Expatriate Forums in Malaysia

Arizona

A Few Brief Suggestions on Studying a Foreign Language
Learning a foreign language is not a matter of reading some grammar rules and memorizing some vocabulary words-- although those are important activities, not to be ignored. Acquiring a language is learning a skill, not a body of information. It's as much like learning to swim or ride a bike as it is like learning about the Revolutionary War. That is, you must not only understand the ideas and concepts, have information at hand, but you must also make your body accustomed to using that information in physical activity: in this case the physical activity involved is speaking, listening, writing and reading.

You need, then, not only to memorize and understand, but also to practice!

Here are a few brief suggestions on effective practice/study techniques. See your instructor if you have questions, or need help in developing an effective study technique.

Make your mouth or hand do what your mind is learning Study out loud. Do go to the lab and work on the tapes. Study with a friend, thus involving yourself in speaking and listening. Try to write sentences or a short paragraph using the skills you have practiced orally.
If you study by reading silently, you draw only upon your visual memory.

If you study out loud, you double your efficiency by adding auditory memory and you make your mouth work, helping with pronunciation and speech.

Augment your learning potential even further by writing what you have read and spoken.

Study day-by-day. You cannot get by in a foreign language course by cramming at the last minute. You may be able to `learn' vocabulary items that way, but you cannot teach your mouth to use them in sentences. (Can you cram for a swimming test or a piano recital?)
Occasionally go back and review `old' topics and vocabulary. Language learning is cumulative. You learn new skills on the basis of old ones. The more you `recycle' familiar information and skills, the better you will be able to integrate new ones.

Instructors usually present and test new language skills in a somewhat segmented, chapter-by-chapter approach, as a matter of administrative convenience. However, actual learning is not segmented at all, but cumulative. You add new information and skills to the old without superseding them. Your instructor will incorporate `old' information and vocabulary in the presentation of new skills; you will benefit from doing the same thing when you study. (For example, practice new grammar concepts with familiar vocabulary, we well as with new words.)

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Self-consciousness can be a mighty obstacle to learning a language. Perhaps part of the reason small children readily acquire languages is that they are not afraid of making mistakes: their egos do not restrain them from acting like `little clowns'.
If you are prepared to goof from time to time, or even frequently, you'll feel much less restraint in practicing and trying to speak.

From: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/study/lingua.html

Pelenalaka · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 12:37 pm Post subject: Learning tips for new languages

Keep 'customized, pro-active vocabulary lists' in mind :
- You are into 'actions', learn verbs; even in languages where verbs are conjugated and declined, using the main gerundive or infinitive form, you can get yourself understood, and 'buy' you time to progress;
- You are into nomenclature and description, learn nouns;
- You are into discussing, learn (coordinating) conjunctions...

Learn about the origins of the language you want to learn; if it has some common roots with a linguistic group you are already familiar with, this will give you at least two advantages :
- faster memorization process of certain sectors of the language (syntax, grammar, vocabulary...);
- easier 'guessing' of new words...

And yes, practice.

Anna13

Arizona · Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 10:29 am Post subject:

Anna-
Terima kasih banyak atas bantuan awak dengan senarai-senarai kita di sini! Apa yang ditulis atas adalah cadangan-cadangan dari websitre lain yang saya masuk ketika rasa kecewa dengan kebolehan saya dalam bahasa Melayu.

Saya rasa bahasa Ingriss awak menjadi lebih baik sejak mengikut alloexpat! Awak memang berani! Laughing

Saya harap kita boleh jumpa minggu depan di Melaka. Sekarang tak pasti jika kami akan pergi. Kalau tak sebelum saya balik ke AMerika!

(Thank you very much for you help with our lists! Whats written above is from a website that I looked at when I was feeling frustrated with my ability in BM)

(I think your English has gotten a lot better since joining allo expat. You are definitely brave!)

(I hope to meet you next week in Melaka. Right now not sure if we're coming or not. If not, before I return to America.)

asha- · Gender: Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 289 Home Country: NULL

From my experience learning Mandarin:

-listen ,pronounce and remember
-practise and speak it out with frens even you're not sure about the tonation/meaning

Isis · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:00 pm Post subject:

for me, i strongly recommend Mandarin. And if possible, Cantonese as well.

First mandarin, learn that language would help open alot of doors, but in social and business life. Business in China is booming and it would a smart move to jump on this bandwagon as well. Plus, alot of malaysian chinese speak mandarin Smile

Although not all of China speaks Cantonese, except for HK, Quangzhou and perhaps a few more other, learning this additional language would help you with the local chinese here in Malaysia, especially some of the taxi drivers! ~lol~