Tag: English Speaking

  • Difference between Affect vs Effect

    Difference between Affect vs Effect

    What is the Difference between Affect vs effect? There are two commonly confused words in the English language. Here’s the difference: The Affect is usually used as a verb and means to influence or cause a change in something. For example: “The rainy weather affected his mood”. The Effect is commonly used as a noun and refers to the result or outcome of something. For example: “The medicine had a positive effect on her health”.

    The important concepts in the English language: Understanding the Difference Between Affect vs Effect

    We remember that affect is typically a verb and effect is usually a noun, although there are exceptions. It’s important to pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine which word is appropriate.

    Definition of Affect

    The term “affect” can be defined as a verb that means to influence or cause a change in something. In the context of emotions or moods, it refers to the way they are expressed or displayed. For example: “The tragic news affected her deeply, and she couldn’t stop crying.” In psychology, affect is also used to describe the emotional tone or quality of a person’s experience. It represents the outward expression of emotions. For instance: “Her flat affect indicated a lack of emotional responsiveness.”

    Definition of Effect

    The term “effect” can be defined as a noun that refers to the result or outcome of something. It is the consequence or impact that occurs as a result of a certain action or event. For example: “The effect of the new policy was evident in the improved sales figures.” It can also refer to the power or influence that someone or something has. For instance: “The company’s CEO had a significant effect on the company’s direction and success.”

    Comparison Chart for the Difference between Affect vs Effect

    AffectEffect
    Usually a verbUsually a noun
    Means to influence or cause a change in somethingRefers to the result or outcome of something
    Example: “The rainy weather affected his mood”Example: “The medicine had a positive effect on her health”
    Context-dependentContext-dependent

    Remember that while affect is typically used as a verb and effect is usually used as a noun, there are exceptions. It’s important to pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine which word is appropriate.

    Examples of Difference between Affect vs Effect

    Sure! Here are some examples to illustrate the difference between “affect” and “effect”:

    1. The rainy weather affected his mood.
      • In this sentence, “affected” is used as a verb. It means that the rainy weather influenced or caused a change in his mood.
    2. The medicine had a positive effect on her health.
      • Here, “effect” is used as a noun. It refers to the result or outcome of taking the medicine, which was a positive impact on her health.
    3. The teacher’s encouragement affected the student’s performance.
      • In this example, “affected” is used as a verb. It means that the teacher’s encouragement influenced or caused a change in the student’s performance.
    4. The effect of the new policy was a decrease in productivity.
      • “Effect” is used as a noun here. It refers to the consequence or impact that resulted from implementing the new policy, which was a decrease in productivity.

    Remember, “affect” is typically used as a verb, indicating influence or change, while “effect” is usually used as a noun, referring to the result or outcome of something. However, there can be exceptions, so it is essential to consider the context of the sentence to determine which word is appropriate.

    Main key point Difference between Affect vs Effect

    The main key point to remember about the difference between affect and effect is:

    • Affect is typically used as a verb and means to influence or cause a change in something.
    • The effect is usually used as a noun and refers to the result or outcome of something.
    • It’s important to pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine which word is appropriate.
    • While affect is typically used as a verb and effect is usually used as a noun, there can be exceptions.

    Bottom line

    Affect and effect are commonly confused words in the English language. The key difference is that affect is usually used as a verb, meaning to influence or cause a change, while the effect is commonly used as a noun, referring to the result or outcome of something. However, there are exceptions, so it’s important to consider the context of the sentence. Affect can also be used in psychology to describe the expression of emotions, while the effect can refer to the power or influence someone or something has. It is essential to understand the distinction between these words to use them correctly.

  • What is the difference between gray and grey?

    What is the difference between gray and grey?

    What is the difference between gray and grey? There are two different spellings of the same color. There is no difference in terms of the color itself. The spelling “gray” is more commonly used in the United States, while “grey” is more commonly used in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries. So, it is merely a matter of regional spelling preferences.

    Understanding the difference between gray and grey: How to be Know

    The words “gray” and “grey” both refer to the same color, which is a neutral shade between black and white. It stands often associated with a lack of color or a muted appearance. The meaning of gray or grey can also extend metaphorically to represent things that are dull, gloomy, or lacking in excitement. However, the exact interpretation of the color may vary depending on cultural and personal associations.

    What is the difference between gray and grey Image
    What is the difference between gray and grey? Photo by Fs Meyra from Pexels.

    Definition of gray

    Gray is a color that falls between black and white on the color spectrum. It is a neutral shade with a predominantly achromatic appearance, often associated with objects or surfaces that lack vibrant color. Gray can vary in intensity, ranging from a light, almost silvery hue to a deep, dark shade. It stands commonly used to evoke a sense of calmness, stability, and sophistication. Metaphorically, gray can also represent things that are dull, gloomy, or lacking excitement.

    Definition of grey

    Grey is a color that falls between black and white on the color spectrum. It is a neutral shade with a predominantly achromatic appearance, often associated with objects or surfaces that lack vibrant color. Grey can vary in intensity, ranging from a light, almost silvery hue to a deep, dark shade. It is commonly used to evoke a sense of calmness, simplicity, and sophistication. Metaphorically, grey can also represent things that are dull, gloomy, or lacking excitement.

    Comparison Chart for the difference between gray and grey

    BasicGrayGrey
    SpellingCommonly used in the United StatesCommonly used in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries
    AppearanceA neutral shade between black and white can vary in intensity from light to darkA neutral shade between black and white can vary in intensity from light to dark
    AssociationsA Lack of vibrant color can evoke a sense of calmness, stability, and sophisticationA Lack of vibrant color can evoke a sense of calmness, simplicity, and sophistication
    Metaphorical meaningCan represent things that are dull, gloomy, or lacking excitementCan represent things that are dull, gloomy, or lacking excitement
    UsageMore commonly used in the United StatesMore commonly used in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries

    Examples of differences between gray vs grey

    Here are a few examples of the differences between “gray” vs “grey”:

    1. Spelling: The most obvious difference is the spelling itself. “Gray” is the preferred spelling in the United States. While “grey” is more commonly used in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries.
    2. Regional Usage: The usage of “gray” and “grey” varies based on geographic location. For example, if you’re in the United States, you’re more likely to see “gray” being used. On the other hand, if you’re in the United Kingdom, you’ll come across “grey” more frequently.
    3. Personal Preference: Some individuals may have their own personal preference when it comes to choosing between “gray” and “grey” regardless of their geographic location. It’s not uncommon to see people using the spelling they feel most comfortable with.
    4. Literature and Language: If you read books or articles that were written by authors from different regions, you may come across different spellings. American authors tend to use “gray” while British authors often opt for “grey.”
    5. Brand Names: In some cases, you might find brand names or products that use either “gray” or “grey” in their names. This can sometimes be influenced by the target market or region they operate in.

    Remember, despite these differences, both “gray” and “grey” refer to the same color, and the choice between the two spellings is mainly a matter of regional convention and personal preference.

    The main key point difference between gray vs grey

    The main key point difference between “gray” and “grey” is the spelling. However, it’s important to note that these two words have the same meaning and are often used interchangeably, especially in different English-speaking regions.

    The difference in spelling is primarily due to regional variations in English. In American English, the preferred spelling is “gray,” while in British English, “grey” is more commonly used. This distinction applies to other words as well, where British English tends to use “grey” while American English favors “gray.”

    Both “gray” and “grey” refer to a color that falls between black and white on the color spectrum. The choice of spelling is mainly a matter of regional convention and personal preference, and it does not affect the meaning of the word.

    Bottom line

    The difference between “gray” and “grey” is purely a matter of spelling preference based on regional variations in English. “Gray” is more commonly used in the United States, while “grey” is more commonly used in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries. Both words refer to the same neutral color, which is a shade between black and white.

    This color can vary in intensity from light to dark and is often associated with calmness and simplicity. Metaphorically, both “gray” vs “grey” can represent things that are dull or lack excitement. In conclusion, the choice between “gray” and “grey” comes down to regional convention and personal preference, with no impact on the meaning of the word.

  • Studying the Verb

    Studying the Verb

    Unlock the secrets of studying the verb in diverse languages. Explore the significance of influxive languages and their impact on linguistic precision.

    Studying the Verb: Unraveling Language Structures

    Each language has distinct qualities that will require unique and specific exercises.  Many languages are inflexive and use declensions in which certain words indicate agreement or specialized meaning.  Inflexive languages have well-developed verbs with numerous forms.  If your target language is inflexive, you will need to use carefully developed verb exercises.  (English, however, is not an inflexive language.)

    Many modern languages add a great deal of precision by their use of these linguistic constructions.  For example, an adjective may definitively identified with the noun that it modifies by its agreement in gender and number, thus setting it apart from other adjective/noun combinations within the same context.  Since written language derived from spoken language, the focus of this chapter is primarily the variations of meaning that result from manipulation of the spoken language.  The following two definitions are important here:

    • An inflexive language is one that adds one phoneme — or one moneme in its written form — to a verb to denote case, number, gender, person, tense, etc. A phoneme is the smallest linguistic sound carrying meaning, whereas a moneme is the smallest linguistic unit (typically a letter in a phonemic alphabet) identifying a specific phoneme.
    • Declension is the occurrence of inflection in nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, indicating such features as number (typically singular vs. plural), case (subject, object, and other case functions), and gender. Declension occurs in a great many of the world’s languages.

    This post will demonstrate how specialized exercises which focus on unique qualities in a language can constructed.  It is easy to demonstrate this type of exercise by using the English verb as an example.  Probably nothing marks adults struggling to learn English quite as much as their improper use of verbs in regard to person and tense.  Therefore, when teaching English to adults, it is necessary to use specialized English verb drills.

    Of course, you will need to adapt these examples of English verb exercises to your own needs as you begin learning your target language.  Inasmuch as English adjectives seldom modified in order to agree with gender and number, we cannot give sample exercises for that purpose, though you could certainly develop them for French, Spanish, and many other languages.  Other languages would require extensive exercises for the case within the verb.  And were you to be studying Cantonese, you would certainly need to develop exercises using its six tons.

    A short introduction to verb drills:

    All of these illustrations taken from the Spoken English Learned Quickly language course.  In my own personal experience with language learning, I was frustrated when I would learn a present tense, then a week or two later learn its past or future tense, only to come back to it again a few months later to learn its subjunctive form.  I would have done much better had I learned each verb as a complete unit.  When I was studying French, the verb “etre” (to be) evolved into at least four verbs. 

    First I learned the present tense etre, later the past tense etre, still later the future tense etre, and finally, an entirely new etre verb form called the subjunctive.  It would have been much more effective for me to have learned one verb having four tenses than to have learned four separate tenses as though each was a new verb.

    Of course, I am exaggerating to make a point.  Yet, if we make a single package out of each verb, learning it in all its forms simultaneously, it becomes a far simpler memory task.  In addition, full use of each verb as it learned gives greater initial command of the language.  I said many things incorrectly until months later when I finally learned the subjunctive form.  Then I wasted additional time retraining my mind to use the subjunctive form in place of the tenses I had previously thought I was using correctly.  I spent more time learning and then unlearning incorrect verb constructions than had I learned fewer verbs initially but learned them in their entirety.

