iSnare.com - Free Content Articles Directory
Authors Contents [Advanced Search][Add OpenSearch][Job Search]
Distribute your articles to thousands of article sites for only $2 and below! Read more...

Index  Culture
 

Learning A Foreign Language: The Psychological Factor

 
[ Contact the Author] [ Send to a Friend] [ Article Publisher] [Make PDF] [ Print] [ Bookmark & Share]
 
Read our Terms of Service before reprinting this article. The submitter specified above has claimed the rights to this article.
Gabrielle Guichard

When it comes about learning a foreign language, many people wonder if they will be able to memorize enough vocabulary. But this question never occurs about their mother tongue. And yet, it was a foreign language; nevertheless, among all the questions that new parents ask, no doctor has ever heard: "Will my baby be able to learn my language?" Be honest. Do you know all the words of your mother tongue? The answer is: "no". New words, and new ways of using old words, appear every day. Twenty years ago, who would have been able to understand such a sentence: "Click here to download your digital book"? Nobody. You never stop acquiring new vocabulary and you never know how long you will be needing it. Do you still use "tomagotchi"?

When you don't know the exact name of a thing, you don't hesitate to call it "whatsit". Why do you think foreigners do otherwise? (The French word for whatsit is machin. That's a good start! You already know the word that can virtually replace any other!)

Sometimes, you have the word on the tip of your tongue... and it sticks there! But you do know this phenomenon and don't think that it is due to a bad memory. You should not give this phenomenon more importance in the language you are learning than in your mother tongue.

You need to learn only 2000 or so basic French words to be able to create any paraphrase you need. You can't avoid some work in order to learn these essential words and all the more if you want to learn quickly. Before you contemplate to buy a learn-in-a-breeze method, be sure it is right for you. It is not as wise as it is said to rely on a method based upon mnemotechnics. The first words seem very easy lo learn; so, you buy the method; and you discover quickly, though too late, that a dozen words later, it is all the more difficult to learn a new word that you have also to learn the trick to memorize it.

The next topic will be about lists of words: why they work and why they don't.

Important NoticeDISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.

Gabrielle Guichard, a French teacher who can be reached on GabrielleGuichard.com and listened to on FrenchPodcasting.com
Article Tags: learn [See Dictionary], word [See Dictionary], words [See Dictionary]
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!
Article published on July 05, 2005 at Isnare.com
 
Rate this article:

Learning A Foreign Language: The Ventriloquists' Lesson
Submitted by: Gabrielle Guichard

From a certain point of view, ventriloquists are poets: what matters is not only what they say, but also the way they say it...

Learning Language: Why Would You Learn Words You Never Use In Your Mother Tongue?
Submitted by: Gabrielle Guichard

The previous article explained why methods based upon mnemotechnics do not work (Alas)...

Learning A Foreign Language: Learn From The Blind
Submitted by: Gabrielle Guichard

Scientific studies about memory can help you to enrich your vocabulary quickly and, if not easily, far easier than you think...

Ayutthaya’s Fall, Bangkok’s Rise
Submitted by: Manora

With the exception of King Boromokot (1733-1758), during whose reign Thai monks visited Ceylon to purify Sinhalese Buddhism, Narai’s successors became increasingly ineffectual while, ominously, Burmese kings grew stronger...

Ayutthaya’s Fall, Bangkok’s Rise Part 2
Submitted by: Manora

His voracious reading convinced him that Thailand’s continued independence could best be secured by encouraging equally friendly relations with numerous Western countries...

Ayutthaya’s Fall, Bangkok’s Rise Part 3
Submitted by: Manora

By gracefully and gradually acceding to such territorial demands, Chulalongkom preserved Thai independence, particularly in the vital Menam Chao Phya basin...

Ayutthayan Economy and Lifestyle Part 3
Submitted by: Manora

Son of King Thammaraja, who held the Thai throne on Burmese sufferance, the nine-year-old Naresuan had been taken hostage to Burma after Ayutthaya’s fall...

Ayutthayan Economy And Lifestyle Part 4
Submitted by: Manora

Regular state revenues and peace allowed culture to flower as never before, and Narai’s reign was to be remembered for the establishment of friendly relations with Europeans making Ayutthaya the most cosmopolitan of cities...

The Byrd Dynasty in Richmond Virginia
Submitted by: Shell Harris

Richmond is built upon an area originally used by the native Powhattan tribe and they built their own capitol here, also known as Powhattan...

What Stylish Scarves Should Men Wear to Look Fashionable?
Submitted by: Simon Johnnson

For men, going a little bit out of the usual style of shirts and sweaters and jeans always results in something fashionable and extremely sexy...

How to Don the Perfect Winter Fashion Wear?
Submitted by: Simon Johnnson

Do you have a big brown or black leather jacket which sports big round buttons, and a snow-proof overcoat that can give the words “Plain” and “dreary” a complete new dimension...

Stylish Korean Men's Scarves in 2009
Submitted by: Jeff T.

Scarves of Korean style are very popular, especially the men scarves used by celebrities in the television program...

Top 10 Scarves For Winter
Submitted by: Jeff T.

All gorgeous women possess their preferred shawls or scarves You can look in a fashion magazine to find the tying style you like for your scarves...

Men's Ties – Guides to Men Dress
Submitted by: Jeff T.

The essential part of men clothing are neckties A man's dressing sequence is underwear, shirt, pants, belt, socks, neckties, shoes, and suits, as we know...

Muslims Christians and Mahayana Buddhists in Thailand
Submitted by: Manora

Muslims comprise Thailand's largest religious minority, and are concentrated mainly in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Satun...

Hindus and Sikhs Thailand
Submitted by: Manora

Hindus and Sikhs The approximately20,000 Indians residing in Thailand are almost equally divided between Hindus and Sikhs...

Thai Word
Submitted by: Manora

Each Thai word is complete inasmuch as there are no Thai suffixes, genders, articles, declensions or plurals...

The Rural Family Thailand
Submitted by: Manora

Although regional differences will determine its size, a typical Thai family will almost always extend beyond the nucleus of parents and their offspring to include grandparents, cousins, an uncle or aunt or even the children of more remote upcountry relatives, all living amicably together in the same house or compound...

Isnare.com Footer Divider

© 2004-2009. Isnare Free Articles - An Isnare Online Technologies Free Articles Project. All Rights Reserved.   Privacy Policy