This post builds upon the last one, in which I talked about the "Flags collected" myth.
I think, that the point to which you want to progress in a language depends upon the way you need to (or intend to ) use it. For a person living in, say China, even if in a perfectly Ex-pat environment the need to the Chinese language would only be limited to be able to, say tourist-talk or bargaining and ordering food in a restaurant; this vocabulary and need would be perfectly fulfilled by the popular "Phrase books" which teach us just that.
Whereas for a person, who regularly has to interact with the Chinese people, as in business or friendship, then it would be quite arrogant and ignorant of the person, not to learn the language and still sticking to the basic Phrases. It doesn't work like that, 'cos the reality of this person is different. In order to form meaningful relationship in this situation, the person really needs to make an effort to reach over this barrier.
The reality of A.L.L ( Average Language Learner ) is the main factor which should be considered while learning a language. If you are pursuing a proper degree in a particular language then you should focus more upon that vocabulary or those linguistic-cultural paradigms ( letter writing, articles etc ). It would make no sense for a person who is in say, Vietnam or Spain, for couple of months to learn the name of all the common trees or vegetables and compare one's knowledge to a native speaker. That's counter productive, but of course if it catches your fancy, do it any way. We are you know, amazing people, we would do unbelievable things if we just feel inspired enough to do them.
But in general, if we are starting out in a language, we should focus upon the our own reality. Once again, " You can only learn, what you already know"; understand this one and live by it. If you have been involved in business as a career, by all means, apart from the set-phrases; learn within the context of what you already know and understand. If you are an artist, explore art in the language of your choice.
How I use my own Reality to my advantage ?
Well, I have always been a reader, I love reading and exploring literature of various cultures and enjoy reading various genres. So, I would pick a book which I have previously read in English and which I know by heart say Harry Potter or Alchemist; trust me if the target language uses Latin/Greek/Cyrillic or similar set of alphabets, I can learn the language through these books !! You know, why 'cos of all those years of Harry Potter movies and Novels, I came to know these books by heart and I understand what the context is, how the story progresses. So, with a little effort I can correlate new information with what I already know.
Of course, this would work with any book I have read previously. But it is a wonderful fact that Harry Potter is one of the most printed books ever, which essentially means that it has been translated in the most languages and it is only surpassed by the Bible !! So, you can even use the Bible, I guess but the language of the Bible ( or any other such text) has become too loaded and outdated with time. You don't use "thou" in English any more, so why not focus more upon a more recent and contemporary text.
Another wonderful resource which I rely upon is Science and Programming textbooks, once I have grasped enough of the language so as to move toward more real content. Then I can move onto the more interesting Documentaries and shows in the language. Another great interest of mine is History, which every culture is so passionate about, it's an awesome feeling to be able to understand why a certain tradition is the way it is . Wikipedia is awesome too, but it is subjective 'cos, well, two countries at war in the past or present would view the events differently and thus would portray it differently as well. So, Wikipedia is awesome for later stages but not so much in the initial ones; but ofc you can still use the Wikipedia pages to read about famous people and events and see how it all correlates and how a culture interprets those events. It's quite interesting actually;P
If like me, you have the freedom to study whatever and whenever you want, learn what you already know. This way, you learn a new language and at the same time you can revise the important stuff without even getting bored for a second. Languages enrich you endlessly and in innumerable ways;P
Make it fun;P
I think, that the point to which you want to progress in a language depends upon the way you need to (or intend to ) use it. For a person living in, say China, even if in a perfectly Ex-pat environment the need to the Chinese language would only be limited to be able to, say tourist-talk or bargaining and ordering food in a restaurant; this vocabulary and need would be perfectly fulfilled by the popular "Phrase books" which teach us just that.
Whereas for a person, who regularly has to interact with the Chinese people, as in business or friendship, then it would be quite arrogant and ignorant of the person, not to learn the language and still sticking to the basic Phrases. It doesn't work like that, 'cos the reality of this person is different. In order to form meaningful relationship in this situation, the person really needs to make an effort to reach over this barrier.
The reality of A.L.L ( Average Language Learner ) is the main factor which should be considered while learning a language. If you are pursuing a proper degree in a particular language then you should focus more upon that vocabulary or those linguistic-cultural paradigms ( letter writing, articles etc ). It would make no sense for a person who is in say, Vietnam or Spain, for couple of months to learn the name of all the common trees or vegetables and compare one's knowledge to a native speaker. That's counter productive, but of course if it catches your fancy, do it any way. We are you know, amazing people, we would do unbelievable things if we just feel inspired enough to do them.
But in general, if we are starting out in a language, we should focus upon the our own reality. Once again, " You can only learn, what you already know"; understand this one and live by it. If you have been involved in business as a career, by all means, apart from the set-phrases; learn within the context of what you already know and understand. If you are an artist, explore art in the language of your choice.
How I use my own Reality to my advantage ?
Well, I have always been a reader, I love reading and exploring literature of various cultures and enjoy reading various genres. So, I would pick a book which I have previously read in English and which I know by heart say Harry Potter or Alchemist; trust me if the target language uses Latin/Greek/Cyrillic or similar set of alphabets, I can learn the language through these books !! You know, why 'cos of all those years of Harry Potter movies and Novels, I came to know these books by heart and I understand what the context is, how the story progresses. So, with a little effort I can correlate new information with what I already know.
Of course, this would work with any book I have read previously. But it is a wonderful fact that Harry Potter is one of the most printed books ever, which essentially means that it has been translated in the most languages and it is only surpassed by the Bible !! So, you can even use the Bible, I guess but the language of the Bible ( or any other such text) has become too loaded and outdated with time. You don't use "thou" in English any more, so why not focus more upon a more recent and contemporary text.
Another wonderful resource which I rely upon is Science and Programming textbooks, once I have grasped enough of the language so as to move toward more real content. Then I can move onto the more interesting Documentaries and shows in the language. Another great interest of mine is History, which every culture is so passionate about, it's an awesome feeling to be able to understand why a certain tradition is the way it is . Wikipedia is awesome too, but it is subjective 'cos, well, two countries at war in the past or present would view the events differently and thus would portray it differently as well. So, Wikipedia is awesome for later stages but not so much in the initial ones; but ofc you can still use the Wikipedia pages to read about famous people and events and see how it all correlates and how a culture interprets those events. It's quite interesting actually;P
If like me, you have the freedom to study whatever and whenever you want, learn what you already know. This way, you learn a new language and at the same time you can revise the important stuff without even getting bored for a second. Languages enrich you endlessly and in innumerable ways;P
Make it fun;P
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