The Linguist On Language

I often get resistance to the idea that language learning should not emphasize grammar instruction. This idea does not go down wel with many teachers and learners. "You have to learn grammar to stop making mistakes" is the refrain. However, just understanding the "why" of a grammar rule wil not ensure accurate language. Chinese speakers regularly say "he" when they mean "she" and vice versa. They understand the principle. They just cannot say the correct word when speaking. This is because spoken Chinese does not make this distinction.

You would think that this rule would be easy to learn, but it is not. It is not the understanding of the principle, but the development of the correct language instinct, that wil enable the speaker to be accurate and fluent. Only enough exposure and the gradual training of the brain wil make that possible. The emphasis needs to be on the word gradual.

Buy the smallest grammar book you can

Learners can have a grammar book for reference, although the smaller the better. I have looked up verb conjugations and noun declensions in languages like Spanish and German. It did not help me to speak. It did not help me to use the right declension or conjugation. I needed to learn phrases from real contexts, to notice phrases when reading and listening, and to repeat these phrases when speaking, in order to gradual y improve. And the improvement was uneven, with frequent lapses. But I was happy communicating, or reading, or listening, and happy in the knowledge that I was getting better just by listening, reading and using the language. My lapses and inaccuracies did not bother me.

Grammar is presented as a shortcut to learning the language. To me it is a distraction.

When I learned Chinese or Japanese or Korean there were al kinds of grammatical explanations that I just ignored. These explanations seemed contrived to resemble grammar explanations for European languages but did not help. I had to see the actual phrase patterns. Even in learning German, I could read the lists of declensions and conjugations many times, but it never sunk in.

If I read a lot and listened a lot, paying special attention to the words and how they come together in phrases; and if I got used to certain phrases, then I would slowly start to use them correctly more often.

Grammar learning may be an obstacle

There is a body of research that suggests that learning grammar is an impediment to fluency since it creates filters. The learner has to refer to a grammar filter before expressing himself or herself. This is difficult to do in a conversation. What is needed is to develop the right natural reflexes. Thus it takes time and a lot of exposure for Chinese people to stop say ing "he" for "she" even though they understand the "why".

The study of grammar and the frequent (and unavoidable) mistakes on tests can create negative feelings towards the language, which are referred to as "affective filters". This makes the learner nervous, uptight, and reluctant to leave the safety of the native language. But to learn wel you need to let yourself go, imitate and have fun. I have found a more holistic approach to be more successful in the long run. I do not believe that people who learn to be genuinely fluent in a second language do so in the classroom.

"You can only learn what you already know"

There is a Sufi proverb that says "You can only learn what you already know." I agree. Once you are familiar with a subject you can start to learn about it. Can you imagine teaching someone how to swim based on theory, if that person has never been in the water?

Russian is the most grammar-heavy language I have come across. The grammar explanations in al of the books and tapes I have bought just make my head spin. I took a simple story I wrote for our English learners at The Linguist. I had a friend translate it into Russian and asked some Russians to record it. I listened to it and read it more than 30 times in order to get some familiarity with Russian.

Once I know Russian, I will look at the grammar to see a summary of what I have already come to know.

An English teaching certificate holder

I am more and more convinced that much of language instruction, TESL certificates and the rest of the industry are one big scam. The only thing I do not know is whether it is intentional or unintentional. I suspect it is unintentional.

I met a gentleman today who is original y from China. He has lived in Canada for three years. He studied English in China. In my opinion his English level is upper intermediate. He recently spent $1,100 to take a one week course in TESL and got a certificate for teaching ESL.

He felt that he did not learn anything useful. I suspect he is correct.

English grammar and Russian grammar