L-Lingo E-Book Your Success in Language Learning
Transcript of L-Lingo E-Book Your Success in Language Learning
Your Success in Language Learning
Tips and Tricks for your Language Learning Breakthrough
INTRODUCTION 2
WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE 3
COMMON CONCERNS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING 8
MASTERING LANGUAGES 14
HOW TO MAKE LEARNING EFFECTIVE 16
FIND YOUR LEARNING STYLE 19
LEARNING STRATEGIES EXPLAINED 22
A SELECTION OF TOOLS AND MEDIA TO HELP YOU LEARN 25
WANT TO LEARN MORE? 33
This eBook is brought to you by L-Lingo.
L-Lingo is a comprehensive Language Learning App with 105 lessons, a 5000
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Introduction A warm welcome to all of our readers of this eBook on language learning. We at
L-Lingo focuses on providing language learning software for Asian and Western
languages and we believe that it is worthwhile to have an e-book on these
languages.
There are two main purpose of this book. Firstly, we would like to highlight the
different aspects why learning a language is so important and can bring you
immense benefits (culturally as well as economically). In the second part of the
book, we would like to focus on the best ways to learn a language. We will
present some general learning strategies and then summarizes them in our top
ten language learning tips.
We would like to thank all the people that have contributed to this book and a
special thanks to Wikipedia for helping us to clarify certain things and draw on
latest research.
If you have any feedback on this book or some ideas that we can include in one
of our next revisions, please feel free to contact us under
https://l-lingo.com/
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Why You Should Learn a new Language No matter if you plan to learn a new language because of your foreign partner,
general cultural interest or for business purposes, learning a language is a big
project. It may not be the easiest task but there are many benefits that await you
if you know another language. Besides the fun and challenge it presents, you will
alter yourself in a whole new way. Now is that time to change your life forever!
Because countries and its people continue to grow and become more
interdependent, we must learn other foreign languages to be able to keep up
with such an active setting. Now, more than ever, we need to be able to speak
another language just to be able to grow along with the demands of our society,
and on the whole, understand each other better. Generally, the study of a new
language:
ü allows you to know the world better
ü lets you communicate with your foreign friends, partners or family
members
ü increases your opportunities for worthwhile leisure activities (such as
traveling to
ü countries and watching their films)
ü enhances your mental power
ü creates useful skills that could easily be used in other fields of study
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ü encourages respect for other ethnic groups (allows you to form new
friendships because people will like you better)
ü plays a role in personality development
You may have your own reasons for learning a new language, but
whatever your intentions are; you will gain a whole new range of benefits for
yourself. You will see the world in another way, and the world will see you in a
different way!
Learn a new Language to communicate with your partner
With our increased globalised world, more and more intercultural relationships
come into existence. Although we can most often communicate in English as it is
the global language, it is still very beneficial to learn the language of your partner.
Just think about how much it will be appreciated if you can speak some basic
phrases with the family members of your partner that do not speak English.
Your effort will be so much appreciated and connecting to the family of your
partner will become so much easier.
Learn a new Language to have an edge in your Job
By learning a new language, you open up job opportunities for yourself. This is
because nowadays, a lot of people are expected to use their foreign language
skills, especially in communities where people from all kinds of races and culture
reside. And because more foreign companies work closely together, they will
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need staff that can communicate in their language and understand their culture.
So if you know a second language, you definitely have an advantage! Your
bosses are sure to gain from you because you are able to communicate and work
successfully with more people and a place over someone who is speaks one
language only.
If you are a professional who knows one or more languages, you can be counted
on to travel and exchange information with people in these countries. This is an
important asset especially that most companies now do business with other
companies which are based somewhere else. You will be able to connect with
them effectively, and just might help you market products abroad or secure
business contracts for your company.
Learn a new Language for cultural enrichment
Having even the most basic knowledge of a language can help you manage when
you are traveling. You will be able to find your way around, or order food and
drinks. Even if you know only the basic words for water or taxi, you will find it
much easier to get along. Knowing more than a few basic phrases can become
very fulfilling on your part; being able to converse with the locals will make your
trip even more interesting and meaningful. Picture yourself in Vietnam, where
nobody speaks English. You are conversing adeptly in their native language,
sharing stories and having a laugh with the locals. Now that would be a truly
gratifying travel experience and worth remembering all your life!
