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Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Department of English and American Studies
Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
The secrets of language learning – Natural or Academic Approach?
Is there a secret to learning a new language in a short period of time? According to Lydia Hric Machovà, an interpreter and language mentor who manages to learn a new language every two years, there is one thing that all polyglots – people who can speak many languages – have in common. “We simply find ways how to enjoy the process”, she says in her TED Talks The secrets of learning a new language.1 Each polyglot has developed his own personal method to learn languages in a shorter time and it has become part of their daily routine, in this way they managed to have fluent conversations with native speakers after only a few months. But is there a method that is more effective than others? By drawing attention to one specific skill, namely language learning, my purpose is to analyse the different approaches and to establish which one is the most effective. Nowadays we live in a profoundly globalised era, in which language learning has become a fundamental requirement in multiple areas – from the workplace to school and leisure. Therefore, developing an approach that is both fast and effective for learning a language could bring about a radical change in the traditional teaching method. We can distinguish two different ways of developing competences in a foreign language: acquisition and learning. On the one hand, acquisition consists of an unconscious process involving a natural development of language proficiency through the understanding of language itself. On the other hand, learning is a process based on a set of rules and on the explicit and conscious skill to apply them. Therefore, we can conclude that learning cannot lead to acquisition, but the same is not true the other way around. Language learning is mainly dealt with in schools relying on the traditional academic approach, which is mostly based on theoretical grammar principles. However, according to more recent research, a more natural approach has proven to be more suitable for language acquisition since it focuses on meaning and communication. My aim is to consider both methods, analyse their differences and similarities and assess their effectiveness.
The first method to be considered is the Natural Approach, developed by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, respectively a teacher of Spanish and an applied linguist, both teaching at the University of California. In 1983 they published the book The Natural Approach, in which they outlined a proposal for a ‘new’ philosophy of language teaching. This new method is based 1 Lydia Machovà, The secrets of learning a new language, TED Salon: Brightline Initiative, October 2018 (min. 04:37), https://www.ted.com/talks/lydia_machova_the_secrets_of_learning_a_new_language Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Department of English and American Studies Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
on teaching the use of language in communicative situations, as opposed to traditional
approaches, which mainly rely on theory and grammar. According to Krashen and Terrell, communication is the primary function of language, therefore it is essential to emphasise the primacy of meaning over theoretical knowledge. Adopting a natural approach to language teaching brings lexicon and vocabulary to the fore, while grammar represents only a tool to produce messages, which is not fundamental to communication itself. For this reason, Krashen and Terrell believe that thorough knowledge of grammar structures is not inevitably required for language learning, even though it is necessary to create more complex messages. Based on Krashen and Terrell’s objectives, the Natural Approach is for beginners, and it is designed to help them become intermediates. After approximately 100 to 150 hours of lessons the learner should be able to understand the speaker of the target language and to express basic requests or ideas. “They need not know every word in a particular semantic domain, nor it is necessary that the syntax and morphology be flawless – but their production does need to be understood. They should be able to make the meaning clear but not necessarily be accurate in all details of grammar.” (Krashen and Terrell 1983:71).2 In order to create a natural and familiar learning atmosphere in class, group-work activities are often suggested to encourage free dialogues amongst the students. This helps minimise learners’ anxiety of making mistakes in front of the teacher and contributes to the growth of their self-confidence by allowing them to let themselves go. Students should not be forced to speak before they are ready since acquisition can take place only when people understand messages in the target language. Therefore, the Natural Approach highly values the teacher’s role as the person in charge of generating a constant flow of language, providing students with tools to understand the input. To enhance the appeal of the lesson, the teacher provides materials and contents from the real world, such as newspaper articles, instead of relying on textbooks. According to Krashen and Terrell, “Language is best taught when it is being used to transmit messages, not when it is explicitly taught for conscious learning.” (Krashen and Terrell 1983:55).3
The more traditional Academic Approach has a quite different perspective on language learning compared to the previously analysed method. In fact, grammar is perceived as the centre of both our spoken and written communication. Regardless of whether someone may believe that
2 Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell, The Natural Approach, Alemany Press (1983: 71) 3 Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell, The Natural Approach, Alemany Press (1983: 55) Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Department of English and American Studies Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
focusing on grammar can detract from learning a language, its importance for language structure is undeniable. Indeed, grammar enables students to communicate fluently and accurately, as well as to identify sentence structures and comprehend the meaning of texts. Mastery of grammar is essential for language proficiency, which is in turn crucial for academic success and personal development. In fact, many employers value good grammar skills when they examine a job application, since knowledge of grammar implies a conscious control of the language. The primary reason why the Academic Approach focuses on teaching grammar in schools is to enhance the students’ literacy skills, including writing and reading. Nevertheless, this approach might result in a loss of communicative skills. For instance, it is very common to see students who have been learning a language for years and yet are not able to communicate because they are too afraid of making mistakes or because they do not have enough vocabulary to express themselves. But what is really a sign of proficiency? Is it more impressive to have good knowledge of grammar or a wider vocabulary? Knowing the grammar rules of a language and not being able to speak it is quite paradoxical. I consider it more important to be able to communicate many things well enough, rather than communicating a few things expertly. The students’ level of proficiency is the determining factor to establish which field requires more in-depth investigation. For instance, advanced learners can acquire new vocabulary by engaging in daily conversations, therefore they can easily learn it outside the classroom. On the contrary, learning grammar structures and rules on your own is much more challenging since grammar comes less naturally than learning vocabulary.
