Courses for those who need to speak and understand a new language FAST, (like immigrants for example.)
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:41 pm
Hello everyone!
Here is the Question: (I'll add details below)
Q: What self study courses are best for someone who needs to USE a language quickly to communicate with native speakers? If this person didn't care about pronunciation, grammar etc. which doesn't directly help them communicate.
I have a cousin here from Italy who wants to learn English simply to be able to talk to everyone.
He doesn't care if he has a super heavy accent, or if he makes a million mistakes. I recommended Assimil to him, but then I realized that Assimil aims a little higher. Although I think it's his best bet.
I was thinking, "Does there exist a course to get people to learn enough of a language to handle everyday routine tasks, and engage in basic social activities?" I guess this would require speaking and listening skills at around B1, in terms of fluency and vocabulary, as well as grammar skills at maybe a A1/A2 level, (if the speakers native tongue is somewhat related to the target language.)
We spend a lot of time on this forum discussing perfecting one's language skills. Some people I've met are quite pretentious in this regard, especially English learners who look upon other English learners with disdain for making minor mistakes; mistakes that do not hinder communication whatsoever.
I have an aunt who moved to America about 20 years ago, when she was around 30. Everyone my age from Italy always asks me, "do people understand her when she speaks English?" She speaks with a 100% Italian accent, as if she was an an Italian word that sounds like an english word. She, however, has many American friends and doesn't live in an immigrant bubble. She can also ramble on, coherently, about a variety of topics. She doesn't seem any less "fluent" in English than she does in Italian, even though she will say things like, /aɪ gɔ tu si da 'daktɛ u'jeɪsadaɪ/ (I go to see the doctor yesterday = I wen't to see the doctor yesterday.)
She runs a large household successfully, and has no problems doing anything in English. In fact, one of her best friends is the Irish woman next door with a heavy accent. She makes funny jokes, and no one thinks anything of her accent, in fact a few people have said they really like her accent and listen to her closely and understand when she goes on her hilarious rants about anything from Trump to the quality of pasta sauce.
This is not a goal to strive for, but she is definitely more capable of handling herself in English than many of my students who have B2 level knowledge, but can't hold a real conversation with one native; many of these students had great pronunciation and grammar, as well as a large vocabulary.
She says she learned by asking her husband (he's bilingual) how to say things, and she said after /tri 'jiɛs/ (three years) she could "talk to everybody."
Is there a course out there for something like this? To give someone just enough of a base so then to be able to jump into their target language? Especially if they don't have time, or don't care about speaking correctly.
Here is the Question: (I'll add details below)
Q: What self study courses are best for someone who needs to USE a language quickly to communicate with native speakers? If this person didn't care about pronunciation, grammar etc. which doesn't directly help them communicate.
I have a cousin here from Italy who wants to learn English simply to be able to talk to everyone.
He doesn't care if he has a super heavy accent, or if he makes a million mistakes. I recommended Assimil to him, but then I realized that Assimil aims a little higher. Although I think it's his best bet.
I was thinking, "Does there exist a course to get people to learn enough of a language to handle everyday routine tasks, and engage in basic social activities?" I guess this would require speaking and listening skills at around B1, in terms of fluency and vocabulary, as well as grammar skills at maybe a A1/A2 level, (if the speakers native tongue is somewhat related to the target language.)
We spend a lot of time on this forum discussing perfecting one's language skills. Some people I've met are quite pretentious in this regard, especially English learners who look upon other English learners with disdain for making minor mistakes; mistakes that do not hinder communication whatsoever.
I have an aunt who moved to America about 20 years ago, when she was around 30. Everyone my age from Italy always asks me, "do people understand her when she speaks English?" She speaks with a 100% Italian accent, as if she was an an Italian word that sounds like an english word. She, however, has many American friends and doesn't live in an immigrant bubble. She can also ramble on, coherently, about a variety of topics. She doesn't seem any less "fluent" in English than she does in Italian, even though she will say things like, /aɪ gɔ tu si da 'daktɛ u'jeɪsadaɪ/ (I go to see the doctor yesterday = I wen't to see the doctor yesterday.)
She runs a large household successfully, and has no problems doing anything in English. In fact, one of her best friends is the Irish woman next door with a heavy accent. She makes funny jokes, and no one thinks anything of her accent, in fact a few people have said they really like her accent and listen to her closely and understand when she goes on her hilarious rants about anything from Trump to the quality of pasta sauce.
This is not a goal to strive for, but she is definitely more capable of handling herself in English than many of my students who have B2 level knowledge, but can't hold a real conversation with one native; many of these students had great pronunciation and grammar, as well as a large vocabulary.
She says she learned by asking her husband (he's bilingual) how to say things, and she said after /tri 'jiɛs/ (three years) she could "talk to everybody."
Is there a course out there for something like this? To give someone just enough of a base so then to be able to jump into their target language? Especially if they don't have time, or don't care about speaking correctly.