Respectfully, what I learned in developmental psychology refutes that. Babies and young children learn language at a phenomenal rate, and most people lose that ability as they grow older. Necessity certainly aids in language acquisition (such as Benny's method of communicating entirely without English), but children seem to have a leg up on adults. Not that learning languages has to be like pulling teeth as an adult, but it in general will be far more difficult than doing so as a child.

The whole point is to make a connection with people, isn't it? No one cares if your language is perfect. People can see through that, and get to the real you. In time, your language will improve if you stick with it and keep striving.

Japanese, on the other hand, was much more organic. My grandmother is Japanese, so I was exposed from birth to the language – particularly the pronounciation comes naturally, but perhaps my grammar isn't the best.

And Spanish – well, it's almost entirely self study in preparation for an extended backpacking trip around Sudamerica.

I think you're all talking about different definitions of being able to 'speak' a language well.

To illustrate, if I wanted to play football, I could spend a lot of hours reading the FIFA rules, watching youtube clips of Maradona, Kaka and Zizou, practicing techniques and ball juggling at home, getting coached by the best…. I am sure I would have much better technique, and a much better chance of making an A grade football squad, than someone that joined in a pick-up game down at a local park and just gave it a go.

But if all I want to do is play games with my friends in the park, why would I spend so much time on technique?

On the other hand, if I want to play in the World Cup, I'm going to have to make sure I know what I'm doing first so I don't learn the wrong way at the start.

But, as many others have said, peoples' brains work in very different ways, so many methods can be used to achieve a particular outcome.

On that note, one little thing that works for me (so far) with Spanish – and it's sort of an input method too – is downloading podcasts of BBC Mundo and listening to them each day after I read the news in English.

Although the newsreaders are often speaking way too fast for me, I already know what they should be talking about – context is everything – so I can follow along and pick up heaps.

good luck, all, with your languages, however you do it.

bloody great blog, by the way.

cheers.

And… your comment about teaching an old dog new tricks….I am 53 and I am starting a new adventure in my life. I have decided to become an ESL teacher mostly for the sake of traveling and learning about new cultures and people. My first destination is the Czech Republic.

As I am not a social butterfly, I do agree with your philosophy. It will be more difficult for me, but I will press on!!

Many thanks for your blogging and updates.

Jan S

I just read your post and would be very interested in the resources you mention for learning Czech. I currently live in the US and am trying to learn the language as I will be moving to the Czech Republic next year to begin an ESL course in Prague. I agree with Benny's posts that speaking the language ASAP is the best way. I have several books and an audio program so far.

Thanks for any help you provide.

Jan S.

AND THIS IS THE RESULT:
In 1984, the AUA language center in Bangkok started doing exactly this in its Thai classes. The
students just listened for as much as a year without speaking at all. We found that adults get
almost the same results that children do. If adults understand natural talk, in real situations, with-
out trying to say anything, for a whole year, then fluent speaking with clear pronunciation will
come automatically.

AND I ALSO THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT:
It seems that the difference between adults and children is not that adults have lost the ability to do it
right– but that children haven’t yet gained the ability to do it wrong (that is, to destroy it with forced
speaking).
Forced speaking damages adults. Consciously thinking of one’s sentences – with translations,
rules, substitutions, or any other kind of thinking prevents you from speaking like a native.
Natural speaking (speaking that comes automatically) won’t cause damage (not even when it’s
wrong). The damage doesn’t come from being wrong; it comes from thinking about the lan-
guage.
What we’re suggesting is this. The reason that children always end up as native speakers is
because they learn to speak by listening. And the reason that adults don’t is because they learn
to speak by speaking.

I ACTUALLY WONDER HOW ABOUT YOUR ACCENT IN THE LANGUAGES U HAVE LEARNED SO FAR, BENNY.
.-= ppminhphung´s last blog ..The Role of Music in Education =-.

