Mike Selvon asked:




Adults learn languages slowly because for many, their brains have absorbed all the information that they can handle. Children, however, are quite the opposite. Their brains are thirsting for knowledge, and absorb languages, such as French, with an astonishing rapidity.

Studies show that children learn language skills many times faster than the average adult. Learning to speak French, or any other second language, at an early age is important and has become very popular because globalization is right around the corner.

Because children learn language skills so easily, some parents are introducing a second language to their children themselves, such as French learning, instead of waiting for when they begin school. Studies have shown that a child of about 6 weeks of age can begin to learn small phrases from more than one language.

While no child can speak at that age, when they do speak, they can speak both languages. Because children start learning language skills at birth, they do have the capacity to learn more than one language at once without confusion. Your two year old might speak English, yet can learn how to speak French as well!

Some parents don’t even wait until their children are school aged before teaching them a second language, such as French. Children learn language skills easily at an incredibly young age. Even a child as young as six weeks of age can be taught words from the French vocabulary or other language.

Many people do not believe that a baby can learn how to speak French or even their native language at such a young age, but it is true. The basis for language starts from the very beginning of life. It is just as easy to teach a baby French and English at the same time, as it is to just teach them just their native vernacular. Their brain will absorb both languages with equally amazing competence.

Now, there are even schools designed for babies to help them learn foreign languages. Because of the huge benefits to the child, these schools are now quite popular. Most of these schools have a very high success rate and these facts can be attributed to the fact that children learn language skills so quickly and easily.

Some areas of the world do not offer classes for foreign languages, such as French for babies and small children. For these unlucky people, it would be advisable to start a language program in your own home because learning how to speak French and other languages is such a developmental boost for children.

Ron Tichenor asked:




Why learn languages? Why would anyone want to learn someone else’s language? Obviously, there are a lot of reasons, and if the question is on your mind, then you probably have a desire or need to learn a language yourself. The answer is often different for people. Put 10 random people together who are learning another language and you will probably have 7 or 8 different reasons and 5 or 6 different languages. Every answer is valid. Every reason is the right reason for that person and every language is the right language. There is no wrong answer to the question ‘why learn a language?’ and there is no wrong language to learn.

The ability to learn another language is not limited by economic background, ethnic background, nationality, gender, race, religion, age or the grades you got (or are getting) in school. While everyone is different, and we all have differing abilities and strengths, we all have language ability to some degree. Maybe we all aren’t going to become great orators or novelists in another language, but we all have the ability to learn, and communicate in other languages.

There is no danger of learning ‘too much.’ You can’t fill up your head with too much language, and there’s no danger of you losing knowledge of the languages you already know. In fact, learning a foreign language (or more than one) improves memory, math skills, analytical skills, problem solving and increases critical thinking and creativity. Furthermore and most remarkably, learning a foreign language actually improves our reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English.

Languages don’t just pop up out of nowhere, they evolve from other languages and change over time. Many of the most widely spoken languages are related and share some vocabulary, and even if they aren’t, languages are always borrowing words from each other. English is full of words from many other
languages. Learning another language not only gives you new knowledge, but expands upon your existing knowledge of English and gives you a whole new way of understanding it. Furthermore, you begin to learn how to learn languages, making it easier to learn other languages and understand how language and
communication works in general. Other languages are not just a word for word translation of English, but an interpretation of events and opinions from a different point of view.

So, why learn languages? Ok, so there are some benefits. Can learning a language benefit everyone? In a word - Yes. I’m sure if you look around and evaluate your life you will see lots of opportunities to use different languages. We are all surrounded by people who use other languages, or opportunities we could
benefit from by using other languages. The possibilities are there if you look for them.

You may have relatives living in Japan, or you want to visit China. Perhaps you have a life-long desire to see Italy or you are planning a vacation in Argentina, or retirement in Costa Rica. All are valid reasons for learning a language. Learning for travel is one of the most common reasons to learn a language. There are more opportunities to travel today than there have ever been before, and they are likely to increase in the 21st century Global Village.

Many people learn a language to connect with their roots. You may still have relatives living in the ‘old country,’ or you may just want to define yourself a little bit. Learning the language of our ancestors can help bring us into better contact with ourselves and open up a whole new understanding of ourselves and how we got to be who and where we are.

