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10 Tips to Jump Start your Language Learning

By annalaura brown

So you recently started learning a foreign language or you would like to learn one but you are stuck in a rut or you are frustrated because you don’t seem to be going anywhere fast. Here are 10 tips to help you along the way and to make it easier for you to get a quick start.

1. Get some Disney or other movies, which you have already seen and watch them in the language, or with subtitles. If you are learning French or Spanish this will be easy since most DVD’s have subtitles and voice overs in these languages. However, if you have chosen a different language you will need to do some searching and possibly purchase an international DVD player which allows you to play DVD’s in Pal format. Another alternative is to seek out movie theaters in your city, which play foreign films, or to rent foreign DVD’s. Most larger cities have at least one theater, which plays foreign films on a regular basis.

2. Go to the library. Look for easy reader books in the language and begin reading. Some larger libraries also have foreign language easy reading books or Disney books in foreign languages. Begin reading and you will be surprised at how much of it you will understand.

3. Get some children’s music in the foreign language. It will be easy to sing along and it will help you to internalize the language. Just like reading you will understand more than you realize.

4. Do an Internet search. The Internet has an abundance of foreign language learning sites. Focus specifically on those, which offer basic explanations of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

5. Try to find a pen pal with whom you can communicate in the language via email. To get in touch with someone, try posting to the forums for the about.com site for the language you are learning.

6. Try reading the news or magazines online. Although they are obviously more advanced. You can go through and write down all of the words you understand and using the pictures, you will surprise yourself at how much you will understand.

7. Take advantage of AltaVista’s Babel fish translation feature. Although the translations are not perfect, it is a fun tool. Use it to translate one of your favorite sites and then read the translation to find patterns in the language.

8. If you are lucky enough to know someone who already speaks the language, practice with him or her. Don’t be embarrassed by your lack of knowledge. Chances are the person will be happy to help you.

9. Take advantage of online language learning forums. Use them to post your questions. Write down sentences then post them and ask for help in correcting them.

10. Practice speaking with your dog. This may seem weird, but it is perfect because dogs can’t tell the difference and it gives you a chance to voice your language out loud without embarrassment.

AnnaLaura Brown is a successful team leader in an international organization. She has a MA in French. She can be contacted through her website . She also runs an ecourse on online marketing

Article Source: Free Web Content Articles | Article Directory and Catalog .:. ArticleCat.com

In the pipeline means...

...in progress, or being organized at the moment.

Englastuces examples:

• Forget the first offer; we have something else in the pipeline.
• Do you think they have products in the pipeline?
• There's a deal in the pipeline, I'm sure of it.
• Ronaldo has more chances of scoring in the pipeline, as Brazil plays France in the Saturday quarterfinal.
• I don't think clean energy is in the pipeline yet. We will have to use oil for a long time.
  

Examples on the Internet:

• Processes in the pipeline are initiated and monitored by a process control. [www.adass.org]
• Trade union mergers in the pipeline. A number of trade union mergers are under consideration in Norway. [www.eiro.eurofound.ie]
• The United States has a handful of large satellites in the pipeline to serve individual companies. [www.nasaspaceflight.com]
• Process objects are the modules in the pipeline. [http://brighton.ncsa.uiuc.edu]
• Many of the products in the pipeline are the fruits of collaborations. [www.aidsinfonyc.org]

Definitions:

• www.answers.com
• www.usingenglish.com
• http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com
• http://dictionary.cambridge.org
• www.allwords.com

Synonym of "in the pipeline": in the works

What the doctor really means

What the Doctor says
What the Doctor REALLY means

"This should be taken care of right away."
"I'd planned a trip to Kenya next week but this is so easy and profitable that I want to fix it before it cures itself."

"We'll see."
"I have to check my malpractice insurance first."

"Let me check your medical history."
"I want to see if you've paid your last bill before spending any more time with you."

"Why don't we make another appointment later in the week."
"I'm playing golf this afternoon, and this is a waste of time."

"I don't think seeing a chiropractor would help you right now."
"I hate those guys mooching in on our fees."

"Well, well."
"I haven't the foggiest idea of what to do, but I'm trying to appear thoughtful while hoping the nurse will interrupt."

"We have some good news and some bad news."
"The good news is that I'm going to buy that new Audi 400, and the bad news is that you're going to pay for it."

"Let me schedule you for some tests."
"The lab belongs to my brother-in-law."

"I'd like to have my associate look at you."
"He's going through a messy divorce and owes me a small fortune."

