Learning a Language

Time:

It is better to study a minimum of 20 mins every day than to study one hour per week.

How:

The method for learning any language is:

Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing

This is how you learned your own language as a baby! You have already learned one language - you CAN learn another!

However, as a baby you first listened, then copied saying the sounds, then you learned how to read and write. Some language experts say that you do not fully learn your own native language until about the age of 12 -15 years old!

As an adult you have the advantage of being able to read and write already so your learning of a second language should be a lot faster!!

What:

Listening

The FIRST thing you should do is to listen to and learn the PRONUNCIATION of the language. My advice to you is to get this right from day one! Spend time on this now and the rest of your study for the rest of your learning period will benefit greatly!

Some languages are phonetic, some are not. Phonetic means that the sounds and the letters of the words always match. There are international phonetic symbols that show how to pronounce all the sounds in all of the world languages.

The English language is not a phonetic language. It is ESSENTIAL to first learn the phonetic symbols that relate to the sounds of English words. It is certainly possible to learn English without any knowledge of these phonetic symbols but your learning time will be much longer and most times your pronunciation will be inaccurate as you are relying on memorising the sounds of the words for the most part of your learning, just as you had to do as a baby.

I strongly recommend the learning of the phonetic symbols for learners of English before you open your first grammar or reading book! If you can learn the CORRECT pronunciation at the beginning, it will save you a lot of extra learning time later. It is much harder to undo incorrect learning and have to relearn the word correctly.

Here at Celtic Publications we have an excellent workbook (including CD) that we can recommend to you to help you to learn these phonetic symbols. It is called “Phonetics for learners of English Pronunciation” click here

If you have already started studying English but need some help with pronunciation this book will still help you!!

Other good ways you can listen to the language:
cassette tapes and CD’s that accompany workbooks/reading books.
songs
cinema
native speakers
radio
television (news and documentary programmes have the better pronunciation without slang as in some regular programmes)

Reading

Read! Read!! Read!!!
This is probably the easiest study method as you can do this at your own pace, in your own time and at your own level.

Writing

Writing is a powerful way to learn a language. All my language students who wrote an essay every week to give me to correct, learned English much faster than the students who never wrote, and some not even notes in class!

Every time you look for a word in the dictionary you should write this word in a small pocket notebook, small enough to keep in your pocket or handbag along with your pocket dictionary, so that you can use it at all times and all places (eg standing waiting for the bus!).

Divide your pocket notebook into three columns:
1 write the word in English
2 then write the phonetic symbols (to help you to pronounce the word)
3 then the word in your own language

To learn the word:
1 study and memorise the new words.
2 cover your language and look at the English words. What are the English words in your language? If you cannot remember start at 1 above again for the problem word(s) then back here to 2.
3 cover the English this time so that you can only see the word in your language. What is the English word in your language? (You may use the phonetics column to help you.)
4 cover the English AND the phonetics. What is the English word in your language?
5 Write the date at the top of your page.
The next day repeat the 5 steps above and
6 Revise the words you learned the previous day(s)
The above 6 steps are a very powerful way to learn new vocabulary!!

Speaking

Now you are ready to put it all together and SPEAK!! Try to do this as soon as you can and don’t be afraid to make a mistake. If it is a bad mistake a native speaker will soon tell you. However a native speaker will not always tell you your mistakes! A native speaker will not always know the grammar of their own language (do you?!!) so may not be able to explain your mistakes but just give you the correct answer.

It is best to do some study with a recognised language college. If you are studying with a private teacher, ask to see his/her qualifications. Just because someone is a native speaker of a language does not make him/her a qualified teacher! He/she should have some kind of teaching qualification AND an EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching qualification.

Ways you can practise speaking:

Speak with a professionally qualified native teacher as much as possible. This is the first best source you have, as you will learn the correct way from the beginning.
Other students in your class (do NOT be tempted to speak your own native language during class time!!!)

With native speakers that you might know, or advertise for exchange lessons!
Visit the native language country so that you can practise with native speakers.
If possible, go and study and or work in the native language country. Obviously the longer you can stay, the better. In six months you should be at least intermediate level and in one year you should aim for fluency, that is, if you stay and mix with native speakers for the entire duration of your stay. DO NOT be tempted to stay with people of your own nationality. You may as well be studying at home and your progress will be much slower!