Do you have a new addition to the family by marriage? Learning even a little of your new family members language can bring both families closer together. Or maybe you’re looking for love yourself. Think of the possibilities when you learn another language. The increase in possible social contacts is tremendous when you add a whole new way to communicate. That goes for love, friendship, travel or business.

Learning a language for business is a very common reason. The business opportunities that have arisen in the last few decades have made it almost imperative for a businessperson to have language skills. English may be spoken by many people and it is the language of the internet, but in order to really cultivate
business relationships and get ahead in the business world, language skills are a must. There are a wide variety of industries in which having language ability is a great advantage. It broadens our job skills and career options.

The reasons for students to learn languages are many, and not just because you need it to graduate or get a certain degree. Obviously, improving English skills and overall communication skills are both valuable to students. Improvement of memory, creativity, problem solving ability and analytical skills also are of significant importance to a student. Studies show that bilinguals routinely outperform monolinguals in all areas of testing. Scores for SATs and other tests are shown to be higher for foreign language students, and the longer the foreign language study the higher the average test scores. Having second language skills also makes a student more competitive in the job market.

Learning a language isn’t just learning some new grammar concepts, vocabulary and different sounds. It gives insights into other cultures. It creates a more positive attitude toward people who are culturally different and gives us a better understanding of what it’s like to be an immigrant. Accomplishing this life skill will give you increased prestige in your own culture and a markedly increased status in other cultures. It’s a required skill to become a World Citizen. Ultimately, learning other languages gives us a better
understanding of our own language and our own culture, and a new viewpoint to look at the world in which we live and define our place in it.

One of my favorite quotes about language by Ambrose Bierce :

Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.

It’s meant to be funny and it reminds us that languages really are different, but it makes me laugh every time I read it. This, to me, also reminds me why I like to learn languages. It’s fun! The inner workings of each language are full of little nuggets that are downright enjoyable to learn. So, why learn languages? Lots of the reasons above pertain to me, but my answer is much simpler - because I enjoy it.

Michael Lee asked:




In conversations, especially in serious ones, you can’t help but assess whether someone is telling the truth or not. You do not know what your bases are for your assessment, but you just know it instinctively.

Is it possible to do something like that? Yes, through lying body language, which indicates whether a person is lying or not. By reading the body language of liars, you can then distinguish the truth from the lies.

Observing Lying Body Language

The human body sends signals unknowingly. These unconscious body signals are also known as body language. It can give you a glimpse of his or her personality, nature and current state of mind.

There are several uses for body language, one of which is detecting whether a person is lying or telling the truth. Having knowledge in lying body language can greatly help you in your observation.

One of the most basic is through eye contact. If a person you’re speaking with can’t directly look into your eyes, there is a big chance that he or she is lying.

In line with this, if you can observe that the person is a little nervous or quite uncomfortable, he or she may be lying.

When lying, there are times that his or her stories will lose consistencies and if this does happen, noticeable lying body language comes out - you can hear trembling in the voice or even shaking of hands.

Another body language signal of lying is defensiveness. If you ask a person certain questions and he or she tends to answer through a joke or changes topic, there is a possibility that person is hiding something.

Once he or she answers the question, there is a big chance that the answer is a lie. Diverting attention and answering with jokes are two ways of buying some time to make up stories to cover the truth.

While lying, a person also has the tendency to touch any part of his or her face. Most often than not, he or she will touch the face, throat, and mouth. Scratching the nose and ears is also a prevalent lying body language.

Last, but not the least, a very good signal is stiffness or rigidity. You may be able to observe that the person is limiting his or her space of movement. You may also notice that hand and leg movements are limited.

Conclusion

Knowing lying body language will definitely help you notice whether a person is lying or telling the truth, since body language has been proven reliable to some extent.

However, these are actually just signs and may be misinterpreted sometimes. When reading these signals, you should also consider other factors such as the mannerisms of the other party.

Knowing lying body language can also make you less detectable, but this shouldn’t be an excuse for you to lie. Nonetheless, if you know what behaviors to control when lying, then it will not be easy to read your body language whether you are telling the truth or not.

