It makes no sense to me at all that when I've learnt a language here at UNSW (so far only Japanese & Korean) that one of the first things they teach you is that languages written characters, often quickly discarding romanisations altogether in favour of that languages writing system.
The reason this doesn't make sense to me is that it seems to me that the best way to learn any new language was the same way you learnt the one you originally spoke - vocabulary & grammar first, then reading & writing as a distant second.
When you try to learn the written characters first, it becomes difficult because your mind doesn't have a concept to relate the "strange symbol" to, making them easier to forget.
If you learn the spoken words first, and thereby the sounds, by the time you've acquired a large enough vocabulary, and started to learn to write the characters, your mind will be like "Ah, so that's what the written form of XYZ looks like," giving your mind something concrete to which it can attach the abstract concept of the written word (and thereby solidifying the learning process of that language's written characters).
Good luck with all of your learning!
- Ian (The guy in the Mario cap) I'll keep you posted. :-)
Tuesday 13 April 2010
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Strangers in a photo ...
Haven't you ever wondered who those strangers in the back of your photos are?
Or indeed, wondered in how many photos it is you that is the stranger in the back of another persons photos?
There must be so many.
Wouldn't that make a great movie, though? (If it hasn't already).
I'd like to see that movie ... I'd like to make that movie.
- Ian.
Or indeed, wondered in how many photos it is you that is the stranger in the back of another persons photos?
There must be so many.
Wouldn't that make a great movie, though? (If it hasn't already).
I'd like to see that movie ... I'd like to make that movie.
- Ian.
Tuesday 6 April 2010
How I Learnt English (and how all languages should be taught).
Spoken words first, written words last.
Not that I actually remember the first few things I learnt, but I'm assuming, from observation of how other, younger family members in my social circles were brought up, I dare say the first few things I learnt were something like "Mother, Fater, Sister, Brother, Aunty, Uncle, Cousin, Grandma, Grandpa" (Btw, can you figure out which word from that collection is the odd one out ... and why?) ;-)
Also, by the time I'd started school, where they teach you what words are and how to write them, I was already quite fluent in the speaking of my native tongue - English.
All this makes me wonder why Universities feel the need to shovel everything - vocabulary, writing, social structure, grammar ... everything - down your proverbial throat at a million miles a minute before you've even had time to mentally digest all the information from the previous lesson. Not to mention you've got two or three other subjects that have to be studied.
Humans are full of self-righteous bullshit.
It makes far more sense to teach people any new language the same way they learnt there own - speaking/listening first; reading/writing last.
I've often thought it would make more sense to learn the writing system in second semester, if not second year. The reason being that now your mind has a decent size vocabulary to attach the newly acquired written words too, rather than just having them as meaningless symbol attached to a meaningless letter.
Your thoughts?
Thank you. ^_^
Not that I actually remember the first few things I learnt, but I'm assuming, from observation of how other, younger family members in my social circles were brought up, I dare say the first few things I learnt were something like "Mother, Fater, Sister, Brother, Aunty, Uncle, Cousin, Grandma, Grandpa" (Btw, can you figure out which word from that collection is the odd one out ... and why?) ;-)
Also, by the time I'd started school, where they teach you what words are and how to write them, I was already quite fluent in the speaking of my native tongue - English.
All this makes me wonder why Universities feel the need to shovel everything - vocabulary, writing, social structure, grammar ... everything - down your proverbial throat at a million miles a minute before you've even had time to mentally digest all the information from the previous lesson. Not to mention you've got two or three other subjects that have to be studied.
Humans are full of self-righteous bullshit.
It makes far more sense to teach people any new language the same way they learnt there own - speaking/listening first; reading/writing last.
I've often thought it would make more sense to learn the writing system in second semester, if not second year. The reason being that now your mind has a decent size vocabulary to attach the newly acquired written words too, rather than just having them as meaningless symbol attached to a meaningless letter.
Your thoughts?
Thank you. ^_^
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