July 2006 Newsletter

What really matters in language learning?

We are all wonderfully individual in all of our own little ways. Todos somos maravillosamente individuales en todas nuestras pequeñas maneras.

We are not the same size, nor quite the same shape. Wir haben weder die gleiche Größe noch die gleiche Form. No somos del mismo tamaño, ni del todo de la misma forma. The colour of our hair, skin and eyes, even the shape of our fingers not to mention our finger prints, and many other small details vary from individual to individual, regardless of national group. El color de nuestro cabello, piel y ojos, incluso la forma de nuestros dedos sin mencionar nuestras huellas dactilares, y muchos otros pequeños detalles varían de un individuo a otro, independientemente del grupo nacional. We like different clothes and have different personalities.

This shows up when you learn English. Esto aparece cuando aprendes inglés. Some of you read well but feel you have trouble understanding the spoken language, especially if it is spoken quickly. Some of you understand all right but are not confident in your writing. Some of you have good phrasing but poor pronunciation, or think you do. Algunos de ustedes tienen buena fraseo pero mala pronunciación, o creen que la tienen. Some pronounce well but make mistakes when speaking, or think you do. Algunos pronuncian bien pero cometen errores al hablar, o creen que lo hacen.

Are there things that are common to all learners? ¿Hay cosas que son comunes a todos los estudiantes? Are there things that everyone needs to work on? What really matters in language learning?

I am referring only to people who want to achieve fluency in a language, not to those who only want to have a few phrases for their next vacation. Ich beziehe mich nur auf Leute, die eine Sprache fließend sprechen wollen, nicht auf diejenigen, die nur ein paar Sätze für ihren nächsten Urlaub haben wollen.

In my view there are a few things that really matter when we learn a new language. First of all, there is vocabulary. We all need to learn words, many words. We get to know new words gradually. Llegamos a conocer nuevas palabras gradualmente. Seeing a word once, or studying it on a list, is not enough. We need to become familiar with new words, to know how they are used with other words in phrases. We achieve this by coming across the words we are learning in a variety of contexts. Logramos esto al encontrar las palabras que estamos aprendiendo en una variedad de contextos. Gradually we start to feel comfortable with the meaning of these words and start putting these new words together in phrases in order to express ourselves.

Next we need to develop a sense for the language, without worrying about the parts of speech or grammar explanations. This can only be achieved through a lot of exposure to the language. A lot of listening and reading will give us a feeling for the rhythm of the new language.

If we know a lot of words, and I mean really know them, and if we have a sense for the rhythm of the language, then we will understand better and better when we listen and when we read. And as we get better we will want to listen and read more, because we enjoy doing so. Y a medida que mejoremos, querremos escuchar y leer más, porque disfrutamos haciéndolo.

If we enjoy the language, and continue listening and reading, we will eventually be able to speak and write. At first we will be hesitant and timid. Al principio seremos vacilantes y tímidos. But our confidence will continue to grow and we will learn to speak and write well.

If we speak well, our pronunciation will be all right. Si hablamos bien, nuestra pronunciación estará bien. It will be as good as it needs to be. Será tan bueno como debe ser. I do not know anyone who speaks a foreign language well for whom pronunciation is a problem. No conozco a nadie que hable bien un idioma extranjero para quien la pronunciación sea un problema. Some people pronounce a foreign language better than others, but mostly it does not matter. Algunas personas pronuncian un idioma extranjero mejor que otras, pero en general no importa. Pronunciation is an area where we can all be a little different, just like our personalities and the clothes we wear. La pronunciación es un área en la que todos podemos ser un poco diferentes, al igual que nuestras personalidades y la ropa que usamos.