Larry M. Lynch asked:




Handicapped or Disabled English Learners

In some institutions, disabled learners study English for both academia and communicative purposes. Basically, two forms of disability are encountered by English, as a second or foreign language, teachers; physical and mental. Adaptation of methodologies and didactics for teaching and learning success with handicapped learners or with learners who may be disabled in some way can help to improve teaching and learning with many other types of EFL class groups and therefore merits the attention of all EFL or ESL language professionals.

Physical Disabilities

At the Santiago de Cali University where I teach, students are allowed to enter programs even when physically disabled or handicapped in some ways. There are legally or physically blind (invident), wheelchair-bound and cerebrally-palsied students currently enrolled and engaged in academic study along side of regular students. These disabled or handicapped learners can be subjected to distinctive problems and difficulties in integrating into an EFL, ESL or foreign language class room setting.

A few commonly encountered problems include:

o Not being able to access institutional facilities

o Need for specially-adapted teaching and learning methods

o Class schedule adjustments

o Specialized programming of computer room and listening lab facilities

o Alteration of language acquisition methods

o Sensitivity to environmental conditions like heat, cold, noise and lighting

o Highly-focused or distinct learning styles and learning characteristics

o Need for alternative methods for note-taking and test-taking

o Need for multi-media texts and input sessions

Mental Disabilities

Although mental disabilities are more strictly monitored and controlled as far as student admissions are concerned, nonetheless they can be encountered at a number of institutions, most likely those that specialized in these types of learners. I think that in many cases grouping “these types” of learners together may be doing more harm than good, but that’s another story not intended for this short article post. From schizophrenia to Autism and ADD to even Alzheimer’s, learners actually may benefit more by being placed in, learning and functioning in a “normal” environment. The same may be true for selected Home-schooled learners at certain points in their academic growth and development. Not in each and every case, mind you, but only in a selected number of them.

The Need for Adaptive Methodology and Didactics

The need for adaptive methodologies and didactics when teaching disabled or handicapped learners cannot be over-emphasized. Rather than “lumping these types of learners together”, more may actually be accomplished by “mainstreaming” more of them and adapting the EFL or ESL methodologies and didactics to suit class groups of more widely diverse learners. This is highly effective for virtually ANY class group of language learners and not just simply a means of addressing the needs of handicapped learners. In my experience, action research and investigations, I have definitely found this to be true, albeit on a somewhat limited scale.

Sunil Tanna asked:




If you teach a foreign language class, whether it be French, German, Spanish, even English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL or TEFL), or for that matter any language at all, you’ve almost certainly observed that students learn best and fastest when they actively participate in the class, especially if such participation includes the opportunity to converse in the language. Activities which encourage such participation are therefore very popular with language teachers - including, of course, educational games.

One game that you may not have considered is bingo. Many people tend to think of it as a game played in bingo halls or church basements, as well as online, often by older people, mainly as a social activity, but also for the opportunity to win relatively modest prizes. However, bingo is a very simple game that can easily be adapted to a wide variety of different situations, is quickly learned by students, and is ideal for use in education.

To play in the classroom each student is given a bingo card, and the teacher acts as the caller. However there are differences from the normal game - the main one being that usually special cards containing words (including the possibility of foreign vocabulary) are used. The teacher also has the option of changing the game play process, for example to encourage class discussion between calling each item.

Here are a few ideas for variations of the game suitable for use in a language class:

1. If teaching a language that uses a different alphabet (such as Greek, Russian, Arabic or Hebrew), you could prepare bingo cards with letters of that language’s alphabet. Play a quick game at the start of every lesson, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly students will learn to instantly recognize any character.

2. You could use cards with words in the foreign language (for example French), but make the calls in English. Conversely, you could use cards containing English words, and make the calls in the foreign language.

3. Language classes are of course mainly about learning the language, but if students are learning French or German, you probably also want to teach them at least a little bit about the people, geography and culture of France or Germany. Fortunately there’s no reason why you couldn’t, for example, play using cards containing the names of cities, foods, historical figures from the country, etc.

4. Even bingo cards containing numbers can be used. If you want your students to learn to recognize numbers in the language, call out the numbers in that language.

