For people living in North America, especially the United States, the main reason to learn Italian is if you have some connection with Italy. Many people have family in Italy or have a heritage and identify with the Italian culture in some way. To get a better understanding or simply to talk to your relatives you may decide to learn Italian. Apart from this, being bilingual in English and Italian could do wonders for your job prospects or career advancement.
In Europe, Italy is a popular place to visit and many retirees often decide to settle there. Understanding Italian would certainly improve the time and quality of your experience in the country.
So if you want to learn Italian, what’s the best way to do it in the shortest possible time ? Everybody hates having to learn vocabulary and verbs and dull stuff like that so what’s the best way to learn Italian ?
Learning grammar and vocabulary through rote or reading a dictionary is opposite to how we gained our native tongues. We learned them through repetition and primarily an honest desire to use the language.
If you have ever noticed how a baby learns a language then you will see this process in action. The baby listens to his mother early on. The words are repeated until he/she understands what is said. Pretty soon the baby wants to take part in the conversation (It may involve food or something that the baby has a desire to influence in some way). Indeed, the baby has a genuine desire to take part in the conversation.
Initially, his/her attempts might be bumbling or cute depending on your relationship with him/her. He/she watches how his/her mother forms the words and tries to mimic her. He/she might sound funny to begin with but eventually he/she can say a few words. He/she continues to practice by listening and repeating what he/she hears.
Eventually, he/she will be able to speak simple sentences like ‘I want an orange’. At this point, he/she has learned all the skills needed to learn a language. Now his/her range of speaking will increase at an astonishing rate.
He/she will learn new words and start using them. He/she will get responses from people he/she talks to and learn from the experience. This will spur him/her on to learn more about the language. He/she will listen to his parents and grandparents who will teach him/her new words and explain meanings. He/she will never stop learning new things about the language just like everyone else.
The best way to duplicate this process when learning a new language is immersion learning. Immersion learning means going to a country where the language you want to learn is spoken as a native tongue.
This might seem terrifying initially. You are going to a country where you don’t speak a word of the language and have to live. It may not be as daunting as you first think as you will probably have some basic words of the language. However the same methods by which a child learned to speak will now apply to you.
You will have no option but to listen to this language. If you want to speak you will have to speak in this language. all the strategies that a child uses to learn his native tongue will be in place for you.
Learning a new language is never easy however the desire to communicate will help you through the tough times. If you take a course in the Italian speaking country then you will also have some support in your desire to learn.
So I feel the best way to learn Italian is to go to a Italian speaking country. Take a course and then spend a bit of time there. this will really give you an opportunity to consolidate you skills and take them on further.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.