Learning a Foreign Language

Today's post is written by Mr. Richie Iskra, a Foreign Language teacher at Thayer Academy Middle School in Braintree, MA. Thank you, Mr. Iskra, for these fantastic tips for language-learning!

First, I would invite you to consider the truly relative word, “foreign.”  You should realize that each and every language is foreign to somebody, and that those people to whom it is not foreign had to work hard to learn it too.  We all have come into the world in the typical way, and we all were born totally ignorant of language: id est for some time at the beginning of our lives we did not know any language at all.  We communicated when we cried and when we laughed, but for some time we were not speaking a language.  After a while of absorbing the world with our senses and hearing our caregivers speak, we eventually began to comprehend specific sounds and even to replicate specific sounds.  Thus, already we all have learned at least one “foreign” language, and so we all have the ability to learn another one.  Here are some straightforward tips for approaching the acquisition of a new language.

1. Constantly compare and contrast your first language with your new language, for this practice will help you gain a more profound understanding of the two of them.  Your first language can help you more easily grasp both the similarities it shares with your new language and the differences between them.  Think about a plane and a car: the two look, sound and move differently, but they share the common purpose of transportation.  Your first language and your new language can look, sound and work differently, but they share a common purpose, communication.

2. Constantly consider these four actions when you are studying language: listening, reading, speaking and writing.  You should dedicate time to all four.  Listening and reading require us to consume information and then to decide the meaning contained in the information, so these two actions are called interpretive.  Speaking and writing require us to decide what we mean and then to produce information, so these two actions are called presentational.  Spend the most time on the action with which you are least comfortable, but be sure to keep a good balance.  Here are some ways to practice multiple actions at the same time:

• When you are reading or writing, always read the words aloud.  By doing this, you will also practice your speaking and listening skills.

• When you are listening, write the words.  Doing this will enhance both your writing and reading skills.

• When you are speaking, record yourself.  This will allow you to listen to yourself and pick up on any changes you might need to make to your pronunciation.

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3. Finally, be sure to use your new language with another person, id est, interpersonally.  Languages came about for the purpose of communication, so the best way to practice a new language is to use it with friends and family!