â€å“how to Read and Talk About Poetryã¢â‚¬â by Jessica Flynn
Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening: The 4 Basic Linguistic communication Skills, and How to Practise Them
Reading, writing, speaking and listening – the four foundational skills of language learning.
You can't build a business firm without a strong foundation (well, that's if you want the house to stay upright in all weather condition!). Similarly, you won't become a well-rounded speaker of a language without building upon the four foundations of linguistic communication learning.
It took me quite a while to realise this.
I studied languages for years at school – and even after school without much success. I even moved to Spain to learn Spanish. Information technology was a lightning bolt moment that made me realise I could spend hours learning how to read or write Castilian, just I had to actually showtime speaking to achieve fluency.
As you continue language learning, you will probably discover that you're stronger in some areas than others. Typically, people struggle nearly with listening and speaking.
How I Discovered My Achilles Heel: Listening Comprehension
Listening is the big 1 for me.
When I was learning German I set up myself a goal of passing the advanced CEFRL exam. I passed four out of the five sections of the test.
It was only my listening that wasn't up to scratch.
I didn't mind also much – I could hold confident conversations in High german, later on only 3 months of intensive study. That being my aim, I was happy with my issue.
However, the experience helped me see that I need to focus more on listening when I'm learning a new language.
The key factor of the four basic linguistic communication skills is that they complement each other. Equally a scientific discipline nerd, I know that Newton's 3rd law states that every activity has an equal and reverse reaction. So, if y'all desire to be a well-rounded language learner, you need to ensure that you lot're giving each skill the attention that information technology needs.
What are the Four Basic Languages Skills?
These are the cornerstones of learning a language.
- Reading
- Writing
- Listening
- Speaking
The skills work in pairs. When you're reading or listening, you're consuming a language.
However, when yous're writing or speaking, y'all're producing a linguistic communication.
One time you've mastered these skills, y'all can safely say that you're fluent in that language.
With that in mind, let's take a expect at how y'all tin can strengthen each individual skill, to ensure that you're making the most out of your language exercise.
How to Ameliorate Your Reading Skills
At that place's a very obvious place to start for those wishing to ameliorate their reading skills: books!
Books not only assist you learn a new language. They're also a way to notice the culture backside the language.
Thanks to the Internet, newspaper books aren't your simply option for reading practice. Most languages have thousands of books available to download online – many of them free.
Here are just a few of my favourite reading resources, to become you started.
ane. Motion-picture show or Comic Books
Movie books are an excellent resource for beginners. Chances are, y'all used picture books to assistance y'all acquire to read in your native tongue. So it makes sense y'all'd offset here with your target language also.
Once you're beyond the absolute beginner phase, I recommend comic books. They're fun to read, and the pictures help you follow the story fifty-fifty if yous don't know all the vocabulary.
2. A Good Dictionary and a Pocket Notebook
A dictionary is a language learner's best friend. As you delve deeper into your target language, yous'll oft come up across new words. By having a lexicon on manus, you lot can find out what those words hateful right abroad, and jot them downwards in your notebook.
I recommend investing in a pocket notebook. That manner y'all can deport it around, add notes to it or review what you lot've already complied when you lot're waiting in line or on public send.
You can practice the aforementioned thing digitally. Almost all languages these days have a dictionary available as in app class. And with a annotation-taking app like Evernote you can keep your notes organised into virtual notebooks – for instance past topic.
3. Dual-Language Books
Reading one book in two languages meantime is a smashing way to meliorate your linguistic communication skills, and it tin give you lot a large confidence boost every bit you realise how much of the language y'all already understand.
iv. Newspapers or Online Journals
With newspapers you'll non only improve your knowledge of a linguistic communication, but you'll also find out more most the politics, art and attitudes of the countries where the language is spoken.
Many newspapers are available to read online for gratuitous.
5. Blogs
Whatever your interests – food, way, fitness, or just most anything – chances are there's a blog about them in your target language.
I can guarantee at that place'll exist plenty material online to last you a lifetime… and and then some.
How to Ameliorate Your Writing Skills
Perhaps all this reading volition get your creative juices flowing, encouraging you to sit down down and practise a lilliputian scrap of writing!
For many linguistic communication learners, writing is the first time they actively try to produce language, rather than consume the language. And even though I advocate speaking from day 1, I meet writing as an of import office of this process. I ever recommend preparing a script before your offset chat.
Here are a few other ideas to get you lot started with writing.
1. Write a Letter to a Pen Pal
Did you ever have a language class at school where your instructor encouraged sending a letter of the alphabet to a pen pal in a far-off country? Well, they were certainly onto something there.
If y'all're at a beginner's level, you can keep it to a few lines on a postcard. If you lot're more advanced, set yourself the task of penning (or typing, if your handwriting is hard to read!) a folio-long letter of the alphabet.
Information technology doesn't even have to be a letter that volition e'er see the light of day. Accost it to your Mum, a friend, or even your canis familiaris. It doesn't matter. As long as you lot're writing, that's the key factor here.
