Comments on: How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:30:49 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Language Vox http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-74827 Language Vox Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:41:34 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-74827 Great tips. I would however suggest talking the ¨new language¨from day 1. Learning by doing is the way to go. One of the biggest problems with language learners is that they get stuck in the ¨reading about learning¨ and ¨learning grammar¨when what they want to do is to start understanding and speaking. I believe that one of the biggest impediments for that to happen is being afraid of making mistakes. Great tips. I would however suggest talking the ¨new language¨from day 1. Learning by doing is the way to go. One of the biggest problems with language learners is that they get stuck in the ¨reading about learning¨ and ¨learning grammar¨when what they want to do is to start understanding and speaking.

I believe that one of the biggest impediments for that to happen is being afraid of making mistakes.

]]> By: DUE http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-72303 DUE Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:23:17 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-72303 My new language now is English, I studied English at school, but it wasn't that good, so now I am trying to self-study it back. My level is intermediate. I know all language basics, but my problem is that I do not have people to talk in English with, I kept talking to myself, is this enough? My new language now is English, I studied English at school, but it wasn’t that good, so now I am trying to self-study it back.
My level is intermediate. I know all language basics, but my problem is that I do not have people to talk in English with, I kept talking to myself, is this enough?

]]> By: Language Bear http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-70571 Language Bear Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:31:02 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-70571 I've been teaching myself languages for years now and I find reading bilingual books to be a great way to learn. There are also lots of different types of flash cards out there. Make sure to try them all and find the ones that work for you. (Check my site for some that I've created) It's important to review vocab ALL the time since it can be hard to actually USE the language with others. I’ve been teaching myself languages for years now and I find reading bilingual books to be a great way to learn. There are also lots of different types of flash cards out there. Make sure to try them all and find the ones that work for you. (Check my site for some that I’ve created) It’s important to review vocab ALL the time since it can be hard to actually USE the language with others.

]]> By: Charla http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-70545 Charla Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:48:35 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-70545 I'll have to remember this site if someone I know wants to learn a foreign language. I’ll have to remember this site if someone I know wants to learn a foreign language.

]]> By: Maggi http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-70176 Maggi Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:22:57 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-70176 I spent 4 years at nightschool learning Greek, repeating the same level a couple of times because the college didn't offer anything else and I wanted the active input. I've also used audio tape/books such as Greek in 3 Months, the BBC Greek course, and Rosetta Stone CDs. Now I live in Greece so have the opportunity to speak and learn the language in situ. All methods have good and bad points. Interaction with others is important, but I'd agree with an earlier commenter who said this needs to be a native speaker if possible. My Greek teacher had lived in Crete for 10 years so was pretty good with pronunciation and idiosynchrasies of the language. Rosetta Stone lets you hear native speakers, and has a good range of options (audio only, reading only, a mix of the two, speaking and 'writing'). The latter two are weaker sections, especially the speaking where you're supposed to match pronunciation but sometimes have to speak a long phrase straight off to register on the recorder. Rosetta Stone fails to give enough dialog in the first person. It's biased towards 3rd person which isn't really helpful as I'm much more likely to want to talk about what I want than what he/she/it wants. Their choice of verbs raises some questions - I know how to talk about horse riding and jumping off tables and into swimming pools, but I'm not sure when I'll really need to! Another failing of RS is the lack of supporting materials, which means it's possible to get things right without really understanding what you're saying. I needed to consult a dictionary frequently and also used my other text books to make sure I understood the tenses as these were often unclear just from the CD materials (it's difficult for a picture to show different tenses accurately sometimes. Living in the country doesn't always make it a whole lot easier though. Greeks like to practice their English, and prefer this to letting me practice my Greek. And it's discouraging when my Greek is perfectly understood but I'm still answered in English. But my skills are slowly improving. The Greeks seem to have a natural habit of correcting grammar which I find helpful as it's done in a very subtle way. In fact I don't think they realize they're doing it, they're just saying the correct word out loud so they can be sure they've understood. I spent 4 years at nightschool learning Greek, repeating the same level a couple of times because the college didn’t offer anything else and I wanted the active input.
I’ve also used audio tape/books such as Greek in 3 Months, the BBC Greek course, and Rosetta Stone CDs.
Now I live in Greece so have the opportunity to speak and learn the language in situ.

All methods have good and bad points. Interaction with others is important, but I’d agree with an earlier commenter who said this needs to be a native speaker if possible. My Greek teacher had lived in Crete for 10 years so was pretty good with pronunciation and idiosynchrasies of the language.

