Why can't I learn a language? Maybe because you are not using your natural advantages. Check out the following learning styles.



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HANDS ON PEOPLE: I was told once that the only way to learn French was to sleep with a Frenchwoman. The idea behind this is that we learn the expressions and words for the activities we are interested in. People who learn like this try to get their native-speaking friends to accompany them as they cook or fix their car. They find that they learn better when their whole body is involved in learning the new words and phrases. For example, the person who learns the word "serrucho" while sawing a board will remember it better than the person (see the"word collector") who just learns the vocabulary from a list.

LITTLE BY LITTLE PEOPLE: Every learner of a foreign language has to learn to incorporate the learning style of dividing and conquering into their own style. If they are "brains" they should concentrate on one grammatical turn of phrase, such as conditions contrary to fact, (If my grandfather hadn't died, he'd be alive today!) until they can handle it. They should not rest until they know how it works. Then they turn to another part of the language they are learning.

TALKERS : The persons who are not afraid to try out the language they are learning will progress very rapidly. These folks probably have a little genetic edge over the rest of us. However, we all should try to put together the pieces as we learn them. If there is no opportunity to talk with someone else, then we can tape our attempts. There are two parts to this early talking practice: confidence and pronunciation. The most important thing is to gain confidence or to be thick-skinned enough to speak your piece, knowing that the exercise will pay dividends. However, we should not put off working on our pronunciation until it is too late and we have given up on acquiring a valid accent. For example, there are too many people who after living years in a Spanish speaking country are perfect in their grammar but who have a typical or even stereotypical English accent. There is no need for that. Many languages, such as Spanish, Russian, German are perfectly regular in its phonetics. Motor mouths should also work on their accent!

BEEN THERE, TRIED THAT... PEOPLE: Those who have already studied another language should use the skills they acquired with that language. They know what a conjugation is. They know that verbs are different from nouns. Their previous study gives them some mental hooks to help with their new language. They should not throw away their advantage by working on the language they are learning in a completely conversational manner. They should try to get an overview of some commonplaces in the language. They should get an "old fashioned" grammar and lean heavily on the tables to organize their thought. This type of learner should "invent" their new language on the basis of what they know of the other language. They will remember a little of the structure of the other language. For example, what is the relation between adverbs and adjectives? What is the most common way to express what happened yesterday (past tense)? If the other language is a Western language, they should observe the possible similarities. If the other language is non-Western, the very differences can be their starting point to learn the counterparts. In short, they should study "the wrong way". This is not for everyone. The learner should know his or her STYLE.

ANALISTS: These folks will operate much like the Non-Virgins. They will progress better by concentrating on the little points that intrigue them in their new language, such as the difference in usage in Spanish between the prepositions "por" and "para" and the verbs "ser" and "estar". The same goes for "da" and "di" in Italian. To master one or two of these elements so characteristic of their new language will help the learner build on their conquests to go on to master other things. This analytical approach will be of great utility to the persons with the cerebral learning style. However, if unchecked this style can lead to paralysis by analysis and never get to USING the language.

WALKING DICTIONARIES: This person may be great at crossword puzzles in Spanish or French, etc. but rarely gets to speak it. If you find yourself learning words and not getting any further, break out of it! We once had a houseguest, a young man from Spain who came to learn English. There were times when our family would be talking Spanish, and he would echo all the Spanish words with their English equivalents. He had a great vocabulary but never got around to talking English. This kind of learner should always make sure that they make up sentences to practice using the new words they learn. They can combine their ability with vocabulary with the "divide and conquer" tactic. They should not only invent sentences to use the new words; they should run through different grammatical constructions as the setting for their vocabulary.

GOOD NEIGHBORS: Anyone who likes being with people and who has a need to communicate will progress quickly in learning a language. Many outgoing, friendly people learn language in the "motor mouth" mode. However, other people with out the gifts of the motor mouths can gain valuable exposure to the language by just following their social instincts. These folks, however, should not overlook the need to speak correctly. Although they are not interested in traditional grammar in the same way the "brains" are, they must work at speaking correctly. We all know people who learned English years ago, but still say things like, "I am interested to go with you". You don't want to spend your life in the language you are learning with a similar easily corrected error. Learn it right as soon as you can. The people people have to stay curious about the language. The people people should repeat in the same conversation the new expression that they just heard. The same goes for all the others. The only way to learn a language is by following the "Swiss cheese" method, nibble away at the things you don't know, and master them until they are all gone.

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What works for EVERYONE... There are two activities that will help everyone move forward rapidly, no matter what their learning style or he language they are learning: They are: 1. Listening, and 2. Pattern Response Drills.

1. Passive Listening. Everyone should keep the foreign language radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while you doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that you swim in while you are beginning your study. You don't have to concentrate on it; you are not listening to try to understand. After a while you won't hear it but it will be affecting you. Little by little you will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before you understand everything. You will also begin to recognize certain words. You will begin to hear "beyond" the differences in pronunciation of different people and recognize the underlying word. Once you clearly hear a word or phrase, you can look it up and progressively expand your vocabulary. For this you will want to learn the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols. Take a look at them in: http://www.InglesParaLatinos.com/ipaEnglish.htm.

2. Pattern Response Drills. You have to run through all the permutations of the new expressions that you learn. For example, The Romance languages French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese all say "I have twenty years" rather than "I am twenty". To make this point stick you have to practice. Suppose you just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" (Pedro is four years old) rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro" to say "Pedro is four". Now to make this new element of the language stick with you, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people to practice the third person singular, as well as making the substitutions for the first person "I" and "We". You have to be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo treinta años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" "Nosotros tenemos cuarenta años." This type of drill is necessary for all the different learning styles.

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Some Language Resources:

- EVERYONE in EVERY language has to work on their accent. Learn more about this in: http://www.GoodAccent.com

- Those of you who are learning Spanish can look at beginning, intermediate, or advanced books? Or you can check out other Books ON Spanish at: http://www.bookslibros.com/spanishbooks.phpto help you out.

- Kids Can Learn Spanish! Take a look at: http://www.bookslibros.com/SpanishForNinos.htm

- People who speak Spanish and are learning English should check out http://InglesParaLatinos.com

- Persons interested in Spanish should check out our books IN Spanish? You will find books on health, the family, self help, literature, etc. and the possibility to search for any other topic. Check out http://www.bookslibros.com/LibrosEnEspanol.php