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Whether you are merely taking a trip or establishing a permanent residence in a
different country, learning the local language shows the people that you do value
their culture. The natives will appreciate you more for this and are likely to open
up to you more easily. Just envision yourself in Malaysia. You ask a native for
directions in Malay, and see how easily they warm up to you. They might even
go out of their way to accompany you towards your destination and even offer
their assistance if there is anything you need help with in the future. So you see
it really isn’t how good you are with their language. They are also able to see
beyond that and what they will see is your love for their country and their
culture. This is your prize for learning a second language, a prize that is not only
helpful but equally heartwarming.
When you move to another country, learning the local language will help
you communicate and integrate with the community successfully. Even if many
of them know how to speak your language, for example you move to China and
you come from the United States, learning Chinese will demonstrate your
interest and commitment to their country, and give you an almost automatic
high respect from the people who feel much more appreciated because of
your efforts to learn their language.
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Learn a new Language for mental health
Perhaps you are one of those people who have a particular interest in foreign
literature, films, music or some other aspect of a foreign culture. In fact, it is a
growing trend with the Western people when it comes to learning Asian
languages. But despite this fascination, it is sad to say that, more often than not,
their lack of knowledge of the language prevents them from fully appreciating
the Asians way of life. It is only through learning their language that they will
open their world to another group of people.
And that’s not all! Do not overlook the health benefits that learning a new
language brings. It was recently discovered that it is a great brain improvement
exercise. In fact, a study by Dr. Ellen Bialystok of York University in Canada
suggested that speaking a second language delays dementia. This is because of
the long-term learning process that keeps your brain stimulated, thus, improving
your mental functions overall.
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Common Concerns in Language Learning What should I do if I make mistakes using the new language?
Making mistakes is common and expected. No matter what kind of learning
endeavor you are in, you are bound to make mistakes. This is part of the learning
process, and you do not have to feel fearful or guilty about making whether a
few or a lot. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes. Besides,
this is what actually makes the journey fun!
When you communicate with your partner, friends or colleagues in the
foreign language, ask them to correct you. This is part of your learning, and it will
enable you to continuously improve your language skills. Using the language in
the real environment will also teach you how to use the words depending
on the context. This means you will understand its usage or application, and
the appropriate mode of communication to use in different situations and under
different circumstances.
It is also helpful to carry a handy notebook or a notepaper so you can jot down
your mistakes along with the corrections. In fact, some language learners always
carry a notebook with them, and as soon as they make a mistake or hear a new
word, they write it down. This method is especially helpful when you are
immersing in a foreign country.
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Does every person learn the same way?
Learning a language is natural, which is to say, we were born with the ability to
learn it. This is just how all of us, when we were little, learned our mother
tongue. This kind of learning takes place in three stages. First, we learn to make
the sounds; second; we learn to form words; and lastly, we learn to string these
words to form sentences.
Children’s brains work differently from adults– especially when it comes to
language acquisition. This explains why they are so much more effective in
language learning compared to adults. However, this does not mean that you
are incapable of doing the same thing. On the contrary, there are literally millions
of people who are successful in learning a second language even if they started
only as an adult. You just have to prepare yourself because it may feel a lot
harder and may probably take longer than if you were a child.
Children learn languages in a playful way. Unlike them, we adults have to find
our own suitable learning strategy. There are no concrete set of rules on how to
best learn a new language. This explains why people prefer certain methods over
others. For example, many find classroom interaction more effective than having
a personal tutor or even teaching oneself. Some might learn better by using
visual aids (like flashcards and videotapes) than listening to audio lessons or
reading textbooks. The secret is to identify what works for you, and not what
works for others.
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Our L-Lingo software offers you both picture and translation quizzes. By using
the different quizzes, you will quickly find out which type of learner you are,
whether you are more of the auditory learner or the visual type. In our Desktop
software you are also able to set the guided quiz to reflect your learning type.
How many words do I need to know so that I can communicate?
