, on loose leaf sheets, and
keep it organized.
Avoid writing a one-word answer. The more of the exercise you
write, the more you learn.
3.
Reviewing earlier assignments
Review previous homework assignments periodically. Look for
relationships between the different sections.
E. Getting help
Get help as soon as you have a problem or question.
1.
The instructor
The first person you will think of turning to for help is your
instructor. Of course, you will want to ask any questions you have
in class. But you can also see your teacher outside of class.
Faculty members who have offices will tell you on the syllabus
handed out the first day of class where their office is and when
their office hours are scheduled. If you are not free during their
scheduled office hours, make an appointment for a time that you
both agree upon. That is what "by appointment" means. Adjunct
(or part-time) faculty members do not have separate offices, but
they will happy to meet with you outside of class at a time that is
convenient for you both.
2.
Center for Learning
The Center for Learning is located in building LB, room 45. You
can sign up there for free tutoring for one hour a week. For
Spanish students, there will be also two to three native speakers
with whom you can make an appointment to practice conversation
or to review your written work.
3.
Fellow students
a.
A fellow student is one of the best sources for help when
you have a question or problem with the language.
Exchange telephone numbers with several students early
in the semester so that you can call each other with your
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questions or to find out about assignments or
announcements if you have to miss class.
b.
F.
An excellent study aid is forming a study group. Plan to
meet with fellow students on a regular basis to study and
help each other. If you get your questions answered, the
advantage is obvious. But you also strengthen your own
understanding of a concept when you explain it to someone
else.
Taking tests
1.
Studying for a test
Several days before a test, start looking back over your notes, the
textbook explanations, and your homework. Combine your study of
the current vocabulary with a review of words introduced earlier. If
your textbook has the feature of "Self-tests," write them out and then
check your answers at the back of the book.
2.
Test day: before taking the test
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
Arrive early. Give yourself time to get ready. If your
instructor gives computerized exams, log into the necessary
page. (Remember, you will need your user name and
Palette account number).
Write your name on the exam if your instructor uses paper
copies
Quickly scan the entire test to be sure you know what is
expected of you.
If you wish, jot down on the margins or back of a page of
the test information that you have carried into the test in
your head. Many students like the extra security of seeing
something such as a list of appropriate verb endings written
down in front of them. If you are taking computerized
exams, your instructor can supply you with a sheet of paper
to use for this purpose.
Test day: during the test
Be sure to time yourself. If you feel you are spending too much
time on one section, move on to the next and return later to the one
that is giving you trouble.
4.
After the test
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a.
If you have taken a computerized exam, you can see your
results immediately. Go back and review your answers and
write down your score on a piece of paper that your
instructor will provide.
If your instructor uses paper copies and you still do not
understand your errors after the test is handed back to you,
consult with another student or with your instructor. Learn
how to do whatever you have missed. Don't put it off.
b.
IV.
Save all tests and quizzes if your instructor uses paper
copies. They provide an excellent means for review. You
will also want to be able to show them to your instructor in
case s/he makes a mistake when recording your grade.
The components of language: vocabulary and grammar
A language consists basically of two things. One is vocabulary, or words--the
flesh and clothing of the language. The other is grammar--the bones of the
language, which hold it all together.
V.
Learning vocabulary
A.
Memorizing new words
1.
When to start
Start as soon as a new lesson begins.
2.
Flash cards
a.
Making them
On one side of an index card write the word to be learned
in the foreign language; flip the card over while turning it
upside down and write the English meaning.
b.
Using them
1.
Target language side first
First go through the cards looking at the foreign
language side; read the word or expression aloud in
the foreign language. Test yourself. Can you give
the English meaning for each word or expression?
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2.
Remembering through association
Devise an association to help you remember difficult
words.
Sometimes, when the words are similar in both the
foreign language and in English, the meaning will be
obvious. At other times, you will have to devise a
way to remember the translation. Any association
you can make is fair game.
For example, the Russian word "frost" or "freezing
temperatures" is "moroz." If you associate "moroz"
with "morose" and picture a morose-looking person
shivering in the cold, it may help you to remember
what the word means. Another example is the
Spanish word for “thief,” that is, “ladrón.”
Associating “ladrón” with the English word “ladder”
and picturing a thief climbing up a ladder propped up
on the side of a house may help you to remember the
Spanish word.
3.
Separating out the problem words
Put the words that are giving you trouble in a
separate pile so that you can concentrate on them.
4.
Noting unusual forms
As you encounter any unusual or irregular forms a
word may have, it is also helpful to write them down,
on the target language side of the card.
5.
Reversing the procedure.
After you can correctly identify the English
translation or meaning of the foreign language items
on your cards, turn the cards over and check yourself
on your ability to provide the relevant word(s) in the
foreign language. This is a much harder procedure.
Be sure that you can say and write the word
correctly. Separate out the cards with the items that
are giving you trouble and go over them as many
times as it takes for you to learn the vocabulary in the
target language.
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6.
Ease of studying with flash cards
You can always grab a little stack of cards (with a
rubber band around them or put onto a key ring) and
take them with you somewhere when you anticipate
having some time on your hands--the doctor's office,
for example, or on the bus.
B.
Your goal
You want to be able to say the words out loud with ease and to write them
correctly.
Go for speed. You are learning to build automatic language reflexes
through repetition.