"I'd like to prescribe a new drug."
"I'm writing a paper and would like to use you as a guinea pig."

"If it doesn't clear up in a week, give me a call."
"I don't know what the hell it is. Let's hope it'll go away by itself."

"That's quite a nasty looking wound."
"I think I'm going to throw up."

"This may hurt a little."
"Your mouth is next to my ear. No yelling, please."

"Well, we're not feeling so well today, are we?"
"I can't remember your name, nor why you're here."

"Everything seems to be normal."
"I guess I can't buy that new beach condo after all."

"I'd like to run some more tests."
"I can't figure out what's wrong. Maybe the kid in the lab can solve this one."

"Do you suppose all of this stress could be affecting your nerves?"
"I think you are crazy and I hope to find a psychiatrist who will split fees."

"There is a lot of that going around."
"My God, that's the third one this week. I'd better learn something about this."

3 June 2006 Quote

"It is not hard to learn more. What is hard is to unlearn, when you discover yourself wrong."
~~Martin H. Fischer

Frenchless English again

Two years ago, on 12 May 2004 to be exact, I posted the article below. It was at the time Americans were bashing the French for disagreeing with the decision to go after Saddam Hussein of Iraq. It's been a while since then, and Mr Hussein has had or having his trial. The language part of that debate lives on, however. Here is what I had said (with a few modifications) :

How possible is English without French influence? Ridiculous question, isn't it? Why even consider the possibility? Well, someone figured, if we're gonna name French fries Freedom fries, and so on, why not go ahead and speak the English language without French, full-stop? The result is interesting, to say the least, and it's the Christian Science Monitor that shows it to us.

The Franco-American dispute falling out over the best approach way to disarming Iraq take away Iraq's weapons has resulted in perhaps the highest level of anti-French feeling in the United States Lands since 1763. [ Source... ]

My big point is, are we then supposed to say,

Freedom bean for the common kidney bean,
Freedom pox for syphilis,
Freedom window for a door with transparent panels extending its full length,
Freedom honeysuckle for the garland honeysuckle,
Freedom horn for the cor de chasse,
Freedom leave for an informal, hasty, departure without permission,
Freedom tub for a plum tub,
Freedom toast for a slice of bread dipped in egg and milk and fried,
Freedom vermouth for white wines flavoured with aromatic herbs,
Freedomboro for that town in Hancock county, Maine?
And how utterly unromantic is the mere thought of having a "Freedom kiss" in order to use a "Freedom letter" afterward!

Hotel California, The Eagles

On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be Heaven or this could be Hell
Then she lit up a candle
And she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
Any time of year
You can find it here
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany twisted
She's got the Mercedes Benz
She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain
Please bring me my wine
He said
We haven't had that spirit here since 1969
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely Place
Such a lovely Place
Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
What a nice surprise
Bring your alibies

Mirrors on the ceiling
Pink champagne on ice
And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman
We are programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave

You know the song, you probably like the song, so why not sing it? Singing is an easy and pleasurable way of picking up language. The reason is that there's very little effort involved, it is something we do already (driving, showering, relaxing), and it is fun as opposed to boring (book exercises are boring, for example). You can get many more song lyrics on the Internet. Why not make it a habit? Tell yourself, "I like this song, so I'm gonna get the lyrics and sing it."

Free English Lessons

The Internet is full of free stuff [?]. No charge. Gratis. Freebies. One of these free things on the Internet is English lessons, which you can receive by e-mail if you wish. The e-teacher [?] gives you the opportunity of stopping the subscription [?] whenever you desire.

Receiving e-lessons in your e-mail inbox is interesting because it's free, but also because the regular e-mail forces you to study English regularly. We're all always busy with this and with that; if we don't take pains to study a language, then we don't study that language. It's like telling yourself you'll read more in English. The truth is that if you don't actually [?] subscribe to an English magazine, then you won't read in English.

• English Baby has some free online lessons (not e-mail lessons). Click on "View Lesson" to do a lesson.
• World English sends you free English lessons by e-mail. They say that "this service is completely free and does not require [?] any sort of membership."
• Other free lessons are at English Learner, Better English, My English Teacher and many more.
  

A bitter pill to swallow...

... is something that is hard to accept.

Englastuces examples:

• Losing the match was a bitter pill to swallow.
• The truth is a bitter pill to swallow at this moment.
• The recent tax increase is a bitter pill to swallow.
• I know this is a bitter pill to swallow, but I have to agree.

