what comes first? -- how it works: acquiring english #2

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:43:33 -0800

In the first essay – Two ways to “know” a language – I wrote that most of our fluency (ability) comes from language that we acquire subconsciously, not from language that we learn, or consciously study. If you haven’t read the first essay, I encourage you to read it now, before you read this one.

The second thing that an English student should know is that some parts of a language are acquired before other parts. There is a natural order (one thing after another), with some parts acquired early and other parts late. Let me give you two examples:

• The progressive – he is reading – is acquired early in the acquisition process.
• The third-person singular – he eats – is acquired very late in the acquisition process.

There’s one other fact: we cannot change this natural order by studying. We will acquire each part of the language when the time is right.

Why is it helpful to know this?

First, it is helpful because it might help you understand why you get frustrated when you continue to have trouble with the same part of the English language, like the third-person singular. Maybe it is to early for you to acquire that part of the language. Maybe you need to wait.

What should an English student do? I think you should use the same approach (method of doing something) you do when you eat! We all know that our bodies need certain vitamins and other nutrients (specific foods we need to live and grow). But we don’t eat only Vitamin A for one week, then Vitamin B the next week, do we? No, we feed our bodies a healthy diet that contains all the nutrients, and trust our bodies to acquire (absorb) the nutrients they need. We should treat ourselves to a good, healthy diet of understandable English and trust our minds to acquire the parts of the English language that it needs when it is ready for them.

There is a second reason why it is helpful to know about the natural order. Many English students worry too much about their mistakes. For example, I recently received an e-mail from a student who apologized (said he was sorry) for his English. He wrote, “…from this e-mail you may know that I use ‘broken’ English.” What he meant is that he thought there a lot of mistakes in his e-mail. The truth is that he was easy to understand even if his English wasn’t perfect!

While we are acquiring a new language, we develop an “in-between” language. Language teachers call this inter-language. Inter-language includes three things:

• new language we have already acquired, the parts of the language we are confident about and comfortable with
• guesses about our new language: “I think this is how I should say this!”
• influences (effects) from our first language, for example, my Spanish students often put adjectives after nouns, just like they do in Spanish.

Our inter-language constantly changes while we are acquiring the new language. It’s a little different every day. If you continue to read and listen to easy-to-understand English, your inter-language will continue to become more and more like the English you want to speak and write.

Inter-language. It isn’t broken! It’s just different. It shows that you are somewhere in between where you started and where you are going. And it will continue to change as you move closer and closer to your destination (the place you are going): fluent English.

If you have any comments or questions, please send me an e-mail. My address is warren@successfuenglish.com.

Warren Ediger

Two ways to know a language -- How it works: Acquiring English #1

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:31:07 -0800

How do we come to “know” a language?

Language specialists tell us that there are two ways to know a language. We can acquire a language, and we can learn a language. Language that we acquire is very different from language that we learn. And if you want to improve your English, you should know the difference.

Acquiring a language is a natural process. It is the way we all develop our first language ability. It is automatic and subconscious (we don't notice it). And it is the result of natural experience with language. When we read or hear language that we understand, we acquire (absorb or pick up) more of that language.

When we learn a language, we study and memorize vocabulary and rules about the language. It is a conscious process (we are aware of it, or notice, it). And it requires a lot of work.

Why is this difference important? It's important because scientific research tells us that most of our fluency (language ability) comes from acquired language, not from learned language.

I recently read an article by a well-known professor and researcher who has looked at hundreds of research studies on language acquisition and learning. In the title of the article, he says that subconscious language acquisition is “alive and well (healthy)”. In the article, he makes it very clear that we do not have to consciously learn vocabulary or grammar. He says that we acquire language as a natural result of reading or listening for pleasure (enjoyment).

Let me tell you a story that will illustrate (show) what I am talking about. Mr. M is a retired Japanese high school English teacher. About three years ago, he came to my ESL class in southern California. He knew a lot of English vocabulary. He could identify subjunctive verbs. He had learned a lot about English. But it was very hard for him to use the English he had learned to read, converse (talk with someone), or write in English.

I never ask my students to memorize vocabulary or grammar rules. I only teach grammar occasionally, when it helps my students understand something better. We spend a

s much time as possible reading and listening to understandable English. Mr. M's English began to improve. When he wasn't in class, he looked for opportunities to talk to people who spoke English. Today his ability to converse and write is much better than it was when he came.

A few months ago, I received an e-mail from Mr. M. In it he wrote a very simple message: "Thank you for teaching me a better way."

Learn from Mr. M. Try a better way. Look for as much natural experience with English as possible. Read. Listen. Have conversations with English speakers. If you do, I think you will be surprised at how much English you acquire.

