The spoken word
Learning English can be a tough task. Here are some helpful hints.
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 As immigrants, we know it’s important to master English. And to master it strategically. Yet not all of us can sign up for a class and just go. Through the years, people I meet ask me how they, too, can learn the language. Their family members ask how they can help their loved ones to improve their skills, bit by bit, while raising a family and working, often balancing more than one job. I interact some of these men and women who seem eager for knowledge, wanting to store up vocabulary and slang. In targeting the topic of ESL, I sought advice from Anita Preciado and Lorraine Krampe, English as a Second Language professors at Coastline Community College in Southern California. “With desire,” Preciado says, “you can always gain something.” Q: I have children and grandchildren. The small ones need help with homework. I want to know more, so what do you suggest? — Y?n Tr?n, Westminster, Calif. A: Start simply. Look through the materials the kids bring home to become more comfortable with them, scanning words you don’t recognize in a bilingual dictionary in your native language. Preciado also has a list of computer Web sites from which you can learn more English in the comfort of your own home. Call her department at (714) 891-5687 for a copy. For a grandmother, math should be easier to handle, and here, you can practice by saying the numbers and explaining the equation — as much as you can — in English, then building a conversation around it with the youngsters, who, in turn, might teach you new terms. Turn the play-by-play into a game. When they use flashcards, take part in the activity and offer a prize as motivation. For example, pick 10 words to use and reuse over the course of a week; take those who complete the assignment out for ice cream, including yourself. Q: People talk very fast. It’s hard to understand and hear everything they are saying, most of all in public. How can I be faster? Augustina Arciga, Santa Ana, Calif. A: This is a common problem. You should “turn on the television, turn on the radio,” Krampe says. “Listen to natural speech when you’re inside your house” and that gives you the filter to move at your own speed “so you don’t feel trapped, thinking, ‘I have to perform,” and you will get a lot from it.” Wake up to a news station in the morning and monitor closely. You don’t need to recognize every word to realize what the announcer is talking about, from a forest fire to Iraq. The more you tune in, the more you will advance as you begin to notice the nuances in a person’s voice, pronunciation, where to place an accented syllable. I remember learning Spanish this way when I lived in Mexico City in the 1990s. Our instructor at the National Autonomous University required everyone to follow the day’s headlines, then she would quiz us. In the beginning, we had a lot of wrong answers, with tenses misplaced and subject-verb agreements mangled. As we developed, we combined speech with a focus on writing and grammar; diligent students can practice this on the side. Those interested can also watch close-captioned TV— many newcomers use it as an aid — which spells out the words. College coursework such as Coastline’s also touches on music, from the “Wee Sing” series to the Beatles. Experiment to find selections you prefer. Get CDs, reviewing their lyrics, engaging native speakers in a heart-to-heart about their meaning. A word about native speakers: You can establish a buddy system. Drive once a month to a grocery store, a coffee shop, a tourist sight or the like, and this puts you back in the public situation that you mentioned earlier, allowing you to seize a moment for learning. For instance, if you feel that being at a doctor’s office is intimidating, swing by as a pair and role-play different situations to better prepare you to take charge of them on your own.You can repeat this at the Department of Motor Vehicles. “For any of us, native-born, the DMV is a scary place, and for our students even more so,” Krampe says. “Practice, practice.” Q: I have a habit of reading the newspapers, but I can’t read much of the newspapers here. Is there something else? Wen Wang, Anaheim, Calif. A: Please don’t give up on newspapers. Read your favorite section, even in English, tackling one story a day. Again, have a dictionary handy. Other good sources: Library books or online, where you can scroll through the publication you like in your native language, paying special attention to something you know you’ll also find in English, like the Olympics. Then turn to an English equivalent and find a similar article, digesting as much as you can, contrasting and comparing words, phrases. You will improve. Someone pushed me to do this when I first arrived in America more than 30 years ago, and it works.
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