|
contributed by David Davis There are many reasons why it is beneficial and interesting to learn a new language. For example, many people who choose to emigrate for financial reasons would find it very difficult to make the most of their move if they cannot speak the language because they would not be able to get a job. Other people may simply have an interest in linguistics and the differences between languages, so they choose to learn foreign languages for this reason. There are also many social reasons for learning a language. For instance, if you have foreign friends or family or maybe even to communicate with someone in secret! However one of the most important reasons to learn a language is to broaden your mind and to make yourself more accustomed to other cultures. Here are some tips for learning a new language and different strategies that can be used: 1: It is very important that you try to study the language every day. In order to make yourself more accustomed to the language you need to expose yourself to it. However, try not to overload your brain. Try to take breaks every ten minutes or so and only study for an hour to an hour and a half a day. 2: Certain languages have different genders for different nouns so it is very important to learn the genders when you are learning the noun. For example in German: die Tür {the door} feminine der Tisch {the table} masculine das Hund {the dog} neutral If you do not learn the genders with the noun, it is more difficult to understand and apply the grammar of the language. 3: In order to build up your vocabulary a good idea would be to read a lot of books. Look up the words that you do not understand, write them down and maybe even the next day, take a few of these words and try to learn them. However, its important to have a good dictionary because many words can have a lot of different meanings. 4: A good tip is to have a phrase book or vocabulary book and any time you come across a word that you do not understand, you can write it into its proper section. Eg noun, verb adjective etc. This way, it makes the words a lot easier to learn and to look up. 5: You need to be very careful of 'false friends'. Some words may seem similar in your own language but they may have a totally different meaning in the language you are learning. For example: German: Rat (council) English: rat bald (soon) bald French: warning (advertisement) warning allure (speed) allure 6: Try not to translate word or sentences literally. A literal translation often does not convey the actual translation of the original text. Do not be afraid if your translation is not literal to the original text because every language expresses its meanings in different ways. 7: If you study the language in the country where it is spoken you will more than likely experience a rapid improvement not only in your vocabulary, grammar and speaking skills but also in your confidence because you will become immersed in the language. You will also get to experience the true culture of the country, the food that they eat and the way of life of the people. Many English speaking students choose to give grinds in the country of their target language because it not only helps them with learning the language by speaking to their tutees but it is also an excellent way to make friends. 8: Try to speak as much as possible- you can even practice by speaking to yourself! Pronunciation is very important so that people can understand you, so practice as much as you can. 9: Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you can get your main point across, that is the most important thing. If you are having a conversation with someone and you come across a word that you do not know how to say, try to explain it in a different form. For example, if you do not know how to say 'pen' you could say 'the object that you write with'. 10: The most important thing is to try to have fun and to make the most of learning a new language. By incorporating grammar into riddles and jokes it can make it a lot more interesting and fun when learning a language. About the Author: This article was written by Dave Davis for the Horner School of English which is the leading Dublin Language School in Ireland. Specializing in Business English and and personal learning attention. |
|