When you communicate with someone in a foreign language, you must
know the words in the target language. Your knowledge of what a word
means in English may be essential to you but is of no interest to your
conversant. You will find, accordingly, that on quizzes and tests you will
rarely (if ever) be asked to provide English meanings. When you take a
quiz or test, know all vocabulary items in the lesson in the target language;
be able to say the words and write them automatically, without hesitation.
B.
Importance of reviewing vocabulary
Maintain an ongoing review of vocabulary from earlier lessons.
VI.
Learning grammar
Remember that grammar is the skeletal structure that links words together and
gives them meaning.
A.
As a child and as an adult
A child hears the language spoken around him all day long, and he
ultimately figures out the grammar. "I singed a song," a child may say,
because he has realized that adding -ed to a verb results in the past tense
(or usually does, at any rate!).
As adults, we don't have time for this type of total immersion learning.
Here is where the advantage of our power of logic comes in and helps us
learn the grammar more efficiently than a child does
B.
The purpose of grammar
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Remember every language uses grammar not to make people sound
elegant but to help people get their meaning across accurately and clearly.
"I want fish" and "I wanted fish" mean two different things.
Knowing a long list of words is not much help if you don't know how to
put the words together. Perhaps in some instances you could get your
basic needs across by blurting out enough words in some crude way ("Me
hungry, want food!"). But it is your goal to sound like a reasonably
educated person, not like a cave man!
C.
Accepting different patterns
Each speaker of a language thinks the way that other people speak their
language is illogical, complicated or unnecessary.
English speakers, when using a regular verb in the present tense, add an "s"
to the verb only when the subject is "he, she, or it." "I see, you see, we see,
they see," but "he sees." The fact that other languages use a different ending
every time the subject changes can seem unnecessarily complicated to an
English speaker.
But for speakers of other languages, English can be just as illogical.
Chinese speakers, for example, say "one book, two book, many book."
"Why bother putting an 's' on the end of the word," they ask, "when the
words 'two' and 'many' clearly indicate that there is more than one book?”
When you study a foreign language, you need to be ready first (1) to learn
new distinctions that we don't make in English, and second (2) to ignore
distinctions we make in English that are not there in the target language.
VII.
Oral work
A.
Thomson Live Now! (iLrn)
In your study of Spanish at GCC, workbook and lab exercises are offered
through iLrn, and you can do these computerized exercises at your
convenience. You will want to have the exercises for a given chapter
completed prior to taking the exam on that chapter.
B.
Other forms of oral reinforcement (films, radio, TV, computer programs)
Seek out the opportunity to watch films and listen to media programs in the
target language. Fortunately for students of Spanish, films and radio and
television programs are readily available in the Phoenix area. But films in
other languages are also often shown on television and in certain movie
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theaters. Introductory courses in foreign languages can be seen on
television. Take advantage of all these resources.
C.
Pronunciation
You may never pass for a native speaker of the language you are studying.
That's not the point. You want people to understand you. And they will
understand if you make a consistent effort to replace your English sounds
with the sounds of their language.
Be prepared for new sounds. Take them as a challenge. Don't hang back
and do the minimum with your mouth. Do the maximum. That will
contribute to your having a more authentic accent. It will be natural for you
to feel self-conscious about making strange sounds. Set aside your sense of
reserve. Learn how to imitate--how to use your mouth, your throat, your
entire speech mechanism in a new way.
At first you may feel embarrassed or self-conscious about making certain
sounds in the target language. But gradually they will grow more familiar
to you over time. Bit by bit you'll start sounding more authentic, but you do
have to keep working at it.
VIII.
Some additional tips
A.
Translating from English to the target language: concepts vs. words
Learn to translate concepts rather than words. Let's take the English
sentence "He went to the library before going home." In Spanish, the
expression before going requires three words; in Russian, it requires four
words. Remember that in any foreign language, we're translating not words,
but concepts. Learn to start thinking in terms of bundles of concepts or
ideas that will be converted to the new language and not single words. In
fact, translating word for word most often results in a sentence that is
incomprehensible in the target language.
B.
Memorizing "canned sentences" and short dialogues
Memorize a short sentence. You can easily substitute some of the other
new vocabulary to make new sentences. "Where is the station (airport,
hotel, taxi stand)?" You want to be able to repeat these patterns of
conversation without even having to think. Memorizing whole sentences
helps teach you the patterns of language and imprints them on your mind.
C.
Studying in small units
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Divide the material and your study time into small units. Don't try to
memorize a large body of material at once. Break it up into small units,
memorize each of these units separately, and then string them all together.
Work for 20-30 minutes; then turn to some other work; then come back for
another 20-30 minutes. And so on.
IX.
The foreign language adventure
A.
Approaching it with enthusiasm
As Graham Fuller, author of HOW TO LEARN A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE, observes: If you are a beginning language student, you are
heading into a brand new kind of learning adventure unlike anything you've
studied before. Be open to it. Enjoy it. And have fun.
B.
Insights to be gained
You can count on gaining a linguistic insight that will enrich your
educational and life experience.
1.
When you study a foreign language, you are in a way getting into
the mind of native speakers of that language. You are starting to
share with them the way they "dress" their own thoughts and
expressions--in linguistic clothes very different from your own.
You start to learn that there is no "normal" or "right" way to say
things, and that our way is no more "natural" than any other.
2.
You will find yourself much more appreciative of and sensitive to
the problems that foreigners have in speaking English to you.
3.
Lastly, you are going to learn and understand more about your own
language than you ever knew before
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