It really depends on your personal goals of being able to speak a new language.
Perhaps you would like to know the basics only, or you would like to become a
master of the language. Your motives should be clear to you from the very
beginning, to save yourself from undue effort and frustration.
Some say that there are a minimum number of words that you need to know to
be able to engage in basic conversations. Usually, at least a thousand words is
sufficient for one to just get by. But in reality, counting the number of words you
already know might not prove to be that practical. This is because even if you
happen to know a lot of random words, it might have no relation to each other
whatsoever; you still won’t be able to string them into a sentence. Needless to
say, you still won’t be able to communicate.
It is therefore advisable to group words into subject areas. So it would be better
you learn e.g. all about cooking (different kind of foods and food
preparation techniques, different kind of tastes etc.). This approach has a
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number of benefits: You will have a better retention you can more easily put
them together piece by piece to form a sentence. This is also one of the
reasons why all lessons in our L-Lingo products are clustered around
subject areas.
But with regards to writing in a foreign text, there are a minimum number of
characters that you should know before you are able to read and write. The
Chinese writing system, for example, has approximately 80,000 Chinese
characters. If you know about 3,500 characters, you have a coverage rate of 98-
99%. This should enable you to handle the usual Chinese reading and writing
activities.
How long will it take? A lot of factors come into play in this process. Generally, though, it could take
more than a few months, say 6 to 12 months, to be able to reach basic
conversational fluency.
It also depends a lot on how much time and motivation you are investing into
learning the language. One major impact is the degree of immersion – whether
you are learning the language while being in your home country or while already
in the country. Exposure is the key!
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With most of us having busy schedules, one could probably allocate 1 to 2 hours
a day for studying a second language. Fortunately, it doesn’t really matter how
many hours you study a day. The important thing is that you set a regular
schedule to ensure continuous learning. It also helps if you seize every
opportunity you have to learn. This means that the more frequently you study,
the better and faster the results.
You can also use unproductive time, e.g. in the subway or bus to learn the
language. You could take flashcards with you and use your daily commute to
repeat vocabulary.
How can I avoid giving up?
This is where your attitude comes in. It is an essential element to your progress
in learning the language of your choice. One word of advice, though, and this is
to know yourself better. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and use them
to your advantage. If you are the type of person who easily gets frustrated and
has no patience, then this may be the opportunity to improve yourself. The
rewards are all yours to enjoy and take advantage of.
Here are three words you need to be familiar with in your journey towards
speaking a new language: passion, dedication, and persistence.
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First, passion makes us do extraordinary things. This perhaps explains why some
people are more proficient than others as language speakers. Second, dedication
involves that one has to consistently allot time in learning despite the presence
of many distractions. And third, persistence is vital especially that there will be
times when you feel like you are going nowhere and want to give up for good.
From our own experience at learning new languages, there is loads of time -
especially at the beginning- when you just don’t have a clue on how to
use the words, and unfortunately many people give up in this stage. Just be
patient when you go through this period. There will come a time when things will
suddenly ‘click’. And as soon as things come your way, you will enter an easier
phase. Your aim is to build up basic but crucial vocabulary.
In the end, you have to be aware that learning a new language may be
challenging and it does not happen overnight. We at L-lingo work every day to
design effective software to make you achieve results faster! We receive lots of
feedback from all of you language learners and we incorporate constantly
your feedback to make L-Lingo even better. If you have any suggestions
on our software, please drop us a line under https://l-lingo.com/
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Mastering Languages For most people, being able to speak a new language seems almost impossible.
Still there are others who say, “It’s a waste of time!”. This is because they do not
stop to think about the actual benefits.
A lot of people get frustrated easily with their failure to use the language in
actual settings, even after having spent years studying it. These people may have
been using the wrong method all their lives!
Take for example learning an Asian language. It was said that learning this
language is slower because of the nature itself. Some can be a bit more complex
than most languages in the west. They have a range of tones and accents that is
completely unique but is also very interesting. And don’t forget about the writing
part, which also presents a bit of a difficulty.
