Make Friends with English!
08/07/13 Filed in: 勉強法
People are different. We each have our own personality; our ticks, our foibles, our eccentricities. These little bits of character are what make us interesting. They determine who we spend our time around, who fascinates us, who we love, and likewise, who drives us crazy. Languages, too, have personalities. They have their ticks and foibles, their strange habits, and their endearing—as well as maddening—quirks. As with people, sometimes languages are easy to get along with—maybe we have a natural knack for learning, maybe the language closely resembles our native tongue, maybe there is something strangely beautiful in its appearance and sound. But like people, we can’t always choose which languages we’re obliged to spend our time with. Maybe we’re not so crazy about, say, English. And yet, like that annoying guy at the office, we’re stuck with it. English, as the globally recognized lingua franca, is not going anywhere anytime soon. We’ll all have to learn to live with it… But what if, well, we just don’t like English? Not to worry! It turns out, English isn’t such a bad character, once you get to know it. Here are a few tips on how to make friends.
Like any long-term relationship, learning a language is a big commitment. It takes work, it takes patience, and there will sometimes be a fight or two (my Japanese textbook and I were not even on speaking terms for a while, but we’ve since ironed things out). The first step in building a relationship with a language, as with a person, is to focus on the things you like. Stay positive! Rather than focusing on the things we don’t like (the difficult grammar, the baffling articles, the maddening distinction between “l” and “r”), it’s better to try and find an in; some little aspect of the language we find just the slightest bit endearing. Maybe you think reading is boring, but have fun chatting. Or, inversely, perhaps you’re a bit shy about expressing yourself in a foreign tongue, but you really enjoy reading news articles or comic books. Maybe you have a favorite Hollywood movie, or are a Beatles fan. Or maybe there’s an English word you just happen to like the sound of. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Try to find a single aspect of the language that appeals to you, and then build upon it. When you make time to study, focus on the things that you find most compelling. Then, once you’ve broken the ice, made small talk, gotten comfortable, you can start getting down to brass tacks and really getting to know it. It may be tough at first, and like meeting people, may occasionally push you out of your comfort zone. In the end, though, it will be worth it. Look at it this way: would you rather spend time (we’re talking years) with that annoying guy at the office, or with a good friend?
I’ve befriended a number of languages, and some were easier to get along with than others. I found Spanish pretty dull in high school, but have since returned to it with the benefit of experience, and have discovered that it is not such a bad egg after all. In fact, we’ve really started to bond. I like the musical sound of the language, the clarity of the pronunciation, its bright, lively character. I hit it off with Russian right away, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Some find the language gloomy, or complain about the difficult, archaic grammar—but for me, those were just parts of the language’s personality. Sure, the grammar was a bit severe, and well, dour, but it also meant that you could put words in any order you liked—the language knew how to loosen up and have fun, too. It also helped that I was introduced to it by some of the best teachers I have ever had, people who clearly loved their native tongue and passed that enthusiasm onto their students. Context matters. Make sure you’re spending time with English in a positive environment. Don’t just work, play!
Japanese and I have had a complicated relationship. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. It’s a tough language for Americans to learn, for a number of reasons. But that’s just how Japanese is! So I put my head down, studied more, and made an effort to really get to know it. That extra work has paid off. Sure, Japanese is tough. It’s a shy language, very slow to open up and reveal its secrets, and it takes longer to get to know than some, more outgoing, tongues. But that’s only because there’s more to know. Japanese, you might say, has plenty of character. The longer you know it, the more intriguing things it reveals. It never ceases to challenge and surprise me, it never gets boring, and during the course of my time with it, it has taught me many things—not just about language, but about myself. Those are the best kinds of friends.
Many people think of language study as boring, something they’d rather put off, like an appointment with that relative they don’t really want to meet. But to really get to know English, take the friendly approach. You won’t just improve your language skills and gain more fluency—you’ll gain a friend for life.
Like any long-term relationship, learning a language is a big commitment. It takes work, it takes patience, and there will sometimes be a fight or two (my Japanese textbook and I were not even on speaking terms for a while, but we’ve since ironed things out). The first step in building a relationship with a language, as with a person, is to focus on the things you like. Stay positive! Rather than focusing on the things we don’t like (the difficult grammar, the baffling articles, the maddening distinction between “l” and “r”), it’s better to try and find an in; some little aspect of the language we find just the slightest bit endearing. Maybe you think reading is boring, but have fun chatting. Or, inversely, perhaps you’re a bit shy about expressing yourself in a foreign tongue, but you really enjoy reading news articles or comic books. Maybe you have a favorite Hollywood movie, or are a Beatles fan. Or maybe there’s an English word you just happen to like the sound of. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Try to find a single aspect of the language that appeals to you, and then build upon it. When you make time to study, focus on the things that you find most compelling. Then, once you’ve broken the ice, made small talk, gotten comfortable, you can start getting down to brass tacks and really getting to know it. It may be tough at first, and like meeting people, may occasionally push you out of your comfort zone. In the end, though, it will be worth it. Look at it this way: would you rather spend time (we’re talking years) with that annoying guy at the office, or with a good friend?
I’ve befriended a number of languages, and some were easier to get along with than others. I found Spanish pretty dull in high school, but have since returned to it with the benefit of experience, and have discovered that it is not such a bad egg after all. In fact, we’ve really started to bond. I like the musical sound of the language, the clarity of the pronunciation, its bright, lively character. I hit it off with Russian right away, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Some find the language gloomy, or complain about the difficult, archaic grammar—but for me, those were just parts of the language’s personality. Sure, the grammar was a bit severe, and well, dour, but it also meant that you could put words in any order you liked—the language knew how to loosen up and have fun, too. It also helped that I was introduced to it by some of the best teachers I have ever had, people who clearly loved their native tongue and passed that enthusiasm onto their students. Context matters. Make sure you’re spending time with English in a positive environment. Don’t just work, play!
Japanese and I have had a complicated relationship. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. It’s a tough language for Americans to learn, for a number of reasons. But that’s just how Japanese is! So I put my head down, studied more, and made an effort to really get to know it. That extra work has paid off. Sure, Japanese is tough. It’s a shy language, very slow to open up and reveal its secrets, and it takes longer to get to know than some, more outgoing, tongues. But that’s only because there’s more to know. Japanese, you might say, has plenty of character. The longer you know it, the more intriguing things it reveals. It never ceases to challenge and surprise me, it never gets boring, and during the course of my time with it, it has taught me many things—not just about language, but about myself. Those are the best kinds of friends.
Many people think of language study as boring, something they’d rather put off, like an appointment with that relative they don’t really want to meet. But to really get to know English, take the friendly approach. You won’t just improve your language skills and gain more fluency—you’ll gain a friend for life.
Adam