Rules for learning a foreign language. Teaching adults a foreign language

Everyone knows perfectly well that foreign languages ​​are in fashion today. Now all the formalities when traveling abroad have been greatly simplified, which allows thousands of people to travel freely around the world. Many of them go abroad in search of a better life, some have already found work there, some are still looking. In this situation, knowledge of the language is mandatory and necessary.

And now the textbooks and dictionaries that fell like dust on store shelves are instantly sold out, language courses flourish, and qualified experienced teachers demand exorbitant money for their lessons.

Unfortunately, not everyone, due to their employment or financial instability, can afford to attend language courses or use the services of a tutor.

There is nothing left to do but do it yourself. But the study of any foreign language is quite specific, therefore, from the start of study, a lot of problems often arise related to ignorance of the very methodology of self-study.

What's the schedule? How to build lessons? How to conquer the correct pronunciation? How, how many and what books, magazines to read? How to remember a large amount of information, a lot of new words and grammar rules?

All these and many other questions YOU will get the answer by reading this article to the end! She has collected all the useful recommendations, instructions and advice, listening to which the training will become much easier, more interesting, and most importantly - more effective.

Internal Success Factors

Any sane person without exception, if desired, can learn any language at any age. There are no people who absolutely cannot learn a foreign language, however, language abilities are subject to fairly strong variations. Some learn a language much faster and more easily than others. However, everyone who believes that they are able to learn the language, or simply do not want to spend time on serious studies, are lazy - naturally, there is nothing to help them here, or I have not the slightest idea how to properly and rationally organize all stages of their learning and make this system. The last of this article will take out a lot of useful and interesting information.

As in anything else, in learning any language, the result directly depends on the level of interest, diligence and perseverance. Be that as it may, knowing the language poorly is still better than not knowing it at all.

When learning a language, it is important to have a good memory for words, be able to imitate a variety of sounds and think logically.

Organization of self-study: basic principles

1. Unconditional success and obtaining the desired result will lead only to the method that the student will not perceive as a heavy burden, burden or necessity. External pressure usually causes only a reaction;
2. Choose a specific time of the day for your lessons. Try to practice every day, there should be a maximum of one day off per week. Each class, even if not very long, is much more useful and better than many hours of “assault” once or twice a week;
3. The ideal duration of classes should be 1-1.5 hours a day with indispensable 5-minute breaks or without them if the lesson lasts no more than an hour. After 7-10 hours after the lesson, it will be very useful to conduct a 10-minute review of the material covered;
4. Be sure to arrange comfortable and cozy conditions for yourself: a comfortable workplace, excellent lighting, maximum silence;
5. During training, use all your senses: hearing, vision, hands, speech organs. It is necessary to fully use all the ways of entering information, combining and combining their work;
6. Try to constantly apply the acquired knowledge, persistently practice the language as soon as an opportunity presents itself. Take advantage of any free time for this - in transport, when you are waiting for something or someone;
7. Create a planned plan in advance, according to which you will constantly repeat the studied material. Only deliberately organized repetition can provide a strong memorization;
8. Do not try to speed up your optimal pace of language learning, as dynamics can negatively affect the results;
9. Gradually introduce various game situations into the learning process;
10. Do not be ashamed to praise yourself if you have achieved positive results - you must be confident in your abilities and capabilities;
11. Study the history, geography, economy, culture, art and literature of the state whose language you are studying.

First stage

If you have clearly decided to study a particular language, you will need a textbook, a phrase book, a couple of dictionaries and light art books.

Work through the textbook carefully and point by point, correctly completing all the exercises in full. Engage in written translation of the text, leaving free space for correcting errors, separately analyze all your mistakes, their causes.

Many teachers advise studying simultaneously from several textbooks by different authors. This way you can compare the various presentations of the material, and therefore, do not tie yourself to a single option. Nevertheless, this way of learning is very time-consuming and requires a certain dispersion of attention, which is far from being possible for everyone.

As soon as possible, start reading adapted literature, simple plays and short stories. Start with something public, after reading the text a couple of times, write down any new unfamiliar words and phrases for further study.

Try to consult with native speakers or teachers as often as possible. Ask to check you and correct your mistakes, if any, explain their origin.

Pronunciation

Impeccable and correct pronunciation is the basis for learning any language. Defects and flaws in pronunciation make it much more difficult for someone to understand and perceive the speech you speak. Mastering the correct pronunciation is one of the most difficult tasks. During your first contact with a foreigner, he will judge your knowledge solely by pronunciation.

You need to focus on the following points:

1. Many pronunciation errors can be circumvented by following an accurate and clear display of the position of the articulatory apparatus when you reproduce the sound given in the phonetics section of the textbook. Practice pronunciation as intensively as possible in the first months of learning the language, until such time as you begin to pronounce all sounds automatically, without particularly straining;
2. It is possible to quickly and efficiently learn all the rules of pronunciation only when you compare them with the rules inherent in your native language. You need to compare the sound that you are studying with the closest maximally similar sound of your language, fix the position of the organs of speech, which makes such a sound different;
3. In the pronunciation of the most difficult sounds, you should train as long as possible. Work also on those sounds whose incorrect pronunciation distorts the meaning of the whole word;
4. It is imperative to train your pronunciation at the mirror - this will allow you to perfectly control facial expressions, which are characteristic of certain sounds. It is extremely useful to watch a foreign non-dubbed movie, this will allow you to “read” the sounds exclusively by facial expressions;
5. Try to listen to radio broadcasts as much as possible and repeat phrases after the announcer. Training right behind the correct perception of sounds will undoubtedly lead to positive results;
6. Particular attention should be paid to correct intonation and stress. It is quite difficult to acquire skills in the correct one, since the manner of pronunciation of words in various languages very different. The assimilation of the correct melody of the language will be facilitated by repeated listening to radio programs recorded, for example, on a voice recorder;
7. Try to memorize verses and read them with expression, while trying to convey all the shades of sound with your voice.