Like learning the Chinese language, their writing system is daunting enough
without the speech part. It is crucial that one will be able to identify and
articulate thousands of Chinese characters to be able to reach an acceptable
level of aptitude. In China, memorization of the Chinese characters is made
compulsory. This is so as with the traditional Asian teaching approach, which
stresses the memorization of considerable amounts of facts (often quite
unrelated).
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The United States, however, has adopted a different kind of learning system
which is the concept-based approach, not like that of Asia. This perhaps explains
why most Western individuals are not ready for studying an Asian language,
owing to their lack of inclination towards memorization of this massive amount
of Chinese characters. This alone quashes the student's enthusiasm for learning
the language. So they simply quit.
If you get frustrated at some point in time and want to give up, we recommend
you just have a look at others who successfully mastered learning a second
Language. You can for instance have a look at the 'Successful Thai Language
Learners' at Woman Learn Thai Blog. So if others are able to make it, so can you!
Still unconvinced that you will succeed? Don’t worry! Like most people, locals
themselves spend years learning their own language. They also have a hard time
learning it. Sometimes they even speak, write, and overall understand better
another language other than theirs. But don’t be troubled just yet. Different
people have different opinions. You might want to try and find what’s yours!
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How to Make Learning Effective If you still have your own doubts, as would the typical person normally does,
then let us share some more tips and tricks with you. Luckily, there are certain
pointers that guide learners such as yourself to maximize your learning so you
will be successful in your endeavor. If you are motivated about being able to
speak a new language, then you are most likely to work smartly and consistently.
And if you think you are a hopeless case, no matter how incompetent you think
you are, you will eventually get there. There is just some work to be done, a few
changes here and there, so you can make the most for a shorter period of time.
And you can make this a fun and pleasurable experience – simply by adopting an
efficient system. Here are some important rules and methods to facilitate your
learning.
Focus on One Language at a Time
Tackling more than one language might not be the best idea. If you try to cover
two or more languages at the same time, you will be hurtling down that long-
winded road, only to meet frustration at the end. If you go down this way, you
are sure to throw in the towel. So it is much better to finish one language before
moving on to the next. And because most languages are unique from each other,
this is the number one rule to learn any dialect. Not only will you allow yourself
to concentrate your energies in one language, you also avoid confusion by
mixing up words and sentences among the different languages. In the end, you
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are much more effective as a learner, and you will have the enthusiasm to dive
into the next language. It will become an addiction before you know it!
Constant Practice
Of course, you will not be able to learn anything if you do not have the time to
learn it. Be sure to always find time to practice your skills as a foreign language-
speaker. Whether it is 30 minutes a day to an hour, there are no rigid set of rules
for this. So the key here would be to make it as frequent as possible. If done
rarely, you will have little if not zero chance of progress and you will likely end up
discouraged, and saying that learning a new language does not suit you at all!
While it’s undeniably true that some languages may be more difficult than others,
there is really no language that is impossible to learn. You should know that what
makes other languages easier to study is because it closely relates to your
mother tongue or some other dialect that you already know. The only thing you
should ask yourself is how much time and dedication you are willing to give to
learning that particular
language.
Some people also pick a specific time of the day for learning. One of our
colleagues focused on learning Thai and since he had a very busy job, he decided
to wake up every day
30 minutes earlier and study for half an hour before going to work. This
helped him tremendously in gaining fluency.
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You might also want to consider joining a language class or a study
group. The regularity of the class schedules will supply your regular dose of
language instruction. The atmosphere, as well, might compel you to become
motivated. Sharing your difficulties with others will also make you less likely to
give up because you will realize that you are not the only one finding it hard.
So as with any other endeavor, practice makes perfect. The key is to repeat over
and over until you get it right. The more training you get, the faster you will
become a fluent foreign language speaker.
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Find your learning style We each have individual learning preferences. To determine yours, you need first
to ask yourself questions like: What are your strengths and weaknesses
when it comes to learning? Are you someone who learns more by
studying grammar or by listening to sentences? Do you like sitting in a
classroom? Or do you like to learn in a multimedia way using your computer? By
determining the answers to this, you can assess what techniques are most likely
to help you learn better. You can try them all out.
