The Linguist - language learning should be fun

On the transition from The Linguist to LingQ.

The following is the corrected version of a writing submission from Marianne, in France. Marianne is one of many enthusiastic Linguist members who has enjoyed the move to LingQ. She has also started creating content for LingQ in French.

I have heard from learners elsewhere, especially in Japan, that they are enjoying Marianne's French content. I look forward to any feedback.

I also  look forward to getting content in Japanese and other languages. At any rate here is what Marianne had to say. I have her permission to reproduce her writing here.

"The thing I like most of all is1the LingQ box! We have access there, to both a dictionary2 and examples of other phrases 3without having to go4 to another section as it was the case with TL.

Tags are also a really great idea!!

Flashcards are also good; they are quick to use and good for retaining5 new words and phrases. At first, I missed the old way of reviewing that we had6 in TheLinguist but the more I get used to using flashcards, the more I like to use them.

Moreover, as in the LingQ box it's possible to edit phrases and to choose better expressions or more meaningful words , 7these new words8 could stick in our minds better9. That is a good point that we didn't have 10 with The Linguist.

 

In the past four days, I have been asked three times about my English learning!11

The past 10 months at the Linguist, have been the best12 ones that I have ever had for my English learning.

13. Yet, I'm still frustrated at not being14 able to explain myself as I would like to do, most of all in certain specialized fields. 

I will choose 15content16 in a less entertaining but still interesting field. Since it is with this content that I struggle with the most in English17 I have now to go through18 this other stage. Improving in that field will be a great leap forward and less frustrating for me."

Writing and Zinsser's four principles

Here is the podcast

Many people who learn English also need to write English. This may be for business, or academic purposes. I recently read a book and listened to a CD by William Zinsser, former professor of writing at Yale University. The book is called "On Writing Well" and here are some excerpts. I was particularly struck by Zinsser's four most important principles: Clarity: Simplicity: Brevity: and Humanity. Here I talk about them.

I have always felt the same way. Keep it simple, especially when writing in a foreign language. This means avoiding slang and colloquialisms on the one hand, and avoiding stilted pretentious language on the other hand. That is why I always try to practise a neutral form of any language that I speak. I essentially think that I am writing and speaking the same way. It sure makes it easier to write.

Focus on vocabulary when you learn English

• Here is the podcast

I received comments to my last podcast for which I am thankful. It is hard to know who is listening and for what purpose. It appears that many people learning English do listen to my podcast. As I said to Tony, I will make transcripts available if I receive specific requests, up to 4 or 5 a month, depending on the length.

I will also post some comments here that I have written elsewhere and read them. This will provide content for people to read and listen to. If you are members of The Linguist you can import the text and save words and phrases.

The following was from the teachers Listserve TESL-L on the subject of how to best teach writing skills. I believe that time is best spent on reading and on accumulating vocabulary. In my experience of language learning, the initial period is one of getting used to the language. This is best done through repetitive listening and reading. Thereafter the job is to learn words and how they are used. This should still involve a lot of listening and reading. I believe that teaching people to organize their thoughts in artificial formats like the "five paragraph essay" are minor issues. They can even distract the learner from the main task of learning how to use the words of the language. If a person has not enough words, or if a person cannot think clearly, putting poor language into five paragraphs is really not much use.

"I entered L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris when I was 19. I was suddenly required to read and write in French, a second language. There the format for expressing your views was the "balanced essay": Introduction; Part 1(A and B); Part 2 (A and B); and Conclusion. Often this was described as Introduction, Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis. Definitely a useful formula. I did not take a course on it. I was just told how I was supposed to organize my thought and did so. There was no limit on the number of paragraphs as long as the whole piece was "balanced". The formula was to be used for all writing and oral exams.

The ancient Greeks and Romans had their formulae for the art of rhetoric. Brigham Young University has an excellent website on this subject

When we correct learners' writing at The Linguist, we find that the greatest problem our students have, regardless of level, is vocabulary use. The non-native writer does not have a sufficient grasp of the meaning of words, and how they are used. This is where the emphasis should be in any English program, in my opinion. Here is where extensive reading together with an emphasis on vocabulary learning is so important. Of course teachers can correct essays for poor organization, but I suspect that word use is probably a more useful area to address.

As for grammar, my son teaches at the University of London in England. To him the odd mistake in the use of the article or prepositions or verb agreement is of minor concern. The most important thing is the ability to think, to infer from reading and not just copy it, and to support arguments with evidence. He does not care how many paragraphs are used. He does not require a theme sentence for each paragraph. I feel the same way. We all know that today, typing on the computer, we are constantly reforming our paragraphs without reference to "theme sentences".