So, what explains the correlation between growth in vocabulary and language? A study conducted in 2017 by Erika Hoff, Jamie Quinn, and David Giguere examined the dynamic relationships between vocabulary and grammar growth within a group of Spanish-English bilingual children. According to these researchers, “There was no evidence that vocabulary level predicted subsequent grammar growth or that the level of grammatical development predicted subsequent vocabulary growth.” (E. Hoff, J. Quinn, D. Giguere 2017).4 This means that children develop the two areas of language at the same time. Language and vocabulary are crucial components in the learning process, and they are dependent on one another: some people might have a wide
4 Erika Hoff, Jamie M. Quinn, David Giguere, What Explains the Correlation Between Growth in Vocabulary and Grammar? New Evidence from Latent Change Score Analyses of Simultaneous Bilingual Development, Wiley Online Library, 2017 Feb. 22nd, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568516/#:~:text=There%20was%20no %20evidence%20that,their%20correlated%20but%20uncoupled%20growth Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Department of English and American Studies Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
knowledge of vocabulary but, unless they know how to string words together, they are never going to be able to speak the language, and vice versa. If we consider the language acquisition process of little children, we can observe how they are able to simply learn grammar by listening to and repeating the sound patterns. Certainly, they make a lot of mistakes at the beginning, but then they manage to gradually move up to small sentences until they learn how to speak correctly. For this reason, it is very useful to learn a language starting from a very young age, since it allows a natural process of language acquisition. An effective method consists in learning vocabulary and grammar side by side. For instance, it is useful to practise vocabulary in full sentences, rather than just memorising lists of words. This helps absorb the real spoken language. Furthermore, creating a specific context or field in which the word is mostly used can help identify the situations in which to practise it. I was able to witness with my own eyes the impressively effective results obtained by a group of Italian children – between four and ten years old – attending the summer camp organised by an English school. In only a few weeks they were able to memorise a large amount of vocabulary, practicing it while they were playing. Consequently, I personally support this teaching method since not only do I find it effective, but it is also very modern. In particular, the most innovative aspect of the Natural Approach is its emphasis on producing meaningful practice activities, rather than grammatically perfect sentences.
After a keen analysis of two different approaches to language learning, we can draw the conclusion that it is not possible to properly learn vocabulary without knowing grammar, as well as learning grammar without knowing vocabulary. Therefore, the learning mode is where the difference truly lies. On the one hand, vocabulary is what establishes context, without which meaning is undefined. On the other hand, grammar clarifies meaning and avoids misunderstandings. Consequently, we can conclude that grammar is not the starting point, but it is a tool to be employed by speakers who have already reached a certain level of language proficiency. As already mentioned in the previous paragraph, the process of language acquisition is particularly effective if it starts from a very young age, since it takes place in a natural and spontaneous way. For this reason, I believe that the most effective way to learn a foreign language is a combination of both Natural and Academic Approach, giving priority to the first one. In my opinion, focusing on vocabulary and giving more importance to communication and comprehension skills enables the learner to have firm control over the language. Once the students have become more comfortable with the language, they can start focusing on Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Department of English and American Studies Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
grammar and refine their knowledge. In order to reach such a level of proficiency in a shorter time, it is important that schools start putting the Natural Approach into practice, temporarily setting aside the Academic Method, at least at the beginning of the learning process. This solution would not only result in improving the language skills and accelerating the learning process, but it might also contribute to make it more pleasant. Afterall, finding ways to enjoy the learning process was exactly what the interpreter Lydia Hric Machovà has revealed to be the secret of learning a new language.
Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Department of English and American Studies Winter Semester 2023/2024 Professor Andrew Wildermuth Integrated Academic Language Skills I (BA only)
Bibliography:
1. Lydia Machovà, The secrets of learning a new language, TED Salon: Brightline Initiative, October 2018 (min. 04:37) https://www.ted.com/talks/lydia_machova_the_secrets_of_learning_a_new_language 2. Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell, The Natural Approach, Alemany Press (1983: 71) 3. Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell, The Natural Approach, Alemany Press (1983: 55) 4. Erika Hoff, Jamie M. Quinn, David Giguere, What Explains the Correlation Between Growth in Vocabulary and Grammar? New Evidence from Latent Change Score Analyses of Simultaneous Bilingual Development, Wiley Online Library, 2017 Feb. 22nd https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568516/#:~:text=There%20was%20no %20evidence%20that,their%20correlated%20but%20uncoupled%20growth.
Emma Alberini emma.alberini.2016@gmail.com Nr. 23318685 English and American Studies 12.01.2024