Examples on the Internet:

• Haqqani's appointment by Mullah Omar is a bitter pill to swallow both for Omar and the Pakistani establishment. [www.business-standard.com]
  
• This is a bitter pill to swallow, especially given how hard Oregonians have fought to get this far. [www.opinionjournal.com]
• Humility is a bitter pill to swallow, but it will inoculate you against critiques that you have not done enough for peace. [www.occupationalhazard.org]
• The 2-1 loss in the FA cup semi final against Arsenal was a bitter pill to swallow. After I scored the equaliser to bring the game to 1-1, I felt like we had the momentum to go on and win the game. [www.thefa.com]

24 May 2006 Quote

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
~~Chinese proverb

Some, Any, Ago: right or wrong?

Most learners I know always have a problem or two with Some, Any and Ago. Try this quiz to see if you're OK. Try to revise the rules just before. This quiz if for everyone from beginner to advanced, though advanced learners will find it "easy."

1. Do you have any money?

right
wrong


2. I haven't seen anybody yet.

right
wrong


3. She hasn't got some kids.

right
wrong


4. I came to France 10 years ago.

right
wrong


5. She needs any of the documents.

right
wrong


6. Tom hasn't seen some examples yet.

right
wrong


7. There weren't some questions, so we went home.

right
wrong


8. I think I've seen her somewhere.

right
wrong


9. I'll talk to you a minute ago.

right
wrong


10. There isn't something in this box.

right
wrong

If you wanna try some other quizzes, then here are two relevant links:

-- http://a4esl.org
-- www.better-english.com

Séjours Linguistiques comparés

L'Internaute compares seven language excursions for children. The criteria looked at are the following, 1. Langues 2. Âge 3. Type de séjour 4. Prix TTC (à partir de) and 5. Notre avis. [www.linternaute.com]

For example, one of the destinations teaches English, German, Spanish to children aged 8 to 18 years. There are both sports and linguistic activities at a price of 1400€ to 1800€. L'internaute says this about the place:

Les séjours linguistiques : Action Séjours. Certifié NF organisateurs de séjours linguistiques délivré par l’AFNOR. Pour les cours de langue, cette or...
Lire la suite

The kind of learner you are

Before you begin the study of language, of biology, or of history, you need to know what kind of learner you are. Knowing this will help you maximise your effort successfully toward one goal: speaking a language or passing a biology or history test.

If I'm a learner, I need to know if I learn better when things are written down, if I know something after hearing it once, a few times or many times, if I prefer grammar rules learned by heart, or if I prefer not to memorise grammar rules? What strategies did I prefer to use at school?

There is a vast difference for the learner between learning a language and studying biology or history. The best way to learn a language is to live in the country where that language is spoken. That's because when you live there you're surrounded by that language through the radio, TV, newspapers, the person in the street, everything and everybody using that language. You can't live in England, America or Australia? Then surround yourself artificially with English.

This tends to work for all kinds of learners. In other words, it is like using many different approaches or strategies. Read books and magazines, listen to the radio and watch television, speak as much as possible to friends, colleagues, bar-tenders or the lost tourist in the tube, write as often as possible, use the Internet, and make sure that your Yahoo! or Google Personalised home is in English.

Without this sort of initial analysis, you may put in long hours studying, but with little learning. So, what kind of learner are you? It is important, before you really begin, to know the kind of learner you are. For more information, visit Learn English and read this Oregon Labor Market Information System article.

14 May 2006 Quote

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."
~~Clay P. Bedford

Write e-mail easily

Most of us have to write letters, e-mail or facsimiles at work. If your company is a multinational, then you may have to write in a language other than your mother tongue, probably English. Don't panic. You must train yourself to do this in a systematic way.

Everytime you have to write in English, think out the procedure (2 minutes), write down some notes (3 minutes), write the first draft (5-10 minutes), check the first draft (5-10 minutes), and write the final draft. Of course it depends on the kind of document you're writing. Is it an e-mail to a counterpart, or a letter asking a client to pay an outstanding bill?

You also have a lot of help on the Internet. There are ready-made documents, and there are programs that help you write. Let's look at them one by one. A good site for ready made phrases is Secrétaire Bilingue. First you choose your topic: réclamations, salutations, promotions commerciales, and so on. Then you choose the phrase that is appropriate to your message, and copy it to your document.

Veuillez nous indiquer vos prix pour XX articles, modèle XYZ. Would you be so kind as to quote us a price for XX pieces, model XYZ

Accordez-vous une remise pour les commandes en grosse quantité? Do you grant a discount for bulk orders?