    There is, however, another equally forceful argument for learning all forms of the verb at one time.  As I have taught the Spoken English Learned Quickly course, I have discovered that in a relatively few week of learning all new verbs in their entirety, adult students who have no previous knowledge of English are able to conjugate verbs which they have never before encountered.  I have experimented with this many times.  I choose an obscure regular verb and find a student who does not know its meaning. 

    Then I have the student conjugate it in all of its persons and tenses.  Only after they have successfully conjugated the verb do I tell them what it means.  It is an amazing process to see.  (Spoken English Learned Quickly was designed to used as a self-study course.  Most students study on their own.  However, I have often conducted a weekly two-hour group session as a means of encouraging the students.  It is during the group sessions that I have used these spoken conjugation drills.)

    We strongly encourage you to learn all forms of each verb the first time you encounter them in your study.  Verbs will become much more useful to you in a shorter period of time.

    In traditional language instruction, once a particular verb tense supposedly learned, it is then assumed that the students know that form and no longer need to review it.  Yes, the students may be able to write all the present tense forms of a particular regular verb, but that is not the objective.  Can they use all of those forms in spontaneous spoken English? In the Spoken English Learned Quickly course, the instruction does not stop when students are able to write the endings of certain verbs.  The goal is to help the students reach a level of fluency in which they can correctly use the verb in all of its tenses and persons in normal speech.

    That will be your objective as you learn to speak your target language.  Do not satisfied by simply learning verb tense and the person in written form.  You will not know a particular verb until you can use it fluently in spontaneous conversation.

    For the same reason that you were encouraged to learn cognate forms of words in Selecting a Text, you encouraged to learn all of the individual forms of a single verb at one time.  This will greatly reduce the time required to learn verb vocabulary.  Depending on your target language, this could include tenses, persons, imperatives, declensions, etc.  Combining all forms of each verb as you learn them will also improve your intuitive understanding of that particular verb.  You will be better able to use the verb in its different forms when you want to use it to convey a similar meaning.

    All of the above comments relate to spoken language.  You may find it helpful to write tables.  But you must learn to use the words in the tables as spoken vocabulary, not merely as written tables.

    Four types of verb drills:

    The Spoken English Learned Quickly lessons use four verb table forms.  In the early lessons, only the following form used.  It will called an “A” format for this illustration:

    An “A” format English verb drill.

    TO OWN (to own) / She promised to own it.  (She promised to own it.) Own.  (Own.) / Please own it.  (Please own it.) owning (owning) / He is owning it.  (He is owning it.) owned (owned) / it is owned (it is owned) / it was owned (it was owned) / it will be owned (it will be owned)

    • I own (I own) / he owns (he owns) / she owns (she owns) / it owns (it owns) / you own (you own) / we own (we own) / they own (they own)
    • I owned (I owned) / he owned (he owned) / she owned (she owned) / it owned (it owned) / you owned (you owned) / we owned (we owned) / they owned (they owned)
    • I will own (I will own) / he will own (he will own) / she will own (she will own) / it will own (it will own) / you will own (you will own) / we will own (we will own) / they will own (they will own).

    Since all of the exercises recorded as audio lessons, the students respond by repeating the words enclosed in the ellipses (. . .).  A Student Workbook is provided that contains the written text for all spoken drills.  The parenthetical phrases included in the written text.  Thus, the narrator says, “to own” and the students respond, “to own.” The narrator says, “She promised to own it,” and the students respond, “She promised to own it.” Everything is spoken, and as soon as the students understand a new exercise, they put the written text aside and complete the exercise by using only the audio recording without the text.

    Repeated use of this format allows the students to conjugate an unknown verb correctly.  Can you see how their fluency increases when they can correctly use English verbs so early in their language learning experience? That is the same fluency you will want to develop as you study your target language.

    Quite early in the lesson series, another verb table format introduced.  Throughout the Student Workbook, all irregular verb forms appear in bold type.  A drill for the irregular verb “to meet” looks like this:

    A sentence completion English verb drill.

    First, Complete the following sentences with “them here every evening.”

    • I always meet (I always meet them here every evening.) / He always meets (He always meets them here every evening.) / You always meet (You always meet them here every evening.) / We always meet (We always meet them here every evening.) / They always meet (They always meet them here every evening.)

    Second, Complete the following sentences with “them here after work.”

    • I always met (I always met them here after work.) / She always met (She always met them here after work.) / You always met (You always met them here after work.) / We always met (We always met them here after work.) / They always met (They always met them here after work.)

    Third, Complete the following sentences with “them all before evening.”

    • I will meet (I will meet them all before evening.) / She will meet (She will meet them all before evening.) / You will meet (You will meet them all before evening.) / We will meet (We will meet them all before evening.) / They will meet (They will meet them all before evening.)

    Though the sentences are simple, this format teaches the verb conjugation in the context of the spoken language.  It also forces the students to be more mentally alert during the exercise.  Later in the lessons, the third type of verb table is added that identified here as a “B” format table.  It looks like this:

    “B” format English verb drill.

    • TO TEST (to test) / He promised to test it.  (He promised to test it.) Test.  (Test.) / Please test it.  (Please test it.) testing (testing) / He is testing some.  (He is testing some.) tested (tested) / it is tested (it is tested) / it was tested (it was tested) / it will be tested (it will be tested)
    • I test (I test) I tested (I tested) I will test (I will test) He tests (he tests) he tested (he tested) he will test (he will test) she tests (she tests) she tested (she tested) she will test (she will test) it tests (it tests) it tested (it tested) it will test (it will test) you test (you test) you tested (you tested) you will test (you will test) we test (we test) we tested (we tested) we will test (we will test) they test (they test) they tested (they tested) they will test (they will test)

    In this format, students forced to move from tense to tense using the same person, rather than from person to person using the same tense as they did in the A format drills.  Language requires both skills, so students taught to do both at normal conversation speed.

    However, by this time in the lessons, students should be able to do both.  Consequently, they alternate between table formats in the same exercise.  That is, the first verb uses the A format, the second verb uses the B format, the third verb uses the A format, the fourth uses the B format, and so on to the end of the exercise.  This increases the students’ abilities to use the verb with all tenses and persons while, at the same time, forcing them to develop spontaneity while using verbs.

    Again, this will be your objective in learning your target language.  You want to be able to manipulate the spoken verb quickly and accurately, using all persons and tenses in addition to any other verb functions in your target language.  You should also be able to see the great advantage of learning all tenses and persons of a verb at one time.  If you learn all the forms of the entire verb each time you encounter a new verb, you will have learned one meaning with multiple forms rather than a mix of verb forms and meanings.  Learning all forms of a single verb in this way will take you less time than learning the same material using a traditional method.

    Most importantly, if you use spoken exercises as a means of learning verb tables, you will find that the conjugation you are learning for one verb will quickly transferred to other verbs.

    The same transfer of knowledge will also be true with any kind of word or sentence construction you learn as you use this table format.  Once you are familiar with that exercise, you will always study the information in the table as a spoken exercise without reading from the text.

    There is a final verb exercise format used in the Spoken English Learned Quickly course.  The exercise with its spoken introductory explanation looks like this:

    Tense or person selection English verb drill.

    Say each sentence using the word I will give you.  I will tell you if the sentence should be in the present, the past, or the future.  Use the word “to ride.”

    Present.  The children in that family always _________ the bus; The children in that family always ride the bus.

    The children in that family always ride the bus; The children in that family always ride the bus.

    Present.  That family with three children always _________ the bus; That family with three children always rides the bus.

    That family with three children always rides the bus; That family with three children always rides the bus.

    This verb table format used frequently with a large number of regular and irregular verbs.  It uses all tenses and persons and incorporates as much vocabulary from each new lesson as possible.  In Making the Proprioceptive Method Work, you will learn more about the process of recording these written tables as audio exercises.

    Manipulating language:

    Development of the ability to manipulate language easily illustrated.  Imagine that four-year-old Ryan lives next door to his best friend.  The boys frequently go on each other’s family outings together.  On one occasion, the two boys rode a miniature train that circled a picnic area at the zoo.  When Ryan returned home, he excitedly told his parents, “. . . and we rode the train.”

    As a young child, Ryan’s developing language skills include his growing ability to manipulate language.  He can correctly use “…ed” to signal past tense with regular verbs.  In time, he will learn the correct conjugation of the irregular verb to ride and will be able to report that they rode the train.  We often hear young children doing this.  Probably the most frequently made mistake is attaching “…ed” to irregular verbs to create the past tense.  Other instances include “gooder” or “baddest” for the words good or bad that do not follow convention, even though the child is using the correct pattern (“tall/taller/tallest” or “large/larger/largest”). 

    Thus, prior to attaining maturity in language, growth is evident as a child develops the ability to manipulate language.  The child is intuitively attempting to express unknown, yet grammatically correct thoughts.  As adults, we may detect a mistake in conjugation.  Yet, how often have we heard a child incidentally use a past tense correctly, when we did not realize that the correct conjugated form itself was not yet a part of that child’s recall vocabulary?

    Thus, when the Feedback Training Method teaches students to manipulate language in a way that can used to create the new vocabulary, it closely replicates a child’s language development.  As far as we know, no studies have been conducted to evaluate this process.  Nonetheless, it seems reasonable that the best way to teach a new language is to group cognitive and the tenses and persons of verbs in a way that mirrors a child’s progression in language development.

    The proprioceptive influence:

    Notice how the emphasis on the proprioceptive sense in language learning has influenced this method.  Verb usage is important in English, as it likely is in all languages.  In order to use verbs properly in English, the speaker must use tense and person correctly.

    However, tense and person have multiple components.  There are cognitive components that essentially controlled by memory.  So drills that retain memory will needed.  This is accomplished by using a great deal of repetition.  These verb forms will be repeated thousands of times throughout these lessons.

    During cognitive learning, however, students should also develop the proprioceptive sense that will retrain their mouths to pronounce the words correctly.  After all, the difference in knowing whether to use “ride” or “rides” is a function of pronunciation as far as the tongue and hearing are concerned.  Therefore, in all of these exercises, the students’ cognitive, proprioceptive sense, and hearing have simultaneously been retrained by forcing them to speak aloud, listening to both the narrator and their own voice, and experiencing the feedback from their own mouth as they speak.

    Something else has also been done that is extremely important.  For the entire time the students work on the exercises, everything they hear the narrator say has been an example of perfect English.  It is perfect in both its pronunciation and syntax.  The students could use this lesson from which these sample exercises were taken for two hours a day for five days a week.  If the students repeat exactly what the narrator says, they could speak perfect English for 10 hours during that week, even though they are studying by themselves.

    These same students could probably do a written exercise using the same material.  It would be a cognitive exercise, but it would not involve any retraining of their mouths or hearing.  They would probably work on it for two hours or less during the week.  The results would be negligible in terms of producing fluent spoken English.

