That is my advice to learners of English as a second or foreign language. That is also my advice to English schools and ESL teachers responsible for creating ESL programs, curricula and textbooks. Just as it says in the title, to improve your speaking, you’ve got to start with listening, and to improve your writing, you’ve got to start with reading. I’m not making this up. That’s how babies learn the language, exactly in the order mentioned above. From the moment they are born, they do nothing but listen. It’s not before the age of 2 and sometimes 3 that they begin to speak. After speaking, they learn or get taught to recognize the written alphabets and memorize a number of sight words (by remembering the shape of the word). Their strong foundation in listening helps them connect the dots and eventually master the alphabetic principle, or simply the skill of decoding the alphabet, which we refer to as reading. Once they master the skill of reading, (and of course develop their fine motor skills) they move on to learning how to write the words or letters they have learned to decode by sound and sight. That is how it is naturally done. It’s the law of nature, not mine.
Now, some wise guy will pop his head out and say “Hold on, don’t you know that the process of second language acquisition differs between adults and children?”. How do I respond to that? First, I excuse myself for a moment and dash into the room, bury my head into a pillow, and let off the loudest scream my lungs can produce, calmly step out of the room and take a very deep sigh before I attempt to respond. Second, I say this: The process doesn’t differ, the challenges do, the method does, the techniques change NOT the process. Language acquisition is a 4-step process: 1-Listening, 2-Speaking, 3-reading and 4-Writing. That does not mean that while, for example, you’re working on your listening, you can’t speak, read or write, all it means is that you just focus on listening.
So, What do I mean when I say “the challenges do, the method does”. Well, babies have not been programmed yet. You have. You already speak and write a language. For your brain, learning a second language is like bringing GUY B (the second language) to share a small room with GUY A (the first language). GUY A has been living solo for so long, not really used to sharing a small space with anyone, especially GUYS. Clashes are bound to happen, mess follows. So now, not only are you responsible for training GUY B in living and using the room, but you’re also faced with the colossal challenge of teaching GUY A and GUY B to co-exist with each other and to essentially prevent GUY A from intimidating or disturbing GUY B. Okay, I know it sounds a lot of baloney but you’ve got the point. The process is the same, the challenges differ, and consequently so does the method.
So, as I said, the first step in the process of language acquisition (whether it’s first, second or third) is listening, intensive tireless relentless listening. Babies get it as they’re cared for and nurtured over a 3-year period, while adults get bombarded by grammar rules, reading comprehension, writing tasks, short conversations with native speakers or other learners and very limited training in the most critical skill of language learning, that is listening. The thing is adults cannot afford to spend 3 years of their lives just listening to the language without using their native language. They’ve got to survive. So what is the solution?
The solution is pronunciation, a pronunciation method that can achieve for adults within weeks what mothers achieve for their babies within months. What the pronunciation method, the method I use, does is basically offer the brain smart targeted and intensive training (in listening) while preventing GUY A from disturbing. Without that kind of training, you will always be seriously limited in your progress with the language.
What’s your idea of listening practice and training? Comment!
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