How to learn a foreign language

Foreign language study for adults is not intuitive as it is for children, and there are some valuable "do's and don'ts" that make the language-learning process more productive and less frustrating for anyone trying to tackle a new language as a self-instructional undertaking, and an approach that seems "logical" may be self-defeating.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• An elementary text that includes a substantial audio component (CD or DVD).

1. Learning a foreign language requires a long-term commitment, and the process is not similar to the way in which you learned your native language as a young child. When you were growing up, you did not “study” English ( or whatever your native language is). You “acquired” your first language like a sponge soaks up water. However, adults do not retain that innate ability and must “learn” a second language though a process that has been compared to learning to play a musical instrument or master a sport.
2. All languages have distinct sound systems, and no two are exactly alike. If the language you are learning uses the Roman alphabet as English does, do not assume that each letter represents the sound you identify in English. Some common sounds in English - “th” for example - may not exist in another language, and you can be certain that other languages include sounds not heard in English (such as the Spanish trilled ‘R’). Learn the pronunciation -- the sound system -- of another language with your ears, not with your eyes.
3. If you want to learn a language for which you can find good textual materials on-line or in a bookstore, purchase a text package that includes a sizable audio component (CDs or DVDs). Language learning is fundamentally oral/aural. Listen to the words/phrases, and mimic that pronunciation. Don’t try to deduce how a word sounds from its written form.
4. A good audio-based text is valuable, but, at the beginning level, you won’t need a dictionary. Vocabulary-building is the easy part of language learning and should come after, not before, you have learned the basics of grammatical structure. A Japanese speaker won’t understand your attempt to speak Japanese if you’ve learned some words, but have now idea how to string them together into a meaningful sentence. For good reason, textbooks teach language structure with a minimum of basic vocabulary at first, adding more words as the linguistic scaffolding is expanded.
5. Supplementing a good text with authentic materials is great, as long as they are genuinely authentic. Elementary “Dick & Jane” readers designed to teach young children how to read are fine for first-graders, but they aren’t useful for adults who are not fluent in the language (as first-graders are). Examples of authentic supplements for beginning language-learners are newspaper or TV weather reports and advertisements with graphics that reinforce the printed or spoken word. Venturing prematurely into advanced language use (literature, for example) may serve only to discourage you from continuing through elementary and intermediate stages into the advanced competency required for the literary classics.
6. If you can find a native-speaker of the language to serve as an informal “tutor,” verify that he or she speaks the dialect you are studying. For example, if you are studying Portuguese, it makes a big difference if your tutor is from Rio de Janeiro or Lisbon. The speakers on your text’s CD or DVD audio component are speaking a dialect that your tutor should match. A speaker of the Cantonese dialect of Chinese will not be helpful if your text/CD materials are based on the Mandarin dialect. Avoid untrained tutors who offer to teach you their language without the aid of supporting textual materials. A scattershot approach to language learning is at best inefficient. A text designed for self-instructional use is a valuable resource and, at the elementary level, serves as the foundation for your study.
7. Native-speakers are an invaluable resource, providing authentic models of speech patterns and pronunciation -- but most people aren’t trained in applied linguistics and are not equipped to answer questions about language structure. It is not necessary to know the “why” of a grammatical rule. Languages do not follow rules of logic and there is no value to be gained in knowing why a verb is conjugated as it is, or why a noun has an irregular plural form. You internalize language through repetition, not by analyzing it to death. The well-known adage, “practice makes perfect,” is more accurately stated “practice makes permanent,” so make sure you are practicing speech patterns that sound like your audio model, or are acceptable to a native-speaker.
8. Memorizing common conversational patterns may sound childish, but provides a useful framework for expanding the range of your communicative competency. Memorized “where is” or “what is” or “there are” phrases can be readily extended to incorporate more uses as your vocabulary builds. When the structures are internalized, adding different building blocks (words) will rapidly expand your range of oral competence.
9. n long-term language study, don’t try to jump directly to complex usage before the basics have been mastered. If your mastery of the foundation (the basic elements) of the language is weak, you will never advance much beyond the tourist-phrase stage. Similarly, don’t try to read what you have not yet learned to speak and comprehend. The written form of a language is derived from the spoken language, not vice versa. The most productive language learning moves one step at a time without skipping any essentials along the way.