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Advantages
The adult can make logical connections much more quickly than a child.
What takes a child months or even years to understand can be explained to
and understood by an adult in a matter of minutes.
B.
Challenges
1.
It is a fact that the farther we move away from childhood and adolescence,
the more firmly our brains become set around our native language. It becomes
hard to hear certain sounds in another language. The muscles in our mouths
suffer from a form of "lock-jaw," and it is difficult, sometimes impossible, to
pronounce some sounds just like a native speaker does. Moreover, we can
become confused if the language we're learning follows a different structure
from our own. English speakers who begin studying German, for example, say
that by the time German gets to the verb, which comes at the very end of the
sentence, they've forgotten what the subject of the sentence is. The habits we
acquire from our own language are deeply ingrained and can hinder our
acquisition of a different language.
2.
3.
II.
B.
III.
B.
C.
About homework
1. Doing it on a daily basis
You can't let it accumulate. You can't put it off until the weekend. Even
though steady, day by day work is best for learning any subject, it is true
that in many courses you can get yourself out of a jam with some high
pressure, last minute cramming. You can't learn a foreign language in this
way. For every hour in class, you can expect to work two-three hours
outside of class.
You are developing new habits, and habits are learned through steady
practice. Each concept must be understood and each skill mastered before
you can learn the next one, and there will be new vocabulary, new
grammatical concepts, and new skills at each class meeting. It may happen
on one or two occasions that you don't have time to prepare an assignment.
If so, don't stay away from class; making up the work will be twice as hard.
Come to class, tell the instructor that you are unprepared, and learn as much
as you can from the classroom work.
2.
3.
The instructor
The first person you will think of turning to for help is your
instructor. Of course, you will want to ask any questions you have
in class. But you can also see your teacher outside of class.
Faculty members who have offices will tell you on the syllabus
handed out the first day of class where their office is and when
their office hours are scheduled. If you are not free during their
scheduled office hours, make an appointment for a time that you
both agree upon. That is what "by appointment" means. Adjunct
(or part-time) faculty members do not have separate offices, but
they will happy to meet with you outside of class at a time that is
convenient for you both.
a
2.
3.
Fellow students
a.
F.
Taking tests
1.
2.
a.
b.
c.
e
3.
4.
a. If you have taken a computerized exam, you can see your results
immediately. Go back and review your answers and write
down your score on a piece of paper that your instructor will
provide.
If your instructor uses paper copies and you still do not
understand your errors after the test is handed back to you,
consult with another student or with your instructor. Learn
how to do whatever you have missed. Don't put it off.
b. Save all tests and quizzes if your instructor uses paper copies.
They provide an excellent means for review. You will also
want to be able to show them to your instructor in case s/he
makes a mistake when recording your grade.
IV.
V.
Learning vocabulary
A.
When to start
Start as soon as a new lesson begins.
2.
Flash cards
a. Making them
On one side of an index card write the word to be learned
in the foreign language; flip the card over while turning it
upside down and write the English meaning.
b.
Using them
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
B.
Your goal
You want to be able to say the words out loud with ease and to write them
correctly.
Go for speed. You are learning to build automatic language reflexes
through repetition.
When you communicate with someone in a foreign language, you must
know the words in the target language. Your knowledge of what a word
means in English may be essential to you but is of no interest to your
conversant. You will find, accordingly, that on quizzes and tests you will
rarely (if ever) be asked to provide English meanings. When you take a
quiz or test, know all vocabulary items in the lesson in the target language;
be able to say the words and write them automatically, without hesitation.
B.
VI.
Learning grammar
Remember that grammar is the skeletal structure that links words together and
gives them meaning.
A.
B.
VII.
Oral work
A.
B.
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Pronunciation
You may never pass for a native speaker of the language you are studying.
That's not the point. You want people to understand you. And they will
understand if you make a consistent effort to replace your English sounds
with the sounds of their language.
Be prepared for new sounds. Take them as a challenge. Don't hang back
and do the minimum with your mouth. Do the maximum. That will
contribute to your having a more authentic accent. It will be natural for you
to feel self-conscious about making strange sounds. Set aside your sense of
reserve. Learn how to imitate--how to use your mouth, your throat, your
entire speech mechanism in a new way.
At first you may feel embarrassed or self-conscious about making certain
sounds in the target language. But gradually they will grow more familiar
to you over time. Bit by bit you'll start sounding more authentic, but you do
have to keep working at it.
VIII.
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Divide the material and your study time into small units. Don't try to
memorize a large body of material at once. Break it up into small units,
memorize each of these units separately, and then string them all together.
Work for 20-30 minutes; then turn to some other work; then come back for
another 20-30 minutes. And so on.
IX.
B.
Insights to be gained
You can count on gaining a linguistic insight that will enrich your
educational and life experience.
1.
When you study a foreign language, you are in a way getting into
the mind of native speakers of that language. You are starting to
share with them the way they "dress" their own thoughts and
expressions--in linguistic clothes very different from your own. You
start to learn that there is no "normal" or "right" way to say things,
and that our way is no more "natural" than any other.
2.
3.
Lastly, you are going to learn and understand more about your own
language than you ever knew before
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