Want to Make Language Learning Easier? Rhymes to the Rescue!

Learning a foreign language can be enjoyable - but exasperating. Anything you can do to accelerate learning or make language acquisition more enjoyable is a valuable weapon in your learning arsenal. Kathy Steinemann of a-language-guide shares a helpful and unique approach to this challenge.

Take a look at the following two sections of text:

Version 1

The sky is blue today. I'm sitting on the beach. A bully kicks sand in my face. Too bad for him! Here come my bodyguards!

Version 2

One, two, a sky so blue. Three, four, a sandy shore. Five, six, a bully kicks. Seven, eight, he's sealed his fate. Nine, ten, here come my gunmen!

Now go back and re-read the verses.

Did you notice that you have already started to anticipate what comes next in the second version?

Conclusion: It is easier to memorize rhyming poetry than to memorize prose.

So what implication does this have for learning a foreign language?

If you memorize well-written *modern* foreign language poetry, you can accelerate your learning curve. (Notice the keyword 'modern'.)

Poetry written in the 18th Century may have deep cultural and educational significance. However, words penned to page over 300 years ago will utilize obsolete vocabulary, spelling, and grammar formations.

As an example: consider the popular King James Version of the Bible. If you started using 'thee' and 'thou' in your daily speech, people would understand you - but they would treat you like an alien in a time warp.

You can search the internet for poetry written by contemporary authors. Try searches like:

parallel translation poetry

parallel translation poems

parallel translation poems German English

parallel translation poems French English

parallel translation poetry Italian English

parallel translation poetry Spanish English

Substitute search terms as necessary with the name of the specific language you are studying. Review the webpages you find with a tutor, professor, or knowledgeable person to determine grammar and vocabulary suitability.

Attempt to have the poetry dictated and recorded by a native language speaker. Softly recite the poetry while you listen to the recordings. This will improve your verbalization skills. With luck, you may find online audio for some of the poetry.

Are you a budding poet? Try creating foreign language poems yourself.

No poetic talent? Attempt the following simple approach. If you are learning German, for example, you might produce a 'poem' like this:

the dog - der Hund ......... the mouth - der Mund

the air - die Luft .......... the scent - der Duft

to buzz - summen .......... to growl - brummen

little - klein .......... clean - rein

to brood - grübeln ........... to iron - bügeln

You don't have to worry about grammar - just definitions, pronunciations, gender, and spelling. Alcor (alcor.com.au) has several rhyming dictionaries that can assist you with this process.

If you have an audio dictionary on your computer, listen carefully to the pronunciation of each word. There are also excellent online dictionaries with audio.

Now produce your own poetry recording using audio capture software.

 - First, dictate each English word or phrase and save as an individual file.

 - Next, save foreign language audio clips from your dictionary or from the internet.

 - Now load your audio capture software and play the files in the correct order. Try to create short productions of a minute or two in duration.

 - Edit if necessary to eliminate excessive pauses or add definite articles.

 - Finally, convert to MP3 or WMA. Now you can use your iPod or portablemedia player for something besides music.

The 21st Century is a wonderful time to be learning a foreign language!

 

TV - A Good Way to Learn a New Language?

In this article the author looks at value of watching TV in a foreign language in the context of learning a new language.

One of the easiest ways nowadays to get access to a foreign language is through TV. There is a multitude of satellite channels available in a large number of languages.

So is it a good idea? It can certainly help. One of the positives of course is that you can get to hear the language spoken very naturally. You can hear inflexions, accents and the sounds. What is even better is that it is usually a standard version of the language. What’s more news stories tend to quite short and usually we can find the same type of stories in our own language, especially international stories.

The trouble of course is that if you are a beginner it is really hard work. In fact for elementary or less-advanced learners it can be very tiring trying to listen to a language they are learning. Subtitles of course can give us a support to help us more clearly identify what is being said. Unfortunately with TV subtitles don’t always match exactly what the speaker says.

But even subtitles are not such a bad thing. We still benefit from listening to the sounds even when we are reading the subtitles. Think of how people who are not native speaker speak your native tongue. It usually reflects their own language and ways of saying things. By exposing our ears to the rhythm and sounds of the new language we still get some benefit.

So what can we do? Here are some thoughts

• Start with news programmes.
• Use subtitles when you watch.
• Record the news and watch replay of the stories. International stories tend to be better for this.
• Read the same in your own language.
• Pick some words out of what you have heard and find out what they mean.

Language learning takes a lot of time. Sometimes for every step forward we jump back a step or two as we learn new things. Either way anything we can do to help ourselves can only be good. So be patient and enjoy. -Ken Obrien of EducatedLinks.com

 

5 Tools To Jumpstart Language Learning

1. IPOD

The Ipod is one of the most effective and my favorite tools currently available for the language self learner. Immersion, and actually listening to a language is one of the most important steps in language learning and we don't all have the time to spend months in a foreign speaking land to master a language. There are a wealth of options now available, from listen and repeat audio language learning programs, to podcasts. There are also programs available that can include useful phrases within your ipod for a number of languages for reference on the road. Practice is also essential for language mastery and the Ipod provides us more opportunities for casual fun practice so that daily progress is a pleasure rather than a chore.

