Upon arrival, as listening and mimicry are commenced, the language student would do well to receive from his informant a list of practical phrases. Drills should be started immediately in order to learn these expressions as thoroughly as possible with pronunciation being carefully checked and corrected by the informant. First comes practical use of the phrases; understanding of grammar will follow. It is helpful to group both vocabulary words and phrases into various classifications such as greetings, relationships, food, buying/selling, etc. This action will provide reference points and practical usage right away. It is recommended that the student learn from the informant simple verbs in full sentence form versus the infinitive form. Learning proper intonation from the start is also very important. Lastly, it should be noted that the language student should never remain tongue-tied for fear of using a wrong mode or tense. It is impossible to learn how to use a form without practicing it. One must speak in order to learn how to speak, and correction should be constantly sought after in order to improve.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Learning a Language; Part 5
Chapter Five, Learning a Foreign Language From an Informant, is loaded with helpful information and further practical ideas for getting the most out of language lessons from an informant. Informants have much to offer and can be invaluable sources of knowledge; however, success in mastering a foreign language depends largely on the student, his motivation, and his willingness to put forth great effort in the process. Before traveling to the country of destination and commencing formal training, it is recommended that the missionary become familiar with the overall picture of the language which he will be learning, if possible. This can be done through the aid of travel guides, phrasebooks, and grammars, if such volumes exist. Obviously, in some cases, such as aboriginal languages, very few resources are available. Under these circumstances, it is recommended that the missionary receive basic, preliminary instruction in linguistics.
Upon arrival, as listening and mimicry are commenced, the language student would do well to receive from his informant a list of practical phrases. Drills should be started immediately in order to learn these expressions as thoroughly as possible with pronunciation being carefully checked and corrected by the informant. First comes practical use of the phrases; understanding of grammar will follow. It is helpful to group both vocabulary words and phrases into various classifications such as greetings, relationships, food, buying/selling, etc. This action will provide reference points and practical usage right away. It is recommended that the student learn from the informant simple verbs in full sentence form versus the infinitive form. Learning proper intonation from the start is also very important. Lastly, it should be noted that the language student should never remain tongue-tied for fear of using a wrong mode or tense. It is impossible to learn how to use a form without practicing it. One must speak in order to learn how to speak, and correction should be constantly sought after in order to improve.
Upon arrival, as listening and mimicry are commenced, the language student would do well to receive from his informant a list of practical phrases. Drills should be started immediately in order to learn these expressions as thoroughly as possible with pronunciation being carefully checked and corrected by the informant. First comes practical use of the phrases; understanding of grammar will follow. It is helpful to group both vocabulary words and phrases into various classifications such as greetings, relationships, food, buying/selling, etc. This action will provide reference points and practical usage right away. It is recommended that the student learn from the informant simple verbs in full sentence form versus the infinitive form. Learning proper intonation from the start is also very important. Lastly, it should be noted that the language student should never remain tongue-tied for fear of using a wrong mode or tense. It is impossible to learn how to use a form without practicing it. One must speak in order to learn how to speak, and correction should be constantly sought after in order to improve.
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