Veuillez trouver ci-joint notre devis pour... Please find enclosed our quotation for...

Les prix cités dans le catalogue de l'année dernière sont-ils encore en vigueur? Are the prices quoted in last year's catalogue still valid?

Adapted from Secrétaire Bilingue, prix et devis

It is easier and much more professional on the website. The other tool is a letter generator. You choose the kind of document you want to generate, insert some data (names, dates), and generate an email or a letter. The website is called ego4u.

Adjectives of Nationality

People from X are called Y... In France, people from different towns have town adjectives: Those who live in Paris are called Parisians, those who live in Chantilly are Cantiliens, and so on. The smallest, one-horse town seems to have an adjective for its inhabitants. This quiz isn't about towns but countries. How many adjectives of nationality do you know? A person from X is a/an ...?

1. Germany

Germaner
Deutschman
German


2. Sweden

Swedish
Swedisher
Swede


3. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean
Zimbabwer
Rhodesian


4. Denmark

Dane
Danish
Danisher


5. Scotland

Scottish
Scottisher
Scot


6. Wales

Walesman
Welshman
Welsh


7. Lesotho ;)

Mosotho
Lesothan
Basothos


8. France

French
Frenchman
Gaulman


9. Japan

Japaner
Nippon
Japanese


10. Thailand

Thaiman
Thailander
Thai

After you look at your score, click on the "give me more" button to learn more about adjectives of nationality. You can also try these other quizzes:

-- www.nonstopenglish.com
-- http://a4esl.org

8 May 2006 Quote

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.
~~Eartha Kitt

Describing Trends and Graphs

Describing trends is an important tool when making presentations. This quiz is for post-intermediate and advanced learners, but everyone is free to try it. Use it to test your skills.

 

1. Which of these verbs goes up?

take off
slip
plummet


2. What does the noun "surge" define?

a stable trend
a downward trend
an upward trend


3. "Prices levelled off in January" means that...

Prices went up
Prices remained stable
Prices went down


4. Choose the greatest degree of change

They fell dramatically
They fell slightly
They fell somewhat


5. Choose the fastest change

We'll raise them gradually
We'll raise them quickly
We'll raise them abruptly


6. What does curve mean?

Graph
Pie
Stable


7. Which of the following is incorrect?

It increased by 6.85%
It increased to 6.85%
It increased in 6.85%


8. What does "bottom out" mean?

Rising, then falling
falling, then remaining stable
Falling, then rising


9. What does "reach a plateau" mean?

Rising, then remaining stable
Rising, then falling
Falling, then remaining stable


10. To nosedive is to...

Fall
Rise
Remain stable

Here are some links for further study. Come back for another quiz soon.

-- http://adw.hct.ac.ae
-- http://www.eclecticenglish.com (uses an applet)

English is easy to learn

English is not only the most useful language in the world. It is also one of the easiest languages to learn and to use:

• Simple alphabet — no special symbols such as é or ä. Type in sweet, part, film on your computer. Now try süß (German), (Polish), (Russian). Which is easier?
• Easy plurals — simply add s to a word. One car, five cars; one telephone, two telephones... There are very few exceptions.
• Words are easy to learn. In French, it's la fille and le chien. In German, it's das Mädchen and der Hund. In English, they're just a girl and a dog. And that's all you need to know.
• Short words. Most of the basic words are short: run, work, big, go, man. Long words are often shortened: sitcom = situational comedy, fridge = refrigerator, OS = operating system. Speaking English saves you time. :-)
• Words don't change. But in many languages, one word has many forms:

o English: The man is blind.
o German: Der Mann ist blind.
o English: This is a blind man.
o German: Das ist ein blinder Mann.
o English: I see a blind man.
o German: Ich sehe einen blinden Mann.

• Call everybody "you". You can say "Do you speak English?" to your friend or to your teacher. In other languages, you have to use the right word for the right person. In English, everybody is equal. :-)
• English is everywhere. You can easily access English-language television, music, websites, magazines, etc. You don't have to learn from boring textbooks. You can learn and use your English at the same time. Using your English is especially important because it increases your desire to learn. [from www.antimoon.com]
  

L'Agenda Partagé

One of the activities I'm currently involved in is running a language centre. Language centres can be highly valuable to a company, provided they're run right. They can provide a variety of centralised services such as

• Tutoring
• Linguistic hotline
• Language laboratory
• Translating and Interpreting
• Classical lessons (présentiel)
• E-learning activities (distanciel)
• etc.
  