If you're looking for a friendly person to write to, italki is a good place to start.
2. Set Yourself a Daily Goal on Duolingo
Duolingo offers plenty of writing exercises at all skill levels so you can do writing your target language as much as you want.
iii. Start a Blog in Your Target Linguistic communication
I'one thousand consistently amazed past how many opportunities have come my way from starting Fluent in 3 Months. I'd recommend anyone who'southward learning a linguistic communication to start a web log. And if y'all're doing that, why not write some posts in your target language?
Even before I started this blog, I used to create videos in the languages I was learning.
Perhaps the nigh important lesson I've realised is that everyone has a story that others will be interested in hearing.
Yous'll observe that starting a weblog will have a double consequence. You'll exist getting consistent do writing in your target language, for sure. However, you may too gain a community of readers to support you lot along the way.
How to Improve Your Speaking Skills
Speaking: the skill of doom! Most language learners find speaking their new linguistic communication a daunting prospect. I know people who've been studying for years and still haven't had a conversation in their target language.
I go it. Speaking a foreign linguistic communication for the first fourth dimension to a native speaker is a massive task. What if you become something wrong? Will people be offended that you've massacred their language? Will they remember you lot're stupid and laugh at y'all?
Personally, I think speaking is the most effective affair you tin can do to improve your linguistic communication skills. Aye, it's scary at first. Simply once you've chatted with a few native speakers you'll speedily build your confidence.
And in my experience, I've never had anyone phone call me stupid or express joy at me for messing up my speech. In virtually cases, I'm the one left laughing at whatever mistakes I've made, and the other person is just thrilled to see that I'm trying.
This is why I've made it my mission to help people become over their fearfulness and start speaking in their target language from the twenty-four hour period they start learning.
To strengthen this skill, you lot will of class have to find someone to practice speaking with.
Here's how to exercise just that.
ane. Find a Language Instructor on italki
italki is easily down my favourite tool for language learning, as it's a quick, easy and affordable way to find people to chat with in your target language.
There are enough of linguistic communication teachers at all kinds of levels available on italki. Don't be afraid to try a few, until you observe one that's perfect for you.
ii. Find a Conversation Partner Online
If y'all're but looking for someone to take a conversation with, rather than paid lessons, then try looking for a language partner instead. Italki is brimming with language learners similar yous who are looking for conversation partners to chat with.
Your conversation partner could be a native speaker of your target linguistic communication, an advanced learner, or even someone who is at the aforementioned level of learning as you.
3. Get to Meetups in Your Area
Most cities have a community of language learners – and chances are y'all tin can find one online.
I've used Meetup in the past to detect and connect with likeminded language learners in my metropolis. This is an splendid way to notice a potential language partner, or just brand some new friends!
How to Improve Your Listening Skills
To have a conversation with someone it's useful if you can sympathise what they're saying.
I think listening is the hardest skill for language learners. I'm non just speaking from my own experience here, but likewise from what other language learners have told me.
One of the reasons for this is that information technology'southward easy to fall into the pattern of passive learning. People seem to recall that you can just watch a strange picture, or listen to some music and you lot'll instantly be on your way towards mastering that language. They then get frustrated when they discover they're actually making fiddling to no progress.
This is because you lot tin't just permit the words flow in and out of your ears – your brain is part of the process too. You demand to report what y'all're listening to.
At that place are endless listening resources available – audiobooks, music, movies and podcasts. What we're going to examine is how best to brand these work for y'all… without falling into the trap of passive listening.
one. Short Bursts Are Often More Effective
In that location's no rule saying yous have to spend an hour a 24-hour interval practising your listening comprehension skills. In fact, I'd advise confronting it!
It's far more than effective to give yourself brusque five or x infinitesimal bursts of report. That style y'all'll be more likely to actually get on and do something, rather than feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of an intense language session.
ii. Give the Audio Your Full Attention
You can play foreign music in the background while you're cooking dinner or cleaning the bath, simply it's unlikely to improve your listening skills.
It's much amend to sit down down and give the audio your full attention. Treat it like a report session, and you lot'll get much more out of it.
3. Write Down Words You lot Don't Recognise
When I'm studying audio, I tend to write down words I don't recognise. Later I'chiliad done listening, I can look these up in my dictionary and add them to my vocab list for further study.
four. Listen to the Same Sound Multiple Times
Don't just mind to the same slice of audio once. Larn it within out, until you can recite it back to forepart. One time y'all're completely sure of what's being said, y'all can move onto the next thing.
Don't be agape to mix it up either. Study every resource you can get your easily on. This way y'all'll go along the feel both fresh and fun.
5. Follow an Audio Course
An audio-based language grade is one of the all-time means I've found to meliorate my listening skills. My favourite courses the podcasts by Innovative Linguistic communication. You can read more of my thoughts nigh them here.
Source: https://www.fluentin3months.com/reading-writing-speaking-and-listening/
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