LiNKiT helps you to learn a second language by linking patterns and forms of speech and the ways that they are used.
You don´t have to think / translate a pronoun, verb, auxiliary, adverb etc. to learn how to speak! You were not born with a grammar book in your hand but you learned how to speak, you listened to everyone around you and linked a sound to an item or action.
It started with Mummy and Daddy, they said it that often that you learned the word/sound and said it, you then got a lot of positive feedback, smiles, and general fuss. Then it started to advance because you liked the positive attention. Your Mum said ” do you want a sweetie,” and you said sweetie and you got a reward i.e. the sweetie and a lot of fuss from your Mum, “oh what a good boy/girl you are” combined with lots of positive emotions. Then you may have said “you sweetie”, the pronoun was wrong and Mummy corrected you, ” I want a sweetie”. This continued and your grasp and knowledge of your language started to grow, making mistakes, but being corrected and learning something new every day. The most important thing was that you tried and practised and after time you got better.
This went on for years before you started school and you could quite happily communicate what you wanted and when you wanted it. Along with many other things, such as: when being a nice child you would get something and when you were not being nice that you wouldn´t get something.
Ok, you did this as a child and had to do it to learn everything, you are now older and wiser, you know what you want to say in your language so all you need to do is learn that bit. Then through progression and hopefully curiosity you start playing with what you have learned and think of the answer and or possible answers. Much of our daily conversations are question and answer, so if you learn the question and answer you will understand better; it´s obvious but I have to say it.
Now we come to LiNKiT, that´s learning the phrase in another language and linking it to the phrase in your native language, then practice saying it and every time you say it to your native language.
If you could do it as a child, why not now? OK, yes children learn and retain languages faster and better than adults, but you now have years of experience and if you really want something you can do it!
We could easily put this into three simple steps:
1. Learn it
- Say it
- Repeat it
- Practice it
- LiNKiT
We really need to think and want to learn, that way all negative statements such as:
“it´s so hard to learn at my age”,
“I can´t do it!”
” I couldn´t do it when I was young so why can I now?”
As soon as you say something negative about learning something you are building a barrier, a wall, an obstacle, creating a reason to fail, giving yourself an excuse to quit. You know “well I tried!” but did you, or did you fail before you started by making excuses?
Possibly the most important thing is to practise and be prepared to make mistakes as you did when you were a child? The difference now is we are older and we don´t really like feeling silly and embarrassed, it´s how we´ve been conditioned as ‘grown ups’ and it really does not help us at times. We need to remember that we are trying something new, something that not everyone is prepared to do, but believe me, when you speak to and are able to communicate and all around you can´t you will feel FANTASTIC!
Talking about practicing, there are now so many wonderful websites that are free of charge and that if you spend a bit of time, (that’s the I want to part of learning). You could easily build a little network of people who want to learn your language and in return for you helping them, they will help you. You could also make new friends and get chance for them to come and see you or you to go and see them? It all depends on you and what you are prepared to do to succeed in learning a new language?