Can a new language be learnt in six weeks as some courses promise?Learning a language is not an easy task,1 though the reason why it is so difficult cannot be explained without an understanding of how human language isacquired, and unfortunately, no-one knows exactly how it is done. Linguists have many theories, but it is stilla mystery and one that may never be fully solved. Since hard and fast facts about first language acquisition arein short supply, it is not surprising to find that there are numerous competing theories on how best to learn a secondor third language. One thing is certain, though, it doesn't happen overnight. Or does it?
One theory that has been promoted for some years now is that of subliminal language learning - taking words intoyour mind while not consciously aware of them. Play a cassette tape of words and phrases you wish to learn whileyou are asleep or perhaps while driving a car. It doesn't matter if you listen to them or not, or even if the wordsare within your normal range of hearing. Your brain will 'hear' the words and store them deep within your mind,ready for easier extraction when you practice certain exercises containing those words and phrases.
The argument goes like this: when you learnt your own language you had been spoken to and were constantlyexposed to words in that language from the day you were born and possibly even before you were born.Yes,babies react to words spoken to them inside the mother's womb. This constant exposure ensured that the wordswere already planted in your mind before you actually learnt them. The subliminal method, then, is based onsimilar principles. Even having the TV or radio on all day in another language serves the same purpose. But bestresults come from playing tapes with specially selected words and phrases over and over again.
Recent surveys seem to indicate that early success in learning a foreign language requires at least two otherconditions to be met. First of all, the range of vocabulary you need to learn should be restricted. It has been knownfor decades now that most of what one needs to say everyday in the English language can be effectivelycommunicated with a vocabulary of just 760 words. Secondly, the practice you do needs to focus on manipulationsof those very same words.When starting to learn a language, reading the newspaper in that language is largelya waste of time - there are far too many new words to learn. Later, of course, reading all kinds of material inthe new language is essential.
Remember that learning a language is something you have already managed. All of us are constantly, if not alwaysconsciously, engaged in increasing the knowledge of our own language, and the language itself is changing slowlyevery day. Language learning is a part of everyone's daily life.The only real problem with most quick-fix languagelearning solutions is that they do not take into account one vital difference between the learning of one's firstlanguage and the learning of other languages. And that is, people who speak different languages actually thinkin very different ways. No wonder students are suspicious of six week courses that promise the earth! |