Belle Beth Cooper shared her opinion on her blog: I have been trying to learn French for some time, which is a slow process. This time, learning English, my first language, is much more difficult. I have been learning French for some time, which is a slow process. This time it is much more difficult than learning my mother tongue English. After spending a lot of effort, I have been wondering if there are any good skills that can help me learn this language quickly. As it turns out, once you are an adult, it will be a tricky thing.
Learning a language is what we are born to do. This is our instinct.
Language learning ability is our innate ability and the unique instinct of talents. As a research paper reported: In the same environment, cats and dogs can't speak human language no matter how they are trained.
From an early age, we began to learn how to think, how to talk with people, and intuitively understand the grammatical rules of our mother tongue. On this basis, we begin to learn a new language, which always corresponds to our mother tongue.
Although language is acquired by us, relevant research shows that it is an instinct of human beings. Our brains not only tend to process language information, but also seem to have the same language restrictions no matter what language we learn. Some syllables are not common in any language, so it is difficult for the brain to process them, even for newborns who have not started learning any language.
When it comes to learning a second language, adults are at a disadvantage.
When it comes to learning a second language, adults are at a disadvantage. As we get older, the plasticity of our brains (the ability to create new neurons and synapses) declines. For example, brain injury leads to language barriers. Researchers have observed that children with brain damage are more likely to learn to speak again by replacing damaged neurons.
There is a saying that the key that really hinders us from learning a foreign language well is not that the plasticity of our brain has weakened, but that our way of thinking in learning a language has changed, especially for adults.
Dr. robert bly-froman explained in "New Perspectives on Learning a Foreign Language" that adults are more inclined to learn a language by solving problems than by the way we learned it at birth. Although this means that adults make greater progress than children in the early stage of learning a language, people who start learning a foreign language in childhood are usually much more skilled than those who learn a foreign language in adulthood.
Although adults will have more challenges in learning a foreign language, there is still great hope. If you really want to learn a foreign language, it is not too late to start now. At the same time, using the following five skills can also greatly improve your progress in learning a foreign language.
1. Interval repeat (interval repeat)
Interval repetition is an effective memory skill, which can help you keep what you have learned firmly in your mind. Interval repetition is an effective memory skill, which can help you remember more firmly.
Ebbinghaus, a famous German memory psychologist, once studied meaningless syllables by memorizing them. He found that he forgot 56% after only one hour, and 16% after two days. After that, the speed of forgetting is greatly slowed down. Six days later, although he still forgot, he only continued to forget 3%. This is what we usually call the forgetting cycle.
It can be seen that the first review should be timely, and it is best to review the new contents within 12 hours, and strengthen it when the memory is still clear and the brain still has a lot of information. The interval between the second review can be a little longer, such as two days. After that, the interval can be longer, such as one week, half a month, January, half a year, one year and several years. Review time will be shortened in turn, even if it is only with eyes or ears. This arrangement of review, first light and then dense, first dense and then sparse, has excellent results. Finally, you can achieve lifelong memory.
2. study before going to bed.
One of the many benefits we get from sleep is that it helps to clear the brain's "inbox"-the temporary storage of new information and memories when we are awake.
One of the many benefits of sleep is that it helps to clean and organize the inbox of the brain, and the information we temporarily store during the day will be integrated during sleep. Studies have shown that what you learn before going to bed is easier to integrate into long-term memory. Once stored safely, repeated intervals will make it easier to strengthen contact, so we can recall the information we have learned more quickly and accurately.
3. Learning content, not language (learning content, not pure language)
Although most language learning courses focus on pure language learning, the study of high school students who study French finds that when they teach another subject in French instead of pure French, students' listening ability will be greatly improved and their learning enthusiasm will be stronger. Of course, students in standard French courses perform better in reading and writing exams, so both methods have advantages.
When you have mastered the basic knowledge of the new language, try to add some content to the topics you are interested in to improve your understanding ability. You can chat with friends, watch some news in this language, or watch videos in this language, all of which can have a good effect.
4. Practice a little every day (fragmented learning, practice a little every day)
When learning a new language, many people are used to making a very common mistake, that is, not learning for a long time, then learning chicken blood all day, and then not touching it for a few days. Language learning is also a process of memory. Our brains are limited in capacity. If you study for too long at once, your brain may be overloaded and bored. At the same time, the way of fishing for three days and drying nets for two days is not conducive to long-term memory. The best way is to keep learning a little every day, don't be greedy, and stick to it for an hour every day, which will have unexpected results.
5. Old and new mixed (old and new mixed memory)
The brain craves novelty, but trying to learn a lot of new words or phrases at once can be overwhelming.
The brain craves novelty, but trying to learn many new words or phrases at once will make people feel overwhelmed and bring disastrous consequences. You can try to remember new phrases by combining them with old ones. It's like eating the same dish every day. Suddenly there is a new dish in the dish, and you will be more inclined to taste it. Similarly, new words mixed with old phrases can also achieve better memory effect. Mixing old and new is not only a memory strategy, but also can improve your learning enthusiasm.
Language learning, though not accomplished overnight, is not as difficult as we thought. With the right strategy and continuous deliberate practice, there is nothing you can't learn. I hope today's sharing can inspire you, first of all!