To summarize, there are a wide variety of ways that the game can be used to help with language teaching - and no doubt you can probably think of some more ideas too! One thing that you are probably wondering about though is where to get special bingo cards containing foreign characters or vocabulary? Well, the answer is simple… the simplest and cheapest thing to do is for you to print them from your computer. Free ready-to-use bingo printables can be downloaded from the Internet, or easy-to-use software for printing bingo cards (as many as you want, containing any items that you want) is available at a surprisingly affordable price.

Sarfaraz Ali asked:




It is the most effective type of communication and is conveyed via set of image, aural or physical signs. It refers to their usage as a common occurrence. Although it is normally considered as a mode of communication amongst the human beings, animals are not exclusive to its practice either. But owing to their complicated mode of communication they are not known to fulfill the criteria of the formal definition of the languages as given by the linguistics.

Every country has its own national language. It has various dialects of the same verbal communication prevalent in the various areas of that particular country. It is flexible and prone to change, in contrast a language that does not change is labeled as dead. Whereas a language that continues to change continuously is categorized as a modern language. Further distinguishing between two languages is near to impossible as a particular language has several dialects and the dialect of one language may resemble the dialect of another language.

There are several types of languages some of the common ones having been explained here. Artificial language is the first kind, it involves the construction of a language fro the useful, tentative or individual causes. There are numerous auxiliary languages that are easier to grasp in comparison to the natural languages. Many authors have also constructed fantasy verbal communications for fictional and mythical reasons.

Then comes the controlled languages which as the name suggests have controlled sentence structures and vocabulary and eradicates vagueness and intricacy. The idea behind its expansion is the implementation of effortlessness understanding and usage by a non resident orator.

The more formal languages include the sciences and mathematical subjects that employ the usage of simulated bodies such as languages for programming and mark ups that are used for the facilitation of communication.

Hayi Mansoor asked:




Pakistan has two official languages. Urdu became the official language of the region during the 11th Century. The rulers of the region urged the many different tribes to learn and use Urdu.

Spoken Urdu had been used by residents in neighboring Afghanistan from the time of Alexander the Great. He had marched east from Persia, bringing elements of the Farsi language with him. As Farsi blended with other tribal languages, Urdu was created.

Then during the Islamic conquests, those crusaders intent on spreading the Muslim religion journeyed into what is now Pakistan. They entered the region under the control of the Mughal Empire. They wanted to present the Islamic teachings to the diverse people in that region.

Urged on, no doubt, by the Islamic crusaders, the leaders of the Mughal Empire tried to unite the many diverse tribes, tribes that respected the leaders’ right to rule the region. The Mughal leaders thus made Urdu the official language.

The written Urdu language uses the same letters as both the Farsi language and the Arabic language. The Urdu speaker, however, does not pronounce each letter the same way that an Arabic speaker pronounces that letter Urdu has been based on the alphabet used by Farsi speakers.

Urdu has the same words that one finds in Farsi. Still, Urdu differs from Farsi. Not every Urdu word represents the same thing to both a Farsi speaker and a speaker of Urdu.

In the Twentieth Century, as Pakistan strived to become a participant in world events, Pakistan’s rulers discovered the benefits of knowing how to converse in English. Thus English became yet another official language of Pakistan. Today government officials in Pakistan conduct business in English.

By the same token, those business leaders who took part in commerce between Pakistan and other countries chose to carry-out their transactions in English. That fact underscored the veracity of claims that English had become an official language of Pakistan. Urdu had evolved into an official language and a national language.

Now the various regions and provinces of Pakistan have not abandoned all of the languages that so challenged the rulers of the Mughal Empire. Moreover, each of the tribes within any region or province has adopted its own version of the regional or provincial language. That adopted language is called a dialect.

In order to fully appreciate the great diversity among the languages of Pakistan, one should look at the languages spoken in the Province of Punjab. When listening to the residents of Punjab, one soon discovers that there is no one way to speak Punjabi. In fact, there are 36 different Punjabi dialects.

All of the languages of Pakistan belong under the heading “Indo-European languages.” Still, not all of them belong within the same language family. The long history of both Arabic and Persian has caused those languages to be viewed as classical languages by the people of Pakistan.

Religion and literature have influenced greatly the development of the languages of Pakistan. All three dialects of Balochi, a well-recognized provincial language, are found in the Province’s Sunni Muslim literature.