Visual Learners
A lot of people learn by using their sense of sight, which means they are able to
recall things faster if they are able to see these images in their mind. Visual aids
consist mostly of pictures such as flashcards or videos or books with lots of
illustrations. They will help in making the process more fun as well as effective.
So how can you find out if you are a visual learner? Have a look at the bullet
points below. If you find yourself reflected in many of these, you are likely to be
a visual learner.
ü Good with sign language
ü Enjoys/understands charts
ü Loves colors & fashion
ü Often needs silence when studying
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ü Good at spelling but unable to recall names
So, here are some suggestions for all you visual learners out there who are
interested in learning new languages:
ü Watch instructional videos
ü Make use of flashcards, preferably with images
ü Use highlighters to emphasize important things
ü Underline, circle words, and make use of symbols that you can understand
Audio Learners
Some people also learn very well from audio resources. This means they learn
best through hearing things.
A person is an auditory learner if he or she:
Enjoys music
ü Pays attention to the sound effects in movies
ü Is good at recalling names
ü Is good at making explanations and clarifications
ü Is able to follow spoken directions well
ü Likes to read out loud
ü Is excellent working in groups or with other people
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If you are this type of learner, then the following tips below are for you:
ü Record lectures if you can
ü Watch instructional videos
ü Become involved in group discussions
ü Make use of audiotapes for language learning and practice
ü Repeat information learned with eyes closed
ü Tape notes after writing them
Obviously, like in real life learning, there will be benefits if you combine audio
and visual methods. This is typically done in language learning videos, movies or
multi-media courses like L-Lingo. This further reinforces your memory and is a
great way to maximize your training!
One step further is to fully immerse in the country. This way, you use all your
senses. Picture yourself in the middle of a Chinese Market in Shanghai with
people chatting in Mandarin, and you not only hear and see them speak, but
really feel and take in the environment. So always try as much as possible to
make the learning process an actual experience for you.
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The Right Tools and Approach
Anyone can learn a new language – that is, if they work with a realistic strategy
and use it for a certain period of time. You are probably thinking right now that
you are just awful at it or that you’ll do poorly, but the truth is most people aren’t
actually that bad at learning a new language. Rather, they just had unpleasant
experiences especially in school. This is because they probably did not use a
good approach in the learning process or that the method did not suit them at
all. The truth is all of us can learn a new language – if we do it the correct way!
We don’t have to be particularly gifted to be able to speak another language.
How do you think we learned our own language? And that’s was when we were
little! The only thing you need is a reliable method, one that is suitable to your
own needs. This is much more effective than adopting random methods that are
likely to make the learning process dull and boring for you.
Learning Strategies explained The following describes different language learning strategies that have been
proven to be successful. As mentioned earlier, every person learns differently,
thus, it is essential that you find out which strategy works best for you.
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Blended learning
Blended learning refers to the merging of various learning atmospheres. This
approach helps in learning Languages by combining face-to-face instruction with
computer-mediated instruction. With blended learning, common activities are
also mixed up with the help of technologies like computer, cellular or smart
phones, and videoconferencing.
Some use this strategy so that they learn even while doing other activities. For
instance, playing a card game that requires calling for cards may allow blended
learning of numbers. This has been used in English Language Teaching and could
also work very well with other languages, so that you can learn more proficiently.
Skills teaching
Before, there were four basic skills involved in language learning. These are
speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Recently there have been
additions like narrating, summarizing, describing, along with a few broader
ones like finding out how the person learns, and working with other students or
in groups which are all applied in language schools. This provides for a much
more integrated tactic. So you should be creative and experience with different
ways of learning to find out what works best for you.
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Sandwich technique
With this method, a sentence is sandwiched in between the translated sentence
in your mother tongue. For example, an American teacher of Chinese Mandarin
might use the activity below in conversing with her students in class:
Teacher: "May I help you? - Yěxǔ wǒ néng bāng nǐ ma? – May I help you?"
Students: "Yěxǔ wǒ néng bāng nǐ ma?"
Mother tongue mirroring
This is another technique which is especially helpful to understand
grammatical patterns of languages. It is sometimes also called word-by-word
translations. With this method the sentence is translated into English word-by-
word and thereby it makes its structure very transparent to the learner.
