The Linguist On Language

I real y only want the podcasts for content. I do not like to hear my own language, English , trying to explain things to me. However, many other learners like to hear their own language, and also like to study grammar. If that makes them enjoy their studies and study more, good.

Go for it! I disliked it when a language teacher would use English in a classroom environment.

What about video?

Art asked in an earlier comment why we do not use video more at LingQ. We may in the future, simply because it is popular with learners. However, in the past I have resisted using video for the fol owing reasons.

1) Video is less portable than audio and text.

Once you have downloaded an audio file to an iPod, or printed a text, you can easily carry it with you. To watch a video or movie is a ful time job, sitting in front of a screen.

As a result it is easier to find the time to listen and read.

2) Video is a less intense language environment (at least to me).

There is not the same density of language exposure as when listening to an audio file or reading a text, both of which consist only of words. In fact, the movements and visuals of the video distract me from focusing on the language.

3) It is easier to listen and read something more than once, whereas it is more difficult (at least for me) to watch the same movie over and over.

4) Video makes the viewer passive. No imagination is required.

So to me video, while it can be entertaining, is less intense a language learning environment. After listening to an audio book, I inevitably find the movie to be uninteresting and shallow, not as rich an experience as the audio book. With the audio book I find myself going back again and again to enjoy the language.

CHAPTER IV: GRAMMAR

How important is grammar instruction and testing if we want to become fluent? Traditional y it has been at the forefront. I prefer to see grammar instruction very much in the background.

Intransitive verbs etc.

I spoke with an English teacher. I asked him why, in English, we say "listen to" someone, but "hear" someone. He answered proudly that "listen" was an intransitive verb, but "hear" was transitive. But then I asked myself if this was real y a meaningful explanation or just an abstract restatement of the original question. In French, the word for listen, "ecouter," is not intransitive, why in English?

I asked myself if it is not just as easy to remember that "listen" takes "to" while "hear" does not, that "speak" takes "to" and "tel " does not. If I listen to English or read English often, I wil come across these words often. If I do not ask why, but just observe and absorb the language, I wil gradual y get used to how the words are used. Then it wil not matter to me if I know if these verbs are intransitive or transitive. I wil not need to learn this term. I wil know how to use the words.

Do we need to study grammar?

Many language learners have been conditioned to think that they need to study grammar in order to learn a language. This is wrong, wrong, wrong! When I go to learn a new language I avoid explanations of grammar and avoid al questions or exercises based on grammar. Instead I look to the language to teach me how it works.

I listen and read and observe the new language. I take it in small doses. At first it is only 30 seconds or one minute at a time. In time the doses can be longer. I repeatedly listen to these small doses and occasional y read them. Of course I need help in having the meaning explained. This help can come from a book, or a teacher. The teacher can be with me, face to face, or online. Mostly, however, it is just me and the new language.

The grammar learner is conditioned to think of rules and ask why? "Why is it said this way?

I thought the rule was something else." Half the time the learner has the rule wrong. Besides, if every time the learner wants say something he/she has to remember a rule, he/she will never speak fluently.

I speak nine languages quite well and do not remember ever asking "why do they say it this way? Why is this wrong?‖ I know that when I studied Chinese, learners around me who asked "why," did not learn the language well .

Structures in the new language that seemed strange and might occasion the "why?" question, usual y started to feel normal with enough exposure. It was pointless to try to understand "why" before I was ready, and once I was ready I did not need to ask "why" anymore.

Confusing "he” and "she"