    You will want to establish an effective training experience when you study your target language.  If you want to be successful, you must avoid complacency with written exercises.  Your goal is to advance to effective spoken language learning.

    However, it will be difficult.  There is no way that you can repeat the same sentences enough times to retrain your mind, mouth, and hearing without becoming weary in the process.  That is the price you must be willing to pay in order to efficiently learn to speak a new language fluently.

  • Selecting a Text

    Selecting a Text

    Find out how to enhance your language learning with the right selecting a text for studying. Newspapers offer a wide range of topics and vocabulary for effective language practice.

    Selecting a Text for Language Learning: Enhance Your Skills

    This chapter will use the term text to identify a written manuscript. Enhance Your Language Learning Journey with Selecting a Text. A newspaper in your target language is usually an excellent source for a study text.  Most newspapers use good syntax, relatively simple sentences, and common expressions.  In addition to general vocabulary, newspapers will give you many common political, scientific, economic, and technical words.  Generally, newspapers are also a good source of colloquial expressions.

    Important: Not all newspapers would be suitable for spoken language study.  In many countries, there are both common language and literary newspapers.  You would want to select a newspaper that uses commonly spoken the language.  You may also be able to find magazines that work equally well.  There may be magazines of particular interest to you such as political news, handyman, sewing and crafts, travel, outdoors and camping, sports, or any number of other topics. 

    You would want to have your language helper evaluate the newspaper or magazine to be certain that the one you select uses an acceptable level of conversational language.  The term newspaper throughout the remainder of this chapter will refer to whatever text you would have selected.

    Some may also argue that a local newspaper does not always provide the best conversational language for spoken language study.  That may be true, but the reality is that you probably would not be able to find the ideal text at any price.  When carefully selected, the inexpensive and readily available newspaper will undoubtedly be your best compromise.

    Further, this chapter attempts to describe the use of a newspaper in language study without suggesting when its use in that study might occur.  The introduction of the newspaper into the language study schedule would depend entirely on the unique circumstances in each language study program.  The reference to time (six weeks) at the end of the chapter is done simply for the sake of illustration, though it is entirely realistic with the help of a competent language helper.  Similarly, some users of the newspaper suggested in this chapter could occur early in language study while others are for students who have already had considerably more experience with their target language.

    As you begin language study, you will need both a text and an audio recording of it to use for pronunciation practice.  Since it would be difficult to procure a constant supply of companion texts with recordings, you will need to select one and then produce the other with the help of your language helper.

    Going from a written text to an audio recording:

    Making the Feedback Training Method Work, the role of a language helper in your language study program will be fully explained.  This present chapter, however, will be primarily concerned with the text itself.  As we begin this chapter, we will make two assumptions: 1) that you will have a language helper who is a first language (L1) speaker of your target language and pronounces the target language correctly, and 2) that you will have audio recording equipment.

    Everything considered it should be easier to produce an audio recording from a newspaper text than to produce a written text from a radio broadcast recording.  It would be much simpler for your language helper to record the text than it would be for the language helper to transcribe the audio recording.

    For your study purposes, a printed newspaper text will assure a more precise use of the language, better spelling, and a more easily preserved printed copy.  Because live radio broadcasts are difficult to record when inexpensive audio equipment is being used, it would be difficult to hear all of the words clearly.  Therefore, it may be easier for you to make a good language study recording by having the language helper read a newspaper text for the audio recording.  With a little coaching, your language helper could also learn to record the material in such a way that there would be long enough pauses to allow you to repeat the phrase when studying alone.

    The purpose of using the newspaper is to facilitate spoken language practice.  You would always read the newspaper aloud, reading a sentence and then looking away from the text while repeating the sentence from recall memory.

    Appendix B: Text Exercises will illustrate how the text is actually used to create audio exercises.

    A number of uses of a newspaper are suggested under the following headings. These uses, however, are progressive.  That is, during the first few weeks of language study, you will begin using the newspaper as an aid for building vocabulary and improving an understanding of the meaning of the language.  As language study continues, the newspaper will become an increasingly important tool for syntax development.  Learning expressions from the newspaper will require more language skill and will take place somewhat later in the language learning process.  Each of these uses of a newspaper as an aid to language learning will depend to some extent on the readiness of the student to progress to that level.

    Using the newspaper for vocabulary:

    First, read the article out loud, identifying new vocabulary as you go.  Whenever you read a word you do not know, stop and find it in your dictionary.  Keep a vocabulary notebook.  If a word you do not know is used more than twice in an article, enter the word in your notebook and put a check () by it to flag it as a word needing special study.  However, do not record place names or personal names in your notebook.  After you finish reading the article for the first time, review the meaning of all of the new vocabulary words.  Study these words enough that you know what they mean when you read the article.  Always pronounce vocabulary words out loud so that you learn vocabulary as a spoken language.

    After you are more familiar with the process, select other newspaper articles and continue reading aloud while you look for new vocabulary words.  When you find a word in a second newspaper article that you have already checked () in your notebook, place a second check () by it.  Any word in your notebook with two checks should be memorized as an important word to know.

    Whenever you are able to do so, write out the cognate forms of the same word.  For example, to adhere, an adhesive, and adhesion are cognates.  It will be helpful for you to learn multiple cognate forms of a word at one time rather than learning each form as a new vocabulary word when you first encounter it.  Association of a single word in its multiple forms with one root meaning results in more rapid vocabulary retention.  It will also teach you how to accurately develop cognate forms of words during the speech when you do not already know the word.

    The following will be used as an English illustration.  If, for example, you as an L2 speaker know the word “high” but do not yet know the superlative “highest,” you could nonetheless develop the sentence, “It was on the highest shelf,” if you have the ability to develop cognitively.  By learning all cognate forms of every new word as a group — and always learning them in the same pattern, such as sharp, sharper, sharpest, and sharply, or quick, quicker, quickest, and quickly, your ability to accurately create unknown regular cognitive during speech will be greatly enhanced.

    The real essence of language fluency is understanding the target language well enough to intuitively use previously unknown vocabulary during the conversation.  It may be helpful to you to reserve a section in your vocabulary notebook for exactly the purpose of listing cognitive forms.

    Verbs should be listed in your notebook in their infinitive form (for example, “to remember”) rather than in a conjugated form (for example, “she remembers”).  Note that not all languages identify verbs in their infinitive form.  Use your target language’s dictionary notation form as your pattern.  After you have mastered the verb’s conjugation, it will be far simpler for you to learn a single verb form than it will be for you to learn each form of a verb as an individual vocabulary word.

    Using the newspaper for meaning:

    Read the article again for meaning.  If you do not understand a sentence, stop and find out exactly what it means.

    If some of the definitions you have written in your notebook do not make sense when you read them in the article. Find the word again in your dictionary and see if it has other meanings.  If a second meaning for the word makes better sense, in this case, write that definition in your notebook.

    If you still cannot figure out the meaning of a sentence, it may be because two or more words combined to form a single expression.  Try to determine the meaning of expressions.  Look for similar expressions in other articles.  If you still cannot determine the meaning of an expression, ask your language helper for assistance.

    Using the newspaper for syntax development:

    An ideal way to reinforce your use of grammatically correct syntax in your target language is by reading newspaper articles aloud.  Your goal is to retrain your mind, hearing, and mouth to understand and use your target language correctly.  Reading aloud from a newspaper is one of the best ways to accomplish that.

    The great advantage is that you are reading a large number of different sentences that are all organized according to the same grammar rules.  Thus, you are learning the acceptable range of the syntax of that language.  That is, there may appear to be many variations from sentence to sentence, yet all of the users are still correct. 

    An example from English would be learning that you can place the word “however” at the beginning, middle, or end of an English sentence.  You would also learn that the position of “however” can make a slight difference in meaning, or it can enhance the style of the sentence.  You will discover equivalent nuances in your target language.

    In many respects, using the newspaper for syntax development is similar to using it to increase fluency and to help you develop fluid conversation as mentioned below.  The same exercises suggested below would be as profitable for syntax as they would be for fluency and conversation.

    Using the newspaper in order to learn expressions:

    Expressions add richness and variety to all languages. Identify expressions as you read the newspaper.  Use a special mark to identify them in articles.  As we will see in a moment, many expressions may divided, with component words of the expression being separated by non-component words.

    Try substituting other words within the same expression.  Say or write as many sentences using the expression as possible.  As an English example, you may read a sentence in a newspaper that says, “The Governor announced on Friday that he will not run for another term, putting to rest months of speculation about his future intentions.”  Most expressions can used in different tenses with different people or things. 

    For example, the expression “to put to rest” can used in the present tense, “I want to put our disagreement to rest,” in the future tense, “He will put his argument to rest,” or in the past tense, “They finally put their rivalry to rest.”  Notice that in these phrases, the component parts of the expression separated as in, “They finally put their rivalry to rest.”  Watch for such variations of construction in expressions in your target language.

    English also uses forms of words as a type of expression.  For example, you may read a sentence in a newspaper that says, “We’re getting many calls from people who are panicking and asking what they can do.”  This form of expression uses two or more words ending in “…ING” to describe two or more actions that the same person is doing at one time.  You will certainly find many similar expression forms in your target language.

    Using the newspaper for fluency enhancement:

    As you use the newspaper in your spoken exercises, you will begin reading longer sections rather than simply alternating between reading sentences aloud and then repeating them from recall memory.  You will want to read the entire article aloud for fluency practice.  Try reading the article as smoothly as possible without stopping.  Read it aloud at least twice.

    For more fluency practice, continue reading the article aloud until you can read it at the same rate of speed that a first language speaker uses when talking.  Practice until your pronunciation duplicates that of a first language speaker.

    Your purpose is not to merely learn the vocabulary in these newspaper articles, but to learn to speak your target language.  Keep practicing until you can read the article aloud well enough that a first language speaker could clearly understand what you are saying.

    Fluency is the ability to speak smoothly with proper intonation.  Initially, use single sentences for fluency drills, repeatedly reading a single sentence until you can read it smoothly.  Eventually, do the same with multiple sentences or paragraphs.  Even as a beginning student, there is value in reading a longer passage or entire article without break in order to establish the rhythm of the spoken language.  This is excellent proprioceptive training.

    Your natural tendency will be to move on to new articles too quickly.  In reality, it is only after you already know all of the vocabularies and can pronounce each word correctly that you will be ready to use the newspaper article to full advantage.  You are not fully retraining your mind and tongue until you can read the article at normal speaking speed with proper inflection and pronunciation.  You will better attain fluent speech by rereading fewer articles aloud perfectly than you will by reading many articles aloud with faulty pronunciation.

    Using the newspaper for conversation practice:

    It was stated, “You must never make a mistake when you are speaking.” That objective will be the most difficult when you first begin a free conversation.  However, using a newspaper article will be a great aid in producing the conversation that is essentially free of mistakes.

