Passion, in any area of our life, improves our performance and insures that our motivation remains high. Learning a language is not an instantaneous process. Many advertisers tell you you can learn Chinese or French in a month, 10 days or even 3 days. This is of course unrealistic (I mean absurd). It takes time and application to develop fluency in any language: ask any baby. It is possible to learn smatterings of shopping language or travel language in a few hours. And it… Continue reading
Archive for the ‘Language Schools Chicago’ Category
Learning a Language with Passion
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Learn a New Language with Focus Language: in Person or Online
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Would you like to learn a Foreign Language? Focus Language makes it feasible and enjoyable.
Easy to learn:
Many people believe that learning a new language is a difficult and boring task. We make it doable and fun. We provide you with the right teachers, the right materials and the right programs. We have thirty years experience helping people learn.
Fast:
We understand how to structure our programs so you can learn efficiently and fast. All you need to do is apply and enjoy yourself… Continue reading
Learning Mandarin Chinese Part 7: Characters
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Do you want to learn Mandarin? Beyond ordering food and buying souvenirs? So you can actually communicate?
Learn the Characters. It may seem a daunting tasks to learn several thousand characters.( Why don’t they use an alphabet like us? )
But, if you want to progress in the language, you need to be able to read. End of story. Pinyin is a great tool to get you started and to teach you the pronunciation of new words. But the characters contain the… Continue reading
Learning Mandarin Chinese Part 6: Tones
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Tones are what gives mandarin its character. Each syllable is actually spoken on a different note. It is at first a challenge for Westerners when learning to speak, simply because we are not used to them. The best thing you can do is to listen to Mandarin being spoken. What do you hear? Can you imitate it?
Mandarin has four tones and a neutral tone. My best advice to anyone wanting to speak this language is to learn how to say the tones comfortably. You need to hear… Continue reading
Learning Mandarin Chinese: Getting started Part 2
Monday, May 10th, 2010
So how do you proceed from here? You have a general idea what you need to learn. What is the best approach to learn effectively? the most effortless and fruitful? So many programs! So many promises!
Whatever system you choose, there are two fundamental ways to approach the language. Output and input based.
1. Output
This is the traditional approach. We are immediately asked to memorize and use an increasing amount of vocabulary and grammar. We are also asked to produce spoken and written language… Continue reading
Grammar Practice in the Internet Age
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Intelligent grammar practice is still vitally important in language learning. It is still one of the most powerful tools at a student’s disposal. These days, there is a lot of material on language learning online. Many people are emphasizing the importance of intensive listening work. Numerous sites make great learning videos available. There are delightful podcasts, filled with humor, vocabulary and cultural knowledge. Some writers are actually saying that 90 percent of the work can be done simply by listening to a lot of recordings of natural language… Continue reading
New Tools for the Language Student
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
(A post about how to use the Google Translate Tool to practice a language.) I recently decided to brush up on my Chinese. I always roll with laughter when I see “Learn Chinese in 7 days” programs being advertised.
Whenever you learn a language, the great limitation is vocabulary – in speaking and also in understanding. Trying to increase my own fluency, I just created the following technique for practice.
I was listening to a guided meditation in English and was trying my best to translate what I… Continue reading
Back on the Road
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
How do you get back into language study after stopping for a while? Life can get in the way, and before you know it, months have elapsed without your doing any study. Shame, guilt, and grief set in. Discouragement: the great enemy! These emotions are obstacles to be dealt with.
So how do we resume study seamlessly?
The first part is mental. Remind yourself it is normal to take breaks. Even after years of not using a language, we can relearn what we had… Continue reading
The Magic of Comprehension.
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
I often hear this complaint from students learning a language: “I can’t understand anything”! Yes, it can be frustrating when you have been studying hard. It can be discouraging and embarrassing. But do not worry: comprehension will come. Sometimes you need to hear something 12 times to hear and remember it!
I have a student from China who is learning English. She studied English for 10 years but initially could not understand much. She had just arrived from Sichuan and was quite… Continue reading
Meditation and Language Learning
Monday, March 1st, 2010
We think of meditation as a spiritual practice or as a tool for reducing stress. But what do they have to do with learning a new language? Actually, meditation is the ability to be fully focused on whatever activity we are engaged in in the present moment. An artist captivated by his work, or an athlete fully associated in the body and its every movement and nuance are meditating.
The antithesis of meditation is multi-tasking. I am riding my motorcycle while texting my friend, eating lunch… Continue reading