Teaching writing, in my view, is mostly about teaching word use and encouraging students to keep it simple and keep sentences short. If a person has a strong vocabulary, the rest will come."

http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm. It seems to me that through reading, the student can come into contact with a variety of ways of organizing his thoughts. I just don't understand why students have to learn to express their views in five paragraphs.

Read more to write better English

Here is the podcast

How can we learn to write English better? The following is a message from an English teacher on the TESL-L Listserve, a community of over 20,000 English teachers on the Internet.

"I'm appalled that anyone would believe that giving students books would help them learn how to write an essay. Learning (and teaching) a second language is MUCH more complicated than encouraging students to read."

and

" I am sooooooooooooooo tired of these simple "just give them books" solutions."

My answer to this was as follows.

Different people learn in different ways, although there are certain universaI principles. The power of reading is one of them.

I have learned many languages, mostly by reading and listening. I would not go to a class to learn how to write better in any language. I would read more, and I would listen more. I would choose content with the style and use of words that I want to learn from. I would notice words and phrases and save them for review. I would consult articles on the Internet, or books which explain the style that is most appreciated for the language I am learning and the kind of writing that I need to do. These materials abound, especially for English writing. I would do it all on my own. Reading would be my most important activity and where I would spend most of my time.

I fully recognize that a majority of learners may take a different approach. But I believe that nobody can improve their writing without spending most of their time reading. The challenge for the teacher is to find ways to encourage, facilitate or stimulate their students' reading. Providing advice and feedback may be necessary for a majority of students ( I agree that I may be an exception), but the reading is the most important activity. This is based on my experience as a learner and as a teacher.

Linguist members' writing

I will record three writing corrections from one of our members at The Linguist. If there is interest we can do more of this. Writing English is a great way to improve English.

Here is the podcast.

Here is the text. The corrections are shaded in green.

Advent’s garland

This is about a Scandinavian tradition, but it is also a trend that has spread elsewhere in

Europe

.

Four weeks before the winter solstice, one creates a garland made of fir branches. It can be hung in the middle of the main room at home. It can be laid down on a table as well.

Four candles are fixed on the garland.

During the first week, one of the candles is burnt for a few moments. Two candles are burnt the week after that, and then three candles are burnt on the third week.

When the longest night of the year finally comes, one burns the four candles together. Thus, as one goes through the decline of the sun, more candles are lit. They somehow take the place of the sun. During the solstice evening, they symbolize the end of winter and they announce the sun's return.

After Advent comes a cycle of twelve days which accompanies the winter solstice. This is the deepest point of the year. The Earth holds its breath.

Throughout those twelve sacred nights, light will be reborn to illuminate a new year.

Outside light and inside light, the action of fire and flame are brought together.

A great calm will settle into homes. This calm will have to sink into each one of us, at least one time a year if we want to look out on the world with new eyes, both clear and faithful.

Maybe, this is a part of the origin of the traditional question:

What are your best resolutions for the coming year?

Is this justice?

Last October the 27th, M. D 58 years old was attacked by three armed burglars who had broken into his house. He was held down on the floor by one of them while the others manhandled his wife. A weapon on his temple, M. D tried to break away from his attacker who was trying to strangle him. During the fight, the victim twisted the gun and it went off. There was a shot however the bullet went into the ceiling. M. D shot at his attacker who in his escape fell through a window. He died soon after. As a result M. D was put in prison the 29th. The crime was intentional homicide! Even though he defended himself and his wife, he was considered a murderer.

His wife has been obliged to move out of their apartment to take refuge in their daughter's house. Many people found that case unfair. The mayor of the town warned the attorney general. At the beginning of last week the government took a look at this case, thinking the place of that honest man was not in prison. A politician from another party disagreed with this position, feeling that the government didn't have to intervene. However the politician was not shocked by what happened to M. D.

Last Saturday M. D was liberated. Good news. What is more is we could hear the family of the deceased bandit shouting on television. Even though their son went to steal and attack someone, they were angry, shouting against the law saying that the law was two sided and so on. Really! Sadly, it is not uncommon for an innocent person like M. D to go to prison.

Justice, did you say justice?

Last week there was another incident like that. Some bandits came in the house of a retired antiquary to steal their valuable stuff. They manhandled an aged couple roughly 85 years old. The son of those poor people, being on the second floor, went down after hearing loud noises. Seeing what was happening to his parents, he went back up to get a gun and to shoot at the attacker who was brutalizing his mother. One of the burglars died.

