Revisiting Language Learning 1 of 5 (Dr. Brent Lindquist)

I've talked about language learning before but it's a topic I always like to go back to because I think language learning, or effective communication, is the building block of effectiveness in your work in whatever you're doing and wherever you are.  Now that's a really strong bias and you've got to remember that.  As you hear me through the next 5 or so sessions remember to keep that in mind.  You may have a real desire not to believe it, but I think if you look around and you pay serious attention to what I'm saying you'll come to that understanding.  If you're already speaking the local language and you're doing it well, then maybe this is time to revisit other things, but I don't want you to stop listening.  At least see if there are some new concepts that will be useful for you.

Today I'm talking about - why learn a language?  Why in the world do I have to learn a language?  I speak English.  I don't speak it very poorly.  I get along fine.  I don't really want to go to that extent.  I'm worried about it.  There are a number of underlying issues of why we, particularly those of us who are English and have English as our first language, are sometimes more concerned about learning a different language.  First of all, can't I get along in English?  English is, after all, the primary international language.  Well, it is and it isn't.  Have you ever listened to, for example, other folk speaking English who may have come into English from a different language or who may have English as their first language but they didn't learn it in England or the United States of America?  If you have, you'll notice that their English is quite a bit different.  They use different vocabulary for quite a few different things, some of which we find kind of humorous at times.  There is different syntax, different sentence styles.  Some of these people who are speaking English are speaking a kind of English that is almost unintelligible to American English speakers.  This is because of the development, the normal development, that language goes through as it is revised daily by the people who use it.  Sometimes we have things like Pigeons.  Pigeons are not birds in this sense.  Pigeons are a variety of a language that is different.  For example, I could read to you something in Pigeon Hawaiian or something like that and you wouldn't really know what it was about.  Unfortunately, the fact is that while English is probably one of the languages spoken by the most people in the world, a couple of things need to be taken into account.  It's not normal English, it's individual varieties of English and it's sometimes not understandable by other speakers of English.  You need to realize that English is not that powerful of a language.  It certainly is powerful but let me make a hypothesis to you.  That is, speaking someone's own language is more powerful than requiring them to speak your language.  Why do I say that?  I say that because you're trying to be an influence to people in your job and one of the best ways to be an influence is to convince them that you are trustworthy.  You are friendly.  You are caring and that you care about them.  One tremendous way to show that care is to attempt to learn and use their language their way.  It's a very powerful statement to them that you are different than the person next to you, for example.  So this local people thing is a very important concept.  It's really the most important concept.  I often hear from people from other countries and other languages and they tell me that particularly when talking about people like me, that is Americans, there is a real reticence to learn or to take the time to use the language.  Those Americans tell me that they don't need to or they can't because they don't have the time.  The contract with their company tells them to get right to work, for example.  Part of the problem is that many people have the attitude that language is learned in classrooms.  That is another point that really needs to be debunked.  Language is learned every day by millions of people out in the community on the street.  Certainly appropriate, legal and medical varieties of language sometimes need to be learned in the classroom but in terms of getting by, making friends, figuring out how to live your life, a lot of that learning can happen in the community right where you are, doing all the things that you normally do.  All it requires is that you take the time to change your thinking about getting your things done. 

What do I mean by that?  Can you do daily activities in a way that they become learning events for language?  Take in point the whole idea of shopping.  If you look at shopping as something that you simply have to do in order to eat and it's just a no-brainer and it's just something that has to be accomplished and as quickly as possible, you will consistently miss using grocery shopping as a communicative learning exercise.  In many parts of the world they have places that you can shop and really not use language.  You can go to a city I go to in Thailand, for example, and they have wonderful, modern supermarkets.  I can go there, shop and get everything I need and never have to speak Thai.  Or, I could go to the open market or some of those people selling things on the street and I could negotiate with them.  Certainly that requires a lot more time and a lot more work, but you know what, at the end of the day I may have a friend in that shopkeeper as opposed to just having someone at the check-out counter.  You need to evaluate carefully what you're doing, what you're trying to accomplish and what people think and say.  It's very important and I can't emphasize this enough.

Another example of a learning environment is how you get around.  Americans, in particular, are very sensitive to and dependent on their own automobiles.  Some places you can't have a car and that's probably a good thing.  Indeed, when I used to train people in language learning we encouraged them not to have a car for the first few months.  Now, you're sitting there thinking, 'Oh my goodness.  I can't get around without it' and that may not work.  Sometimes it might be a good idea to say, 'Can I take public transportation and have to interact with people?'  Sometimes people talk to you when you're riding the bus or waiting for the train or something like that.  That can be a really good time to try and learn.  Then the question arises - well, what do I say when I talk to people?  That's where you need language helpers and coaches to help you develop a little story that you can share with people.  Somebody says, 'Who are you?'  You can answer, 'I'm..... and I'm living in your country trying to learn the language.  This is all I know, thank you very much'.  Well, that may be enough but that builds a building block of relationship.  I know of one person that talked to me about trying to take this seriously and he started up a conversation with the baker around the corner from where he was living.  Each day he would come in and buy only enough bread for that day.  This person loved bread, so that wasn't a problem and I wouldn't have a problem because I would love that too.  So they would go in and they would practise and the first time it was simply, 'Good morning'.  After a couple of weeks, it was, 'Good morning' and this baker that really didn't act friendly at first looked forward to it.  As a matter of fact, this person went in one day and the baker had a friend.  What the person found out was that the baker had said, 'Come and meet this weird person.  He comes in and tries to learn our language.  It's really funny but he's a really nice guy'.  So this person stumbling around making mistakes was building relationships and building community.

As you think about how you've been doing with language learning, if you're just starting to learn then maybe these ideas are right on time.  If you've already been learning, then use this as a time to reflect.  Are you still learning?  Language is a life-long learning process.  It takes a lot of work but the rewards are wonderful.

Talk to you next time!