Copyright (C) 1999. Ambrose Thomson, Angela Thomson, Chad Thomson, Greg Thomson
[C]ommuning
A language is not an academic subject. A language is something that happens between people in flesh and blood. That is where it is. That is what it is. No more. No less. Individuals experience the world individually. That is called perception. Communities experience the world together. That is called language. Thus the first cute principle is Communing. And here is a golden rule to go with it:
Golden Rule C ( for "communing"): Join with people around experience using language.
For example. If you are a beginner in Language X, and someone points to various objects in the room, and says what they are called, then you are joining with that person around experience using language. This is sometimes called here and now language. Or suppose you are more advanced in language X, and are showing someone a photo of your father's store. You attempt to describe parts of it to your friend. She has trouble understanding you and tries to help you clarify what you are saying. But you then need her to clarify what she said in her attempt to help you clarify. Back and forth you go, until she has figured out what you are trying to say. Or perhaps she has the photo and you go back and forth figuring out what she is trying to say. Same difference. It is sometimes called negotiating meaning. In negotiating meaning around the photo you are joining with people around experience using language. Or suppose you are more advanced yet, and someone is telling you a lot that you didn't know about events in your new community during the previous ten years. That is the experience of the community. Communities have lots of experience that is only shared largely indirectly by means of language. Person A has the experience. Person B shares in it only because person A told him about it. And person C, who has never even met person A, shares in this experience too, because person B told her about it. Now you are getting people to share the community's experience and knowledge with you. You are still joining with people around experience using language. From beginning to end, progress comes as you join with people around experience using language.
Come back to all those people who say, "I want to learn language X; where can I find a textbook?" What would be a better first question for them to ask? Try "I want to learn language X; where can I find some speakers of language X?" How rarely people ask that. How odd.
[U]nderstanding
The second cute principle is the principle of understanding. You need to understand things that people say in language X. And that gives us the second golden rule.
Golden Rule U (for 'understanding'): Pay attention to large doses of things that people say which you can understand.
Now you may be thinking, how can you understand a language that you haven't learned yet? Piece of cake. We'll see later that you can set up activities which will get people to say lots of things to you that you can understand. And we'll just suggest a few simple activities.
Can you see why this golden rule is important? You want to learn to speak Language X in a manner similar to the way that its current speakers speak it. Well then, you have to hear what they are saying. No language could ever be captured in a textbook. If you go on and on in this language, eventually you'll have understood people speaking it for many thousands of hours. You will "pick up" an awareness of the kinds of things people say. Even quite early you'll often be saying to yourself, consciously or unconsciously, "Oh, so that's how they say that." If you haven't started yet you might find that hard to imagine. But let us get you there.
You may notice we haven't said anything about memorizing words and sentences. Memorizing is a great activity for certain purposes. But for most people it is time consuming, and time spent on memorizing is time taken away from communing and understanding. You can progress more quickly if you skip the memorizing and get on with the communing and understanding.
[T]alking
The third cute principle is the principle of talking. There are various ways the third golden rule can be formulated. How about this?
Golden Rule T (for talking): To become good at speaking you need to speak a lot, putting your own ideas into your own words.
Now we can't prove that this is true, but that is what some of our language learning felt like, and we know plenty of others who describe their experience in similar terms. (There are exceptional people who do really well this way, but we told them to stop reading after the first paragraph or two.)
[E]volving
The final cute principle is evolving. By this we mean that your ability to use the language changes over time, and along with it, you will want to change your approach to communing, understanding and talking. Thus the final golden rule is as follows:
Golden Rule E (for "evolving"): Adapt your language learning activities to your current level of language ability.
Read More...
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Finally, a Little Girl and a Chef Change Her Life...
That's exactly what I think after watching Bella Martha (Mostly Martha), one of German movies I listed somewhere in this blog.
The movie exposes some symbols that are straightforward in meaning, thus conveying Sandra Nettlebecks' dream of what a scene of romantic life of an skillful female chef looks like. The little girl and the new chef are the keys that drive some ideal of Martha's life to be.