    A newspaper article can give you a great deal of structure for conversation practice.  This structure will give both you and your language helper a defined group of vocabulary words, defined sentences with an understood meaning, and a defined context in which the vocabulary and sentences can communicated.  After very little coaching, your language helper can use the newspaper article to structure the free conversation.

    To continue with the illustration from English, your language helper could lead you in a discussion evolving from a newspaper article.  You could easily have the following discussion after only six weeks of full-time language study.  Notice that your language helper is asking each question twice, expecting that you will substitute a pronoun in your second response. 

    Language Helper: “What did the Governor announce on Friday?”

    Reply: “The Governor announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “What did the Governor announce on Friday?”

    Reply: “He announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “Will the Governor run for another term?”

    Reply: “No, the Governor will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “Will the Governor run for another term?”

    Reply: “No, he will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “When did the Governor announce that he will not run for another term?”

    Reply: “The Governor announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “When did the Governor announce that he will not run for another term?”

    Reply: “He announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Assuming that you have only been studying your target language for six weeks, your initial response to each question may be slow and halting.  You may also be looking at the printed text when your language helper initially asks the question.  But at least your answer is word perfect.  You are training your proprioceptive sense by using perfect syntax.  Now you can add perfect pronunciation and fluency to that.

    Typically, in language instruction, extra attention given when a student makes mistakes.  That is, when a sentence used incorrectly, it will corrected with additional drills.  On the other hand, when a student responds correctly, the instructor will move on to the next sentence.  That is not what you want your language helper to do for you now.  Of course, you will want help with incorrect syntax and pronunciation. 

    But in order to learn the language effectively, you will want to emphasize correct language use.  To continue our example, let’s say that none of the sentences in the above illustration have any phonemes that you cannot reproduce acceptably.  Therefore, at your instruction, your language helper will continue to drill you on these same sentences until they are perfect.

    Your language helper will again ask the first question twice, allowing you to respond accordingly.

    Language Helper: “What did the Governor announce on Friday?”

    Reply: “The Governor announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Language Helper: “What did the Governor announce on Friday?”

    Reply: “He announced on Friday that he will not run for another term.”

    Now, however, you will not be looking at the text.  Your language helper will ask these two questions until you can answer word perfectly from recall memory.

    But she still not finished.  She will now increase the tempo and will expect you to answer in the same cadence.  She will persist until the two of you are conversing so quickly and naturally that a first language speaker coming into the room would hear a strangely redundant conversation in what would otherwise be completely understandable language.  It would be just as understandable to that first language speaker as any conversation would be between two first language speakers on the street.

    This would continue — maybe for several days of practice — until the entire series of questions from that newspaper article could be asked and answered in fully fluent conversation.

    You would be worn out by the time you finished studying this intently from a newspaper article.  Yet while others would be in the beginning language course after their initial six weeks of study, you — after your first six weeks — would already be speaking on an advanced level, though you would only be using a relatively small number of sentences.

  • Do You Need Both Beginning and Advanced?

    Do You Need Both Beginning and Advanced?

    Explore the differences between beginning and advanced language programs. Find out which one is the best fit for your language learning journey.

    Do You Need Both Beginning and Advanced?

    Your perceived needs as you begin studying your target language will significantly influence how you answer this chapter’s title question.  If you decide that you need beginning lessons when you start your language study — meaning a simplified form of the language — you will expend much time looking for such a program.  You will find that your target language does not have a beginner’s level of language.  On the other hand, if you decide that the language of the daily newspaper is what you want to learn, you will find that language all around you.

    You will certainly need to begin on a rudimentary level.  But the simple sentences and vocabulary you will use should, nonetheless, be sentences and words you would hear in daily conversation.

    All target languages are different in structure, and can’t be analyzed individually in this book.  Therefore, let’s use English as an example and try to analyze this same question from the perspective of a non-English speaker who is trying to learn English.  You should then be able to apply this information to your own needs as you learn another language.

    The need for beginning and advanced lessons in English:

    Can both beginning and advanced students in our target group of university students and young professionals use the same level of lessons to learn spoken English?  Before you give an intuitive answer, let’s ask the question another way: “Does English have multiple, specialized language divisions?”

    The answer is, “No, it does not.” There is no high English language spoken by the gentry versus a low language spoken by commoners.  Historically, many languages such as Greek and Chinese, to mention only two, have indeed had multiple divisions of the language used within the same society.

    Modern English, however, does not even have a specialized construction for folklore.  Many languages in which oral tradition has been preserved have a storytelling form of the language that is distinct from everyday conversation.  In these language groups, there are often specialists who recount the folklore in public gatherings.  Common English has none of that.  Though Ebonics — and more recently Rap — are sub-classes of English that would not be broadly understood, all English-speakers within that general target language group understand everyday English.

    In fact, English is so simple in regard to multiple divisions of speech that we do not even have two forms of address for people of different social standing.  French, for instance, has strict conventions regarding the use of “TU” or “VOUS” when addressing another person.  A U.S. citizen, however, would address both a person of higher social standing and a young child as “you.”

    English has a wide spectrum of language variances including regional accents and dialects.  It also has many specialized vocabularies.  Any student who has taken courses in anatomy, law, physics, automotive technology, psychology, engineering, geology, or anthropology has spent a great deal of time learning specialized terminology.  Nonetheless, the essential English syntax that holds even these specialized words together in a sentence is still the language of common speech — or the language of the daily newspaper.

    So, aside from specialized vocabularies, English has no divisions representing increasing levels of language complexity.

    The exception to the above paragraph would be found in technical documents such as legal briefs, real estate transactions, and the like.  However, this style of English is far removed from the language used in normal conversation.

    For any one target language group, there is only one kind of English that needs to be learned.  A student will not need two — or more — different course levels.  This is not to say that English is a simple language to learn.  Far from it.  Strange grammatical constructions, abstract concepts, idioms, and literary language can prove to be difficult for anyone.  However, the same complexity is found in all spoken English, not merely in some higher level.

    Why have traditional language programs insisted that there must be beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English study?  It is not because there are a beginning and advanced levels of spoken English.  It is because there are beginning, intermediate, and advanced explanations of English grammar.  This means that some rules of English grammar are easy to explain.  Some rules of grammar are more difficult to explain.  And some are complex enough to require a highly technical explanation.  But spoken English is one subject of study, whereas the formal rules of English grammar are quite another.

    A second perspective:

    Let’s ask our question again.  “Do international English students need both beginning and advanced English lessons in order to learn the language?”  No, they don’t.  There is only one level of spoken English.  Beginning students must start by speaking normal English sentences.  Advanced students must continue until they are able to fluently pronounce the words in those same normal English sentences.

    There will be a great difference in the levels of fluency between a beginning and advanced students, and as such, it may be entirely appropriate to group students accordingly.  But there is no difference in the level of English sentences they must study.  They must both use the same English sentences to initiate — and then to master — the process that will develop the necessary cognitive, motor, and auditory skills used to speak English fluently.

    Let’s clarify a potential area of confusion.  English grammar lists simple sentences (sentences with one main clause), compound sentences (sentences with two or more main clauses), complex sentences (sentences with one main clause and at least one subordinate clause), and compound-complex sentences (sentences made up of two or more main clauses and at least one subordinate clause).  An example of a compound-complex sentence would be, “The Saturday afternoon program was like a two-ring circus. While one part of the TV screen carried the professional football game, the other part showed scores from collegiate games.” 

    Of course, this is not a sentence we would expect beginning English students to use.  However, the language itself is not what makes the sentence complex.  It is grammatically defined as a complex sentence simply because of its grammatical construction.  With very little change, the sentence could become three simple sentences: “The Saturday afternoon program was like a two-ring circus.  One part of the TV screen showed the professional football game.  The other part of the TV screen showed scores from collegiate games.”  Aside from vocabulary, any one of these three sentences is a beginning level sentence.

    Thus, when we say that there is no difference in the level of English sentences a beginning and advanced student must study, we are not talking about a grammar definition.  We are saying that there is not one language that would used by commoners and another that would used by an upper class.  Even though the example sentence about the TV’s split screen is not a sentence that we would want to include in the first lesson, it does not represent multiple, specialized language divisions.

    Finally, however, if beginning students stumble across something equivalent to an English compound-complex sentence in a newspaper. They could skip it for the present time and focus on the sentences they are able to use.

    Appendix A: Introductory Lesson was included to illustrate the first lesson a non-English speaking student will encounter in the Spoken English Learned Quickly course.

    As you look at Appendix A, you will see that even though only simple sentences cast in the present tense used, they are, nonetheless, complete sentences.  The first lesson in this course requires that non-English speaking students start their language learning experience with complete sentences used in everyday speech.

    Making this model fit your own language study:

    Up to this point, the attempt has only been made to show that so-called beginning and advanced sentences are unnecessary in an English language program.  You will likely discover very little in your target language that would require two levels of language study any more than would required in English.

    You will need to learn normal greetings and salutations when you begin your target language study. Also, You will want to learn how to ask basic directions, how to find a store or office, what bus to take, or how to make the change.  Yet, all of the vocabulary and phrases you will use are a part of the everyday language used by everyone, not just beginners.

    Therefore, you should understand that the spoken language you want to learn not divided into levels.  Throughout the entire time, you will be learning your target language, you will essentially be adding vocabulary and new syntax to a single level of language complexity.

    If you understand this concept, it will help you immensely.  Your task is not to learn a beginning language, progress to an intermediate language, and finally, pass an exam on the advanced language before you can finally begin talking to real people.  Your task is to immediately begin speaking your target language even though you may use short, simple sentences and limited vocabulary.  Language learning is a continuum.  Everything you learn to say correctly in your first week of language study should be just as useful in normal conversation as the things you will learn later as you become more fluent.

    There may be exceptions:

    Your target language may use specialized language for folklore, proverbs, weddings, funerals, and when addressing individuals from a higher class of society.  If that is the case, you will need to learn those forms at some point if you aspire to that level of fluency.  Nonetheless, most of those specialized forms (excepting possibly those used when addressing someone from a higher class of society) will used very infrequently in daily conversation.

     Designing the early lessons:

    A language course using the Feedback Training Method would normally begin with at least one introductory lesson for students who are just beginning their study of a new language.  The first lesson would use simple sentences, a limited vocabulary, and restricted verb tenses.  The first Spoken English Learned Quickly lesson uses complete sentences that limited to the present tense.  However, beginning with Lesson, all lessons use verbs in past, present, and future tenses, and newspaper-quality sentences.

    Nonetheless, even though this course uses normal — though simple — everyday English sentences in the early lessons, there is another way in which the audio portion of the course accommodates the student who has no previous knowledge of English.  This demonstrated more easily than explained.  This example comes from the text exercise in Appendix B.  The narrator records the phrase outside of the ellipses (….).  The student then repeats this phrase during the pause.