Take note of the example in Mandarin below:
Target Vocabulary Idiomatic translation Word-by-word
translation
hǎo bù hǎo? (好不好?) Is it good? Good, not good?
nán bù nán? (难不难?) Is it difficult? Difficult, not?
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A selection of tools and media to help you learn After having explained different learning strategies, let’s have a look at different
tools /media to enhance your language learning.
Textbooks
There are manuals of languages that guide beginners from scratch. Just be sure
to buy a good manual which focuses on your level of skill, like beginner’s level for
example, if you are one. With a good quality book, you can learn at your own
pace, tackle the tough stuff, leaf through the easy ones, and go over what you
have already covered.
There are a number of good books out there. Visit your local bookstore, or better
yet, before deciding which ones to buy, search for book reviews or
customer ratings. Amazon.com is a good place to start.
After getting the knack of some of the basic structures and with a thousand
words or more up your sleeve, you should be able to start reading authentic
material. This will enhance your vocabulary as well as test your proficiency.
Audio books
Audio books are recordings of texts which are read. Sometimes, people even use
them while reading the actual book. This is a very effective way of learning a
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new language. They are usually adopted to teach children how to read as
well as improve their reading comprehension.
This vehicle is ideal if you are more of the “listening” kind of student. They
quickly fill in your need for right pronunciation, usage, and tones so you can
move along faster with your learning.
However using Audio Books for Language learner is recommended only for the
advanced levels as it could be very frustrating for the beginners if they do not
understand a word.
Language Learning Software
Language learning software with multimedia content allows the combination of
audio, images and video together with instructional guidance. It has also the
advantage that it is self paced, i.e. the learner can decide on the speed that he
would like to pursue in learning the new language. Computer software also
allows for fun quizzes and can give you good feedback (i.e. scores) on how well
you did an exercise.
Flashcards
Flash cards are small pieces of paper, with the new word on one side,
and the equivalent in English on the other. They can also sometimes contain
illustrations. You can make your own flashcards or buy from a store if they are
available for your language. This is actually one of the most effective tools
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because you can use this any time of the day. It’s cheap, convenient, and easy to
use.
There are also free flash card software available on the internet. One of the
techniques employed by such software is called spaced repetition (or spaced
rehearsal or spaced retrieval). This is a method used to maximize retention of
information, and also particularly applied in language acquisition. The system
employs a programmed study pace that tells you what you need to practice each
day. It also has another feature which is the adoption of gradual increase of
periods of time between reviews and/or testing of material that is already
learned. The effect is that the information is in time stored in your long-term
memory. Already, a number of language students have claimed to have benefited
from this technique. Please don’t forget that you can print out your own
flashcards with the L-Lingo Desktop software.
Language Schools
Many people maintain that they learn more effectively through self-help than
taking language classes, which may also be inconvenient for some. On the other
hand, there are also those who claim that the regular pattern of classes helps
them overcome their lack of will.
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It is also helpful to have access to a teacher who can explain certain grammatical
issues much better than understanding them from a book. A native teacher is
also much better in drilling you to use the correct pronunciation.
Social Interaction
Social exchange will let you find out whether you are comprehensible or not, as a
language-speaker. And what is a better way to practice and apply your new skills
than to converse with people who know your target language?
There many different ways and situations where you can practice your skills. Go
around the neighborhood, dine in a restaurant, visit shops, attend festivals,
art exhibits, join chat rooms or forums, and others. Always try to strike up a
conversation.
Social interaction is, without question, one of the most powerful and effective
methods to second language acquisition. This is actual context learning, so that it
not only pushes you to modify your speech, it also helps you gain feedback.
Travel and Immersion
A trip to that country is helpful in ways more than you can imagine. The constant
exposure puts you in the natural setting of the language itself, so there’s always
work to be done whether you are learning new vocabulary and phrases. This is
why a lot of people visit these countries to help them learn quicker. It’s also a lot
more fun!
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Keep in mind, however, that there a few things you should consider first in
planning this trip. There are only two things that can happen once you get there,
it’s either you gain from your travel experience, or you can lose your time and
money for nothing. So better make the most out of it and prepare thoroughly.
