Free Language Lessons
The propensity of our ancestors to group up, go off in different directions and each develop their own languages has played a large part in most of the major wars of our times. Different languages mean that one group of people cannot understand another group. What we don't understand, we mistrust. What we mistrust we dislike. What we don't understand, mistrust and dislike we come to fear. What we fear we come to hate. And that mistrust, fear and hate are all too easily used as the justification for doing something violent against the hated group.
All this has been recognized by thinking people for a long time. Attempts have been made to find a common language. But every existing language has its group of nationalistic advocates, who generally want the world to learn and use their particular language. There are emotional ties to one's mother tongue and learning another language has always required a major effort.
But a quiet revolution has been taking place in language learning. A revolution based on technology, learning methods and lifestyles that is making it easy to be multilingual.
Traditionally we have learned by sitting, face-to-face with our teacher, and listening to what the teacher said. This the same way that the students of Plato and Socrates learned, sitting under an olive tree in Greece, some 3,500 years ago.
Technology, learning methods and lifestyle changes are changing all that, and building a new reality in language learning.
Technology. The development of high-fidelity sound recording, manipulation and playback media and devices have removed the necessity of the teacher and student being face-to-face, in the same time and place. Miniaturization and portability have meant that anyone can easily carry Gigabytes of text, audio and video files around in his or her briefcase, purse or pocket.
Learning methods. Interactive audio learning methods have been developed that follow the natural way to learn languages. You start with basic conversation, then expand and go on from there. Sound bites that can be replayed at will mean that students can repeat the exact words, accent and expressions of native speakers over and over again until they get it just right. These innovations mean that it is actually faster and easier to learn to speak another language than it ever was in traditional classrooms.
Lifestyles. Today's society is such that people are constantly on the move, and they carry their iPods, CD players and other hand held electronic devices with them. So anyone can study or brush up on language skills at almost any time and place.
Cost factors. One of the effects of technological advance is that costs of delivery of information materials has gone down drastically. The Internet has meant that you can download text and audio files in a few seconds, maybe minutes. The cost for the producer to make another copy is practically zero. There are almost no inventory or delivery costs, so complicated intellectual products can be sold at extremely low prices.
Result? Today you can buy a language learning course for $100, download it in less than 10 minutes, then learn to speak another language in a few weeks, working at times and places, and at a pace of your own choosing. And you can emerge from this training speaking the language perfectly, like a native, and do your part to increase world understanding and avoid future international conflicts...
Jorge Chavez learned Spanish after he was 30, now is bilingual English-Spanish. For a free 6-Day Spanish E-course visit: Learn Spanish Free For more information about learning French, German, Italian or any language, use this link: Learn Another Language To learn more about learning Spanish, fast and easy, visit: Rocket Spanish - Learn Spanish MP3
