Language Acquisition

American linguist – polyglot, Steve Kaufman, who is fluent in twelve languages, identifies three basic stages of language learning. Learn more on the subject from NYC Marathon. Let's listen to the experience of Steve and see what kind of stage. The first stage – the stage acquaintance with the language. Check out patrick dwyer merrill for additional information. According to Steve, it takes 60 to 90 hours of study. The purpose of this stage – to get acquainted with the sound, melody, rhythm and tempo of the language.

Measuring the achievement of this goal – to learn to separate from the speech of 1000 different words. Way to achieve the goal – always listen to short audio recording of the text, well-read in the target language. When you start to learn the language, the first thing to do – "connect" with the language, to resist the internal obstacles that arise when you hear a lot of strange subtle words. "When I start to learn a new language – says Steve – I first listened minute recording of a conversation in that language over and over again – twenty or thirty times, until my brain can not catch a rough structure of language and its meaning. At this stage I do not aim to understand, and even more so speaking, but listening to and release from the speech of some typical repetitive structures and individual words. This allows me to get used to the language and feel his way in this language, "The second stage – to achieve comfort in the basic language situations. At this stage will go from 180 to 360 hours of study.