• Home
  • Login
  • Registration
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
ESLarticle.com
Tweet
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Members
  • Add Article

Top Categories

Teaching 509
Other 210
Classroom Management 138
Career Development 135
Learning Methodology 121
Study Skills 90
E-Learning/CALL 87
English Language Learning (ELL) 78
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) 77
Teaching Methodology 76
English Language Teaching (ELT) 73
English as a Second Language (ESL) 64
Teach in Shanghai
Home / Articles / English Language Learning (ELL) / View Article

Publishing

  • Articles
  • Add Article
  • Articles Archive
  • Latest Articles
  • Popular Articles

Latest Articles

Jan 5, 2019

Metacognition in Reading Competency

As related to the reading process, metacognition can be defined as contemplation concerning one's own thinking processes or knowledge of one's own...

Jan 5, 2019

Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself." Galileo Galilei Mass media forms thrive today. As development...

Nov 30, 2018

Ideas for the First Class with New Learners

~~The first class with new learners can be an anxious one for all concerned – teacher as well as learners. Below are some tips to make that first...

Nov 19, 2018

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners It is estimated that there are over a billion English speakers in the world, including native speakers,...

Nov 15, 2018

Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom

Education Today, December 2013 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Home  Timothy G. Weih University of Northern...

Popular Articles

1141482 Views

5 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Classroom Bulletin Board This Winter

Back to school, fall leaves, Thanksgiving and Christmas all easily lend themselves to great decorating themes, but what to do when those are over...

380280 Views

Three Unique Ideas To Make Your Bulletin Board More Useful

Bulletin boards have long been existent in campuses. They have proven to be such versatile and useful aids in both the learning and teaching...

140276 Views

History of the Chalkboard

Walk into just about any classroom and you will find one: A dark green board on the wall, lined with pieces of chalk and felt erasers. Chalkboards,...

65027 Views

Report Card Comments

For a small minority, writing report cards isn't a big deal. But most teachers generally dread report card writing time. Completing the comment...

47798 Views

Second Language Acquisition: Swain's Output Vs Krashen's Input

1. Introduction: Input versus Output. A general overview In order to assess how compatible Krashen's and Swain's views are, it is essential to...


Six Quick Tricks to Learning a Language

by Larry M. Lynch

Aug 25, 2008 English Language Learning (ELL) 4631 Views

_notregistered/art_219_449be07dec~.jpg

Do you think that you can�t learn a new language? Think again.
Our brains maintain the capacity to soak up new knowledge of all types far into our advanced years. No matter what your background or past learning experience, you CAN learn to speak another language using these six quick techniques.

There are a multitude of reasons for wanting to speak the lingua franca of another people; travel, business, education, personal pleasure, even family or friends. Indeed it�s no small feat to habla espa�ol, parlez francaise, or sprechenze Deutcsh, but the prestige, financial gains, personal satisfaction and envy that can accompany this easily nurtured skill can be most rewarding.

But, �Can I really develop good communicative skills in a new tongue?� you may well ask. Yes, you can if you�ll use these 10 quick tricks for heightening your language � learning experience and incorporating your new language into your everyday life.

1. Take a short course: A number of language courses are immediately available in most areas at a local community college or university. Courses in the continuing education department tend to be more consumer-oriented, less academic and more focused on the prospective needs of students like you. The internet likewise abounds with foreign language course offerings. You can learn Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish via multimedia at http://www.caselearning.com . The Definitive Worldwide Guide to Learning the Thai Language and Studying Thai Culture is online at: http://study-thai.com if you�re up for the exotic.

2. Mimicking: �Mom, he�s mocking me!� Have you ever heard this complaint when one sibling repeated everything the other said? One imitating word � for � word the speech, sounds even actions of the other? It�s called mimicking and it�s so effective you�ll be using this technique to get talking in record time yourself. The procedure is simple, you repeat exactly, word-for-word, everything your model says. That model can be a newscaster, character on a soap opera, documentary narrator or the voice coming from your tape player or radio. Don�t worry if it isn�t perfect. Just start by trying to get your tongue around the words. You�ll acquire speed and ease with practice. You may feel silly at first, but persevere. You�ll get there sooner than you think.

3. Reading Aloud: One of the most effective language-learning tricks is to use the counsel found in The Bible itself at Joshua 1: 8, ��and you must in an undertone read in it day and night, �� and again at Psalms 1:2 stating, �� And in his law he reads in an undertone day and night.� Read passages in the target language aloud to yourself. This powerful technique not only develops speaking and pronunciation skills, but contributes to listening comprehension, vocabulary and grammar too. Almost any reading material in your target language will do as long as it�s interesting and fairly short. You wouldn�t start an English language learner off by reading �War and Peace� now would you?