Philip Nicosia asked:




In today’s competitive and evolving world, the importance of education has never been more important. People are now more aware of the continuing need to improve one’s self through adult learning. Due to factors such as time constraint, e-learning has quickly emerged as an alternative means of continuing education.

As globalization continues to be the trend these days, more and more people feel the need to learn at least one foreign language. Again, due to the fast-paced lives many lead today, online courses present a viable alternative to the traditional face to face, or classroom, language learning. The major advantage of learning foreign languages through e-learning is the convenience it presents to the learner. Materials can be made available anytime, anywhere. The learner can access modules at his own time and he work on his courses at his own pace.

Computer assisted language learning has been in existence for many years now. In fact, its roots can be traced back to the 1960s. This technique began with a simple drill and practice approach. As more pedagogical elements were introduced, computer assisted language learning evolved into a more interactive experience.

The question many people ask is just how effective is learning a foreign language online? The main difference between classroom learning and e-learning is the presence of a teacher. A good teacher recognizes the learning needs of the student. In addition to that, a good teacher recognizes the learning style of each individual student. He capitalizes on both factors and enhances learning through different techniques. Due to advances is many e-learning platforms, these factors have been taken into consideration. The learner’s needs and learning styles can now be dealt with accordingly.

Today’s e-learning platforms offer a wide range of approaches to suit each learner’s specific needs. Some platforms even make use of facilitators - human or otherwise - to encourage the student and enhance the learning process. When combined with the convenience of studying at one’s own pace, e-learning proves to be an effective way of learning a new language.

Studies show that more people prefer e-learning to the traditional classroom sessions. The flexibility the e-learning offers seems to be one of the major factors that students take into consideration. Some personalities react more positively to the online learning environment. One explanation is that the relative anonymity that this type of learning gives a student more confidence. Studies show that learning languages online seems to present a more relaxed learning atmosphere. It has been proven time and again that such a learning atmosphere does a lot in terms of enhancing the learning process. The student learns more and in a shorter span of time than normal. The student also tends to remember more of what he has learned.

Online foreign language learning also capitalizes on the amount and quality of information and resources that can be found on the Internet. E-learning programs take advantage of this situation, enhancing learning even more. So if you are seeking to learn a foreign language, whether for professional or personal reasons, online learning just might be the right choice for you.

Larry M. Lynch asked:




In this article, I invited a native English speaker now living and working abroad; to share his best tips and experiences in picking up a foreign lingo once you’ve been relocated onto foreign soil. As mentioned before, when it comes to foreign language learning, be it English or any one of the other 6912 spoken languages in the world, we could all use any help we can get. Here are some segments from his extensive comments excerpted from my e-book, “You CAN Learn a Foreign Language: Tested Techniques Anyone Can Use to Learn ANY Foreign Language”.

Meet Kayleigh Garman

Kayleigh “Kees” Garman, Director of Language Studies at a large language institute in Europe, offers the following additional comments during an interview on foreign language learning. He speaks English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Danish, and Turkish and is now working on his Hungarian.

Learning a new language can be challenging for anyone As a learner of multiple languages, admittedly some better than others, there are indeed some tricks I have used to make the process easier for me personally which hopefully will benefit those who might be intimidated by the idea of trying to master (whatever that means actually) a new language. Some are rather obvious tips, but others are possibly things not much considered before.

Never fear

“One of the biggest and most obvious ways people hold themselves back in developing a new language is by being afraid to make mistakes.”

“Strive for meaning above accuracy, especially at the beginning!”

What do you mean Kees?

Are you saying that it’s okay not to have perfect grammar and language skills at the outset, even on simple structures? Are you suggesting that foreign language teachers and foreign language learners shouldn’t correct all their mistakes to keep from becoming “fossilized” in some mistakes?

“Yes and yes!”

Learn to laugh

On top of not fearing your mistakes, a very healthy dose of laughter can really take the sting out of those dreadful and “inevitable” mistakes.

“I’ll never forget some years ago being in a kitchen meeting at the dormitory in Denmark where I was living for a year and the horrible blunder I made. After waiting my turn to say that we needed to clear out the freezer of old bread and vegetables from days gone by, I made the following embarrassing mistake: Instead of saying “I’m very unhappy with the freezer situation” (fryseren), I said to my 23 friends at the table that I was “immensely unhappy about my hairdresser” (frisøren). It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that I was practically banging my fist about it – you can imagine the querying looks I got from my friends. You can also imagine the good laughs we had about in the days to come.”

