Learning English by Immersion

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Learning English by Immersion

• Some Experience from a Learner
• Yui-Wah (Clement) Lee, PhDMar 23, 2007

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Are we paying lip service?

• Everyone says they know English is important, but
  

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What is the single most important factor for
improving your English?

• A good textbook?
• A good English course?
• A good teacher?
• A good language environment?
• A good attitude!

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Textbook English vs Real English

• Textbook English
• Basic training
• Artificial context
• Necessary, but you cant go very far with it
• English of the mutes (????)?
• Real English
• You can make real and effective communication
  with a English speaker
• Intermediate to advanced learners should command
  real English
• Youll need not just language proficiency, youll
  also need an understanding of the foreign
  culture

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Textbook English vs Real English

• A Demo
• Real English Thirteen Days (125)
• two times, an introduction in-between
• Some background about the movie
• Cuba crisis, Oct 1962
• Came close to a full-scale nuclear war
• Key characters in the clip
• Kenneth ODonnell (Kenny), Special Assistants to
  the President
• John F. Kennedy (Jack), The President of the USA
• McGeorge Bundy, National Security Advisor
• Textbook English also from Thirteen Days (2
  mins)
• Two times, one without text one with
• Real English but this time with subtitle (2
  mins)

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Textbook English vs Real English (2)

• Another Demo
• This Week in Tech (TWiT) Episode 90 (2 mins)
• Listen
• Show questions, and listen again
• Answer
• Show questions and answers

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TWiT 90 Questions

• Q Who provides bandwidth for TWiT?
• A
• Q When was this eposode done?
• A
• Q What did Leo Laporte (the host) apologize for?
• A
• Q What was the reason that John had to leave
  early in the last episode?
• A
• Q What was the last joke in this conversation?
• A

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TWiT 90 Questions and Answers

• Q Who provides bandwidth for TWiT?
• A AOL Radio (at AOL.com/podcasting)
• Q When was this episode done?
• A Mar 11, 2007
• Q What did Leo Laporte (the host) apologize for?
• A For missing a show last week and a show two
  weeks ago
• Q What was the reason that John had to leave
  early in the last episode?
• A To send a wired (i.e. wired transfer, aka
  money transfer)
• Q What was the last joke in this conversation?
• A John, do you run an international drug
  cartel?

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Language is often not regular

• E.g.
• ?????????????????????
• A bus stops at a bus-stationA train stops at a
  train-stationThen, shouldnt work stop at a
  work-station?
• Hang up (on) / Be hung up (on)
• I hang up on her (?????????)
• I hung up on her (?????????)
• I am hung up on her
• (?????)

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Learning English by Immersion

• Listen to a real English program everyday
• Story of my Chinese students in New Jersey
• Example Danish or Swedish people (compare with
  the French)
• Immersion physically moving to an
  English-speaking country?
• How about virtual presence?
• My story at Parlons-en-provence, a French
  Immersion Program (expensive!!) in Avignon,
  France

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(No Transcript)
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Key concepts for learning of a real language

• Large amount of input
• Listen to some English everyday
• Repetition
• Listen again and again
• Ear-eye multimodal learning
• See the words when you listen
• How can we fit language studies into our busy
  schedule?
• Portable/mobile learning

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Key technologies that could be your friends

• Podcasting
• Subscribe to various (audio) program series, and
  get new episodes by simply say refresh
• Once you get the programs, you can sync them to
  your portable MP3 player (such as an iPod)
• Demo using iTunes
• Subtitle (aka close captioning)
• The Internet

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The four cornerstones of any language studies
Read
Listen
Speak
Write
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What programs ?

• Textbook English
• Special English (VOA)
• Single voice, normal speed
• News
• TV News
• Talk shows
• Audio Magazines
• Audio Books
• Round table (multiple voices, may overlap)
• Movies

With subtitle(close caption)or not?
More difficult
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VOA Special English

• Voice of America (VOA) Special English(????)
• Demo (250)
• http//www.voanews.com/specialenglish/(here)
• Transcript available. E.g.
• http//www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2007-03-17-v
  oa1.cfm(here)

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VOA Questions

• Q Whom is this episode about?
• A
• Q What is the profession of Mr. E?
• A
• Q What are three major inventions of Mr. E?
• A
• Q When (which year) was Mr. E born?
• A
• Q How many siblings did Mr. E have?
• A
• Q Did Mr. Es teacher like him
• A

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VOA Questions and Answers

• Q Whom is this episode about?
• A Thomas Alva Edison
• Q What is the profession of Mr. E?
• A An inventor
• Q What are three major inventions of Mr. E?
• A Motion pictures, (phonograph) sound recording,
  electric light
• Q When (which year) was Mr. E born?
• A (Feb 11) 1847
• Q How many siblings did Mr. E have?
• A Six
• Q Did Mr. Es teacher like him
• A No (his teacher thought he had a mental
  problem)

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Normal speed, single voice

• News
• VOA Voice of America (USA)
• NPR National Public Radio (USA)
• BBC British Broadcasting Corporation (UK)
• TV News
• ATV World News, TVB Pearl News (Demo 330-630)
• Audio Magazines
• VOA Our World (Weekly Science and Technology
  Magazine)
• Demo
• WNYC Brian Lehrer Show (here)
• Demo Revolutionary Cuisine (2007) (100-250)
• WNYC Leonard Lopate Show (here)
• Demo Interview with Stephen Chow (2004)
• WHYY Fresh Air (by Terry Gross) (here)
• Demo Interview with Linus Torvalds (2001)

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Audio books

• E.g.
• ltltJohn Adamsgtgt, by David McCullough
• Demo Track 2 (39 secs)
• Printed book (here)
• ltltDont Know Much About Historygtgt, by Kenneth C.
  Davis
• Demo Track 1 (130)
• Printed book (here)
• You dont have to buy CD anymore. You can buy
  the MPs directly. There are lot of selections by
  http//www.audible.com (here)

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LiveABC Interactive Movie Theater

• http//www.liveabc.com (here)

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DVDs

• The key is the subtitle (aka close caption)
• Many choices
• Movies
• TV Drama
• TV Comedy
• Documentaries
• Brand names
• BBC from the UK
• PBS (Public Broadcast System) from the US
• Discovery Channel
• History Channel

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Demo Yes, Prime Minister

• A BBC classical sitcom from the 1980s
• Two key figures
• Jim Hacker, the Prime Minister The top
  politician
• Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Cabinet Secretary The
  top civil servant
• Side A Chapter 3 Title 3 ( 4 mins)

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RosettaStone

• A new approach to learn a foreign language
• Dynamic ImmersionTM method
• Good for basic training
• Demo
• http//www.rosettastone.com (here)

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Summary

• Now is the time to learn real English
• Attitude is everything
• Key concepts
• Large amount of input
• Repetition
• Ear-eye multimodal learning (subtitle/transcript)
• You blend language study into your leisure
  activities!

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A related talk (Oct 2000)

• How to write good English?
• ltltSome Tips for Lucid Writinggtgt (here)
• Some good books on this subject