Flapping lips and getting tips on foreign tongues<\/p>\n
Maria Kegel, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
I came across my old Thai phrase book on a back shelf last
\nweek, and an old feeling of guilt washed over me. Even though I
\nlived one year in Bangkok, I gave up learning the language.<\/p>\n
It all ended when I made a fatal faux pas on a city bus one
\nday.<\/p>\n
Addressing the female conductor, I thought I said \"excuse me\",
\nbut in my unrefined intonation it meant something entirely
\ndifferent: I announced that I had passed wind.<\/p>\n
Laughter rippled throughout the bus. Not only did I get off
\nbefore my stop, but I quit my Thai classes right after my
\nneighbor told me what I had said.<\/p>\n
Lincoln Taylor, the head teacher at Berlitz Language Center in
\nJakarta, said that the experience could have been turned into a
\npositive one instead of letting it make such a negative impact on
\nme.<\/p>\n
\"If you embrace and enjoy the fact that you have made somebody
\nhappy or smile, then you'll get a lot further (in learning the
\nlanguage), but if you are too self-conscious, basically you will
\nclam up and that's no good because you need to be speaking to be
\npracticing and improving.\"<\/p>\n
The best route to go in learning a new language, according to
\nLie Hua, a lecturer at the Department of English in the School of
\nLiterature at the National University (UNAS), is to join a
\ngood language school or course, buy books and cassettes on that
\nlanguage, listen to language learning programs on the radio and
\neither set up or join a conversation club that meets once a week.<\/p>\n
A student's best bet is to look into state universities as
\nsome have noncredit courses for teenagers, and may also offer
\ncourses on regional languages, such as Javanese and Sundanese,
\nLie said.<\/p>\n
\"Some embassies also offer language courses, such as the
\nItalian, French, Spanish, Japanese and Arabian embassies, and you
\ncan be assured that the quality will be good because they also
\nwant to promote their respective countries,\" Lie said.<\/p>\n
Taylor suggested that it was best to take part in a structured
\nverbal class with a native speaker, or someone else fluent in the
\nlanguage and to check out CD ROMS, \"because often you can have
\nlive chats and join discussion groups, and it's almost as good as
\nbeing in a room with other people\".<\/p>\n
\"Third best, costwise, is radio or one of these nonprofit
\ngovernmental organizations which promote culture abroad.\"<\/p>\n
Without a doubt, mistakes are going to be part and parcel of
\nlearning a new language, but the benefits far outweigh what may
\nseem like a long process of mastering a second language.<\/p>\n
Taylor said it broadens people's horizons and gives a balanced
\nview of the world, as well as preparing young people better for
\nthe new global economy and travel. On a personal level, he said,
\nit could be fun and give students access to a broader range of
\nculture, music and literature.<\/p>\n
However, it is most important that learners enjoy themselves,
\nTaylor pointed out.<\/p>\n
\"The biggest danger is going to the wrong place, laying out a
\nlarge sum of money, and basically wasting your time and money
\nbecause you are not getting quality education, and you end up
\nfrustrated, out of pocket, and for youths, a bad experience early
\non means they will never go back to it again or they will be
\nreluctant to, much like a mild trauma,\" Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Lie advised students to shop around first for the right course
\notherwise there could be disappointment if the lessons are not
\nwell-arranged or the teacher is not qualified.<\/p>\n
No one wants to sound like a robot when they try out their
\nnewly learned words, so Lie recommends listening to the spoken
\nlanguage as often as possible by picking up a language learning
\ncassette.<\/p>\n
\"You should try and imitate the words, especially the
\nintonation, and then practice what you have learned,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Taylor said it was important to spend some time in that
\nparticular country to lose that stiff sound to speech.<\/p>\n
But if that is difficult to do because of time or money, he
\nsuggested seeking social interaction with people from that
\ncountry or going to a cross-cultural foundation or nonprofit
\ninstitution set up by governments to promote their culture
\noverseas, such as the Goethe Institute and the Japan Foundation.<\/p>\n