If you have any questions or comments, send me an e-mail. My address is warren@successfulenglish.com.

Warren Ediger

introduction - How it works: Acquiring English

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:06:58 -0800

This is the first part of a new series of posts about how we acquire English.

HowStuffWorks – www.howstuffworks.com – is a very interesting web site. On HowStuffWorks, you can learn how car engines, acupuncture, cell phones, and many other things work in a way that’s interesting and easy to understand.

In science, a hypothesis is an explanation about how something works. A good hypothesis can be tested to see if it is true. The five essays in this paper describe five hypotheses (explanations) about how we come to know English or any other language. And there is a lot of scientific evidence that tells us they are true.

Why should an English student know these hypotheses?

Developing language ability is a natural process. If we understand how this process works, we can cooperate (work together) with the process to improve our English more effectively (successfully) and efficiently (without wasting time, energy, or money).

Where did these five hypotheses come from?

Dr. Stephen Krashen, from the University of Southern California, first described these five hypotheses. Dr. Krashen taught at USC for many years and is now professor emeritus (a title of honor given to a retired professor). He is a linguist (language scientist) and educational researcher.

During the next few weeks, come back to read all five parts of this series. I will add a new part every 4 or 5 days.

Thoughts about practicing English

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:49:19 -0700

Students often ask me about the best way to practice their English. When they do, they are usually asking about some kind of regular (repeated) activity that they can do to improve their skill (or pass a test!).
The traditional idea of practice is very good for some things. Practice helped me learn how to multiply and divide. It helped me learn how to hit a baseball and shoot a basketball (Yes, I did both!). Practice even helped me learn how to play the correct key on the piano when I saw a certain note in the printed music.
Many people think the same kind of practice will help them improve their English. They believe language is like putting numbers into mathematical formulas. They think that they will be successful if they can put the correct number (vocabulary word) into the best formula (simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, etc.). Unfortunately, that is not the way language works.
Every time we use language, we use it in a new and fresh way. It is different almost every time. Even if we use the same vocabulary in the same sentence, we may use a different tone or emphasis. It is impossible to learn all the formulae (such as grammar structures) and numbers (vocabulary) and when and how to use them. There are too many of them.
What can an English student do? First, an English student can concentrate on acquiring (absorbing or picking up) as much English as possible. The best way to do this is to read and listen to as much easy-to-understand English as possible. It is like feeding your body a good balanced diet so that is has all the nutrients (specific foods) it needs to grow. If a student consistently (all the time) reads and listens to interesting, easy-to-understand English, he or she will absorb vocabulary words and ideas about how to use them to communicate with other people, just like native speakers do.
The second thing an English student can do is to exercise, or use, the English he or she has acquired. This is different, and much better, than mechanically writing or saying English sentences. If you are an English student, look for opportunities to use English to write or to speak with other people. Find an English-speaker and ask if you can talk to him or her once a week for 30 minutes or an hour (Be sure you pay for the coffee!). Ask questions about his or her daily life, work, or school. Tell him or her about yours. Use Skype to find and talk to English speakers in other countries. Find someone who is willing to become an e-mail friend or join an Internet discussion group.
The best way – and the only effective way – to practice a new language is to use it for real communication with real people who use the same language.

How hard do you have to work?

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 17:23:37 -0800

In Read to Improve Your English!, I wrote that reading has awesome power to improve your English. I wrote that reading is both effective (causes the desired result) and efficient (doesn’t waste time, energy, or money).
Here are some facts about reading and English-learning that might surprise you:
Students who study English in a country where English isn’t spoken will know about 3,000 words after studying for five or six years (about 600-720 hours in class). (Dr. Paul Nation, a vocabulary researcher from Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand)
You will acquire (pick up or absorb) about 5,000 words If you read interesting, easy-to-understand English for about 245 hours. You can do this by reading 20 minutes a day for 2 years. (Dr. Jeff McQuillan, ESL Podcast, and Dr. Stephen Krashen, University of Southern California)
Students who did only free reading (the reader chooses what to read) improved just as much on a TOEFL exam as students who spent approximately 390 hours studying for the TOEFL in a 13-week intensive (involving a lot of work in a short period of time) English class. (Dr. Beniko Mason Shitennoji International Buddhist University, Osaka, Japan)
Compare the numbers:
Vocabulary development
• Spend 600-720 hours (five or six years) in class to learn about 3,000 words.
• Spend about 245 hours doing free reading to acquire about 5,000 words.
TOEFL preparation
• Take a 13-week intensive English class to add 45-50 points to your TOEFL score.
• Add the same amount by doing only free reading.
Which would you rather do?
(Information sources are available upon request.)
If you have a question or comment, use the “Add a comment” link below or send an e-mail to warren@successfulenglish.