學習外語需要知道的幾件事
Things You Need to Know about Learning a Language
Buenos días, Buna dimineata, Bonjour.
Do you understand any of these phrases? Do you know how to respond if someone comes up to you and speaks to you with one of these phrases?
If your answer is 『yes』 and you understand what I』m speaking right now, chances are you belong to the world of multi-lingual community. That also means you will be able to relate to my subject today. Here I』m going to share with you the fundamental rule of thumb in learning a foreign language, based on my English learning and teaching experience.
你了解這些短語嗎？如果有人用這些短語和你說話，你知道如何回應嗎？
如果你的回答是"是"，並且你明白我現在在說什麼，那麼你很有可能是會多國語言社區的一員。這也意味著今天的推文主題對你來說，是能感同身受的。在這裡，我將根據我的英語學習和教學經驗，與您分享學習外語的基本要點。
Rule No. 1: Use it, instead of learning it
My husband is from Romania, a country where English is not so prevailing among the masses. When the first time I went with my husband to visit his family, I was very nervous, because not only I had never met my in-laws before also I spoke zero Romanian. I couldn』t imagine how it was like to be there. It turned out my nervousness was absolutely unnecessary. The experience was amazing! The language barrier was never in the way. In fact, three weeks later, I was able to speak a little Romanian. Phrases likeCe faci?Mul?umesc.Noapte bun?came to me so naturally.
How did it all happen? Here is the answer: I used these phrases instead of learning them. Because by using the language, we create memory of experience. The expression "ce faci"to me is one sunny morning when everyone in my Romanian side of family gathered in the garden, one of my sisters-in-law passed me the kettle while greeting her brother. I then mimicked it to my husband. Right after came the approval of my mother-in-law who gave me a big thumb-up on the spot. Hardly will learning a language word by word from a text book leave us any memorable experience like that. That』s why creating an experience with your target language is what you really need if you are serious of learning or improving your target language skills.
一、使用它，而不是學習它
我的丈夫來自羅馬尼亞，英語在這個國家的民眾中並不普及。當我第一次和我的丈夫一同去探望他的家人時，我非常緊張，不僅因為我從未見過我的姻親，而且也因為我對羅馬尼亞語一竅不通。起初，我無法想像自己身處這樣一個語言不通的國度里，會是怎樣一番場景。但事實證明，我的緊張完全沒有必要。我在羅馬尼亞的首次經歷棒極了！語言障礙完全不是問題。事實上，三周之後，我還能說一點羅馬尼亞語了呢！像Ce faci? Mul?umesc. Noapte bun? 這樣的短語，我很快能使用自如了。
是什麼促成我的羅語進步的呢？答案是：我在使用這些短語而不是學習它們。因為通過使用語言，我們創造了記憶。這句表達「ce faci？」對我來說是在一個陽光明媚的早晨，我羅馬尼亞家庭一方的每一位成員聚集在花園裡，我的一個小姑在給她哥哥問候的時候遞給我水壺。然後我對著我的丈夫模仿了這句問候語。隨後，婆婆當場給了我一個大拇指，以示稱讚。從一本教科書中逐字學習一門語言的過程，是完全不可能給我們留下與這段難忘經歷相似的記憶的。這就是為什麼如果你真心想學習或提高自己的目標語言技能，創造與目標語言相關的經歷和記憶才是你真正需要做的。
Rule No. 2: Train your brain to think in the language
Our brain is wired to think in the language that we are most familiar with. Check out the picture and think about in which language the word describing it comes to you first.
There is nothing wrong with whichever language appears on your mind. It』s an efficient way for our brain to process information. However, when talking about learning a foreign language, we need to re-wire the language processing pattern, because by following the language that we are most familiar with—often times it』s our native tongue—we are making the thinking process way too inefficient. Think about it. When you ask: 「What』s this,」 the other says: 「What 什麼?」 Will you find the communication pleasant?
So training your brain to think in your target language is just too important. That leads us to the rule no. 3.
二、訓練你的大腦用目標語言思考
我們的大腦用我們最熟悉的語言進行思考。查看這張圖片，同時留意你首先想到使用哪種語言描述來它。
無論在你腦海中出現的這個詞語以哪一門語種出現，這，都沒有錯。因為，這是我們的大腦處理信息的有效方式。然而，在談及學習外語時，我們需要重新改造自己的語言處理模式，因為通過遵循我們最熟悉的語言 - 往往是我們的母語 – 複雜的思維過程會降低我們的語言輸出效率。試想一下，當你問：「What』s this?」的時候，另一個人說：「What什麼？」你會發現這樣的溝通愉快嗎？
因此，訓練你的大腦思考你的目標語言太重要了。正因如此，我們就有了要點三。
Rule No. 3: Speak often, better daily
There is no other way to learn a language but speaking it from day one. That』s how you train your brain to think in your target language. You need to create a structure where you have to use the language. Any language courses delivered not in your target language will not help you at all. Simply it』s because you are not exercising the thinking process.
So all in all, give yourself a task, use your target language, and keep on going. That』s all you need to know about learning a language. Would you like to improve your English?Check out my Reading Project here.
三、經常用目標語言說話，每天說更好
在學習一門語言的話題上，沒有比從第一天就開始說更有用的學習方法了。使用目標語言說話是你在訓練自己的大腦去用目標語言來思考。您需要創建一個讓自己必須使用該語言的環境。在任何語言培訓課程里，如果課程不是以你的目標語言交付的話，它們對你提高目標語言的學習完全不會有所幫助。因為它們你沒有為你提供運用該語言思考的過程。
總而言之，給自己設定一個任務，使用你的目標語言，並繼續下去。這就是學習語言所需要知道的一切。希望提高英語水平？點擊這裡參加我的閱讀學習計劃吧！
TAG:學外語那點事 |