\"Most capital cities will have any number of these,\" Taylor
\nsaid, \"and their language is often a big part of it, with highly
\ntrained teachers who are generally nice people and reasonably
\npriced courses because they are nonprofit.<\/p>\n
\"Ten minutes with a native speaker will give you a very good
\nindication of what is normal and what is not, what is funny and
\nwhat is not, just based on their reactions.\"<\/p>\n
Here are some other tips Taylor and Lie offered to aspiring
\nlanguage learners:<\/p>\n
* Review your lessons regularly. Five minutes a day is better
\nthan an hour once a week, Lie advised. \"Some people get the
\nwrong idea and set aside three hours a week for study, but I
\nthink it is better if you split it up into 15 minutes every day,\"
\nLie said.<\/p>\n
* Read aloud in front of a mirror. \"My junior high teacher
\ntold us to look at ourselves in the mirror, and then read
\nsomething so we could hear our own voice.\" Lie recommended this
\nmethod as a good exercise in pronunciation.<\/p>\n
* Practice simple words and expressions with friends. Lie said
\nlanguage knowledge gets activated with use and the more you use
\nit.<\/p>\n
* Overcome shyness by just jumping in and trying. \"The
\npresence of a native speaker in the classroom is important
\nbecause when you speak to one, they will always understand you,
\neven though they might be guessing, and you'll get confident from
\nthat, it's psychological encouragement,\" Lie said.<\/p>\n
* Don't worry about using the wrong grammar when speaking with
\na person from that country. \"They won't correct you and the most
\nthey will do is ask you to repeat what you said,\" Lie said.<\/p>\n
Shop around for a good language course. \"Most schools will
\ngive you a demonstration or trial prior to you handing over any
\nmoney,\" Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Ask to sit in on a class to see whether you will like it and
\nif it looks fun. Ask to meet the teacher, or the core instructor
\nfor the program, Taylor said. \"Often it's pretty easy to see if
\nthe instructors know their stuff and whether they are nice people
\nand they care. The person should be bright, fun and committed.\"<\/p>\n
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. \"When you are learning a
\nlanguage, you will quite often make those mistakes, which will be
\nfunny to the listener, and naturally people will laugh, not so
\nmuch at you but at the mistake you've made,\" Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Find a native speaker. \"You need lessons or some sort of a
\nformal structure for learning a new language,\" Taylor said,
\nsuggesting that students seek a trained native speaker and learn
\nprivately or in a small group.<\/p>\n
Learning a language needs a hands-on approach. Taylor said it
\nwas a mechanical skill, not an academic subject, like physics or
\nbiology, so you need to practice this skill and being in a small
\ngroup or a private class is essential.<\/p>\n
\"Most people approach a language academically, which might be
\na mistake. It's more like learning to cook, golf or drive,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Listen to the radio. \"Playing talk radio softly in the
\nbackground of your learning or work background, or even while you
\nare sleeping, heightens your ear and awareness and keeps it at
\nthe forefront of your consciousness,\" Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Sing a song. \"Music is a good way to learn, as a lot of people
\nlearn in rote fashion, in a way that imitates the singers, like
\nperforming,\" Taylor said, adding that singing was also a good way
\nto express yourself, as well as providing a role model of someone
\nyou could be like.<\/p>\n
TV can also be useful for learning a new language. \"However,
\nsome people cannot pick up what is being said, because it is just
\ntoo fast, colloquial and confusing,\" Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Computers offer an excellent advantage in learning new
\nlanguages. Taylor said there were a number of good CDROMs
\navailable, such as from Cambridge, Longman or Oxford, with a
\nreally well-designed learning system and digital recordings of
\ntrained native speakers communicating the concepts.<\/p>\n
\"This is good for listening comprehension, and overall study
\nof structure, but, they are still passive and you need to be
\nspeaking,\" Taylor said.<\/p>",
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