Posts Tagged ‘Second Language Learning’

Learning The French Language Online

January 4th, 2010

Learning French is definitely easier than trying to stop smoking and who knows, you might even shed a few kilos along the way. More seriously, now is the time to start or resume French if you want to be ready for next summer. Learning French is not a romantic gesture. It is not an abstract gesture of that kind. Learning French is the first step to helping people in impoverished francophone countries all over the world. It is time to “reach out to the world and learn French. ”
Learning French is like a beginner Golf player, it’s better you stay off the green until you get a professional to teach you how to swing properly. Learning French is much more than memorizing vocabulary or a system of grammatical rules. Students will be engaged in and challenged by their learning of a second language. Learning French is just within your reach!
Learning French is fun and easy with the right teaching materials. Designed especially for new French language students, a good course offers pictures associations, pronunciation guides, and enjoyable exercises to reinforce new learning. Learning French is the theme of our website as well. You’ll see what it’s like to learn another language as an adult.
Language is not a dead thing, it is alive, it breathes, it is what we use to communicate with other people. Discover new words, watch how babies learn to talk. Language comprehension increases rapidly as students gain valuable listening, speaking and pronunciation skills. This course can be repeated as often as desired to reinforce oral language skills and build vocabulary.
Students simply need to keep their teachers informed of their choices. The site below will provide an overview of each component, a description of what it looks like in print and in computer modes, as well as its main purpose within the course. Students and researchers who know French have access to these works for several years before they are translated into English. Many significant works are never translated and remain accessible only to those who know the language. Students in this concentration typically pursue teaching, graduate schools or specialized careers in linguistics.
The best French learning programs, for example, will help you to improve your French learning language skills. It will prepare you to take many official exams and uses the common European framework for language learning. France is the world leader in medical research: French doctors first isolated the AIDS virus. By learning French, people have the opportunities to join efforts in science. France is the locomotive of the European zone. It is one of the the most prosperous of the big European zone countries, enjoying a high balance of payments surplus.

Give The Gift of Languages This Holiday Season

December 25th, 2009

We live in an increasingly global society – our neighbor is from Puerto Rico, our co-worker from South Africa and our child’s teacher from Sweden! We realize as adults how hard it is to learn a new language at this point in our life, but it’s not too late for our children!
Time & Newsweek ran feature articles on the window of opportunity for second language learning – reported to be between birth and ten years old. It’s true! Why? A growing number of brain studies indicate that young children learn languages easily and retain them longer if they are exposed to new languages early in life. Experts agree that while a baby is learning one word for an item, it is just as easy for his young brain to learn a second word for the same item.
Recent studies out of York University show that children who received instruction in two languages scored twice as high on language tests than their monolingual peers. These bilingual children also read sooner and demonstrated advanced problem solving capabilities. (Dr. Ellen Bialystok, 2001)
Latest research suggests that children learning through a bilingual format will outperform their mono-lingual peers in grade school as they experience advanced cognitive development. And the added benefit of learning a second language before middle school? These children will speak the new languages with native or near-native pronunciation.
You see how quickly your child learns new things between the ages of birth and five – why shouldn’t a new language be next on the list of important things to bring into her life? Give this gift early enough, and your child will read sooner, score higher on standardized tests and have better opportunities in life. With many linguists, educators and experts agreeing that sooner is better, begin the bilingual fun now!
By six months old a baby has the ability to learn all the languages of our world – all at the same time. Up until the age of five a child still has the ability to learn five languages simultaneously. By middle school we all know learning a new language is no longer as easy as it used to be in elementary school. Children whose brains have been wired to learn languages early in life will experience advanced success in learning any language of their choice later in life.
Find a fun way to bring the language learning into your family’s daily routine. Look for programs and products that use a bilingual format for children ages birth – five. Reason being that as the young child is still acquiring skills in their native language, the new language should be presented in a seamless bilingual format with both languages presented side-by-side. This allows for better retention and higher self esteem.
Make the second language journey easy and fun for you and your child. Sing, dance and play together as you enjoy learning each new word on the path to becoming bilingual for successful travel through our very global society.

Learn French Fluently in Less Than 8 Weeks and Exercise Your Brain

December 18th, 2009

In today’s competitive world, it is not a surprise to see the marketplace inundated with self-improvement products. But did you know that learning a foreign language, such as French, is one of the most overlooked means to improve oneself in North America. And the interesting thing about this is that learning a language has so many benefits that it boggles the mind as to how we fail to see the obvious. We all have our reasons to learn French online but why not remind you of the obvious and the not so obvious reasons so that you can improve yourself by learning French and go beyond the workplace to enrich your life experiences and join our global community.

The first “obvious” is that second language learning is more of a cognitive than linguistic activity. Research shows that children who learn French, or any foreign language, out perform their non-foreign language-learning peers in verbal skills and in problem solving activities such as math. It also increases a child’s critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility of mind. Most of the people that speak more than one language, have acquired fluency from childhood. And haven’t you noticed that their pronunciation is native-like pronunciation and intonation? But anyone, regardless of his or her age, can learn a language such as French and improve their cognitive skills because we all know that the single-most determining factors in achieving fluency in are desire and drive.

The second “obvious” is that learning French opens the doors to a new culture and hence new experiences. Yes, you can get a promotion or an increase in income if you speak French, not to mention, the admiration of your peers, friends and family. If you learn to speak French fluently, you will have the freedom to travel abroad and not feel imprisoned or alienated by your inability to communicate with the native French speakers. In this way you will be breaking the stereotype of a typical Anglophone tourist in Paris, for example, and be a welcomed citizen of the world.

The last “obvious” is not so obvious. Recent studies suggest that individuals who speak more that one language have a lower incidence of senility compared to individuals who speak only one language. Also one of the preventive measures for Alzheimer’s is mental stimulation. What better way to exercise your brain than to learn French online at your convenience and on your own terms?

In whatever way you are improving yourself, whether it is mind, body or soul you will reap the benefits. So on your way to Yoga class or while you are going for a run or a walk with your dog, you can also learn French fast if you remember to bring your iPod with you and exercise your brain. It will not only be your brain that benefits but the whole YOU and your life experiences. Do not forget the obvious. Learn to speak French fluently. Exercise your brain and change your life.