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  • Ultimately the ability to learn a language is...

  • it still comes down to the three keys that I referr to so often.

  • Hi there, Steve Kaufmann here.

  • Today I want to talk about the role of talent in language learning.

  • Uh, remember if you enjoy these videos, please subscribe and click

  • on the bell for notifications.

  • So if any of you out there have learned even one or more languages

  • to a fairly decent level, you have undoubtedly had people tell you,

  • you have a talent for languages.

  • And the people who say this to you are typically people who

  • don't speak other languages.

  • Someone who already speaks two or three languages is unlikely to say

  • that because they know that learning another language takes a lot of effort.

  • So the typical person who says you have a talent for language either hasn't put

  • a lot of effort into learning a language, or is stuck with a method of language

  • acquisition which isn't very efficient.

  • They go to the library language, Spanish class, three times a week or something.

  • Uh, people who are successful at language learning they typically

  • will do a lot of listening and reading and put a lot of effort.

  • Uh, I mean, very few people will do what I do, which is to get up every morning

  • and listen to whatever language I'm learning and listen an hour a day while

  • working out, while cleaning up, uh, and do a lot of reading and put in an hour

  • or two every day into language learning.

  • Few people do that.

  • Uh, so typically people who say you just have a talent for language, uh,

  • are kind of trying to justify the fact that they haven't been willing to

  • put that degree of effort or to look for more efficient ways of learning.

  • But is there a talent for language learning?

  • I think it's possible that there are varying degrees of ability

  • to learn another language and a number of things influence that.

  • First of all, the more languages you know, the better you

  • become at learning languages.

  • Your brain is more flexible.

  • You are more open to new sounds, new structures.

  • You don't resist the new language.

  • Uh, you're more confident that you can do it.

  • You have some ideas of, of methods that, for language learning,

  • that work at least for you.

  • So you're a better language learner.

  • So, so that's obviously going to influence, but that's not

  • so much talent as, as ability.

  • It's not sort of an inherent talent for language learning.

  • Uh, another thing that influences our ability to learn is the degree to

  • which we're exposed to the language.

  • So if you go to Sweden where kids television is in English and

  • listen to English language, uh, you know, pop music and so forth.

  • They have so much exposure to English before they start that in Sweden

  • just about everybody speaks English.

  • So is it that the English...

  • that the Swedes have some gene for language learning?

  • I don't think.

  • And it's similar in other places where people are exposed to a lot of languages

  • like in Singapore or apparently in Ethiopia, although I've never been there.

  • So the amount of exposure you get influences your ability to

  • learn a language, but that's not necessarily the same as talent.

  • Uh, I think ultimately the ability to learn a language, it still comes down to

  • the three keys that I referr to so often.

  • The attitude of the learner, time spent with the language

  • and the ability to notice.

  • And I'll leave a link to a video that I just did on the subject of

  • noticing and language acquisition.

  • But obviously attitude.

  • As I said, someone who's learned a few languages has a positive attitude.

  • They think language learning is worthwhile doing, worthwhile

  • spending a lot of time at.

  • They're confident that they will achieve success.

  • Typically they like the language they're learning.

  • So these attitude factors are much more important than any

  • potential differences in talent.

  • Uh, the same with time, you can't learn languages without putting in the time.

  • Some people are willing, more willing to put in time than others.

  • Uh, noticing is something that comes with a good attitude and putting in the time.

  • So, you know, my point really is it's a bit like the discussion

  • can older people learn languages?

  • Like here I am 75, uh, is a 20 year old a better language than I am?

  • No, it doesn't really matter.

  • It doesn't really matter.

  • We can all learn.

  • Even if we assume that some people are more talented or that a 20 year

  • old is better than a 75 year old, it doesn't mean that a potentially

  • less talented person can't learn.

  • Theoretically less talented person has a good attitude, is interested

  • in the language, likes the language, believes that learning the language

  • is worthwhile doing, believes they're going to get there, believes

  • in the method they're using.

  • Uh, and if that person puts in the time and then develops, you know, is really

  • keen on noticing what's happening in the language, that person will learn.

  • And if that person is slightly less talented, talented than someone

  • else, maybe not as good at imitating the sounds or, or at remembering

  • vocabulary, that person will still learn.

  • Uh, so to tell someone who has learned three or four languages, oh,

  • you're just talented in languages.

  • Um, that's a cop-out.

  • That very person who was saying, oh, you're just talented, like I'm not.

  • You are.

  • If they were to have a positive attitude, put in the time, be, be motivated

  • to notice what's happening in that language to accept that language rather

  • than resist, that person will learn.

  • And if you take 10 people, some will learn better than others.

  • Some will pronounce better than others.

  • Some will, uh, speak better than others, but those differences are relatively small

  • compared to the differences that come from the sort of differences in attitude,

  • differences in time spent, differences in methods used for language learning.

  • So therefore I would disagree.

  • Talent as an important consideration in language learning.

  • Uh, it's something that even if there are differences, we

  • can't control those differences.

  • But what we can control is our attitude, the time we spend and to some extent

  • flowing from that, our ability to notice what's happening in the new

  • language and therefore to acquire that language or several more languages.

  • So there you have it, that's my take on, on talent and language learning.

  • And I suggest you have a look at the video I did on noticing, and

  • I'm look forward to your comments.

  • Thank you, bye for now.

Ultimately the ability to learn a language is...

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學習語言是否存在天賦(Is There a Talent For Language Learning?)

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    雨小雨 發佈於 2024 年 01 月 07 日
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