The main aim in studying a language is enjoyment. The adult class is mutually supportive; they get to know and accept each other well; and their confidence and language abilities improve.
Since I started to teach in the mid-70s, I have always liked taking adult language classes. The learners are there voluntarily; they are ‘ready to learn’; and they appreciate the magic of communicating with ‘the other’, a sign of respect for not only the language but the culture. And, of course, as our lives have become more global, many of the learners have in-laws or friends from other countries. They realise that the next generation will be at least bi-lingual with the influence of the language of the country in which they live being uppermost.
Language is to be spoken, to be sung, to be listened to and enjoyed. Language learning should be fun. And maybe it is because of the traditional way in which languages were taught, with often too great an emphasis on grammar and writing, that many older learners feel inadequate. Now don’t get me wrong! I was taught in a fairly traditional way and I feel that there is a need for a mixture of communicative language and ‘discovering’ grammar to support the learners.
What works for me and the adult learner?
Going back to the solid training I had in teaching languages, I find that choral repetition is always a good start. It means that everyone can have a go without feeling exposed. The repetition allows for a review of vocabulary and language patterns and helps the sometimes tired brain to retain vocabulary.
Patterns of discovery
It is important for learners of whatever age to ‘discover’ grammatical patterns rather than to be given all the rules before they use the language. A mixture of listening to the different sounds to find out, for example, the differences if we are talking about a male or a female, and of examining the written to see a pattern in the spelling lets the adult train the mind to look out for further patterns.
As soon as we start to learn a language we want to use different tenses, mainly to talk about the past. Many adults have not so fond memories of learning off by rote the paradigm of a long list of verbs and tenses, and once a rule was made there followed many exceptions. With adult learners it is useful to build up a store of useful verb constructions to which they attach the infinitives of verb phrases. In this way, they can easily talk about present, future and past.Read More Posts
These ten tips and tricks can help you learn faster—and smarter—plus help you cope with beginner's frustration.
1. One of the most important facts about language-learning is this: Don’t place a timer on learning a new language. “It’s like learning a new skill,” says Safieh Moghaddam, the associate chair of linguistics and languages at the University of Toronto. There’s no set amount of hours for mastering a language—and the learning process will vary for everyone.
2. Language learning apps are more popular than ever. According to data compiled by free language app Duolingo, more than 30 million people attempted to learn a new language in the United States in 2020.
3. Learn cognates first. These are words that look and mean the same thing as words you already know—for instance, historia in Spanish or bruder in German. “This may help the learner gain confidence and think that learning a new language is not that challenging,” says Moghaddam.
4. Choose outlets that spark your interest. Studies have found that individuals who frequently watch foreign films or television shows are typically better at reading, listening and learning vocabulary. Subtitles allow you to see and hear each spoken word.Read More Posts
The wonderful world of language offers us endless opportunities for growth and communication and is rooted in a great deal of rich history. Language first evolved during the time of modern homo sapiens, 50,000–150,000 years ago and since then, over 7000 different spoken languages have been established.
This vast universe of languages also happens to be full of fun and interesting facts to whip out whenever you want to impress your pals. Like the fact that the word ‘language’ itself actually comes from the Latin word ‘lingua’, which means tongue. Hungry for more linguistic tidbits? Keep reading!
1. There’s a language only 8 people speak
Talk about exclusive! The unclassified Busuu language is spoken in the Southern Bantoid of Cameroon – but only by eight people. In fact, when they checked in 1986, there were eight Busuu speakers and in 2005, only three, making it an endangered language.
2. Chinese Mandarin is considered the hardest language to learn
When considering that the Chinese Mandarin alphabet is made up entirely of symbols, this fact is not surprising. The average Chinese local is estimated to be familiar with over 8000 symbols and 3000 is the minimum to be able to read the newspaper. There are also four different tones for pronunciation to differentiate between words as many characters have the same sound.
3. English is the language with the most words
English takes the cake in this category at a proud 750’000 words, with new ones being added all the time. In fact, it’s estimated that about 5’400 new English words are created annually, although only around a thousand of these will be incorporated into the vocabulary of the general public.
4. William Shakespeare invented 1700 words
On the subject of new words, our man William Shakespeare came up with a pretty large collection of novel terms. He did this through a combination of changing nouns to verbs, verbs to adjectives, combining words, adding prefixes and suffixes as well as just straight up inventing brand new ones.Read More Posts
If you’re like us, you probably spend a slightly unhealthy amount of time on social media. That could mean checking your Insta DMs and your Twitter mentions, laughing at ridiculous TikTok videos, watching competitive marble racing on YouTube. But what if we told you there was a way to use social media for more than just mindless entertainment? Using social media for language learning can be a great way to supplement your studies and to test out your skills in the “real world.”
Social media, when approached the right way, can be just as valuable for practicing a new language as TV shows, podcasts, books or any other form of media. In this article, you’ll find a few tips to keep in mind if you want to use social media for language learning, as well as some lists we’ve curated for specific accounts to follow based on the language you’re learning.
Tips For Using Social Media For Language Learning
Be A Follower
The best way to get started in your language learning via social media adventure is by following a number of accounts that post in your target language. It would be helpful to have a goal in mind first. For example, if you know you want to learn food vocabulary, you might want to follow a cooking account. Whether you’re interested in sports, travel, memes, general language basics or just about any other topic, there’s an account for that. And if you follow these accounts, they’ll start to show up in your feed, so you can incorporate a little language practice into your everyday scrolling.
Here are some lists we’ve put together of accounts to follow on various social media platforms to give you a place to start.Read More Posts
