Successful Language Learners

Some people seem to have a knack¹ for learning² languages. They can pick up new vocabulary, master rules or grammar, and learn to write in the new language more quickly than others. They do not seem to be any more intelligent than others, so what makes language learning so much easier for them? Perhaps if we take a close look at these successful language learners, we may discover a few of the techniques that make language easier for them.

First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language. Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from mistakes.

Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the language; they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept information that is inexact or incomplete³. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every world.

Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it.

What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively⁴, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might as well try some of the techniques outlined above.

Questions: A. Ways to learn a language Successfully
1. Paragragh1_____________. B. Learning to Language Purposefully
2. Paragragh2_____________. C. Learning a Language Actively
3. Paragragh3_____________. D. Learning a Language Independently
4. Paragragh4_____________. E. Learning from Mistakes
F. Learning to Think in the Target Language

5. Successful language learners derive⁵ conclusions _____________.
6. Independent language learners relay⁶ on themselves _____________.
7. Active language learners seize every opportunity _____________.
8. The author wrote this text _____________.
A. to discover sentence patterns and grammatical⁷ rules
B. to expand vocabulary
C. to use the target language
D. to encourage unsuccessful language learners to learn independently, actively and purposely
E. from clues
F. to say strange things