Learning Spanish Part Seven : How To Begin
The Horse, as I wrote previously, is spoken fluency. I made the point that long before they go off to first grade, children already have a high degree of spoken fluency in their native tongue before they learn the parts of speech or memorize grammar rules. It is my contention, and the premise of this book, this is exactly what you need long before you enroll in a formal foreign language course. Long before you begin to learn the difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish, you need to be using them with the same degree of fluency that a Mexican first-grader does when he goes off to his first day of school.
Ok, calm that heart rate down. Don?t get all twisted in a knot over this. What I am suggesting is highly possible. If you have the time and the money?and yes, it is going to cost you?you can engage in the same process to learn Spanish that you did when you learned your native language.
Look at the cost factor to which I just alluded. What would you rather do? Would you rather spend a small fortune that could pay off the national debt of some small ?third world? country in books and tuition for classes which are not designed to teach you spoken fluency, or would you rather spend the money on something that will work? Having said that, let?s take a look at the Horse. Let?s also look at how children learn their native tongue as well as how they seem to learn a second language faster than adults.
That children seem to learn a foreign language faster than adults is not necessarily true.
I have gotten into many a verbal ?knock-down-drag-outs? over this very issue. Most Americans are convinced that children can learn a foreign language faster than adults can. Have you not heard the very same thing? This is the standard excuse of those I meet who express the dream of expatriating to Mexico but who are firmly and inextricably convinced because they are in their 60?s, they are UNABLE to learn a second language.
The wonderful truth is that what you?ve always heard about children being able to pick up a language faster than adults is SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE. It is not too late because you are an ?older learner.?
Most new studies show when an adult learner is involved in the right method of language instruction, he learns the foreign language faster than a child. If an adult is immersed in the correct method that teaches the second language in the same manner in which he learned his native tongue, he will learn the language faster. This assumes the absence of some sort of organic disease process in the adult.
The difference that has been noted between children and adults trying to acquire a second language is that those who learn the language before puberty generally will have no ?accent.? They do not sound like an English speaker when they speak Spanish.
The reasons for the noted accent factor between adult and child learners may be due to developing brain issues and to the individual learning experiences of the child versus the adult.
The research specifically shows, as an adult gets older, there is NO diminution in the ability to learn. Unless there is a disease process with the hearing or vision, or unless there is a mental impairment, there is no reason why an adult cannot learn a second language and become fluent. It is a myth that adults cannot learn a second language. That is not to say there are no adult-related difficulties in learning a second language. There are indeed some adult-related difficulties but they are not what you think.
The biggest difficulty in an adult, and I am talking even those as young as college-age adults, learning a second language is an emotional issue. Adults have bought into the popular myth that because they didn?t learn Spanish as children, it is too late for them to begin now.
I recall reading a study about language instruction at Harvard where students routinely put off their foreign language requirement until their senior year. Some got so freaked out that Harvard had to develop a therapy resource to help students get through their required language courses. Some universities developed a Bachelor?s of General Studies degree program just so students could avoid taking a foreign language. That is how frightened and paranoid Americans are of learning another language.
It is an emotional issue that prevents adults from trying and succeeding to learn Spanish.
Researchers Krashen, Long, and Scarcella showed that,
?Studies comparing the rate of second language acquisition in children and adults have shown that although children may have an advantage in achieving native-like fluency in the long run, adults actually learn languages more quickly than children in the early stages. (Krashen, Long, and Scarcella, 1979: The Older Language Learner by Mary Schleppegrell, Ph.D).?
The conclusion this study draws is adults can develop a working ability in the target language much faster than a child can.
NEXT: Some Really Bad Science!
Doug Bowerhttp://www.zyworld.com/theolog/Page1.htm
Related Articles:
Compulsive Eating Alternative: Learning to Eat With Pleasure
Do you allow pleasure from food? Are your senses throughly engaged as you eat? Do you fuel your aliveness with each meal or eat to deaden and numb out? Do you eat foods that taste good in your mouth and feel good in your physical body - both now and later?Imagine eating in a manner that is passionate and filled with the pleasure of being alive. What exactly would pleasurable eating look like? It would vary by individual, and perhaps even by meal.
Learning to Differentiate Between CZ Jewelry and Diamond Jewelry
The huge popularity of Cubic Zirconia or CZ in short is attributable to its ability to substitute itself as a desirable substitute for the more expensive diamond itself Most Gemologists agree that the visual characteristics of CZ match closely with that of diamond, and even trained personnel in gemology cannot differentiate them with naked eyes
Humor: A Catalyst To Change Challenges Into Learning Experiences
San Francisco Bay Area's Brian Copeland, multi-talented writer, actor and comedian, discusses overcoming life's obstacles by taking control at the Catholics@Work breakfast event to be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, November 13, 2007.
Learning How To Manage Stress In A Chaotic World
In today?s world where we struggle to balance work, family, and finances, stress can sometimes feel like the most prevalent thing in our life. Weighing heavily on our shoulders, stress captures us in its grip as we fall victim to the myriad of physical and emotional repercussions.
247Learn Introduces Online Learning at a Revolutionary Price
247Learn announced the introduction of several online course packages which offers individuals access for six months for only $60 each.
Some Tips To Learning Classical Guitar Music
Do you have an interest in classic guitar music? Maybe you have heard a master play and now want to learn the same skills yourself or maybe like many people you have an old guitar in the house that you have always wanted to learn to play.
Home Schooler Takes Home the Grand Prize in Learning By Grace's "I Have a Dream" Essay Contest
Home schooling student Jazmine Reyes wins Learning By Grace's "I Have a Dream" Essay Contest. This 14-year-old home schooler took home a Grand Prize trophy.
Learning to Effectively Sell Online
Even if you have been a sales representative for many years, do not take the mistaken notion that it will be easy to sell online. There is a different set of rules so speak for selling on line than selling for a store or other organization. For one thing, the competition on the Internet is greater, and thus if you expect to sell online successfully, you will need to adapt a different line of thinking than that of sales people who work on a personal level with their customers.
Using Toddler Toys as Learning Aids
Playing is the most important activity for a toddler It is through this that they develop an understanding of their capabilities and start to make sense of the world around them
Learning To Read: Effective Teaching Methods
Learning to read is one of the most important steps in your child's development, both socially and intellectually. Reading is the basis for education, and without that ability your child will find grasping new concepts a difficult task ? from elementary years through to higher education. It is therefore in your best interests, as a parent, to embark on a reading programme with your child as early as possible, to ensure charted intellectual growth and development, and to allow independent thinking and the basis of intelligence. In this article we will reflect on some of the most salient ways in which you can promote your child's reading abilities from an early age.