 

2. Pimsleur Method Language Programs

Pimsleur is simply a great program for beginners in any language. It is effective, and one of the best ways to practice mastering the accent of a native speaker. The programs are precise, and teach useful phrases that you could see yourself using in a real life conversation. It is a hear and repeat type audio program and is a great starting point because it is a confidence builder. By the end of the programs you will be able to have a simple conversation and it helps with phrase and vocabulary recognition.The most important contribution of the program is that it will leave you feeling confident that you can and will be successful. In my current learning of Russian, this program helped me get my tongue around some of the unfamiliar sounds and phrases and really set me on the right track for success.

Visit this link for information on how to Start Learning a New Language in the Next 30 minutes ..

3. Before You Know It (BYKI 3.6)

I am simply thrilled with this program. It is brilliant in its simplicity. It is essentially a flashcard learning program for practice. As a practice aid it is indespensable! It uses and like flashcards you begin to practice the vocabulary that you are trying to learn, with accompanying pronunciation audio. Why is it so brilliant you ask? Would not simple flashcards suffice? A couple reasons I am very pleased with this program. For starters it keeps track of when how many times you were not correct iin recalling the translation word or phrase, and then those phrases you are having difficulty with will repeat with more frequency until its ingrained in your brain. Also, it does not allow you to cheat yourself by skipping certain words that you are having trouble remembering. It really is effective. And arguably its most brilliant feature is its customizability. It allows you to create additional lists of words and phrases that are pertinent to you and what you are working on. These lists can then be published for others to use and you can download other peoples lists making it much more powerful than it at first seems!

4. Good Ol' Fashioned Grammar Book

At some point learning the fundamentals of grammar for your studied language is essential. I think it is a good idea to get some basic vocabulary and conversational proficiency before tackling grammar, it is too easy to get lost or intimidated with it if it is used as a starting point. Grammar need not be as intimidating as all that, with increased proficiency a grammar book or guide will become an essential reference point and provide the learner with countless 'Aha!' moments in their reading. Grammar mastery is essential to provide you with the flexibility of expression you desire at higher levels of fluency. If you are a language sadist, like myself, you might even grow to like researching the finer points of grammar in your chosen language!

5. Translation Dictionary

Maybe not in the beginning, maybe not all the time, but at some point a translation dictionary as a reference will be essential. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you need not be expected to learn the entire vocabulary range of a new language either. With practice familiarity will be gained, but an unrecognized word need not be a source of frustration but rather a chance at discovery. Language vocabulary is a lifelong journey, and this book will see much use over the years. I recommend a more expansive book rather than smaller travel sizes. This can vary depending on your proficiency levels, but I find I can always write down an unfamiliar word and return to find its meaning later when I am out and about. I would rather a single dictionary that will last me a lifetime then a smaller travel sized that I will outgrow.

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The Rosetta Stone: Translation... Garbage.

I first began my relationship with Rosetta Stone when I first decided to learn a new language. The Rosetta Stone programs have a very strong marketing presence. The programs are sold at most airports, they can be found on the internet, in print articles. It sells itself as a revolutionary method of learning a foreign language, a 'proven, effective, and comprehensive solution to learning a foreign language.'

This program nearly singlehandedly killed my love of languages.

I shelved my suite of Rosetta Stone languages for the time, deciding maybe it was useful, but just not for the beginning student learning a foreign language. I returned to the programs determined to give them a second chance. I am left thoroughly unimpressed.

The program consists of a 'intuitive' lessons in which four images are shown and the user chooses which image matches the foreign word or answers the phrase spoken or read..

The first difficulty with the program, is that it can drive the user to madness at times attempting to understand what the program is referring to. In the above photos, the people could be considered in the canoe, paddling the canoe, boating, drifting.... You are never left with the confidence of an exact understanding of what you are learning! It robs you of the feeling of progress! A user simply stumbles along guessing at times, and you are never quite sure if you truly understand what the word refers to. The problem with this method is that it leads a learner away from a state of confidence with the language and the foundations being learned. You might recall some vocabulary, you might remember some phrases, but this will leave you woefully underprepared in a real life speaking experience. Perhaps a simple list would better suit my complaints against this program.

• Grammar is never explained.
• It is unclear what the text refers to.
• Vocabulary recall is associated to images rather than understanding.
• Images used are generic and dont reference the languages culture.
• $200-500 depending on level of program. -You have got to be kidding me!

Yes, thats right, did you notice that last bullet point? A single level of the program in your chosen language usually runs about $199 or higher. All three levels cost as much as $500. The absurdity of this price to value just leaves me astounded when there are much much better more effective programs out there for learning a foreign language at a much more affordable price. The Pimsleur programs and Michel Thomas are two that immediately come to mind. Both of which are far more effective at introducing the learner to the new sounds, vocabulary, and phrases, of the language being learned.

Do yourself a favor, if you are serious about learning a foreign language, avoid the Rosetta Stone programs. Your money is much better spent elsewhere...

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