4. Watch TV: If you have cable, is there a station broadcast in the language you�re interested in? Many metro areas carry programming in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Even Chinese and Hindi are available in some regions. Check with your cable supplier or programming guides to see what�s listed. Programs to watch are the news, soap operas and documentaries. Have a VCR? Tape a couple of programs and play them over and over to accustom yourself to the flow of the language. Many VCR models have slow-motion and stop-action features allowing you to slow down the program to aid your understanding.

5. Listen to Music: In Japan, English students karaoke the Beatles. In Latin America, students mimic Bruce Springsteen. In Africa, the Backstreet Boys rule the airwaves. Lip-syncing popular songs is all the rage for English language learners, so why don�t you turn the tables and use it to your advantage.
Check at music shops and bookstores for song CDs and tapes. Ask around for recommendations on where recordings in your target language might be available. Ethnic restaurants and shops are another good source for music or referrals. Lyrics to literally thousands of songs are available online. Songs are frequently available online in many major languages. Check the local library. The internet will yield hordes of song titles and stations worldwide in dozens of languages. A good online source for starters is www.live365.com which has live global feeds 24 hours a day in multiple languages.

6. Read: Stop at the library for a grammar book and some reading material. The grammar book will be an infrequent guide through those rough spots when the target language grammar differs substantially from English. But don�t overburden yourself with grammar and rules. A copious variety of entertaining magazines exists in most major languages and unless you�re learning Cochimi or Kukapa, you should be able to find something. A newspaper, general interest magazine, the bible, brochures, even comics can help you along. Short articles are best at first. Although you can wade through one or more of those in a matter of minutes, your personal satisfaction at doing so will be boundless. Try www.amazon.com for hard-to-find titles.

You can�t pick your family; but you can pick your friends and you can pick conversations with native speakers of your target language. In the supermarket, in the mall, in the park, a restaurant or a convenience store � almost anywhere you happen to meet or run into a native speaker of your new lingua franca, don�t just stay there mum � say something. People are generally flattered that you�re trying to meet them on their own terms or in their own language and are usually more than happy to chat. Surely, you can say �Buenos Tardes� to someone passing down the aisle in the supermarket. It�s also great practice for breaking the ice when you finally light out for foreign soil.

These quick tricks in conjunction with a short language course will make your language-learning efforts less painless, more interesting, more pleasurable and much easier. Try to do something each and every day. Just think how green with envy your friends are all going to be - and start packing your bags.

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/english-language-learning-ell/219-six-quick-tricks-to-learning-a-language.html

  • General Information
  • Pictures
Author Info

Author Name: Larry M. Lynch

About Author: Larry M. Lynch is a writer and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines

General

Pictures:

Most Recent Articles

  • Jan 5, 2019 Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions by Larry M. Lynch
  • Nov 15, 2018 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom by Larry M. Lynch
  • Oct 22, 2018 5 Significant Reasons to Learn English Language by Larry M. Lynch
  • Jun 16, 2018 Benefits of Using Poetry in Language Learning by Larry M. Lynch
  • Dec 9, 2017 How to Scaffold ELLs in Their Pre-Production Phase of Language Acquisi by Larry M. Lynch

Actions

  • Print Page

Articles Archive

  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021

Random Articles

Learning Methodology

Learning Styles May Be a Myth, But Learning Preferences Do Exist

A lot of research has been done to discover if there is any truth to the idea that there are actually "learning styles." The studies have found...

Classroom Management

Effective Classroom Management Tips and Tricks

Effective classroom management strategies can ensure a pleasant teaching environment for the entire year. Conversely, poor classroom management may...

English Language Teaching (ELT)

10 Most Common Idioms in English

English is a language that inspires. Every English learner should know that only developing speaking English skills will fetch you barely any...

Speaking/Listening

The Tyranny of Accent in Learning English

Many students who aspire to learn English, often concentrate on accent instead of concepts in the language. But, concentrating on accent makes it...

English as a Second Language (ESL)

ESL Discipline and Classroom Management for Children Where No Punishme

ESL Discipline and Classroom Management for Children in Environments Where No Punishment Is Allowed In this article I will define what an...

About ESL Article

ESL Article is a private ESL/TEFL site designed and maintained by educators and educational administrators. It was launched in August 2008 with the aim of bringing ESL/TEFL students, parents, teachers and schools information and articles about the teaching profession and learning community.

Icon Group Member

ESL Article is a member of Icon Group Thailand (IGT), a group of ESL TEFL TESOL websites providing educational resources and information to teachers, schools and students around the world. The group was founded in 2003 and now includes 15+ websites covering educational information services, teaching resources and e-learning.

What is ESL?

English as a second language (ESL) is the use or study of English by speakers of different native languages. It is also known as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), English as an additional language (EAL), and English as a foreign language (EFL).

  • Home
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Help
  • Partner
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
​

© 2022 ESLarticle.com.
Member of Icon Group Thailand - Educating the Future:
TESall All TESOL  Total ESL  ESL Job Feed
TEFL World  TEFL Jobs Overseas  Teach Overseas
Asia TEFL  ESL Powerpoint  Teacher Training