How do you learn to speak English?
In this video, we'll discuss three methods for learning to speak English that really
work.
But before we do, we first need to talk about how humans learn. This is important because
if you have some basic understanding of how we learn, you'll be able to distinguish good
learning methods from bad ones.
So let's begin.
The first thing you need to know is that there are two types of learning.
The first type of learning is called explicit learning or conscious learning. This is the
type of learning where the learner knows that he's learning something and also what is being
learned. One example of explicit learning is studying grammar.
When you listen to an English teacher explaining the past tense, you're learning English explicitly
by consciously memorizing how to use the past tense.
The second type of learning is called implicit learning or unconscious learning. In implicit
learning, the learner doesn't know what is being learned. Oftentimes, he's not even aware
that he's learning something. The learning happens unconsciously. One example of implicit
learning is listening to a conversation in English
When you listen to a conversation, your main goal is not to learn English but to understand
the conversation. But by doing the activity, you're simultaneously learning English. You
may not realize it, but you're learning many aspects of the English language — the sentence
structure, the grammar, the vocabulary, and so on.
So we can learn English in two different ways — either explicitly or implicitly. The question
is, which way of learning is better?
To answer this question, consider this:
Just like there are two types of learning, there are also two types of knowledge — explicit
knowledge and implicit knowledge. Explicit learning results in explicit knowledge whereas
implicit learning results in implicit knowledge. And there's a very big difference between
these two knowledges.
Accessing explicit knowledge requires conscious thought. You have to think about the knowledge
in order to use it. This means that if you want to speak English properly, you have to
think about English. You have think about whether to use the past tense or something
else. You have to think about how to form a sentence properly. But that's impossible
because when you speak, there's no time to think about any of that.
In contrast, accessing implicit knowledge does not require conscious thought. You don't
have to think about the knowledge in order to use it. Think about how you speak your
first language. It's pretty effortless, isn't it. You can speak properly without having
to think about any grammar rule. That is possible only because your knowledge of your native
language is implicit.
For this reason, implicit learning is a much better learning strategy. When you don't have
to think about English, it frees up your mind so you can fully concentrate on expressing
your thoughts and ideas.
Unfortunately, many English students like to learn English in an explicit manner. Some
of them spend time on Youtube watching videos about English grammar. What they don't realize
is that the knowledge they gain from the activity is explicit knowledge, which is almost useless
when it comes to speaking.
So let me share with you three methods for learning to speak English that really work.
I'll give you an overview of them as well as their advantages and disadvantages. And
at the end of this video, there'll be a link to a free resource where you can study each
of these methods in detail.
The first method is listening. Just listen to English as much as possible. An advantage
of this method is that it's very easy to do. You can do it while stuck in traffic, while
exercising, while waiting in line, and so on. But he main drawback of this method is
that it's too passive. Listening alone is not enough. You have to combine listening
with some sort of speaking practice.
And that brings us to the next method, which is to use English speaking courses that teach
English implicitly.
Let's see how these courses work:
Is there a cat?
No, there is not cat.
No, there isn't a cat.
What is there?
There is a dog.
A dog, there's a dog.
Does Lisa own the dog?
No, Lisa doesn't own the dog.
No, she doesn't. Lisa doesn't own the dog.
Who owns the dog then?
OK, so that's one example. Here's another one:
There was a guy named John.
He wanted to own a restaurant.
Did John want to own a car?
No, he didn't want to own an...a car.
No, he didn't want to own a car.
What did he want?
He want to own a restaurant.
Well, he wanted to own a restaurant.
He wanted to own a restaurant.
Who wanted to own a restaurant?
OK, so that's how it works. A key advantage of using a course like this is that you get
feedback every time your speak. This allows you to learn and improve quickly. This is
great for beginners. By using a course like this, the learner can expect to see significant
improvements in a matter of months.
But this method has some disadvantages too. One of which is limited learning. When you
use a course like this, you get to learn only the words, phrases, and other things that
are used in that course, and this is a problem because in order to speak English well, you
need to keep expanding your vocabulary.
Another problem is that at some point it's going to become easy for you to practice with
these courses and you will stop improving. When that happens, you're going to need to
use a different method in order to keep getting better.
And that brings us to the last method, which is called imitation.
This is the practice where you listen to a conversation or a story in English and then
try to tell that story in your own words. And by doing so, you get to learn grammar,
vocabulary, and other aspects of English.
This is a great method for intermediate and advanced speakers. A key advantage of this
method is that there are virtually no limits to how much you can learn. The more you practice,
you more you learn and the larger your vocabulary.
But the main problem with this method is that it can be difficult for beginners. If right
now you can speak English just a little bit, you may not be able to practice imitation
effectively. If that's the case, you might want to start with one or two speaking courses
before you start using this method.
OK, so that's an overview of three learning methods that work because they're all a form
of implicit learning.
If you want to learn more about these methods, check out this resource where you can find
a tutorial on imitation, a list of recommended speaking courses, and a video series on how
to practice listening the right way. Just click here to go to that resource.