Question for Bernhard about language

[Ziggy]

I believe you mentioned that you were able to learn english in a very short period of time. Could you please outline the process you used for doing this?

 

[bernhard]

It was very simple. But very hard.

In swimming terms it was the “deep end of the pool” method: You jump at the deep end and either you swim or you drown.

Or another, perhaps less frightening way to describe it: total immersion in the language.

I came to live in the UK. I lived in a house where all the dwellers were native speakers (albeit of diverse provenances: there were two English, one Irish, two Australians and one American). I watched a lot of TV, I only read in English (newspapers, books, cartoons, etc.), I only talked to English speakers.

I also did something very, very important: I asked everyone I met to mercilessly correct me every time I said something wrong. All were very kind and obliging (and some – I believe – even derived some pleasure from it). And I was constantly looking up the meanings of new words and the appropriate contexts for certain sentences, expressions and idioms. It is surprising how many times we do not bother to look at the meaning of words we don’t know in our own native language: we sort of get it by context and leave it at that. Any new word or sentence I learned I would try to use as much as possible. (Take “albeit” for instance. What an interesting word! I always relish when I can say some sentence that includes it. Or the very English difference between “practise” – a verb – and “practice” – a noun).

In a nutshell, I was very interested in the language (many may say obsessed), and it was a matter of life and death. Simply I was in a situation where I had to learn it and learn it fast.

In three months I was fluent, and in one year I pretty much knew the English I know now. (Although I am continuously learning new stuff)

That is the gist of it.

Such a method could only work because I was living in the UK. So you can see the importance of “environment” in any learning situation. Trying to learn English this way while living in a non-English speaking country would not work.

(Now try applying this to piano/music learning!)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[mound]

wow Bernhard - what was your native language? I would never have guessed by the way you write. How long ago was this?

I think you had a heads up with that kind of immersion in the UK - try doing that in the US

[Ziggy]

Thanks Bernhard.
One more question - How long do you think it took you to start thinking in english? Like past the point where you have to translate what you're hearing to your native language and then back to the new language?

[gkatele]

It was very simple. But very hard.

A brilliant statement. (Pat on the back for myself here - Story follows)

I used to be a teacher at a medical center. I remember talking about heart surgery with one of the trainees. I told him that heart surgery isn't hard, just complicated. If you can remember all the individual steps, in the right order, you can do it. The trick is the remembering and the understanding WHY.

George

[lenny]

wow Bernhard - what was your native language? I would never have guessed by the way you write. How long ago was this?

I think you had a heads up with that kind of immersion in the UK - try doing that in the US

id guess he is german

[bernhard]

wow Bernhard - what was your native language? I would never have guessed by the way you write. How long ago was this?

I think you had a heads up with that kind of immersion in the UK - try doing that in the US

Sorry, Paul, there have been too many nutters lurking recently in the forum, so I will resist the urge to reveal any personal information

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[bernhard]

id guess he is german

Nope.

[bernhard]

Thanks Bernhard.
One more question - How long do you think it took you to start thinking in english? Like past the point where you have to translate what you're hearing to your native language and then back to the new language?

I tried to do it straightaway. Translating is a huge detour. The best way to think of language is as a series of magical spells that will get you what you want (by, the way, this is the way children learn). So rather than thinking "meaning", think "situation", that is, in this situation, which senseless string of words (= magic spell) should I use to get what I want?

If you get any book/newspaper and count the words, you will see that 50% - 60% of the words have no meaning at all (that is, they do not refer to anything in the real world). Table has a meaning: it refers to a piece of urniture. But words like "the", "of", "rather" and so on have no meaning. Their role ios to establish relationships between the words that have meaning. Acquiring vocabulary is never a problem. You will be able to get on with any language with 2000 - 3000 words of vocabulary. It is the relational words that are the problem. There is no logic to their use, but often there is a pattern and a structure.

Finally, learning a new language is ultimately a feat of memory.

And I started dreaming in English in 2 months time. By three months I was pretty much thinking in English (But this was mostly because I aimed at it from the very beginning.)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[lenny]

Sorry, Paul, there have been too many nutters lurking recently in the forum, so I will resist the urge to reveal any personal information

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

i dont know what youre afraid of

[whynot]

I do.  Wise not to say too much, IMO.

[lenny]

serial killers?

is that what he thinks we are?!?! 

[lenny]

ah joke :

what do you call a guy who randomly goes into a shop and stabs every box of corn flakes?




a cereal killer