Rosetta Stone lets you hear native speakers, and has a good range of options (audio only, reading only, a mix of the two, speaking and ‘writing’). The latter two are weaker sections, especially the speaking where you’re supposed to match pronunciation but sometimes have to speak a long phrase straight off to register on the recorder.

Rosetta Stone fails to give enough dialog in the first person. It’s biased towards 3rd person which isn’t really helpful as I’m much more likely to want to talk about what I want than what he/she/it wants. Their choice of verbs raises some questions – I know how to talk about horse riding and jumping off tables and into swimming pools, but I’m not sure when I’ll really need to!

Another failing of RS is the lack of supporting materials, which means it’s possible to get things right without really understanding what you’re saying. I needed to consult a dictionary frequently and also used my other text books to make sure I understood the tenses as these were often unclear just from the CD materials (it’s difficult for a picture to show different tenses accurately sometimes.

Living in the country doesn’t always make it a whole lot easier though. Greeks like to practice their English, and prefer this to letting me practice my Greek. And it’s discouraging when my Greek is perfectly understood but I’m still answered in English. But my skills are slowly improving.

The Greeks seem to have a natural habit of correcting grammar which I find helpful as it’s done in a very subtle way. In fact I don’t think they realize they’re doing it, they’re just saying the correct word out loud so they can be sure they’ve understood.