Here are some tips you can use:
ü Set short-term goals. They can help you assess or evaluate your progress.
ü Go on the trip alone. This way, you will not put off your goals by being
tempted always to speak your mother tongue.
ü Be interested in their culture.
ü It is advisable to live with a family with no other foreigners. You can hear
the language all day, plus, you will be compelled to speak your target
language even for the most basic matters.
ü Carry around tools like flashcards or a small notebook. You can put
important things in them to help you remember.
ü Even around co-nationals, always speak in your target language. Then
again, it is best to avoid their company.
ü Make friends with the natives/locals. Find out from them some of the
trendiest expressions and words. This should give you more insight on
language usage.
ü You might also want to ask the help of a smart and knowledgeable native
tutor. This is much faster compared to group courses.
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ü Listen to the local radio or watch television shows and movies.
ü Read aloud local newspapers, magazines, books, and other reading
material.
ü Continue with your usual course of studying.
Dictionaries/Phrasebooks/Grammar books
All these are supplementary instruments which you can refer to from time to
time. Besides the printed form, there are now electronic or battery-operated
dictionaries, which are basically either small portable computers with
incorporated resources, or smart phones with a built-in dictionary. Even two or
multi-language dictionaries are now available, and they are usually created for a
specific market. An example would be portable Japanese- English electronic
dictionaries, which are largely devised for people who originally have native
fluency in Japanese and desire to learn English. But this is just one of the few
you can choose from, depending on the language of your choice.
Now, a phrase book is a compilation of prepared phrases in a foreign language,
mainly the most commonly used. It already goes with the translations, and
includes both of questions and answers.
Another tool is a grammar book. Grammar books are of much use to language
learners but most especially for more advanced students. When searching for
grammar books for learning languages, you would like to pick those that contain,
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of course, lots of grammar lessons. You won’t be needing lots of pictures, helpful
phrases, just raw grammar rules. It may be boring for some but you can always
have fun with your other resources. Grammar books, on the other hand, are not
meant to be that much fun, but there are just as important as the rest. The
memo here is to not isolate your learning methods to this sole source. On the
contrary, use a variety!
Language exchange websites
These are websites that allows two or more people who speak different
languages to practice each other's language. For example, an English man who is
learning Arabic will do a language exchange with an Arab who is learning English.
There are different ways to practice in a language exchange website. One of
them is to join a group of native speakers of both languages and split the
time to learn the two. Their activities are, of course, carefully structured,
so that they discover the other’s “conversation culture” and be acquainted
with how the native speakers interact. A lot of people find this very gratifying
because they are learning as they forming relationships.
Magazines or other literary works
During your spare time, you can peruse all kinds of reading material in that
language you want to learn. This way, you constantly hone your reading,
comprehension, interpretation, and even writing skills.
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Magazines are excellent sources of reliable material which is useful in
encouraging both language learners and teachers. They serve as great reference
materials for activities like sharing new information with each other. What’s more
they often contain the culture of the country so they get a much better
perception of the language. A unique type would be language travel magazines
which have global coverage. It has content written by people from all over the
world, and is usually full of news, current events, as well as new advances in
language learning.
TV/Movies/Radio (have subtitles for translations)
This is a unique approach incorporates both fun and learning, because it
makes watching television or listening to radio a homework! When learning from
these resources, you might want to try different stations for radio, or channels or
movies for television, until you find something that seems to work best for you.
Don’t worry if you do not understand anything especially when you are just
starting. You are still getting something like the flow of the language itself,
correct pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. As you go by, you will get better
at interpreting words.
Songs
Some people have claimed to have learned a new language by listening to songs.
This is because they make language learning by music a part of their lives. Not
only is it fun, it also helps you learn a lot faster. Music engages several parts of
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your brain and this is the reason why you experience songs getting stuck in your
head like commercial jingles, wherein you just remember the words out of thin
air whenever you hear that particular song. So you can definitely say it is
effective, if not better, than just reading language books or just listening to them
as they are spoken. But of course, this is not meant to be your only source of
language lessons.
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