Teach English in Machenglindian Chachang - Huanggang Shi

For a student focusing on self-studying a language, they must determine their objectives and goals, and take responsibility for the rest of their language learning. The learner must choose methods of instruction from correct grammar to vocabulary words through trial and error. In an essay by Edward Allen, he mentions that “the aim of these procedures is to build up the student’s ability to use the language as a vehicle for meaningful conversation.” The techniques that the student uses will determine their chances of success and of being able to speak the language in a proper way. If the student does not spend enough time learning the language, they cannot be sure if the methods they are using will work effectively. A particular language technique that many use is to consult a bilingual dictionary. This method is effective but it will not help in remembering the word the learner searched for. The most effective way to remember extensive vocabulary is to practice strenuous conversations with people that speak the target language since language learning requires a lot of repetition and practice. One of the reasons why children have a better chance of being fluent in a language they are learning is because children do not feel embarrassment when they try to speak to another person. If they do not know a certain word for that particular conversation, they will keep trying to explain with either other words, saying it in their first language, or demonstrating with their hands. While adults avoid having conversations with others in fear of making a mistake, or offending the other. It is said that an hour of conversation is as good as five hours in a classroom. Another technique learners use is to write down a word they do not understand in a sentence. Formulating sentences will evoke memories of their personal experiences and will link the word to situations that they have gone through. Making it so that the learner remembers the word better. This being because minds place a lot of priority on memories that have emotions tied to them. In the classroom or in self-study, language requires a lot of repetition and commitment. Studies have found that the 1,000 most used words make up 80% of a language. There needs to be a time period in which the learner is completely focused in learning these words (along with grammatical rules), because if they pause on their language learning constantly it will take them years of study to even get remotely close to a basic comprehension of the language. After the first 100 words, the student should focus on becoming conversational. Their goal should be to maintain a complete conversation with a speaker of their target language of choice, without using a dictionary and/or translator. A rather useful technique is to figure out the pronunciation patterns of the language that is being studied. Many languages have a similar pronunciation pattern, especially Latin-based languages. This makes it useful for learners of Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, etc., to pronounce words correctly if their mother tongue is also Latin-based. Combining most of these techniques, the learner should be able to learn to speak a foreign language without much difficulty. All they need is a good teacher (if they are not self-studying), a bilingual dictionary, a foreigner to practice their target language with, and a list of the 1,000 most used words. References Holec, H. (1979). Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Manson, M. (2012). Mark Manson. 22 tips for learning a foreign language: https://markmanson.net/foreign-language Weiler, A. (2019). Strategies in Language Learning. https://www.strategiesinlanguagelearning.com/