A baby mouse was chased by a cat. The mother mouse yelled out from the door, "Bowwow!" The cat ran away
upon hearing the yell. The mother mouse said, "Son, now do you understand the importance of knowing a second
language "
Like the joke above, foreign languages, especially English, are considered essential by our society. In the
midst of rising concern about the teaching of English in public schools, the Ministry of Education and Science
Technology held a public hearing on the expansion of the number of English classes for elementary school students
on November 10. The hearing shows that the learning of English is considered a national issue. Moreover, people in
their twenties and thirties are struggling to master English or another second languages to get jobs. What is the best
method to pursue in order to learn a foreign language, and what is best study environment to ensure success
Effective ways for mastering a foreign language have been offered by Yasuhiro Shirai in「Who succeeds and who
fails in foreign language learning」(2007, Hankookmunhwasa).
The younger, the better
It is generally accepted that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a foreign language. However, this
generalization has become more sharply refined after second language researchers collected and examined data:
"Older is faster; younger is better." That is, adults can learn a second language using their recognition ability in the
short run, but gradually children who start at an early age achieve mastery similar to a native speaker's.
Then, why is age the decisive factor in determining foreign language mastery One theory is the cranial nerve
biological explanation. It is that the structure of the brain changes at a specific age, causing the ability to learn a
second language to decline. Another is the cognitive explanation. Adults can't acquire a language easily because
they already have abstract analytic ability. In contrast, kids can acquire language naturally, barely analyzing it,
learning it as if they are acquiring a native language. There is also the psychological barrier. Children's self-
consciousness is not developed, and therefore they are less self-conscious in a foreign language environment.
Do women learn a foreign language more easily than men
It is a common belief that women have superior language ability than men. To check whether this generalization is true, many linguists have conducted research on the differences between men and women. There are many men who are good at English. However, research shows that women get better marks than men in language classes. Women
are distinguished in the number of languages they can comprehend. But research has also shown that there are no
difference between the sexes. No existing research has been able to claim men are better than women in language
abilities. Thus, the generalization that women are better suited than men in learning a foreign language is to a degree a true statement. But one can say for certain that women have a more positive attitude when it comes to learning a
foreign language, which may hold the key to their achievement in languages.
Does the extroverted person succeed
Common sense dictates that extroverted people, compared to the introverted, master a foreign language more
easily because they create opportunities to converse with foreigners. Much research has shown the relation between extroversion and daily language ability, but the assumption that introversion is related to cognitive learning language
ability couldn't be supported by actual data. Therefore, extroversion, unlike introversion, can be an advantage.
Is it good not to impose limits and restrictions on oneself
Learning and speaking a foreign language entails in a sense the creation of a new identity. We can say whatever we want using our mother tongue, but we can't express ourselves very well and can be treated like a foolish person
when we use a second language. Thus, we cannot help but be different from ourselves and hypothesize that people
who take on their new characters freely succeed in learning a foreign language more effectively than people who are
dominated and suppressed by their ego. To verify this hypothesis, Alexander Guiora of the University of Hawaii carried out an experiment lowering the level of inhibition by making the subjects drink a little alcohol. In the end, the group
which drank alcohol showed better foreign language pronunciation. However, there is research that shows excess
alcohol consumption makes pronunciation worse.
◆Foreign language learning tips
△ Input
When you choose study materials yourself, it is good to read or listen to contents you are interested in or know well
already because background knowledge is important. By reading and listening to content that your are interested in,
you can guess items you don't know well, and you could get words you don't know.
Listen to materials that you can understand more than 80% instead of less than 20%.
You are not studying a foreign language for its own sake. Instead, you are getting new information through the foreign
language.
△ Output
Do the output (speaking writing) every single day even though it may be a tiny amount. Write a daily diary, record your voice on tape, or talk to your fellow students who are studying English in English.
When you try to speak, focus on delivering meaning above all. At the same time, try to speak correct sentences if it's
possible.
Use 'strategic communication' when you speak. When you are trying to say something, gain time by saying well,
um.., you know, etc. Another example of strategic communication is that if you can't call to mind this word 'gym', just say "the building where you play basketball".
△ Word ·idiom learning
Remember word and idiom in context. Try not to memorize all the words, and guess the word's meaning.
November 13
By reporter, Kim Yeon-jeong |
