Second Language Learning

[Niko]

Comprehension - Key to Language Learning

Following a child's learning pattern in every respect is not the best way for second language learning.

We should look at which aspects of second language learning can best follow the example of first language learning, and which other aspects can be made easier for adults by deviating from the methods of small children.

More rapid progress is possible if the initial stages of language instruction would emphasize comprehension and minimize attention to production.

By concentrating upon comprehension we would avoid several problems. A student:

• would not face the embarrassment of his inevitable mistakes.
• would not be subjected to the terrible examples of his classmates' feeble efforts.
• would not have to focus upon retrieving difficult new words from memory.
• could concentrate upon the far less difficult task of recognizing words.

The learner, moreover, could almost entirely avoid conscious attention to some annoying details.

When learning a second language such as French or German by conventional methods, gender is a constant headache and a constant source of error. If comprehension were emphasized, gender would pose few problems. The student would only need to know that gender exists. When studying French, he would need to know that le is used with some words and la with others, but he would not need to struggle to memorize which form of the article goes with which word.

The passive learner could allow many other fussy and irregular aspects of the language to slip by just as lightly.