'Language is a process of free creation.' (Noam Chomsky) A talented linguist and disciple of Noam Chomsky invited Jacob, a young German student, to reflect on which of two sample sentences in English was correct. Jacob was unsure about the exact meaning and structure of the phrases yet, gesturing with his hand to his chest, he then pointed thoughtfully at one and said, ‘I don’t know, but it feels like it’s this one.’ I was stunned. He was correct, and he didn’t know how or why. The teacher explained. Jacob has been exposed over time to English via e.g. social media, computer games etc. He somehow knows the answer; less analytically and more intuitively. I flashed back in my own memory to a time when, as a teenager, I was learning French at school. I had a hunch, an idea, that if I played French radio in the background in my room, I too would become tuned into the language even if I didn’t understand anything that was being said. Over time, I did start to distinguish one word from another, then to notice recurring words, then to become aware of the contexts in which certain words or phrases were used. I started to hear the accent, word stress and intonation. It wasn’t a conscious process so much as, like an infant child, a learning of language by immersion. This linguist then invited a wider group of students to play a fast-paced game that involves using lots of different words in English. They didn’t necessarily know or understand the words and the teacher, a speaker of five languages, didn’t translate them. I was puzzled by this and asked why. Pointing to Chomsky, she took me back to the same core principle I had discovered for myself as a teenager. The students don’t know the meaning of the words now, but when in future they hear them used in context, the words and meanings will connect. Immersion enables deep language-learning by intuition.
12 Comments
Melina Martínez
23/5/2023 07:59:29 pm
Again deeply honored to be mentioned . I have no words to thank you the fantastic time we shared teaching.
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Nick Wright
23/5/2023 08:29:55 pm
Hi Melina. Thank you for the privilege of learning from you. I’m still processing all the many insights and ideas I gained from you at the Montessori school! 🙏
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Hans Vogel
24/5/2023 12:38:42 pm
I don't understand Nick Wright. Why did you listened to French on the radio? Didn't you have classes in the school?
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Nick Wright
24/5/2023 12:42:08 pm
Hi Hans. One of the challenges of living in the UK was that, before the internet, we had very little access to other languages. My French classes at school were only for 1 or hours per week. Using the radio dramatically increased my exposure to the French language and, therefore, accelerated my learning.
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Hans Vogel
24/5/2023 12:48:56 pm
Are you fluent French speaker?
Nick Wright
24/5/2023 12:50:36 pm
Hi Hans. No, I'm not. I've had very little exposure to the French language since leaving school. I have been more interested in and had more opportunities to learn German. In fact, when I was at school I won a French Language award and was invited to choose a book as my reward. I chose a German language dictionary. :)
Dianne Walsh
24/5/2023 12:45:55 pm
Hi Nick. You must have been very motivated to learn French at that time. I'm a TEFL tutor and motivation is almost everything. If the students aren't motivated to learn, they won't learn anything.
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Nick Wright
24/5/2023 12:47:51 pm
Hi Dianne. Yes, I had a keen interest in different languages from a very early age. Your comments on motivation reminded me of another quotation from Chomsky: "The truth of the matter is that about 99 percent of teaching is making the students feel interested in the material. The other 1 percent has to do with your methods."
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Dianne Walsh
24/5/2023 03:35:31 pm
Very true, Nick. So how do you motivate students who aren't motivated?
Nick Wright
24/5/2023 03:52:02 pm
Hi Dianne. That's a good question. I don't know if I can motivate a student. I could incentivise them to learn - e.g. by offering rewards for participation or success. I can try to tap into what already motivates them. I can also try to envision them with what e.g. learning a language could make possible for them.
Kathrin Hoffmann
24/5/2023 09:24:00 pm
Hi Nick, there are different types of learners: some people learn best visually, others auditory, communicatively or motorically. As a child, when I was unsure about writing words, I wrote down my versions of the word, e.g. Kaze or Katze. As I saw the possibilities of the word, I realized, without knowing why, which spelling is correct. Seeing the words was enough for the right decision.
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Nick Wright
25/5/2023 08:34:37 am
Hi Kathrin. Yes, I imagine that's one of the benefits of lots of reading - even if we don't understand all the words. Over time, we begin subconsciously to recognise the correct spelling or grammatical structure. I once skim-read a book on graphic design. It proposed that we recognise words by their shape, rather than necessarily by their composition of individual letters. It means that when we see a word that's the 'wrong' shape or, conversely, the correct shape, our brain detects it subconsciously. We start to know something looks right or wrong, without necessarily understanding the word itself.
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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