WHY WE STRUGGLE LEARNING LANGUAGES

LANGUAGE LEARNING

• What languages can you speak?

• Were you taught a foreign language when you were a child?

• Do you find it difficult to learn a new language? Why?

• What techniques and strategies do you use when you study English?

Watch the TED Talk:

"Why We Struggle Learning Languages" - Gabriel Wyner

Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE?

1. Children are better language learners.2. The hours of exposure to a language determine how well we get to learn it. 3. Children are often shy in conversations because they’re afraid of making mistakes. 4. One of the problems that adults face is the lack of time.

Answer these questions:

Did the school system help the speaker become a fluent language user? How did he manage to successfully learn German? The speaker compares his experience learning the Hungarian word for camera and another time when he learned the word Moktor. How were they different? What makes a word memorable?

Put the events in order:

_ He trained his French using online tools and looking up pictures. _ He started developing computerized tools for language learning. _ He was placed in an advanced level. _ He was placed in an intermediate level. _ He cheated on his online French placement test. _ He mastered fluency by reading and writing a lot. _ He held a conversation with a French native speaker.

Discuss:

What’s the conclusion of the talk? What’s the key to learn a language efficiently? Are all people capable of doing it? Do you agree with the speaker? Does any part of the video resonate with your own experience as an English learner?