For such a language centre to run smoothly and properly, the material and equipment necessary need to be there, and they need to be functioning. Otherwise the whole thing ends up providing a lesser service. However, sometimes one finds non-official solutions. Tiens, I've got a few things to juggle, one of them being planning for the multitude of activities on offer.

I'd initially wanted to use Outlook®, but Outlook® needs one to have access to admin and intranet codes, and companies rarely give those to service providers like us. In comes the Google Calendar. Brilliant. You can use it like any normal online diary, and you can share it, too, with colleagues and students.

It has suddenly become easy for me to have the students themselves booking rooms and tutor sessions, whereas previously I was obliged to call them one by one. I recommend this calendar for the language centre, and I recommend it highly, for tutors who have no access codes to company servers. "Google a prévu les relations avec d'autres utilisateurs de Google Calendar :

• on peut partager son calendrier en le rendant accessible à certaines personnes ou à tout le monde en le rendant public
• on peut s'abonner au calendrier d'autres personnes
• on peut chercher des événements parmi les calendriers rendus publics
• chaque calendrier dispose d'un flux RSS (également disponible au format iCal). www.webrankinfo.com"

Click.tv

You're watching a video, and you decide to comment a particular scene: you can. You decide to read comments left by others: you can. You're using Click TV, which "provides a new user interface for web video that is far more interactive and participative than the common Play/Pause interface. Besides clicking Play or Pause, Click TV users can also click on hypertext Comment entries to discover more quickly what a video is about. If they would like, users can also add their own blog-like Comments linked to points inside a video. Note that Click TV's hypertext Comments enable search and advertising to a particular point inside the video, not just to the entire video." [www.digitalhollywood.com] That means a lot for the learner, and it increases possibilities for the trainer.



Learn more about Click TV:

• http://click.tv/
• http://janeknight.typepad.com
• http://www.techcrunch.com

Set realistic goals

"It is natural to feel uncomfortable in a language class. You're used to being in classes where the mode of communication -- the language of instruction -- is a given. In a language course, however, it is the mode of communication itself that is the focus of instruction. For this reason, a language course is different than most other courses you will ever take. Not understanding and making mistakes -- things that are negative learning indicators in other courses -- are a very natural part of the language learning process. Accept the fact that you will not understand everything. In fact, at the very beginning, you will not understand much at all.

Remember that during the initial period of adaptation your ear and your mind are adjusting to the sounds and the rhythm of the language. Though you will not understand all of what is being said, you will be amazed at your increasing ability to make sense of the language. Remember that the only way to learn the language is through practice, practice, and more practice; in the course of practicing you will make many errors … and you will learn from them [www.vistawide.com]."

Learn with films

In order to improve your listening skills, go to the movies, watch television and listen to the radio. In fact, listen to anything and anyone, as long as they're using the target language. Movies on DVD are convenient for several reasons. You can watch them many times, and you can choose subtitles or no subtitles. I'm referring to subtitles in English.

Watch a movie in English with French subtitles. Know the story. Then watch the movie with English subtitles. Learn as many expressions and words as possible, without necessarily confining them to memory. Watch the film with no subtitles at all and try to understand as much as you can. Problems? Switch back and forth from no subtitles to English subtitles, until you understand the problem sentence or expression. Watch the whole film.

Lastly, tape the film onto an audio cassette or a CD-ROM for your car, and "watch" it without the benefit of the picture. You'll be amazed at how much you'll suddenly understand. It is better to go through this whole procedure many times with one film, than to use several films without going through the procedure completely. While you're doing the exercise, don't hesitate to pronounce and say the words and expressions with the actors in the movie.

Have your audio tape/CD-ROM near you at all times. Listen to it at work, in your car, when jogging, and so on. Before long, the words and expressions used in the movie will become yours. And the cerise sur le gateau is that the exercise will improve your accent. When you're satisfied with the work done, get another movie.

A little everyday

"Try to set aside some time every day for your studies, ideally when your brain is at its most receptive. It's better to study for 30 minutes every day than for 3 hours once a week. If you can spare an hour a day, break it up into two or three sessions to avoid brain overload [www.omniglot.com]."

Fast learners, more white matter

"Fast language learners have more white matter and less symmetrical brains, a new scanning study has revealed.

[...]

Those in the study who were quickest to hear subtle differences in sounds from a foreign language were found to have the greatest amount of white, fatty tissue in a brain region responsible for sound processing [www.newscientist.com]."