    Audio recordings for the first few lessons would structured like this:

    A long time ago, (A long time ago,) there was a wise man (there was a wise man) living in a mountain country.  (living in a mountain country.)  A long time ago, there was a wise man living in a mountain country.  (A long time ago, there was a wise man living in a mountain country.)  The country was beautiful.  (The country was beautiful.)  But it was always difficult (But it was always difficult) to find enough food.  (to find enough food.)  But it was always difficult to find enough food.  (But it was always difficult to find enough food.)

    Audio recordings for later lessons would use longer phrases like this:

    A long time ago, there was a wise man living in a mountain country.  (A long time ago, there was a wise man living in a mountain country.)  The country was beautiful.  (The country was beautiful.)  But it was always difficult to find enough food.  (But it was always difficult to find enough food.)

    The variation, therefore, is not in the complexity of the sentence itself, but in the length of the segments used to build the sentence.  Thus, a beginning student with no prior knowledge of the target language and a student who has gained considerably greater fluency may use the same kinds of sentences.  The structure of the audio exercises will take into account these varying levels of fluency, though in later lessons the student will forced to manipulate the language to a far greater degree.  Though the beginning student will spend more time learning the proper pronunciation of each sentence, and the more advanced student will spend more time substituting tenses and component parts of the exercise sentences, the end result is that both the beginning and advanced student will be speaking the same language that used in normal conversation.

    But it’s too difficult to start with normal speech:

    Not really.  Once you understand the greetings and salutations, you are ready to begin practicing with normal sentences.  Say, for instance, that you are reading a newspaper article as you study.  Aside from the sentences that contain specialized vocabulary, most sentences will use common verbs and syntax construction.  This is the language you want to speak.  Use it from the very start of your language study.

    This will explained more fully in Studying the Verb and Making the Feedback Training Method Work.

    Therefore, you can assured that the spoken language you want to learn is everyday language.  It will reduce stress if you realize that, in the very first week of language study, you are learning normal speech.  By and large, the language will never become any more difficult than it is when you first begin because you will be studying normal spoken language throughout your formal study.

  • Grammar and Writing in Spoken Language Study

    Grammar and Writing in Spoken Language Study

    Discover the impact of grammar and writing on language development. Explore the role of proper sentence structure and pronunciation in effective communication.

    Grammar and Writing in Spoken Language Study:

    Personal experience about Grammar and Writing:

    I had the great advantage of growing up in a home in which grammatically correct English was spoken.  As I progressed through grade school and on into high school, my language ability matured as a result of my home and school environments.

    In retrospect, I believe that this is what happened. For the most part, I used proper sentence structure and pronunciation because that is what I heard in my home.  However, when I went to school, I needed to learn grammar in school in order to reinforce my knowledge of my own language.  I — like probably most of my classmates — did not learn to speak by studying grammar.  Rather, I was able to learn how to do grammar exercises because I already knew how to speak.

    Certainly, I learned many important things about my language through grammar study. But it was of importance to me only because I had already achieved basic English fluency.  I did not learn to speak English as a result of English grammar lessons.

    In contrast, I also took two years of Spanish in high school.  We started with basic grammar.  We wrote exercises almost every day.  But we almost never heard spoken Spanish and had even less opportunity to try to speak it ourselves.  (Language instruction in the United States has changed considerably since I was in high school.) After high school graduation, I could neither speak Spanish nor did I understand Spanish grammar.

    In my mid-twenties, I spent a year in Paris studying French.  I had the great fortune of enrolling in a French language school that emphasized spoken French to the complete exclusion of written exercises.  Not only did I learn French grammar — meaning that I learned to use sentences that communicated what I intended to say to a French listener — but, interestingly enough, because verb construction is similar in both French and Spanish, I also began to understand the Spanish grammar which had made no sense to me in high school.  Because I could read and write in English, I had no difficulty reading French.  It was a simple transfer of knowledge from reading in English to reading in French.

    Later, I studied another language in Africa.  Because school-based language courses were almost non-existent in that country, all of my language training was done by way of recorded language drills that I adapted from local radio broadcasts.  I also had a university student as my language helper.  Yet I learned how to structure a sentence in that language — which is applied grammar — and how to write much more quickly than had I been studying grammar and writing independently of the spoken language.

    Traditional language instruction:

    Traditional language instruction has reversed the process with poor results.  Most second language classes teach grammar as a foundation for spoken language.

    The quickest way to teach students to read a new language is to teach them to speak it first.  The fastest way to teach them sufficient grammar to pass college entrance exams is to build a foundation by teaching them to speak the language fluently.  Then as they build on that foundation, they will understand the target language’s grammar.  Finally, it is almost impossible to teach non-speaking students how to write well before they have mastered the basic spoken language.  Whenever the process is reversed, it takes a needlessly long time to succeed in teaching grammar and writing skills, much less spoken language fluency.

    Do not misunderstand.  One cannot speak any language — fluently or otherwise — without using the grammar of that language.  That is true because grammar consists of the rules used in that language to string words together as units to convey meaning.  (In English we call these units sentences or paragraphs.) In English, we can use a given number of words to make a statement or ask a question by the way in which we order the words and use inflection.  Simply stated, placing the words in the correct order applied grammar.

    The issue is not whether or not students learning a new language need to know grammar.  Language is unintelligible without it.  The question is, “How is grammar best taught?”

    The best time to study grammar:

    That effective spoken language instruction simultaneously trains all of the cognitive and sensory centers of speech.  To again resort to an English example, when is the best time to introduce the grammar rule that the sentence. “That is a book,” is an English statement, and “Is that a book?” is an English question? The best time is when students simultaneously learn to speak these two sentences. Inverting word order to change a statement to a question.  That would take place while they are learning many other similar sentences. So that they develop a cognitive sense reinforced by motor skill and auditory feedback that the order and inflection of the one sentence is a question, while the other is a statement.  The sound of the sentence is as much an indicator of its meaning as its written form.  Right? Right!

    There is also a relationship between good pronunciation and good spelling.  I am a poor speller.  I understand that I misspell many words because I mispronounce them.  At some point, everyone who expects to write a target language well must learn its spelling.  Yet, it will probably be faster for a student to learn good spelling after learning good speech habits. Than it will be for the same student to learn good spelling without being able to speak.  In practice, in a spoken language course, students should learn the spelling of new words as they added to the vocabulary of each new lesson.

    This is not to say that grammar and spelling are unnecessary for the new language learner.  Rather, what is being said is that grammar can be taught more effectively — and in less time — by using audio language drills.  Teaching grammar by means of spoken Learning to Speak a Second Language

    language has the great advantage of reinforcing the cognitive learning of grammar. While using two additional functions found in normal speech — motor skill feedback and auditory feedback.  Teaching grammar as a written exercise does develop cognitive learning, but it reinforces it with visual feedback.

    Though visual feedback through reading and writing has some merit, it is outside the context of spoken language.  Reinforcement through visual feedback outside of the spoken language context is far less effective. Than motor skill feedback and auditory feedback that are both inside the spoken language context.  The trade-off in gaining visual feedback at the loss of motor skill and auditory feedback is costly and retards progress.  Far more gained when the student identifies correct grammar, by the way, a sentence sounds, rather than by the way it looks. 

    Though it would not typically explained this way, it is also important on a subconscious level that the student learns how to correct grammar feels.  As a function of the proprioceptive sense, a statement produces a certain sequence of sensory feedback from the mouth, tongue, and air passages that feel different than a question.  A speech pathologist working with children’s speech problems will pay a great deal of attention to this part of speech during retraining.

    It would take considerably longer to teach a language student. How to manipulate the grammar of the new language and then speak that language correctly. Than it would teach the same student to first speak the language correctly and then introduce rules of grammar.  This gain would greatly augmented, however, if the rules of grammar were incorporated into the spoken language lessons themselves.

    A year spent exclusively in spoken language study will produce a marked degree of fluency.  With that language fluency, the student will gain a functional understanding of the grammar of the target language.  The same amount of time spent in grammar study will produce limited fluency and little practical understanding of that language’s grammar.

    Grammar study in your own language program:

    How you approach grammar study in your target language will depend on the language program you are using.

    If you enrolled in an established school program with written grammar assignments. You will obviously need to complete them just like every other student in the class.  However, as you will see in Making the Feedback Training Method Work, on your own time. You can then use the completed (and corrected) written exercises as spoken language drills.  If you focus more on using your grammar exercises as spoken language drills rather than simply as written assignments. You will find that your ability in your target language’s grammar will increase much more rapidly.  Of course, this will add time to your study schedule, but it will undoubtedly result in considerably higher exam scores.  You will also see an important caution regarding correct pronunciation when you are reading grammar assignments as spoken exercises.

    As also explained in Making the Feedback Training Method Work, if you design your own language course with a language helper. You can have much greater freedom in the way you study grammar.  In that case, you will try to incorporate your grammar lessons into your spoken drills.

    Nonetheless, there will be times when you will ask your language helper for clarifications regarding grammar.  For example, to again use an illustration from English, during the first week of lessons you would encounter the two articles “A” and “AN.” If your language helper explained that “A” used before a word beginning with a consonant, and “an” used before a word beginning with a vowel, it would certainly be a grammatical explanation.  With that knowledge, however, you could then ask your language helper to record an exercise with both “A” and “AN” sentences.  Your grammar study on “A” and “AN” would then done with a spoken exercise rather than a written assignment.

    International students struggling to learn English will often say that they want more grammar lessons.  But that is not what they are really asking for.  Many undoubtedly have a large vocabulary from studying written grammar for years.  They do not need more grammar rules to memorize — they need spoken language exercises that will teach them to organize the vocabulary they already know into fluent, spoken English sentences.

    Irrespective of the kind of language learning program you are in, the primary emphasis of this closing section is to encourage. You to study grammar by using spoken exercises rather than written assignments.

  • Focusing on the Target Language

    Focusing on the Target Language

    Learn about the importance of focusing on the target language for language fluency and success in both academic and professional settings.

    Focusing on the Target Language:

    It would be impossible to say that any spoken language has a neatly defined vocabulary and syntax, or that it can fully taught through a single language training program. According to Maria’s Choice; So Let’s illustrate that with the following example:

    Maria, a Bolivian national, wants to complete her undergraduate studies at a university in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Then she plans to enter the civil engineering program at the University of Texas because she wants to work in flood control in Bolivia.  In order to succeed, she will need to achieve fluency in the following six English forms:

    • Legal and technical English. Maria will need to be able to read and write legal and technical English in order to submit her university application, immigration forms, and financial paperwork.  In addition, she will also need to use this English form as spoken language when such things as textbook glossary terms and engineering legal matters are discussed in classes.  This English form will use specialized — and often unfamiliar — vocabulary.
    • Grammatically complete written English. Almost all of Maria’s textbooks will use this English form in which complete sentences containing a full complement of all necessary parts of speech are used.  Coincidentally, vocabulary will often consist of precise terms used in a specific field such as engineering, law, finance, etc.  Most of her need for this English form will be in reading, though it will occasionally be used in speech.
    • Grammatically complete spoken English. Many of her instructors will often use grammatically complete spoken English during their class or lab presentations.  Local newspapers will also use this English form in written format even though it will be on the reading level of the general populace.  The newspaper will use a simpler vocabulary and less complex sentence structure than more technical publications might. For our purposes, the term grammatically complete English means that sentences contain all necessary parts of speech. While conversational English means that sentences sometimes employ understood (but unspoken) parts of speech.
    • Conversational spoken English. Maria will need to master the English used by the ordinary people on the street in her American university city.  She will also need to communicate with fellow students using conversational English common to her own age group.  In English — and probably most languages — conversational spoken language often abbreviates sentences and alters vocabulary.  When properly used, conversational English is grammatically correct English, but it is not always grammatically complete
    • Slang, ethnic, and vulgar English. Maria will most likely watch American movies and television and will be involved in social contexts where unique vocabulary and sentence structure will be used.  Whether or not she chooses to incorporate these terms into her own speech. She will need to learn the vocabulary in order to avoid the risk of using socially inappropriate language.
    • Regional pronunciation and vocabulary. Though she will need to be familiar with standard American broadcasting English as it is used in national news casting, national media, and cinema productions, Maria will also need to be able to mimic the accent and vocabulary used at the University of Texas.

