Bethyl and I are just beginning our new Program In Language Acquisition Techniques (PILAT) started this afternoon. A good group of about 27 adults and 17 children. We’ll learn phonetics and pronunciation for sounds outside of the normal 44 sounds we comfortably make in the English language (the “44 box”). Think, listen, speak, and read--outside the box. Lots of homework. Drills. This isn’t a “touchy-feely” enterprise like SPLICE. It’s linguistically oriented, not relationally. The student is in charge of pulling the new language rope into the self; the teacher can’t push the rope up the tree to you. You outsource the learning assistant role to the teacher; you keep ownership of the learning. The group is helpful around you—big and small break-out drill group—but the skill set being learned is about words not people. tough stuff.
9 Feb 10
Second day of learning here. I’m struggling to get my mouth, tongue, voice box, lips and brain to re-tool in order to learn non-English sounds. I’m learning new phonetic words like: glottal stops, fricatives, explosives, articulated and non-articulated vowels, and so on.
It’s been explained that there are two ways to learn a new language: hard and harder. This is designed to help you learn a new language in the hard way.
PILAT gives you a linguistic platform--above where you are--to jump to another language from your own language. The program focuses on listening a lot first before you speak, then using your whole body to move while you see, speak, point, and in the process make a lot of mistakes.
They say that you have to make a million mistakes to learn a new language so you might as well get some out of the way now. Murder the language before you master it! It’s good and humbling. Thank you, Lord, for this two week chance to be humbled and be educated, both, at the same time.
While Vance is correct about the style, technique and goals of our present learning situation, for me the academic, hard push is pushing me around the block of my own insecurities. Strange as it may seem, given my academic qualifications, learning and taking in new information isn't easy. I've been reminded of old learnings such as Mom's old comments "you can't learn that, I didn't" or the fear of passing Jonathan up and that means "leaving him behind." Not something I ever want to do. So, I've found mysef leaning into HIS Chest for acquisition of His Goodness, Wisdom, and Power. I'd love your prayers for me about this. Thank you. Bethyl Joy
1 comment:
I so like what you say about the challenge of learning a language, Bethyl. It is one of the most humbling experiences, and I have done some of the most irrationally stupid things in the face of its challenges :-). Still, step by step we do learn language! Way to lean on the father!
If we make a million mistakes in learning a language, how many do we make in learning to walk with the father?!
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