Linguistics is the study of language. The field of linguistics can be subdivided into two branches: descriptive and theoretical. Descriptive linguistics looks at the individual parts of language and how they work together to make up a whole. Theoretical linguistics focuses on what is called language structure. This includes rules, grammar, syntax, and more.
Learning in English is a vital part of our school system. It’s the language most people speak and understand, it is used by more people than any other language, and it provides many advantages for us.
Learning English is a necessity. But it is also possible to learn English for free, in a very short time. One of the most effective ways to learn English is through reading, watching TV shows and movies in English, and listening to English language radio stations. It takes about three months to improve your speaking skills. And you can get up to one-third of your vocabulary from these media sources, which will help you better understand what people are saying around you.
Learning English is one of the best ways to make yourself a more valuable employee. It’s also the best way to improve your career, get ahead at work, and advance in your career.
Our guest author for this month is Jeanette Thorne from Learn English Abroad . She’ll be discussing why learning English can benefit you in so many ways.
9 ways to improve your English by yourself
1. Place labels around your home
If you are learning a language in your own home, chances are that the family already speaks English. Of course, most of us probably do not speak it fluently at home and we cannot expect our children to be able to read and write it immediately as they start school. But if possible use English words wherever possible instead of Spanish or any other foreign languages.
2. Start a blog
It is one of the best ways to learn, especially if you have a blog or website in both English and Spanish. Bloggers who daily comment on what they see around them know how new words are used and that make learning easier . Bloggers also learn English by reading articles and blogs written in English, watching TV shows and movies, listening to music with the same or similar names in both languages.
3. Change your phone settings
If you can, use apps such as NoSignal and Google Translator. These tools work very well in low to no signal areas because they are voice-dependent internet services. If it is an emergency situation or you want to understand people better when speaking, these apps turn your phone on so that all the information comes through using English native language immediately.
You will also probably be able to listen more fluently than with a non-native speaker.
4. Read for interest
When reading, try and discover how a word is used in both languages. Reading newspapers will give you the opportunity to do it when travelling such as those that can be found at airports or railway stations. Read books in English and Spanish.
5. Write summaries
It is better to write a summary of what you have read in English. They do not need to be long but the information that can come through having said it aloud improves fluency, especially if combined with the maps and other material mentioned above.
If you are a journalist then for certain articles you will of course only have time to check Spanish first and translate afterwards! So memorize vocabulary from key moments or any funny observations as soon as possible before you turn to Google Translate.
6. Ask questions
You can learn a lot of new words by asking the right questions when travelling in English and Spanish countries, on programmes such as Radio 4’s First Question or any TV game show where you are given a topic and must ask other people what they know without having read it before – otherwise known as Third Programme Dueños (Spanish). If you have no experience at all with native speakers then take one day to just ask questions, for example about the weather. You will need some practice first so that you can get through conversations without stammering too much until you know what else is appropriate and where words are used or not used in different situations!
7. Read again
The more time spent reading a book or newspaper article in English, even if it is only page by page as usual, the better your knowledge of it becomes. You can also read out loud to yourself, so comfortable you do not mind reading a book several times while travelling.
15 minutes of work each day on this little list will make an enormous difference and prepare you for your move abroad!
8. Watch subtitles
This is the best way to learn Spanish, as it is language only and watching things which you already understand helps your pronunciation hugely. TV shows with audio tracks are best, including news and films.
9. Leisure activity: learn to sign
Learning the manual alphabet is a good way of verbally memorising and structuring things, whether playing instruments or doing something artistic. The more often you speak some kind of words at leisure then the better your knowledge becomes, so practise signing as well as listening by watching English programmes with subtitles on TV while driving long distances in Spain – they may not be subtitled but these signs are also used regularly in other countries!
All in all, you will be able to communicate in Spanish without any problem and your time spent learning the language will make you feel very confident.
As well as these suggestions, you can use the many websites that exist online to find out more about living in Spain, the climate, culture and so on. I also recommend watching a few videos on YouTube – there are some great short ones which give you an idea of what it is like to live here!