Your
decision to learn English or other foreign languages is the most important step
in feeling the language, in learning what kind of ways are good to learn
languages, and in preparing your mind for learning. One of the most important things that one
must be able to do while learning a foreign language is to be able to read and
write. Even though you can't speak a foreign
language very well, you should be able to read very well. If you can read
fluently, it can influence your learning of the language. So, you must often read
any kinds of books which are on your level.
If you don't have any experience or interest to read a book, you can
read a book in your own language and then start to read. Acquiring the foreign language is very
different from just learning about it.
The best way to acquire the language is to listen and to speak with
people and communicate with people who speak fluently. If you want to learn or acquire the other
languages very quickly, you should leave your own language just temporarily and
then speak or use your new words every day.
Actually it's useful to listen three or four hours per day. Some people read every book that they can
find and try to memorize some useful words.
This practice is not more useful than listening and speaking using new
words, because if you don't use your new words you will forget them.
There
are five other ways to acquire foreign languages besides reading and
listening.
1. You must
be very patient. To learn another
language and to speak it will is not an easy thing. Every language has its own
difficulties. For instance, the Kazakh
and Mongolian languages are very similar, but they have some small
differences. Kazakh language has 42 letters
and Mongolian 35 letters. Also, Kazakh
pronunciation is a little harder than Mongolian. So you must not think that all languages are
the same and that it's easy to learn
them. When you just start to learn, it
could be very interesting, but as time goes on it becomes difficult. Also, you have to memorize many words, and
have to learn the different grammar points. That's why you must be patient. Don't
learn too fast, if you want your learning to stay.
2. As noted
earlier, speaking can help you to learn.
Learners should communicate with many people who are foreigners. A good way to become fluent is by living in a
country where the language is spoken. It
would be a chance to communicate with people.
If you can't go to live to those foreign countries, a good way to learn
is to communicate with your friend in this language every day.
3. Another way to learn another language is to
watch a movie, listen to a tape, and to read books, newspapers, and magazines
in this language, but the things must be on your level. First it will be difficult to understand the
movie by listening, but people can understand by watching the acts or events
and then can remember the words.
Teachers say, "If you want to learn, first you must feel
it." It means if people see the
picture or events, they can remember very well.
4. Don't be
embarrassed that you can't speak and don't be afraid of making a mistake. The biggest obstacle to learning is to be
embarrassed or afraid of making a mistake.
If you are usually afraid or embarrassed to talk with people, you can't
improve your speaking skill, because if you usually try to speak very correctly,
you'll think too long. My friend’s
experience is an example. She was a good
student, but she never talked with her friends in the languages that she was
learning because she was too embarrassed and afraid of making a mistake. So when she became a teacher, it was too
difficult to teach in front of the unknown students. Therefore, follow the examples of your good
teachers, and don't be like that. In fact, speak quickly, try to remember your
mistakes, and try to fix them because people can learn quickly by their
mistakes.
5. Don't try to translate from your own language
to the foreign language, while speaking, and try not to use a dictionary. The best way to be able to memorize new words
quickly and remember them again is to guess new words from the context. If you guess the meaning of the word, you
will remember it. Also, if you usually try to translate it in your mind while
speaking, it won't work to improve your speaking skill. Use your new words in your sentences, and try
to speak without thinking a lot about the translation. If you really don't
understand the meaning of the word, use a dictionary and memorize the word. Then
use it in a sentence. Real objects, feeling the words by matching them again
and again, and using the words in your
sentences are the most important ways to learn the foreign language.
If
you want to speak more than one foreign language, you must very carefully
consider things. “If you usually
research the ways to learn it quickly, you can find it slowly,” people say. If you try to use those ways, as time goes
on, you may be able to speak fluently and you will aspire to learn more foreign
languages, if you want. In order to
become fluent, you have to practice with all these ways and never quit. Good
Luck!
N.
Asel is a 2006 graduate of the Hovd
State University