    Assuming that Maria is able to fulfill her goal of completing an advanced degree at the University of Texas. By the time she graduates she will most likely have learned to adequately communicate in the six English forms listed above.  But an important decision she will need to make while she is still a student in Santa Cruz is which of these six English forms she should begin studying first.

    Selecting a precise language for study:

    Before going further, a point of reference needs to be developed that will aid a student like Maria in selecting her language study program.  As already discussed, there are six English forms that she must choose between.  She needs to choose wisely at this point in order to avoid wasting time in her English study. 

    Students using the Spoken English Learned Quickly course have commented that they have studied English for a number of years without learning the technical English vocabulary they needed to enter their chosen field of study or employment.  Others have said that their poor pronunciation has been a hindrance to their employment opportunities.  These students spent years in “English” study, but it was not tailored to fit their future need.

    The question Maria or any other language student must ask is, “What language do the people with whom I will be communicating speak?” A simplistic answer like “Polish,” or “Chichewa,” or “English” is inadequate.

    Propose the following terminology:

    • The term target language in its customary sense will indicate the language that will be learned.
    • The term target language group — and a synonym needed for comparative purposes. General target language group — are loosely defined terms that simply identify those who speak a particular language. This group will typically be spread over a wide geographical area with members having dissimilar socioeconomic status.  Nonetheless, speakers within this group will use syntax and pronunciation that is understood by all others in the same target group when the speaker is using non-regional or non-technical vocabulary.
    • The term general target language group will then be contrasted with a new term specific target language group. It is this second term that has the precise meaning we want.  A specific target language group will more likely be in a particular geographical location, and will. Because of the similar socio-economic status of its members, use vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation that is generally common to all in that group.

    Could classify all Americans who speak fluent English as being included in a single general target language group because, in spite of regional differences in dialect and vocabulary, they can readily communicate with each other.  It is the specific target language group that is important to Maria because she will need to learn an English form that will allow her to communicate with instructors and Texas-raised students in the Engineering Department at the University of Texas.

    Strongly encourage you to gain as much information as possible about the specific target language group with which you will be communicating.  Carefully plan your language learning program so that the pronunciation and vocabulary you learn will be useful to you.  This may save you a great deal of wasted effort.

    Maria’s choice:

    A first observation can now be made.  Maria will need to learn the same English which is spoken by her future classmates at the University of Texas Engineering Department.  The majority of her American fellow students will be able to correctly use the six English forms above as they have been described.  Many writers in the field of English-as-a world-language make a distinction between forms of English which are grammatically complete, written, conversational, slang, and the like — often identifying them as separate kinds of English.  We will simply state, however, that the language we are defining as the target language for any language student is the one spoken in a single location by the specific group of people with whom the student will be communicating. 

    In Maria’s case, that will be the English that her future fellow students in Texas will use both inside and outside of the classroom. Whether talking to each other, listening to an instructor’s lecture, buying a hamburger at McDonald’s, taking an exam, watching a movie or television, or reading an assignment.  This will be the specific target language group she will want to communicate with.  On the other hand, there will be other groups of people living in her university city who will use English speech. Which Maria may not need to learn.

    What has been said so far actually simplifies Maria’s choice?  Even though she will eventually want to gain fluency in each of these six English forms, they are now defined for her.  For now, she must only decide on which of the above six English forms to focus as she begins her study.

    There is a surprisingly simple second suggestion we can make.  Because of her three years of grammar-based English classes in Bolivia, her ability to read and write English far exceeds her ability to speak it.  Therefore, she should try to find an English course which would include a strong foundation in grammatically complete spoken English (English form 3), but which would also include a mix of colloquial conversational spoken English (English form 4).  The accent used in this ideal language course for Maria would be Texan.

    However, it is highly unlikely that Maria would be able to find an English course that would fit her need this precisely.  The closest thing she might be able to find would be a course that would use grammatically complete spoken English with American national broadcast pronunciation.

    Because the Spoken English Learned Quickly language course www.FreeEnglishNow.com was developed for university students and young professionals, it uses grammatically complete spoken English along with some colloquial conversational spoken English.  Furthermore, the audio recordings provide the option of either American or British national broadcast accents.  We feel that this level of English syntax and vocabulary will best serve the needs of most of our students.  It will also allow them to acquire with the least amount of difficulty the other English forms of spoken English that are not included in the Spoken English Learned Quickly lessons.  We clearly understand, however, that there is no universal spoken English, so there can be no single English course that can be used to simultaneously teach all of the worldwide varieties of English.  We are certainly not saying that there is only one kind of English that is used worldwide.

    As you consider the target language you want to learn, you will need to evaluate the materials and courses that are available to you.  You will need to decide how you can best use them to reach your fluency goals.  You will need to focus on a language study program that will teach you to fluently speak the language that is spoken in a single location by the specific group of people with whom you wish to communicate.

    Where to start:

    Finally, you will need to begin your language study by using some kind of vocabulary and sentences.  We strongly suggest that you do not look for a beginning level of language but that as quickly as possible you begin by using simple sentences and vocabulary in the everyday language of your specific target language group.  You will want to begin your language study using the same sentences that you will want to perfect as you become fluent.

    This topic will be covered fully in Do You Need Both Beginning and Advanced Lessons?

  • The Proprioceptive Sense in Language Learning

    The Proprioceptive Sense in Language Learning

    Understanding the proprioceptive sense in language learning: explore the neurological responses involved in speech production for effective language instruction programs.

    The Proprioceptive Sense in Language Learning:

    In order to teach adult students to speak a second language fluently, it is necessary to understand how the human mind produces speech before it is possible to design an effective language instruction program for them.

    However, before looking at speech, drawing an analogy from machine control will be helpful because the analogy closely parallels neurological responses in spoken language.

    Open-loop machine control:

    Wikipedia describes an open-loop control system as follows:

    An open-loop controller also called a non-feedback controller is a type of controller that computes its input into a system using only the current state. of the system.  A characteristic of the open-loop controller is that it does not use feedback to determine if its input has achieved the desired goal.  This means that the system does not observe the output of the processes that it is controlling.  Consequently, a true open-loop system.  cannot correct any errors that it could make.

    For example, a sprinkler system, programmed to turn on at set times could be an example of an open-loop system if it does not measure soil moisture as a form of feedback.  Even if rain is pouring down on the lawn, the sprinkler system would activate on schedule, wasting water.

    The control could be a simple switch, or it could be a combination of a switch and a timer.  Yet, all it can do is turn the machine on.  It cannot respond to anything the machine is doing.

    Closed-loop machine control:

    Wikipedia then describes closed-loop control as follows:

    To avoid the problems of the open loop controller, control theory introduces feedback.  A closed-loop controller uses feedback to control states or outputs of a dynamic system.  Its name comes from the information path in the system: process inputs (e.g.  voltage applied to a motor) have an effect on the process outputs

    (e.g. velocity. . . of the motor), which measured by sensors and processed by the controller; the result (the control signal) used as input to the process, closing the loop.

    Wikipedia’s definition of a closed-loop system subsequently becomes too technical to use here.  However, as Wikipedia suggests above, a sprinkler incorporating a soil moisture sensor would be a simple closed-loop system.  The sprinkler system would have both a timer and a control valve.  Either could operate independently, and either could shut the water off, but both would need to be open in order for the sprinkler to operate.

    If the soil is already moist, the sprinkler will remain off whether or not the timer is open.  When the moisture probe senses dry soil, the valve opened.  However, after the sprinkler is on if the soil becomes moist enough, the valve will close even if the timer is still open.  Thus, the sprinkler uses feedback from its own operation to control itself.

    Notice that also shows a calibration function.  Irrespective of whether it is a soil moisture sensor on a sprinkler — or a counter on a machine — there must be some way of setting the control so that it will respond in a predetermined way.  In a machine application, the calibration function could be a counter that is set so that the machine will shut down after producing a certain number of finished parts.

    Human speech is a closed-loop system:

    Human speech is a complex learned skill and is dependent on number of memory and neurological functions.  Speech is a closed-loop system because sensors within the system itself give feedback to the control portion of the system.  The control then corrects and coordinates ongoing speech.  In this case, the mind is in control of the closed-loop system, the mouth produces the desired product (speech), and auditory feedback from the ears and proprioceptive feedback from the mouth allow the mind to coordinate the speech process in real time.

    The inter-relationship of these functions shown in the table below.  The meaning of specialized words given below the table.

    The Organ or SensePrimary Function(s)Comments
    The mind provides;1.  Vocabulary memory

    2.  Partial syntax control

    3.  Feedback coordination

    4.  Calibration by the speaker to give meaning to the sounds

    		The mind is the storage bank for vocabulary.  Memory is also involved in structuring syntax.  In addition, the mind uses both auditory and proprioceptive feedback to monitor and calibrate speech in real time.
    The mouth and related organs provide;1.  Sound production

    2.  Breath regulation

    3.  Proprioceptive feedback to the mind in real time which regulates pronunciation and provides partial syntax control

    		The proprioceptive sense is involved in both pronunciation and syntax feedback.  It is essential for speech control.
    The hearing provides;1. Auditory feedback to the mind in real timeAuditory and proprioceptive feedback are combined in the mind for essential speech control.

    Table 1: The three components of human speech and their primary functions. 

    Proprioceptive.

    The human speech would be impossible without the proprioceptive sense.  (Proprioceptive refers to the sense within the organism itself that detects or controls the movement and location of the muscles, tendons, and joints which used to create speech.)  Our mouth, vocal cords, diaphragm, and lungs incorporate thousands of nerve sensors that the brain uses to control their movement and determine their position.  Imagine the complexity of pronouncing even a single word with the need to coordinate the tongue, breath control, and jaw muscles.  Now multiply this complexity as sentences are constructed in rapid succession during normal speech.

    Real time. 