Grammar

To learn a language without mastering grammar is only possible for a small child or a person who, for some reason, got into a foreign language environment, while being completely divorced from his usual one.

Grammar rules should not only be known, but also understood. A thoughtful principle will certainly give rise to a habit, and the slow application of these rules subsequently becomes automatic. All the grammatical patterns that you have mastered act on the principle of a template, in the future they allow you to “cut” new forms according to it. The whole study of grammar comes down to the manufacture of these patterns, which is why your task is to master as many stable fundamental patterns as possible.

Here are the main basic rules and tips for learning grammar.

• Remember that a solid knowledge of the basics of grammar is much more important than a superficial delitant acquaintance with all the minor elements;
• Do not look for any clear logic in grammar, since any language is rich in inconsistent phenomena that are due to the process of its development. That is why, along with the study of grammatical rules, at the same time try to study all the exceptions to them;
• Grammar rules must be memorized by memorizing whole sentences where they are used. This approach will facilitate your learning, it is easier than memorizing the rules formulated in the textbook;
• Grammar studies try to match the grammar rules in a foreign language with identical rules in your native language. This will allow you to find similar phenomena and will contribute to the creation of associative links;
• Initially, learn how to conjugate verbs and inflect nouns with pronouns, try to determine the structure of the sentence, as well as the order of words in it;
• Be sure to make tables of the rules that you are studying, this will give you the opportunity to visually assimilate the material;
• Try to formulate questions on your own that include the grammar rules you are learning, and try using examples to answer them.

Your goal should be to create a typical sentence model, in which you will gradually include several rules of the same type in order to compare various rules with each other, to compare them using the same model.

Language acquisition

There are four main types of speech that make up language activities: listening, reading, writing and speaking. To know the language well, you need to be fluent in these types of speech.

To understand speech by ear, you need:

• constantly listen to tape recordings and radio broadcasts;
• communicate as often as possible with people who ideally know the language you are learning;
• read aloud with correct intonation;
• constantly repeat patterns of heard speech;
• use various oral exercises;
• get practical phonetic skills, perfect pronunciation.

There are two basic types of reading - extensive and intensive.

During extensive reading, you do not pay characteristic attention to detail, reading is directed solely to the essence of the story. We get a more general and less accurate perception. On the other side of the coin, if you read without understanding what is happening, it will not bring any results or benefits.

Intensive Reading- unhurried and thorough, includes an explanation of the smallest and most detailed details, all the grammatical, lexical and stylistic specifics of the text. In this case, of course, all interest in the text as such and its meaning are often lost.

A detailed analysis of difficult texts must be combined with a quick reading of the lungs. The fatigue that occurs during fluent reading is associated with the rapid switching of one's attention, and is more than offset by both interest and pleasure from reading.

Be fluent in a foreign language- rather heavy characteristic of speech activity. In order to speak, it is necessary to operate with a huge number of words, various model sentences and speech clichés, to apply them automatically, without thinking.

You can learn how to speak correctly and qualitatively with the help of the following exercises.

• it is necessary to remember the maximum number of stamps, different short phrases, as well as set phrases and expressions. Try to learn and pronounce some proverbs and sayings, parables, anecdotes and short dialogues;
• speech skills are excellently developed by modern plays and stories that are written in a colloquial style. They contain the most necessary words and models. Textbooks and manuals often contain somewhat artificial texts; they are not always a reliable and solid source of colloquial speech;
• after a couple of months, it is necessary to include a retelling of texts in the learning process, gradually increasing their complexity. To automate speech skills, during repeated retellings, you need to increase the speed of speech;
• after reading the text, ask yourself a variety of questions on the text, independently answering them;
• learning to speak correctly and beautifully is possible only in the process of speaking. Therefore, one should practice speech at the slightest opportunity;
• talk to yourself as you practice daily, tell yourself what you see and hear around you, what you want to do, etc. You must accustom yourself to obligatory monologues.

Despite the fact that writing is far from being the primary attribute of language learning, however, it cannot be bypassed. If you do not know how to express your thoughts in writing, you cannot be called a person who knows the language comprehensively.

Writing can be developed in the following ways.

1. You are required to complete all written exercises in the textbook, in particular those related to translation from your language into the target language;
2. write questions to read;
3. arrange self-dictations for yourself to test the memorization of the newly learned vocabulary;
4. freely express the elaborated text in writing;
5. write essays on topics that interest you the most.

Translation

While learning a language, be sure to practice translating text from a foreign language into your native language, and vice versa. Translation is not only a combination of the meaning of each individual word into one phrase, it is primarily a transfer of thought. In fact, this is the creation of a new sentence, taking into account all the features of the language into which the text is being translated. It will greatly facilitate the translation by memorizing turns of speech that differ from the turns of your language, but carry the same semantic load. Always, remember, always avoid translating text literally.

So, summing up, it must be said that all types of speech activity without exception are inextricably linked with one another. Therefore, never give more attention to any one at the expense of the others. Apply as far as possible all the techniques and means described above. And most importantly - the only short way to the full development of the language is persistent, painstaking, concentrated, systematic and conscious work.

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