]]> By: How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language « Easyarabic’s Blog http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-69373 How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language « Easyarabic’s Blog Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:39:21 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-69373 [...] How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language For anyone who doesn’t understand why learning a foreign language is a good idea, read 5 Great Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language. Everyone else, let’s get started. Note: I don’t claim that following these instructions will make you fluent. Fluency requires time and immersion. What this post will help you do is become conversant. You will be able to have a simple conversation, ask for directions, order at a restaurant, make small talk, etc. You will also be able to read fairly well with the use of a dictionary. Following these steps will give you a great base in a new language. Course Materials The first step is acquiring the materials you will use to teach yourself. The first thing you need is an audio language course. This is essential for developing your basic vocabulary and, more importantly, your pronunciation. I can personally recommend the Pimsleur Language Programs (aff) because that is what I use and I’ve had a great experience with them. Pimsleur uses memorization techniques and question and answer prompts to keep you involved in the lesson and help you retain what you learn. The lessons are about 30 minutes long. A great place to do them is during your commute. This saves you time, makes the drive go faster, and is surprisingly fun. If you don’t want to go with Pimsleur there are plenty of alternatives, but from what I’ve read they are not as engaging. The next thing you’ll need is a basic grammar guide and a dictionary for the language you want to study. This will help you understand the basic mechanics of the language and the differences and similarities with English. You will use this continuously as a reference. You should also get some interesting books in the language. For me this is a huge motivator because reading something interesting is much more rewarding than reading a text book. The way to go in the beginning is dual language books (aff). These have the original language on the left side and a literal English translation on the right. This allows you to start reading great books without having to reach for a dictionary every other word. It is also great for learning idioms, expressions, and verb tenses. Getting Started Once you have your materials you are ready to learn. Start off by doing the first lesson of your audio language course. Continue doing a lesson a day. You can do these on your commute or while you exercise to save time. For a while I did lessons while walking up and down the stairs of my apartment building. (No, I don’t care if people think I’m weird.) In conjunction with this you should read your introductory grammar guide. This will give you a foundation in the language and help you learn the different parts of speech and their English equivalents. Don’t worry about memorizing every single rule. It simply isn’t possible. The idea is to get a general understanding first. This is the most boring part of the process, but don’t give up because it’s well worth it. Making Progress When you finish the grammar guide you will also have completed several days of audio lessons. At this point you will feel much better about your learning ability. You will know the important basic phrases and speak much more naturally. This method of learning is much more effective than traditional school teaching because you are actively engaged the entire time. The audio lessons force you to listen and speak more than I ever did in school. Now it’s time to start reading those dual language books. Digging into some interesting material will build your vocabulary. Whenever possible always read aloud. This helps your speech, memorization, and makes you start thinking in the new language. I’ve found reading and doing the audio lessons concurrently enhances both experiences. During the lessons, being able to visualize words makes them easier to understand. Likewise, while reading, the pronunciation experience improves your internal monologue. Don’t be in a rush. Read slowly and reread until you understand. Don’t hesitate to look up verb conjugations in your grammar guide. The same goes for the audio lessons. If you have trouble with a lesson, repeat it the next day. As the lessons get more complicated, I start doing them twice. The second time is actually more enjoyable. Hitting each phrase right on the money is a huge confidence booster. be consistent It is extremely important to study for a short time every day. Daily repetition makes the language second nature. It is much better to read for a short time every day than to put in several hours once or twice a week. When you get a spare minute, try finding new things to read online. You will be surprised how good your comprehension is. After a few months of consistent practice you will really start to see progress. Beautiful foreign phrases with be stuck in your head, your pronunciation will be damn near decent, and you will be able to read and understand whole paragraphs. Once you make it this far, you’ll have some serious momentum going. You will understand more than you ever did in school and you won’t want to stop. Taking off the Training Wheels Eventually you will complete all the audio lessons and a couple dual language books. You’ll be able to read well with a dictionary and carry on simple conversations. You are now ready to spread your wings and fly. Start reading the greatest books in your language and use a dictionary when you need to. Find someone who speaks your new language and talk to them. Go to online forums for your new language and make an email buddy. If you can, plan a trip to a country that speaks your language and experience the local culture. If you are curious about another language, then start learning that too! Regardless of how you use your new language skills, you will have become a more educated interesting person. More importantly, you will have proven to yourself that you are much smarter than you thought. http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/ [...] [...] How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language For anyone who doesn’t understand why learning a foreign language is a good idea, read 5 Great Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language. Everyone else, let’s get started. Note: I don’t claim that following these instructions will make you fluent. Fluency requires time and immersion. What this post will help you do is become conversant. You will be able to have a simple conversation, ask for directions, order at a restaurant, make small talk, etc. You will also be able to read fairly well with the use of a dictionary. Following these steps will give you a great base in a new language. Course Materials The first step is acquiring the materials you will use to teach yourself. The first thing you need is an audio language course. This is essential for developing your basic vocabulary and, more importantly, your pronunciation. I can personally recommend the Pimsleur Language Programs (aff) because that is what I use and I’ve had a great experience with them. Pimsleur uses memorization techniques and question and answer prompts to keep you involved in the lesson and help you retain what you learn. The lessons are about 30 minutes long. A great place to do them is during your commute. This saves you time, makes the drive go faster, and is surprisingly fun. If you don’t want to go with Pimsleur there are plenty of alternatives, but from what I’ve read they are not as engaging. The next thing you’ll need is a basic grammar guide and a dictionary for the language you want to study. This will help you understand the basic mechanics of the language and the differences and similarities with English. You will use this continuously as a reference. You should also get some interesting books in the language. For me this is a huge motivator because reading something interesting is much more rewarding than reading a text book. The way to go in the beginning is dual language books (aff). These have the original language on the left side and a literal English translation on the right. This allows you to start reading great books without having to reach for a dictionary every other word. It is also great for learning idioms, expressions, and verb tenses. Getting Started Once you have your materials you are ready to learn. Start off by doing the first lesson of your audio language course. Continue doing a lesson a day. You can do these on your commute or while you exercise to save time. For a while I did lessons while walking up and down the stairs of my apartment building. (No, I don’t care if people think I’m weird.) In conjunction with this you should read your introductory grammar guide. This will give you a foundation in the language and help you learn the different parts of speech and their English equivalents. Don’t worry about memorizing every single rule. It simply isn’t possible. The idea is to get a general understanding first. This is the most boring part of the process, but don’t give up because it’s well worth it. Making Progress When you finish the grammar guide you will also have completed several days of audio lessons. At this point you will feel much better about your learning ability. You will know the important basic phrases and speak much more naturally. This method of learning is much more effective than traditional school teaching because you are actively engaged the entire time. The audio lessons force you to listen and speak more than I ever did in school. Now it’s time to start reading those dual language books. Digging into some interesting material will build your vocabulary. Whenever possible always read aloud. This helps your speech, memorization, and makes you start thinking in the new language. I’ve found reading and doing the audio lessons concurrently enhances both experiences. During the lessons, being able to visualize words makes them easier to understand. Likewise, while reading, the pronunciation experience improves your internal monologue. Don’t be in a rush. Read slowly and reread until you understand. Don’t hesitate to look up verb conjugations in your grammar guide. The same goes for the audio lessons. If you have trouble with a lesson, repeat it the next day. As the lessons get more complicated, I start doing them twice. The second time is actually more enjoyable. Hitting each phrase right on the money is a huge confidence booster. be consistent It is extremely important to study for a short time every day. Daily repetition makes the language second nature. It is much better to read for a short time every day than to put in several hours once or twice a week. When you get a spare minute, try finding new things to read online. You will be surprised how good your comprehension is. After a few months of consistent practice you will really start to see progress. Beautiful foreign phrases with be stuck in your head, your pronunciation will be damn near decent, and you will be able to read and understand whole paragraphs. Once you make it this far, you’ll have some serious momentum going. You will understand more than you ever did in school and you won’t want to stop. Taking off the Training Wheels Eventually you will complete all the audio lessons and a couple dual language books. You’ll be able to read well with a dictionary and carry on simple conversations. You are now ready to spread your wings and fly. Start reading the greatest books in your language and use a dictionary when you need to. Find someone who speaks your new language and talk to them. Go to online forums for your new language and make an email buddy. If you can, plan a trip to a country that speaks your language and experience the local culture. If you are curious about another language, then start learning that too! Regardless of how you use your new language skills, you will have become a more educated interesting person. More importantly, you will have proven to yourself that you are much smarter than you thought. http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/ [...]

