202 Useful Exercises for IELTS Side1-08-Ex1.8Lecture1

 Can   a new language be learnt in six weeks  as  some courses promise?Learning a language is not an easy task,1   though   the   reason   why   it   is   so   difficult   cannot   be   explained   without   an   understanding   of how   human   language   isacquired,   and unfortunately,   no-one knows  exactly how it is done.  Linguists 1 have  many theories,  but it is  stilla mystery and one that may never be fully   solved.  Since hard and fast facts  about first language  acquisition 2 arein short supply, it is not surprising to find that there are numerous competing theories on how best to learn a secondor third language. One thing is certain,  though,   it doesn't happen overnight.   Or does  it?

One theory that has been promoted for some years now is that of subliminal 3 language learning - taking words intoyour mind while not consciously aware of them. Play a cassette tape of words and phrases you wish to learn whileyou are asleep or perhaps while driving a car. It doesn't matter if you listen to them or not,  or even if the wordsare within your normal range of hearing. Your brain will 'hear' the words and store them deep within your mind,ready for easier extraction   when you   practice  certain exercises  containing  those  words   and phrases.

The  argument goes  like this:   when you learnt your own   language you   had been spoken to  and were constantlyexposed to words  in that language from the  day you were born and possibly even before you were born.Yes,babies react to words spoken to them inside the mother's womb. This constant exposure ensured that the wordswere   already planted in your mind before  you   actually   learnt them.  The  subliminal method,   then,   is  based onsimilar principles.      Even having the TV or radio on all day in another language serves the same purpose.    But bestresults  come  from playing tapes  with   specially   selected  words  and  phrases  over and  over   again.

Recent   surveys   seem   to   indicate   that   early   success   in   learning   a   foreign   language   requires   at   least   two   otherconditions to be met.   First of all, the range of vocabulary you need to learn should be restricted.   It has been knownfor   decades   now     that  most   of   what   one   needs   to  say   everyday     in  the  English   language   can     be   effectivelycommunicated with a vocabulary of just 760 words.   Secondly 4, the practice you do needs to focus on manipulationsof those very same words.When starting to learn a language,  reading the newspaper in that language is largelya waste of time - there  are far too many new words to learn.     Later,   of course,   reading all kinds of material inthe new language  is  essential.

Remember that learning a language is something you have already managed.     All of us are constantly,  if not alwaysconsciously,  engaged in increasing the knowledge of our own language,   and the language itself is changing slowlyevery day.     Language learning is a part of everyone's daily life.The only real problem with most quick-fix languagelearning   solutions   is  that   they   do  not  take  into   account   one   vital   difference  between   the  learning   of one's   firstlanguage  and the  learning of other languages. And that is,  people who  speak different languages  actually thinkin very  different  ways.   No  wonder  students   are  suspicious  of six  week courses  that promise  the  earth!