How
many times have you heard someone complain they can't speak a foreign language
despite studying it for a long time? It's a common complaint that stems from
the way language learning is approached. After many years of teaching English
as a second language, I am always struck by the number of people who think
language should be learned in the same way as other subjects. Many students
believe they just need to memorize the material and they will magically be able
to use the language. What they don't understand is memorization is only the
first step, and even that is often done the night before the big exam. So if
you want speak a new language, rather than just learn about it, here are a few
pointers.
