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Learning a language in the target language

 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes Post Reply
53 messages over 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
mrwarper
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 Message 49 of 53
05 November 2011 at 4:28pm | IP Logged 
xandreax wrote:
The students are learning from a book that is completely in English and are expected to learn a lot in a short amount of time...
¨They´re completely lost...

This reminds me when I was getting my official English teacher pips. We had these 'practice classes' groups of students, and classes were entirely conducted in English (to do otherwise was considered anathema), with several hours a day, and frequent 'coffee' breaks.

One day I was particularly sick of being with the other teacher trainees, so I went for the coffee break with the students (some stayed after class for the coffee, some arrived early for a coffee before the class, your usual 'socializing' I guess). Now, supposedly everyone knew I was a national, but when I told them they could relax and stop speaking English if they wanted to, it was like I had break character in the middle of a play and suddenly everyone forgot they were at a theater.

Apart from the much closer relationship that developed from that moment, they quickly started to demand a little help from me during the breaks, and also that I spoke in their language, so they could understand. I was glad to learn that they finally figured out what the main problem with their progress was (it had been quite clear to me all along), but then a question popped up in my mind: why do people put up with that kind of ******** in the first place?


Edited by mrwarper on 05 November 2011 at 4:38pm

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Cainntear
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 Message 50 of 53
05 November 2011 at 7:24pm | IP Logged 
mrwarper wrote:
why do people put up with that kind of ******** in the first place?

Because the hokum in the language learning world is well presented and quite convincing.

A lot of people genuinely believe it when they're told that the reason they didn't learn anything in school was because of the use of the native language, rather than just poor teaching and/or teaching environment.
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clumsy
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 Message 51 of 53
08 November 2011 at 1:46pm | IP Logged 
I think the important thing, is how advanced are you?
I don't think it's a good for beginner, but for intermediate... well, it's very nice
idea.

I have seen a book in English for people learning English.
They taught
things like


"hello, I am from Russia" etc


"My name is Boris".


I don't know where you can find someone who cannot say his name in English, but has no
problem with reading whole book in English.


I have also saw such a TV show in Korean, they talked in Korean all the time, teaching
the students very basic stuff.
the title of it is " I love Korean" 한국어 사랑해요 you may watch it at youku.com

It's a funny and entertaining show, but i don't think it should be targeted to
beginners.
but if you are intermediate, you can benefit from it (they speak slowly, and about easy
stuff).

Many books for foreigners, are written in Japanese, and they explain some grammar in
Japanese.
I would say they are useful, if you are able to, I recommend you to switch to the
target language.

but I don't think you can start it at the beginning, maybe with Dutch, but certainly
not with something like Hmong, Russian, or Chinese. (unless your language is close to
it, like Pole learning Russian etc).




So, yes, but for intermediate or advanced students.




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Solfrid Cristin
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 Message 52 of 53
08 November 2011 at 5:28pm | IP Logged 
When you learn exclusively in your target language there is also the risk that you misunderstand. When I first arrived in Spain in the late 70ies I had a red bubble coat. The others would always refer to it as "tu bata roja" which I assumed meant "your read coat". The thing that confused me, was that they kept wanting me to take it off whenever I went out, and said I should use it in the house instead. I shrugged it off, as being just another crazy Spanish notion along with not being able to shower after meals or wash you hair when you had your period or mix winter clothes with summer clothes, and stubbornly kept using my coat.

It was first when I many years later learned that bata does not mean coat, but morning gown, that I realized that in their eyes I was walking around the village in my morning gown, just like the village originals.

Edited by Solfrid Cristin on 08 November 2011 at 5:29pm

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mrwarper
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Spain
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Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishC2
Studies: German, Russian, Japanese

 
 Message 53 of 53
08 November 2011 at 8:21pm | IP Logged 
@Solfrid C. I don't think I understand that... they had never seen a bubble coat, and they thought it was a morning gown because they heard someone else call it a 'bata'?


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