4 Great Truths
IN THE BEGINNING
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
- You can learn a language for a lifetime and never be able to use it for its communicative purpose.
- You can communicate in a language without ever learning it.
- Foreign students who come to China to learn Mandarin are often fluent within 3 – 6 months.
- Chinese who go abroad to an English speaking country for 6 months or more have greatly improved Chinglish upon their return.
THE REASONS
China graduates 5 million plus university students each year. They have studied English as a foreign language (EFL) for up to 16 years but are functionally illiterate, unable to communicate in English in a comprehensible manner.
China has tens of millions of people who can communicate effectively in Mandarin, Cantonese or one of the 55 minority language and they have never been to any school.
We acquire and are able to use our L1 before we ever attend school and learn it. We absorb our L1 from our surrounding environment.
When foreign students come to China they absorb Mandarin from the Chinese environment. When Chinese go abroad to an English speaking country they absorb English from the environment.
It is a National tragedy that Chinese students studying English in China for up to 16 years never have the required English speaking environment that would allow them to acquire English. There is not sufficient money to send all Chinese students abroad so China hires 100,000 legal and 150,000 illegal foreign English teachers every year to provide a native speaker influence. There are English Corners and English Debates as well as other types of appointments to speak English. But for 30 years these English activities have proved ineffective.
On the download page there are some relevant articles:
China EFL: Why Chinese Universities do not Provide an English Speaking Environment
HOLISTIC ENGLISH: A Revolution – Not an Evolution
YOU, CAN DO
A TRUE English Speaking Environment (ESE) is where English is the language of communication or where it is easier to speak in English than in the L1.
2nd language acquisition occurs when there is comprehensible input in a friendly environment. The emphasis is on input.
Chinese students studying English in a Chinese environment are at a great disadvantage. But they can level the playing field. There are things a Chinese student of English can do to create their own ESE.
- Change your mobile phone language to English and always answer in English.
- Change your computer operating system to an English system.
- Change your computer home page to an English one.
- Change your computer default search browser to an English one.
- Download Google Toolbar and add on the translation function. Automatically translate all Chinese web pages to English.
- Read Google English news every day.
- Download a free radio and TV tool bar and listen to or watch English programs.
- Buy English newspapers and magazines.
- Make English the language of communication in your dormitory.
- Eat your meals with friends who also want an ESE and only speak English.
- Wear a patch that says “SPEAK ENGLISH” which allows group identification of others wanting an ESE.
- Demand that your Chinese teachers of English teach in the target language, English, and not Mandarin.
- Watch English movies with English subtitles or no subtitles.
- Watch CCTV 9
YOUR CHOICE
Every time you could speak English but don’t, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you read a Chinese web page, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you buy a Chinese newspaper or magazine, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you communicate with your room mates in Chinese, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you choose to speak Mandarin to your classmates, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you watch a Chinese movie, YOU CHOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
Every time you watch Chinese TV, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE YOUR ENGLISH BETTER
These choices are not easy. But there are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
ENGLISH CAN’T BE ACQUIRED 2 HOURS A WEEK IN A CLASSROOM, IT MUST BE LIVED 24/7.
I do agree your view about learning English!I do want to improve my speaking English!
I completely agree that the language environment is significant to the study of language.A person can undoubtly learn a language when the surrounding people are speaking just like the young baby learn his mother tongue. The reason we study so many years’ English but can’t speaking is lack of the English Speaking Environment.We learn many about phrases and sentences but we are lack of practicing.
In China there never be the required English speaking environment that would allow us to acquire English, this is a fact. Another problem that I don’t think a foreigner can learn Chinese well in 6 months, Chinese is the most difficult language in my opinion
We are used to learning English as a homework because few of us have the opportunity to use it. It’s uncomplicated to understand that language is a tool of communicated. Like any other tools you hand them during the process of using. But one question is DO WE ALL NEED LEARN ENGLISH? As far as I am concerned, English should be a choice not an essential
I would like to learn Englisha and have a good speaking English.But,most of us don’t have a environment to speak English.So it’s difficult to learn English well only in the classroom.what’s more,some of us do not find the use of English in our future iob.
Now I know what I need to do when I want to improve my english,and I will insist,I belive I will master it.
Yes, English cannot be acquired in one or two days,we need practice frequently.We need creat English speaking environment,and catch every chance we can speak and practice our English.If we real want to improve our English,we should do more for it such as reading more,speaking more,writing more and listening more.We can not easy master another language except mother language in Chinese environment unless we put our heart in learning nor for please someone just for ourselves and practice more.
As you said,2nd language acquisition is very different to learn.The main reason is that we have no English environment.All around us is Chinese.So it is different for us to arquire English well.We should creat a English environment ourselves ,even thought it is difficult for us.