| There are many ways to learn a new language: | | | | Literacy is one of the 21st century's most |
| you can go live in a country where the | | | | innately valuable compound skills. After all, |
| language is spoken, attend a formal language | | | | you're reading THIS now, aren't you? Few |
| class, get a private language tutor or use | | | | would wish to be illiterate in their new |
| books and written materials. Other ways to | | | | foreign language so practice of reading |
| learn a foreign language are to listen to CDs | | | | skills is paramount. Online newspapers, |
| or audiocassette tapes, watch TV, movies and | | | | magazines, newsletters and blogs can provide |
| video programs, memorize phrase books, use | | | | the needed practice and learning materials. |
| the Internet or employ a combination of all | | | | Check out these reading comprehension skills |
| the above. | | | | sites: |
| | | | |
| But not everyone can arrange to live in a | | | | - How to Read Your Textbook More Efficiently |
| foreign country. Native speakers of the | | | | |
| language may not be available. Written or | | | | |
| recorded commercial materials may not be | | | | - Self-study reading lessons |
| available in the language you're interested | | | | |
| in (Cochimi, Cibemba or Kukapa, anyone?) | | | | - Read the article in the following address: |
| True, many major languages like Spanish, | | | | |
| French, German, Italian, and Portuguese | | | | In the address that follows, take the quiz to |
| broadcast TV programs via cable. Even Korean, | | | | verify your understanding of the reading |
| Catalan, Arabic and Japanese have venues | | | | passage: |
| available in cosmopolitan areas worldwide but | | | | |
| the vast majority of the world's thousands of | | | | 4. Help in developing listening skills |
| spoken tongues are simply not at large | | | | |
| outside of their local areas. So what's a | | | | Considered to be the most difficult of the |
| prospective polyglot to do? | | | | language skills to develop, listening cannot |
| | | | be taught. Rather, you must practice, |
| One answer of course, is the internet. Plug | | | | practice, practice and then practice some |
| "foreign language courses" into an internet | | | | more. Every week, twice a week I passed a |
| search engine like Google or Yahoo and more | | | | street vendor at the same spot, absolutely |
| than 62 million hits instantly come up. From | | | | clueless as to what he was saying. I knew |
| Afrikaans to Punjabi, and Hebrew to Zulu, | | | | what he was selling - I just peeked over at |
| thousands of listings lay before you only a | | | | his wares. But his entreaties in street |
| mouse click away. How exactly then, can the | | | | Spanish fell on my language-clogged ears for |
| internet be used to tackle learning a foreign | | | | months. Then one evening, without warning, it |
| language? Start off effectively by using | | | | happened. Just two days before, his cries |
| these six ways: | | | | were the same incomprehensible slur they'd |
| | | | been for months. That one evening however, |
| 1. Do an initial evaluation | | | | when he launched into his huckster's spiel I |
| | | | suddenly understood every word. My listening |
| The first thing you may want to know is where | | | | comprehension skills had clicked in. Why |
| you are in the scheme of learning the | | | | then? No one knows. Especially not me, and |
| language. An initial language skills | | | | I'm a post-graduate-degreed Language |
| evaluation is in order are you a raw | | | | Education Specialist! |
| beginner? False beginner? Intermediate level? | | | | |
| Higher? Let's take English as a second or | | | | Practice your listening skills with radio |
| foreign language as an example. English | | | | programs in your target language for a change |
| proficiency diagnostics tests are free online | | | | at which has live global feeds 24 hours a |
| at: | | | | day in multiple languages. |
| | | | |
| - General English Test with instant results | | | | Foreign language internet radio and foreign |
| | | | news radio in 27 European, 4 Middle Eastern, |
| | | | 9 Asian languages and audio feeds from 19 |
| - Parlo (diagnostic tests in English, | | | | African countries are broadcast on: |
| Spanish, and French) | | | | |
| | | | 5. Playing games and having fun |
| - Upper Intermediate Test | | | | |
| | | | Vocabulary is often referred to as the |
| If you score above 80% in this test, you | | | | building blocks of language. Knowledge of |
| should take the next one and also show your | | | | vocabulary is one aspect that separates the |
| teacher or tutor a copy of the results. | | | | language learning levels. The more vocabulary |
| | | | you know, the more communicative you are. |
| 2. Become familiar with language learning | | | | Here are some unique linguistic sites that |
| strategies | | | | help build your language as you "play": |
| | | | |
| How do YOU learn? Knowing this can make the | | | | - The site offers "interesting things for |
| daunting task of foreign language learning | | | | ESL students" like songs, jokes, quizzes, |
| less like study and more like play. Are you a | | | | word games, puzzles, slang and even podcasts |
| Visual - Spatial learner who likes pictures, | | | | to help stimulate English language |
| drawings, graphics and extensive use of | | | | acquisition. |
| color? A Musical - Rhythmic type that would | | | | |
| benefit from having your lessons and | | | | - The foreign language course site at: has |
| materials set to music, rhythm or rhyme? | | | | activities in 27 languages including Finnish, |
| Perhaps you're the athletic type who'd derive | | | | Mandarin and Quechua. |
| more success with learning by motion, | | | | |
| movement, mime or even dance? Playing the | | | | - At the Transparent Language site you can |
| works of Mozart in the background while | | | | play games in any one of more than 100 |
| studying has been shown to enhance learning | | | | languages from Afrikaans to Farsi or Guarani |
| in a number of areas. To find out more about | | | | to Yoruba. And yes, they have Zulu too. Check |
| your manner of learning visit these sites for | | | | out all their listings here: |
| starters: | | | | |
| | | | 6. So what language tickles your fancy? |
| - Learning Styles Explanation | | | | |
| | | | While the selection of language courses, |
| - Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire | | | | tutorials, news feeds, music and other audio |
| | | | - visual materials online is extensive, ALL |
| - The Success Types Learning Style Indicator | | | | the world's languages simply aren't |
| | | | available. Sorry. But many are and here's how |
| 3. Practice reading skills | | | | to find yours if it's online. |
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