The same thing then happened to the son. He was put in prison and the old couple had to move out to avoid retaliation by the bandit’s gang. Until now, we have no news on television as to whether he has been liberated or what else happened.

Solstice.

Solstices are and remain two favoured periods in the annual course of the cycles of nature. Throughout the months, the slow and deep breathing of Nature connects Earth and sky with the same future.

Throughout summer and autumn, the days become progressively shorter. Eventually, the sun is present less and less to enlighten men's activities. It seems as if the sun is dying. However, as everyone knows, the disappearance of the sun would be the end of all life.

During the winter solstice, in the longest night of the year, men start a long evening with genuine contemplation. By tending the flame in the family hearth they show their commitment to the return of the sun, and they rely upon the continuity of life.

The sun does not betray their hopes, though. It takes back its elan in the winter sky as it rises day by day, always higher in the spring sky.

When summer comes, the solstice is the sun's triumph. Men celebrate the power of sun with joy.

Eric on writing

Here is the podcast.

From time to I will talk to my son Eric about writing English. He has had written and edited books, and has had articles appear in intellectual magazines and even a popular magazine like Newsweek. Here I talk about the differences in the writing techniques  for different purposes, academic purposes, intellectual magazines like Prospect and popular magazines like Newsweek International.

This will become a regular feature here. Questions to Eric are welcome. He may even become a regular tutor at The Linguist for advanced writers, if there is a demand.

English Academic writing - an interview

Recently I had the visit of my son Eric from London, England. He teaches political science at Birkbeck College at the University of London. He has written several books. One, The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America (see a review of the book here)  published by Harvard University Press was his doctoral thesis from the London School of Economics. Another,edited by Eric and published by Routledge was Rethinking Ethnicity.  (See a review here). His area of speciality is ethnic nationalism and ethnic conflict.

I asked Eric what he thought was important in English academic writing. You can listen to his answer here. We will be producing a transcript of this interview for The Linguist library. We will also follow up with more discussions on this subject if there is interest. Let me know if this is useful and if you would like more.

Academic writing podcast

My article on academic writing, which was written mostly for people who want to improve their writing ability as they learn English,  has attracted some comment, both favourable and unfavourable. I have been asked to create an audio version of this post and have done so.

Click here to listen.

more on academic writing

I really believe in the massive language input model of language learning. People who read a lot will learn to express themselves better in any language. The availability of audio books and other high quality sound content means that listening, or "audio reading" is now available to language learners in a way that was not the case ever before. We should take advantage. Structured courses on "academic writing" are not counter-productive, but I think they are less important than the massive input of interesting and relevant content. It does not matter whether you want to learn English or any other language.

To improve in a language one simply needs a lot of input in the form of reading and listening. The reading and listening needs to be done systematically and with focus. If you focus on one area or discipline, and pay attention to the phrasing used in that discipline, you will acquire the appropriate tone for that discipline.

Children learn by imitating and so do adults. It is just that the child has more time and can imitate in a gradual and natural way. The adult has to be more deliberate in emulating models that are useful.

Styles vary from language to language and from discipline to discipline. If we learn the natural phrasing of a language we naturally acquire some of  the tone and style as well. I am more structured in my writing in French, more free flowing in English and a little more indirect in Japanese. This proceeds naturally from having absorbed the words and sense of the language through massive input.

At the same time something of the language culture I grew up with remains and undoubtedly influences the way I reason no matter what language I use. However, as long as I have good control over my word and phrase usage, my expression in another language will not seem strange.

So, once again, the key thing in language learning, more than pronunciation, more than grammar, more than critical thinking, more than a course on "academic writing", is just getting the words and phrases right.

I also feel that people who are not good at reasoning in their own language will not do any better in a new language. A literate person in his/her own language has a big advantage in learning another language.

Reading or watching movies to learn Englsh

I often hear people say that they like watching movies and TV programs to learn English. I have always maintained that repetitive reading and listening  is more useful for language improvement. The reason is simple. In watching movies you have lots of clues as to what is going on. The dialogue is not so concentrated unless you are watching a very intellectual movie.

When reading, or listening to an audio book, you are completely dependent on the language. The intensity of the learning experience is much greater. It is easier to repeat your reading and listening and it is easier to do, whenever and wherever you want.

Think of people speaking their own language. Who will express themselves better, whether in writing or speaking, people who watch a lot of TV and movies, or people who read a lot? I rest my case.