Archive for the 'Web Of Language' Category

Quickly Learn A Language By Thinking In It

Monday, January 11th, 2010

It can be tedious to learn a language. There will always be a certain amount of rote memorization required. However, there are also many little techniques for more easily learning a language. Labeling things around the house in the language you want to learn comes to mind. Listening to tapes while in the car is another. Then there is a technique I used to learn Spanish.

How I Quickly Learned Spanish

I studied Spanish books for six weeks before going to Ecuador. I didn’t speak a word of the language during this time – a big mistake. Still, I was able to converse with the locals in the hostel in Quito the day after I arrived. Within a few days I was discussing philosophy, politics and more with Ana, who is now my wife.

How did I learn a language so quickly? I didn’t really. I had a very limited vocabulary when I arrived in Ecuador, and a very limited vocabulary when I left. However, I could use what little Spanish I knew to express myself. This I credit to a habit that fortunately is also a great technique for learning a language.

I have conversations in my head. I think of what I am about to say, and have always played out future discussions in my imagination. I found myself doing this in Spanish too. The result was that I learned how to speak the language quickly, and say a lot with few words.

Learn To Think In A Language

People imagine that they have to be fluent to think in a language. This just isn’t true. You can choose to think “I am walking to the store,” so there is no reason you can’t think “Yo estoy caminando a la tienda,” as soon as you know those six words. If you don’t know the word “caminar” (to walk), but you know how to say “Yo voy a la tienda,” (I go to the store) you can think that. Alternately, you can look up a word or two as you get “stuck.”

One reason this is a great way to learn a language is that it helps you remember the words. Repetition works, and saying the words, even if only in your mind, works better than reading or hearing them. When you make a point of translating your thoughts into your new language, you are always practicing.

It is more than just good practice, though. Putting your thoughts into your new language forces you to learn not just words and rules, but also specific ways to express what you want to say. We all talk about different things and have different interests, right? A doctor might want to know how to say “where does it hurt?” while I may want to ask where the mountains are. Often, you learn what others think you should know. This helps, but your thoughts are uniquely yours, and when you think in your new language, you are learning exactly what YOU need to learn.

Speaking a language is perhaps the best way to learn it, and thinking it is just speaking it in your mind. You’ll learn your most important words, expressions and sentences quickly if you are thinking them continually. Another tip: Carry a language dictionary with you to use whenever your thoughts stop flowing. This is a powerful way to learn a language and start speaking it quickly.

Steve Gillman has been working on his Spanish with his wife Ana Blum, a native of Ecuador. Together they have built a website where you can get free lessons in Spanish. Visit: http://www.TheSpanishLesson.com

Enriching Your Everyday Schedule with Audio Books

Friday, March 27th, 2009

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An active life makes it hard to read every title you would like to. Sometimes we don’t notice how long journeys to the office and different day-to-day chores may take up large portions of our precious time. Your favourite pastimes take a back seat to your career, getting the kids, or maintaining the household and bills. If you are a keen reading fan who finds it challenging to find any time, your journey time might provide a chance for catching up. With convenient downloads, you can spoil yourself with America’s Great Depression by Murray N. Rothbard by Download Audio Book Online, or audiobooks brought to life by Dave King when you are busy doing other things.

Multitasking is becoming unavoidable these days. Audio-books such as Ransom Of Red Chief by O. Henry by Download Audio Book Online occupy the wasted time in our lives, it might be minutes passed waiting in a dentist’s surgery or perhaps taking the children to piano lessons. Audio books are now in stock to download as mp3 files for instance Pimsleur Hebrew (Modern) I Part 3 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, so if you have an iPod or other mp3 player and get ready to listen to the current best seller, for instance audible books by Terry Brooks without dragging cumbersome books around.

The various benefits of audible books include renting or purchasing the title which interests you then listening to it in your own time. Need to study a new language? Why not check out audio books? Possibly innovative sales techniques matter to you, you can even find out about the paranormal.

Audio books exist in a myriad of titles and genres. It really doesn’t matter if you’re a wine buff, crazy over politics or if your interests lie in personal development, you can download many audio books now. Options are wide open; you can subscribe to a program and rent or buy what appeals to you. Reading will invariably be an essential skill, however a more convenient way could be the large number of audio titles now available. A author or celebrity can enhance the enjoyment of many stories. Reading a book is not quite the same as listening to an audio title performed by O. Henry, including the additional nuances of an real performance. The depth of your experience can be heightened by listening to an audio-book such as They Made America by Harold Evans and often will mean a great deal more to you than the written words. So next time in future when you consider purchasing a book you will in all likelihood never find time to read, think of an audio book as a different option.