There are many ways to learn a new language: you can move to a country where the language is spoken, attend a formal language class, get a private language tutor, or use books and written materials. Other ways to learn a foreign language are listening to CDs or audiotapes, watching television, movies and video programs, memorizing phrase books, using the Internet, or using a combination of all of the above.
But not everyone can make arrangements to live in a foreign country. Native speakers of the language may not be available. Written or recorded business materials may not be available in the language you’re interested in (Cochimí, Cibemba, or Kukapa, anyone?) It’s true that many major languages, such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese, carry cable television programs. . Even Koreans, Catalans, Arabs and Japanese have venues available in cosmopolitan areas around the world; but the vast majority of the thousands of languages spoken in the world are simply not found outside of their local areas. So what’s a would-be polyglot to do?
One answer, of course, is the Internet. Enter “foreign language courses” into an Internet search engine like Google or Yahoo and over 62 million results will instantly appear. From Afrikaans to Punjabi, and from Hebrew to Zulu, thousands of listings are before you at the click of a mouse. So how can the Internet be used to approach learning a foreign language? Get started effectively using these six ways:
1. Do an initial assessment
The first thing you may want to know is where you are on the language learning chart. An initial assessment of language skills is required; Are you a raw beginner? Fake beginner? Intermediate level? Higher? Let’s take English as a second or foreign language as an example. Diagnostic English proficiency tests are free online at:
• General English test with instant results
http://nll.co.uk/test/english.shtml
• Parlo http://parlo.com/
(diagnostic tests in English, Spanish and French)
• Upper intermediate level test
http://www.wordskills.com/level/caeform.html
If you score above 80% on this test, you must take the next one and also show your teacher or tutor a copy of the results.
2. Get familiar with language learning strategies
How do you learn? Knowing this can make the daunting task of learning a foreign language less like studying and more like playing. Are you a visual-spatial learner who likes images, drawings, graphics, and extensive use of color? A musical-rhythmic type who would benefit from having their lessons and materials tuned to music, rhythm, or rhyme? Perhaps you’re the athletic type who would have more success learning by movement, motion, mime, or even dance? Playing Mozart’s works in the background while studying has been shown to enhance learning in several areas. To learn more about the way you learn, visit these sites to get started:
• Explanation of learning styles [http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm]
• Index of the Learning Styles Questionnaire [http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/ilsweb.html]
• The type of success learning style indicator [http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/LSTIntro.htm]
3. Practice reading skills
Literacy is one of the most valuable composite skills of the 21st century. After all, you are reading THIS right now, aren’t you? Few would want to be illiterate in their new foreign language, so practicing reading skills is paramount. Newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and online blogs can provide the necessary practice and learning materials. Check out these reading comprehension skills sites:
• How to read your textbook more efficiently
[http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/lrnres/handouts/1422.html]
• Self-study reading lessons http://www.english-to-go.com/
• Read the article at the following address:
[http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/quiz/read1a.html]
At the following address, answer the questionnaire to verify your
reading passage comprehension:
[http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/quiz/read1b.html]
4. Helps in the development of listening skills
Considered the most difficult of language skills to develop, listening cannot be taught. Rather, you should practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more. Every week, twice a week I would pass a street vendor in the same place, completely clueless as to what he was saying. I knew what he was selling, I just took a look at his products. But his pleas in Spanish from the street fell on my language-clogged ears for months. Then one night, without warning, it happened. Just two days before, his yelling was the same incomprehensible insult it had been for months. That night, however, when he launched into his gibberish, I suddenly understood every word. My listening comprehension skills had clicked. Why then? Nobody knows. Especially not me, and I am a language education specialist with a postgraduate degree!
Practice your listening skills with radio shows in your target language for a change at http://www.live365.com, which has 24/7 live global broadcasts in multiple languages.
At: http://www.multilingualbooks.com/online-radio.html
5. Play and have fun
Vocabulary is often referred to as the building blocks of language. Vocabulary knowledge is one aspect that separates the levels of language learning. The more vocabulary you know, the more communicative you will be. Here are some unique language sites that help build your language while you “play”:
• The site http://www.manythings.org/ offers “cool stuff for ESL learners” like songs, jokes, quizzes, word games, puzzles, slang, and even podcasts to help stimulate English language acquisition.
• The website of the foreign language course at:
http://www.foreignlanguagehome.com/topics/courses/index.htm
has activities in 27 languages including Finnish, Mandarin and Quechua.
• On the Transparent Language site you can play in any of over 100 languages, from Afrikaans to Farsi or Guarani to Yoruba. And yes, they also have Zulu. Check out all of their listings here: http://www.transparent.com/games/
6. So which language do you like the most?
While the selection of online language courses, tutorials, news sources, music, and other audiovisual materials is extensive, EVERY language in the world is simply not available. I am sorry. But many are and here’s how to find yours if you’re online.
• 108 FREE online foreign language courses are posted at: http://www.word2word.com/coursead.html
• The PARLO language website offers courses in English, Spanish, French and Italian in: [http://www.parlo.com/parlo21/home/courselist/courselist_en.asp]
• EL Easton Language Institute offers 14 languages online, from Albanian to Japanese, Latin, Croatian, Russian and Spanish. The site is online at: http://eleaston.com/languages.html
• A plethora of language learning activities for the world wide web are online for University of Hawaii practice activities here: [http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/lss/lang/nflrc.html]
Although the Internet may not be the complete answer to all your foreign language learning needs, it can be a great resource in your efforts to speak Spanish, speak French, or speak German. The prestige, financial gains, personal satisfaction, envy, and opportunities that often accompany learning a foreign language are unmatched. Why don’t you start trying out some of these effective ways to use the Internet to learn a language today? Be sure to read the companion article “Six Quick Tricks for Learning a Language” at: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=72718 By the way, if you find Cochimi, Cibemba or Kukapa, please let me know. I’m still looking for