AND THIS IS THE RESULT:
In 1984, the AUA language center in Bangkok started doing exactly this in its Thai classes. The
students just listened for as much as a year without speaking at all. We found that adults get
almost the same results that children do. If adults understand natural talk, in real situations, with-
out trying to say anything, for a whole year, then fluent speaking with clear pronunciation will
come automatically.

AND I ALSO THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT:
It seems that the difference between adults and children is not that adults have lost the ability to do it
right– but that children haven’t yet gained the ability to do it wrong (that is, to destroy it with forced
speaking).
Forced speaking damages adults. Consciously thinking of one’s sentences – with translations,
rules, substitutions, or any other kind of thinking prevents you from speaking like a native.
Natural speaking (speaking that comes automatically) won’t cause damage (not even when it’s
wrong). The damage doesn’t come from being wrong; it comes from thinking about the lan-
guage.
What we’re suggesting is this. The reason that children always end up as native speakers is
because they learn to speak by listening. And the reason that adults don’t is because they learn
to speak by speaking.

I ACTUALLY WONDER HOW ABOUT YOUR ACCENT IN THE LANGUAGES U HAVE LEARNED SO FAR, BENNY.
.-= ppminhphung´s last blog ..The Role of Music in Education =-.

love the blog.. I;’ve been here 9 months. get by but been a bit lazy.. I kinda feel inspired!

btw from what i’ve heard/been told by my cz friends most people frmo Prague always use děkuju rather than děkuji and never děkuji vam. Makes you look like a foreigner

love the blog.. I;’ve been here 9 months. get by but been a bit lazy.. I kinda feel inspired!

btw from what i’ve heard/been told by my cz friends most people frmo Prague always use děkuju rather than děkuji and never děkuji vam. Makes you look like a foreigner

It may have kept you going and definitely would have helped your progress (albeit extremely slowly), but nothing as good as actually getting over your shyness to speak and saying something. I think your fear to make mistakes and wait until you “speak perfectly” is the kind of thing that slows people down when they are learning a language. You should embrace making mistakes when starting to learn a language. That kind of fear and perfectionism is not productive for any language learning method. I don’t believe you can ever just magically start speaking perfectly one day. You HAVE to make mistakes!!

Weren’t you the one previously telling me that I needed input?? Surely the only way to get that input is to actually speak to a person and make mistakes first?

Our opinions of course differ, but your answer to Cainntear saying that you need to “engage meaningfully” with a language by you claiming to interact without actually interacting is just silly…

It may have kept you going and definitely would have helped your progress (albeit extremely slowly), but nothing as good as actually getting over your shyness to speak and saying something. I think your fear to make mistakes and wait until you “speak perfectly” is the kind of thing that slows people down when they are learning a language. You should embrace making mistakes when starting to learn a language. That kind of fear and perfectionism is not productive for any language learning method. I don’t believe you can ever just magically start speaking perfectly one day. You HAVE to make mistakes!!

Weren’t you the one previously telling me that I needed input?? Surely the only way to get that input is to actually speak to a person and make mistakes first?

Our opinions of course differ, but your answer to Cainntear saying that you need to “engage meaningfully” with a language by you claiming to interact without actually interacting is just silly…

IMO “the silent period” and “comprehensible input” are incompatible notions. How can you engage meaningfully with a language if you don’t interact with it?

IMO “the silent period” and “comprehensible input” are incompatible notions. How can you engage meaningfully with a language if you don’t interact with it?

Excellent blog, congratulation! I’m currently studying Spanish (my mother tongue is Hungarian), and I’ve just finished the “basic” period (5 months of intense study), and since yesterday I’ve had a language exchange partner, so I started off speaking. You set a good example how to be “brave”, and using the new language shouldn’t be a pain in the ass. And you know what? I won’t be embarrassed about my mistakes!

And I’ll adapt your ideas, thanks for sharing them! And of course I’ll follow this blog! Keep it up!