    Unlike an open-loop control system, a closed-loop control system monitors feedback and corrects the process as the machine is running.  The reciprocal path between the control, the feedback sensors, and the process itself is instantaneous.  That is, information not stored for later use.  Rather, it used instantaneously as the sensors detect it.  In this chapter, the term simultaneous used to indicate real-time feedback during language instruction.

    Calibration. 

    In human speech, the mind must constantly monitor the feedback information from both the speaker’s own hearing and the proprioceptive senses so that the mind can control muscles to create the desired sounds.  Thus, the speaker is constantly calibrating the feedback to control speech.  To change a tense, the speaker may change “run” to “ran,” or change the person from “he” to “she,” and so on.  These word changes achieved by precise control of the muscles used to produce speech.

    Thus, human speech is represented as the interplay between the mind, the mouth, and its related organs (represented in the figure by the tongue), two feedbacks systems, and conscious calibration as the speaker constructs each sentence. In addition, calibration continuously takes place within the control center — the mind.

    However, it acts on feedback from hearing and the proprioceptive senses. So calibration shown as acting on the source of the feedback.

    When children learn their mother tongue (First Acquired Language or L1). Their natural ability to hear and mimic adult speech builds complex proprioceptive response patterns.  A French-speaking child effortlessly learns to make nasal sounds.  An English speaking child learns to put his tongue between his teeth and make the “TH” sound.  A Chinese-speaking child learns to mimic the important tones which change the meaning of words.  Each of these unique sounds requires learned muscle control within the mouth.

    No apology needed for the intricacy of this explanation.  The neurological feedback and resulting control of the muscles involved in speech is extremely complex.  The mind plays a far more important role than simply remembering vocabulary and organizing words into meaningful sentences.

    When a new language being learned, all of its unique sounds and syntaxes must be studied.  This is not merely a memory function.  Each of these new sounds and syntax patterns requires retraining of the entire mind, proprioceptive feedback, and the auditory feedback chain involved in speech.

    The Even syntax is dependent on the proprioceptive sense.  The statement, “This is a book,” feels different to the nerve receptors in the mouth than the question, “Is this a book?” We can certainly understand that memory is involved in using correct grammar.  Just as important, however, is the observation that proprioceptive feedback demands that a question must evoke a different sequence of feedback than does a statement.  This is why partial syntax control has been identified in Table 1 as being a shared function of both the mind (memory) and the mouth (as a proprioceptive sense).

    If you doubt that the proprioceptive sense is an important part of speech, try this experiment.  Read a sentence or two of this article entirely in your mind without moving your lips.  You may even speed read it.  Now read the same sentences silently by moving your lips but making no sound.  Your mind responds to the first as simple information that is primarily a memory function. 

    However, your mind will respond to the latter as speech because of the proprioceptive feedback from your mouth.  The latter is not just cognitive — your mind will respond to it as speech that transcends mere mental activity.   Did you also notice a difference in your mental intensity between the two readings? The first would be the mental activity required of a student doing a written grammar-based assignment.  The second would be the mental activity required of a student studying a language using spoken exercises.  The effectiveness of language learning is in direct proportion to the student’s mental involvement.

    The best way to teach a second language:

    Two skill areas must emphasized while teaching an adult a new language.  The first is memory (which Involved in both vocabulary and syntax) and the second is the proprioceptive responses.

    Simple vocabulary-related memory skills may probably learned with equal effectiveness by using either verbal or visual training methods.  That is, they may learned either by a spoken drill or a written exercise.

    However, it is impossible to train the important proprioceptive sense without involving students’ hearing and voices at full speaking volume.  Thus, in my opinion, it is a waste of the students’ time to introduce written assignments for the purpose of teaching a spoken language.

    Surprisingly, it will take far less time for students to learn both fluent speech and excellent grammar by perfecting only spoken language first. Than it will to incorporate written grammar instruction into the lessons before a moderate level of fluency attained.  This does not mean, however, that grammar is not a necessary part of spoken language instruction.  It is impossible to speak a language without using its grammar correctly.  This statement simply means that the best way to learn a target language’s grammar is through spoken language exercises.  See Grammar and Writing in Spoken Language Study. 

    Inasmuch as spoken language involves multiple cognitive, muscle, and neurological components working cooperatively in real time. It is mandatory that effective spoken language methods train students to use all of these components of speech simultaneously.

    It is the important area of the proprioceptive sense that has been most overlooked in current grammar-based teaching methodology.  When any student over the age of 12 or so attempts to learn a new language, his or her proprioceptive response patterns must consciously retrained in order to reproduce all of the new sounds and syntaxes of that language.

    Further, to properly train the proprioceptive sense of the mouth, the combined feedback from the mouth and hearing must simultaneously processed in the   mind.  Simply said, the student must speak out loud for optimum language learning.

    Without the simultaneous involvement of all components of speech, it is impossible to effectively retrain the students’ proprioceptive senses to accommodate a new language.  Yet, this is exactly what grammar-based language instruction has traditionally done by introducing grammar, listening, writing, and reading as segregated activities.  It is not surprising that it takes students in a grammar-based program a long time to learn to speak their target language fluently.

    Grammar-based instruction has hindered language learning by segregating individual areas of study.  This segregation represented.  Grammar-based language training has not only isolated proprioceptive training areas so that it prevents simultaneous skill development, but it has replaced it instead with visual memory training through the use of written assignments.  Grammar-based language instruction teaches the target language as though spoken language was an open-loop system.  In so doing, gaining language fluency requires far more study time, pronunciation is often faulty, and grammar becomes more difficult to learn.

    Conclusion:

    Grammar-based language study traditionally teaches a spoken language as though speech is primarily a function of memory.  Consequently, grammar-based instruction has emphasized non-verbal (written) studies of grammar, writing, reading, and listening.  All of these activities may increase recall memory for written examinations, but they have little benefit in teaching a student to speak a new language.

    The only way an adult can effectively learn a new spoken language is by using spoken language as the method of instruction.  All lessons should be verbal, with the student speaking at full voice volume for the entire study period.

  • Learning Spoken Language for Rules

    Learning Spoken Language for Rules

    Discover the 4 essential rules for learning a spoken language effectively. From speaking exercises to cognitive learning, master the art of language acquisition.

    Learning Spoken Language for Rules

    Learning Spoken Language for Rules: Speak Loudly and Clearly. There are four simple rules to follow when learning a second language:

    To learn to speak the language correctly, you must speak it aloud:

    It is important that you speak loudly and clearly when you are learning your target language.  You must always use spoken exercises.  You are retraining your mind to respond to a new pattern of proprioceptive and auditory stimuli.  This can only be done when you are speaking aloud at full volume.

    One of the reasons that traditional language study methods require so much time to produce results is that silent study does nothing to train the proprioceptive sense.

    To learn to speak a language fluently, you must think in that language:

    The proprioceptive sense is not all you are retraining when you learn a new language.  There is cognitive learning which must also take place.  Traditional language teaching has emphasized cognitive learning to the exclusion of retraining the proprioceptive sense.  Nonetheless, cognitive learning is an important part of the language process.

    For speech to occur, the mind must be actively involved in syntax development.  The more actively the mind is involved, the more effective the learning process becomes. However, just as you will short-circuit proprioceptive training by silent study. So you will also limit cognitive learning if you simply read from a text rather than constructing the syntax yourself.  You must force your mind to think in the target language by using your recall memory when you are studying spoken exercises.

    This will discussed again in Selecting a Text because there will be times when reading from a text. Such as a newspaper is an effective language learning tool.  But when you are doing sentence responses using recorded exercises. You must force your mind to develop the syntax by doing the exercise without reading from a text; Learning Grammar.

    You are not thinking in your target language if you are reading a text.  Making your mind work to create the answer is an important part of learning to speak a new language.

    The more you speak the language aloud, the more quickly you will learn to speak fluently:

    Proprioceptive retraining is not instantaneous.  It will require many repetitions to build the new patterns in your mind.  As these new patterns develop, there will be a progression from a laborious, conscious effort, to speech which reproduced rapidly and unconsciously.

    When any of us speak our first language, we do so with no conscious awareness of tongue or mouth position and the air flow through the vocal cords.  In contrast, when we first attempt to make an unknown discrete sound — called a phoneme — in another language. It requires experimentation and conscious effort.  Some new sounds are relatively simple.  Others are more difficult.  A good nasal French “on” in bonjour will require some careful practice for the English-speaker, but it is within reach.  The six tones in Cantonese Chinese will be extremely difficult for the same English-speaker, and will undoubtedly require an immense amount of repetition in order to perfect their use. Do you learn How to Speak Fluently English in Week?

    To add to the complexity, each phoneme has other phonemes or stops adjacent to its which change its sound slightly.  (A stop is a break in the air flow.) The nasal “on” in “bonjour” is slightly different from the “on” in “mon frère.”  The objective is not to be able to write the letters representing the phoneme in the target language.  The goal is not even to be able to say it with reasonable accuracy. The objective for the English-speaker learning French is to be able to say, “Bonjour, mon frère,”. So perfectly that a Frenchman would think he had just been greeted by a compatriot.

    That degree of perfection will require thousands — if not tens of thousands — of repetitions.  Therefore — to be somewhat facetious — the more quickly you correctly repeat a particularly difficult phoneme ten thousand times, the more quickly you will be able to use it fluently.  That is what meant by the statement, “The more you speak the language aloud, the more quickly you will learn to speak fluently.”

    You must never make a mistake when you are speaking:

    When you are learning a language using this Feedback Training Method. You are strongly reinforcing the learning process each time you speak.  However, when you construct a sentence incorrectly, you have not only wasted the learning time used to construct your faulty sentence. But you must now invest even more time retraining your mind, mouth, and hearing so you can construct the sentence correctly.  The more you use a sentence structure incorrectly, the longer it will take for your mind, mouth, and be hearing to identify the correct syntax. Improve Your Spoken English How?

    Ideally, if you used only correct syntax and pronunciation, you could retrain your speech in considerably less time.  Consequently, you could learn to speak the target language more quickly.

    What is the 4 Essential Rules for Learning Spoken Language Effectively? Yet before you roll your eyes and declare this to be impossible, let’s look at a way in which it could actually done.  (Well, almost!)

    Traditional language study:

    Traditional language study attempts to engage students in free speech as quickly as possible.  Though the goal is commendable, in practice it has a serious drawback.  A beginning student does not have enough language experience to be able to construct sentences properly.  More to the point, the instruction program seldom has enough personnel to be able to work with individual students so as to help them correct their errors.  Consequently, beginning students regularly use incorrect sentences having improper syntax and verb construction.  The instructor often praises them for their valiant effort. Despite the reality that they are learning to use the language incorrectly.  The student will now need to spend even more time relearning the correct syntax.

    Controlled language study:

    The better alternative is to derive all initial spoken language study from audio recorded (or written) materials that contain perfect syntax, perfect use of the verb, and perfect pronunciation.  This sounds restrictive, but, in fact, it could done relatively easily.