]]> By: Weekly Roundup: Blogs about China http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-69208 Weekly Roundup: Blogs about China Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:15:53 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-69208 [...] PicktheBrain.com - How to learn a foreign language. I think I’ve added this link before, but i think it’s a great one. When learning a foreign language most people, myself included, seem to focus on reading, doing writing exercises, or speaking or mimicking. But few focus on listening. When you think about how you learned your first language, listening to your parents for the first year (19 months actually), then you started speaking. So I believe this link has some great advice. Focus on listening everyday. This will help your hear get used to the language. And most important enjoy yourself while learning the foreign language. [...] [...] PicktheBrain.com – How to learn a foreign language. I think I’ve added this link before, but i think it’s a great one. When learning a foreign language most people, myself included, seem to focus on reading, doing writing exercises, or speaking or mimicking. But few focus on listening. When you think about how you learned your first language, listening to your parents for the first year (19 months actually), then you started speaking. So I believe this link has some great advice. Focus on listening everyday. This will help your hear get used to the language. And most important enjoy yourself while learning the foreign language. [...]

]]> By: anoumus... http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-68424 anoumus... Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:01:37 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-68424 im only 11 and i have already learned 35 Japanese on my own i bet because i started learning now i will be fluent in about a year or two im only 11 and i have already learned 35 Japanese on my own
i bet because i started learning now i will be fluent in about a year or two

]]> By: Adriaan Van Doorn http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-63495 Adriaan Van Doorn Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:23:07 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-63495 Learning a foreign language can be easy for some people but not for all. The best way to learn a foreign language is to tailor a custom program for the individual. Visit my website http://vandoornslanguagetechnique.com for details on how to custom your own language learning program based on the Proto-Indo-European Language Family Tree. Learning a foreign language can be easy for some people but not for all. The best way to learn a foreign language is to tailor a custom program for the individual. Visit my website

http://vandoornslanguagetechnique.com

for details on how to custom your own language learning program based on the Proto-Indo-European Language Family Tree.

]]> By: An English Teacher in China » Weekly Roundup: Blogs about China http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/comment-page-1/#comment-47283 An English Teacher in China » Weekly Roundup: Blogs about China Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:11:14 +0000 http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-teach-yourself-a-foreign-language/#comment-47283 [...] PicktheBrain.com - How to learn a foreign language.   I think I’ve added this link before, but i think it’s a great one.  When learning a foreign language most people, myself included, seem to focus on reading, doing writing exercises, or speaking or mimicking.  But few focus on listening.  When you think about how you learned your first language, listening to your parents for the first year (19 months actually), then you started speaking.  So I believe this link has some great advice.  Focus on listening everyday.  This will help your hear get used to the language.  And most important enjoy yourself while learning the foreign language. [...] [...] PicktheBrain.com – How to learn a foreign language.   I think I’ve added this link before, but i think it’s a great one.  When learning a foreign language most people, myself included, seem to focus on reading, doing writing exercises, or speaking or mimicking.  But few focus on listening.  When you think about how you learned your first language, listening to your parents for the first year (19 months actually), then you started speaking.  So I believe this link has some great advice.  Focus on listening everyday.  This will help your hear get used to the language.  And most important enjoy yourself while learning the foreign language. [...]

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