But as they say; “It’s better to laugh than to cry!”

Get your pronunciation right

The mistake above was due to stress and intonation. Obviously you’re going to get it wrong sometimes, but why people (and often teachers as well) are seemingly rather lazy or uninterested in addressing pronunciation will forever be beyond me. Naturally, no one expects a learner of a new language to step off the plane sounding like a native-speaker, but let me say very clearly that …

… “The earlier one deals with getting pronunciation as close to natural as possible, the better off everyone is in the long run.”

Your speech doesn’t need to be the “Queen’s English”, in most settings one sounds quite silly speaking in such a way, but your language needs to understandable and acceptable to the community you’re in.

No matter which foreign language you might wish to tackle, these “from the trenches” tips can be useful tools in your English or other foreign language learning arsenal.

Jeff Krotzer asked:




You may know them as a stud gun, a Hilti or a Ramset. Powder actuated tools are actually a form of a gun, using gun powder to drive nails into concrete and steel. Many think of these tools for fastening 2 x 4 material to concrete, perhaps in finishing off your basement, but they have a very broad use in all facets of the building trades.

Uses in the trades

Framers use them to shoot lumber and metal studs to concrete and steel. Foundation contractors and waterproofing contractors shoot foam on to foundations. Electricians use the tools to fasten junction boxes, emt straps and to suspend light fixtures. Many mechanical contractors use a special gun that will shoot a 3/8″ threaded stud into concrete.

Fastening to concrete

Shooting a fastener in to concrete is the fastest way to mount anything to concrete or steel, just load the pin, pull the trigger and your done. There are many different types and sizes of fasteners to choose from depending on what you are mounting.

When fastening into concrete, you can expect the pin to penetrate the concrete any where from 3/4″ to 1″. Keeping that in mind, to fasten a 2 x 4 to concrete take the actual thickness of the 2 x 4 (1 1/2″) and add 3/4″ to 1″. This would bring you to a 2 1/2″ pin. Please note, some codes require a 3″ pin. Ramset, Hilti, Powers and Simpson make tools that will fit the bill nicely.

Fastening to steel

To fasten into steel, keep in mind the pin will go in about 1/2″ and stop. Therefore the same 2 x 4 (1 1/2″ actual) would use a 2″ pin. If you try to use a longer pin, the pin will go in about 1/2″ then stop and the pin will either bend or break. Many people are hesitant about shooting into steel, but most times it is easier to shoot than concrete, just a lot louder! Some tools will do a better job than others, again, stick with a higher end Ramset or Hilti for this application.

Power Load Selection

As for the loads or “bullets” , the loads are color coded and numbered to identify power level. Starting from lowest to highest you have gray, brown, green, yellow, red and purple. The rule of thumb when choosing a load is start low and work your way up. The trick is to use just enough power to set the fastener properly without over driving the tool. Some tools have power adjustments allowing you to use just one color and adjust down.

Tool Selection

What is the right tool for your job? If you just want to do your own basement, you can probably get away with using a single shot tool that you actuate with a hammer, available at any big box store. If you are a contractor, remember, you get what you pay for. Don’t buy the cheapest tool you can find. Some of the less expensive tools are actually considered disposable, with no replacement parts available. Again the names Ramset, Hilti, Powers and Simpson lead the way. Some of the consumer grade tools like a the Remington you find in big box stores will get you through a small remodel, but many of these are considered through away tools.

Consider what the majority of your work is. If you are a general contractor, you may want a good brand name middle of the road semi-automatic tool that can be serviced. If you are a commercial drywall contractor you may opt of a good quality single shot too or even consider stepping up to a fully automatic gas tool or a tool with a magazine.

An electrician may consider a power adjustable tool that can offer him more flexibility. If you do a lot of over head work, consider a tool that works well on an extension pole. If you hang a lot of 3/8″ rod, check out a 3/8″ stud gun.

In conclusion…

Powder actuated tools are a useful tool for most any trade. If you fasten to concrete or steel on a regular basis, consider adding them to your tool box.