    Say, for example, that during the first four weeks of instruction, beginning students worked only from recorded exercises.  They would repeat the recorded lesson material that was accurate in every respect.  As an alternative, they could read aloud from a written text.  The disadvantage of the text, however, would be that the mind would be considerably less active, and a pronunciation model would be absent.  For the entire instruction period, each student would work independently while repeating the exercise lessons. What Common Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners?.

    Needless to say, in four weeks’ time, the students would have spoken the new language correctly far more than had they been somewhat passively sitting in a traditional language class.  But more to the point, everything the students would have learned would have been correct.  Their syntax would have been correct.  Their use of verbs would have been correct.  And, as much as possible, their pronunciation would have been correct.

    To continue the example, say that it was now time for the students to begin venturing into free speech.  Yet mistakes must still avoided.  Consequently, all free speaking would be based upon the many sentences they would have already learned.  Questions would be asked that the students could answer in the exact words of the sentences they would have studied.  Subsequently, they would be given questions to answer that would use the same structure as the sentences they already knew. But now they would substitute other vocabularies that would be in the same lessons.  

    Making the application:

    The assumption in this book is that you are a college student or a young professional and that you highly motivated to learn your target language.

    The above illustration was not given to suggest that you should be treated like a high school freshman, forced to sit at a desk by yourself, repeating sentences in Japanese, Swahili, or Gujarati.  Nonetheless, you should be able to see what is being said.  As you read through this book, you will see the repeated suggestion that you take a high degree of control of your language learning, irrespective of whether you are in an established language school or developing your own language study program.  You will do much better if you seek out ways in which you can speak the language correctly from the very start.  Strike a careful balance between venturing out into the unknown and forcing yourself to follow a pattern of correct language use.  Do everything in your power to use the language correctly.

    In the early weeks of language study, this may require that you spend more time reading simple material aloud than in trying to engage in free speech.  Later, however, you will need to spend a great deal of time talking with others.

    Nonetheless, every time you encounter new syntax in your target language, use controlled language drills long enough that your mind becomes thoroughly familiar with it.  As you progress in the language, searching a newspaper article for examples of the new sentence format can reinforce correct syntax.  Mark the sentences, verify the vocabulary, and then read — and repeat from recall memory — the sentences aloud until they become a natural part of your speech.

  • Role of Communication in Developing Language Skills

    Role of Communication in Developing Language Skills

    The essay explains the Role of Communication; I suggest that you will acquire language best when you study in such a way that you 1) listen to large amounts of comprehensible input, 2) have opportunities to use the target language to communicate with others, and 3) support your learning with some grammatical learning (focused on making input comprehensible and developing awareness).

    Here is the essay to explain better Understand the Role of Communication.

    Listening to English will help everything. Listening will build your vocabulary, improve your grammar, and even help your speaking. In fact, there are some who believe that listening to comprehensible input alone is sufficient to develop complete oral proficiency, as mentioned before.

    However, though that may be possible, I do not think it is likely. On the contrary, I believe that using the target language (English) to communicate with another person greatly helps students acquire the English language. This belief is confirmed by the results of my survey.

    Question: In an average WEEK of study, how much time did you spend using English to communicate with a NATIVE SPEAKER OF ENGLISH (For  example; A foreign teacher or friend)1 hour or less More than 1 hour
    Successful Learners;39.39 %60.61 %
    Non-successful Learners;84.85 %12.12 %

    Results of the Survey:

    The results of the survey show that a student is more likely to be successful if they spends at least 1 hour or more each week using English to communicate with a native speaker of English.

    However, this information is not new for most Chinese EFL learners. They are aware that communicating with a native English speaker will benefit their English acquisition. The problem with most students is that they either 1) do not have opportunities to communicate with a native English speaker or 2) do not have the confidence to do so. I will address these issues later.

    Why is Communication Helpful?

    Many scholars believe that interaction, the act of communicating with another person, plays a significant part in second language learning. First, Michael Long believes comprehensible input is of great value but believes it is best received through interaction. This is because when a fluent speaker and a less fluent speaker interact, they enter into a negotiation of meaning.

    As they use the situational context, repetitions, and clarifications to maximize comprehension, the more likely the learner will receive input just beyond his present competency, the I + 1 input (Ellis 1997, 47; Mitchell 1998, 128-129). This process is also described in terms of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal.

    Development. The learner collaborates with the fluent speaker to scaffold (utilize discourse, context, or comprehension checks) to produce utterances he would not be able to produce on his own. Thus, learning (and input) takes place at the Zone of Proximal Development, the place in between what the learner could do independently and what he could not do even with help (Ellis 1997, p48).

    Very Helpful:

    While Long focuses on the value of the input gained through interaction, Merrill Swain (Ellis 1997) points out several benefits of learner output (speaking) in interaction.

    • First, with comprehensible input, meaning can often be attained without paying attention to the grammar of the input. She maintains output can help students notice a gap between what they say and what they hear; thereby raising their consciousness that some of their grammar is not correct.
    • Second, the output provides learners with an incentive to formulate and opportunities to test hypotheses. They can apply a rule to an utterance to see if it leads to successful communication or elicits negative feedback.
    • Finally, learners often reflect on their own output, discussing problems, and potential solutions.

    Many scholars agree that interaction, using the target language to communicate with another person, is beneficial for a variety of reasons.

    Who Will, I Speak with Communication?

    If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with a native speaker on a regular basis, please grasp it. But unfortunately, many students do not have this opportunity. Whom will they speak with?

    Aren’t there highly fluent non-native speakers for them to speak with? Such as a Chinese friend who studied abroad, a relative who lives in Australia, or a Japanese or Korean business person who speaks excellent English? Or more importantly, what about fellow Chinese students?

    What we get:

    Asked students how much time they spent each week using English to communicate with highly fluent non-native speakers or their classmates. 

    Question: In an average WEEK of study, how much time did you spend using English to communicate with a HIGHLY FLUENT SPEAKER OF ENGLISH

    though they is NOT a native speaker of English (For example; A Chinese English teacher with great spoken English)?


    		A 0 hoursB 1 hour or less C More than 1 an hour but less than 3 hours D More than 3 hours but less than 6 hours E More than 6 hours
    Successful Learners;42.42%18.18%30.30 %3.03 %3.03 %
    Non-successful Learners; 

    42.42%

    		 

    48.48%

    		 

    9.09 %

    		 

    0 %

    		 

    0 %

    Question: In an average WEEK of study, how much time did you spend using English to communicate with FELLOW STUDENTS who are learning English (For example; a classmate or an older student)?A 0 hoursB 1 hour or less C More than 1 an hour but less than 3 hours D More than 3 hours but less than 6 hours E More than 6 hours
    Successful Learners;24.24%42.42%21.21 %12.12 %0 %
    Non-successful Learners; 

    24.24%

    		 

    48.48%

    		 

    27.27 %

    		 

    0 %

    		 

    0 %

    It seems there are more opportunities to use English than just with native speakers. Yet Chinese students do not seem to be taking advantage of them. This is a shame because most students cannot afford to be silent while waiting for opportunities to communicate with a native speaker. There simply are not enough foreigners in China to give every student such chances. Students, instead, must do what they can.

    Finding Opportunities to Interact with Communication:

    Here are some ways to practice your English that does not require you to speak with a foreigner:

    Speak with Fellow English Language Learners:

    I do not know why so many students do not speak English with their classmates. Most foreign teachers have students practice with each other in class. So why would one not speak with a classmate because he would rather wait for a foreigner?

    For when he does get a foreign teacher, the teacher will instruct him to speak with his classmates. I understand students are afraid of listening to poor English and acquiring bad habits. But remember, if you are listening to comprehensible input diligently on cassettes or TV programs, you will still be hearing native speakers every day.

    In this case, the benefits surely outweigh the dangers. In China, I knew of a class of students that would often have an “English Day.” A day when they would only speak to each other in English. This type of activity can be fun and helpful.

    Speak with Non-Native Speakers Who Speak English Well:

    There are many Chinese, Japanese, and Korean teachers and business people who speak English well. Perhaps they can speak to you. Besides, if you get a job that requires you to conduct international business, you will not just be speaking with native English speakers. Many business deals all over the world are conducted in English, even though English may not be the mother tongue of any person at the meeting.

    Therefore, speaking English with non-native speakers will not only help you acquire English but also will prepare you for international business communication; Also viewing “Common Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners”. It’s more strong your communication skill.

    Speak Over the Phone:

    Many Chinese friends I know have relatives living in English speaking countries that speak English very well. Perhaps you can speak to them in English over the phone. Speaking a foreign language over the phone is not easy, but can be very helpful. My sister speaks Spanish very well. I called her on the phone 2-3 times a week to practice my Spanish with her. I improved a lot from this.

    Read Out loud:

    This is not nearly as helpful as a true communication essay with another person. However, it can help you develop oral fluency and confidence.

    Strategies for Communication:

    • Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are normal.
    • Realize you will not always be understood. When you are not understood, you may use the following strategies: 1) repeat yourself, 2) use gestures (hand movements and body language), 3) say the same thing in a different way, 4) use examples, and 5) give definitions or synonyms for words.
    • Realize you will not always understand what another person is saying. When you do not understand, you may use the following strategies: 1) Make guesses about what is being said. 2) Check these guesses by asking questions. 3) Check your understanding by restating what you think the person means. (i.e. Do you mean…?) (Amato 1996).

    Saving Face:

    Perhaps you know you should speak English in one of the above ways, but you do not dare because you are afraid of “losing face.” This is a big problem. In fact, I asked students the following question about-face. The results are not surprising; How to Improve Your Spoken English with Communication.

    Question: Which of the following statements best describes you?A; I am not afraid of losing face. Speaking English with foreigners is no problem.  B; I am afraid of losing face, but I know I need to practice to get better. So I force myself to speak English with others.  C; I am afraid of losing face. So many times I avoid speaking English.  D; My spoken English is so poor I dare not speak out. 
    Successful Learners;48.48 %39.39 %12.12 %0 %
    Non-successful Learners; 

    15.15 %

    		 

    33.33 %

    		 

    36.36 %

    		 

    15.15 %

    If we combine the results, they give us a better understanding of what is happening.
    Question: Which of the following statements best describes you?A & B 

    [Students who speak without or in spite of the fear of losing face.]

    		C & D

    [Students who avoid speaking because they fear losing  face.]

    Successful Learners;87.88 %12.12 %
    Non-successful Learners;48.48 %51.52 %

    These results are disturbing. Apparently, 51.52 % of non-successful students are avoiding opportunities to communicate in English for fear of losing face. In contrast, only 12.12% of successful learners avoid speaking in English. The results strongly suggest that if you want to speak English well, you must overcome your fear of losing face and begin speaking English with others.

    Communication is helpful for your English “How to Speak Fluently English in Week”.

    I have always found this ironic. Students attempt to save face by hiding their poor English skills, while this prevents them from gaining face by improving these skills. Which is better? To save face by hiding your mistakes? Or to gain a lot of face by improving your English skills, even though you may lose a little face along the way? The answer is obvious. The honorable thing to do is overcome your fear!