# Lina who suddenly comes into the scene, with only a few background story about her mother's accident, seems to make Martha's life worse. Lina, a little girl is a symbol of honesty, and true love ever since. Now an orphant, Lina seeks his mother's replacement in her aunt. But she finds nothing. Until the end of story of course...
# An irony of life: Just because she's a good cook doesn't mean she can get Lina into eat easily.
# Mario, a new chef, comes in and bring new laughter to her kitchen, and later on, bring new love to her life.
# A little bunch of comedy coming out when a guest constantly complaining about her cooking. Well, a perfectionist meets another. Bang!! Only terrible things afterward. The guest lost his appetite (because of her outrage), the boss lost one of her customer, and finally Martha lost her job.
# A fake "family". When the romantic life is about to happen, there's a "father", a "mother" and a "daughter" in uncertain relationships that finally they realize they should do something to become a real one.
# A romantic life, as a compulsary element of drama, occurs between both chef, though you have to wait patiently until the story almost ends.
OK... OK... I heard you grumble and become so impatient. Here's the synopsis from Paramount Classics:
"In a small, charming city, a head chef for a chic restaurant, Martha (Martina Gedeck) relies on her culinary skills as her primary means of communication. She lives with her work and presideswith obsessive care over her spotless, precise kitchen.
When a fatevul accident leaves Lina (Maxine Foerste), her 8-year-old headstrong niece, in her care, Martha's olderly's life begins to come undone. When the owner is consequently forced to bring in help, Martha and the new charming and carefree Italian chef (Sergio Constiletti) are instantly at odds.
Yet as time goes by, with her whole world turned upside down and her personal space more crowded than she could ever imagine, Martha finds love and the beginnings for new recipe for life."
What is her new recipe, actually? And how's that affect Lina's life? Hohoho... you should go and watch yourself.
The movie exposes some symbols that are straightforward in meaning, thus conveying Sandra Nettlebecks' dream of what a scene of romantic life of an skillful female chef looks like. The little girl and the new chef are the keys that drive some ideal of Martha's life to be.
# Lina who suddenly comes into the scene, with only a few background story about her mother's accident, seems to make Martha's life worse. Lina, a little girl is a symbol of honesty, and true love ever since. Now an orphant, Lina seeks his mother's replacement in her aunt. But she finds nothing. Until the end of story of course...
# An irony of life: Just because she's a good cook doesn't mean she can get Lina into eat easily.
# Mario, a new chef, comes in and bring new laughter to her kitchen, and later on, bring new love to her life.
# A little bunch of comedy coming out when a guest constantly complaining about her cooking. Well, a perfectionist meets another. Bang!! Only terrible things afterward. The guest lost his appetite (because of her outrage), the boss lost one of her customer, and finally Martha lost her job.
# A fake "family". When the romantic life is about to happen, there's a "father", a "mother" and a "daughter" in uncertain relationships that finally they realize they should do something to become a real one.
# A romantic life, as a compulsary element of drama, occurs between both chef, though you have to wait patiently until the story almost ends.
OK... OK... I heard you grumble and become so impatient. Here's the synopsis from Paramount Classics:
"In a small, charming city, a head chef for a chic restaurant, Martha (Martina Gedeck) relies on her culinary skills as her primary means of communication. She lives with her work and presideswith obsessive care over her spotless, precise kitchen.
When a fatevul accident leaves Lina (Maxine Foerste), her 8-year-old headstrong niece, in her care, Martha's olderly's life begins to come undone. When the owner is consequently forced to bring in help, Martha and the new charming and carefree Italian chef (Sergio Constiletti) are instantly at odds.
Yet as time goes by, with her whole world turned upside down and her personal space more crowded than she could ever imagine, Martha finds love and the beginnings for new recipe for life."
What is her new recipe, actually? And how's that affect Lina's life? Hohoho... you should go and watch yourself.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Love at 4 Different Levels
To love someone is nothing
To be loved by someone is something
To be loved by someone you love is exciting
To be loved by Allah is everything.
(anonymous) --> please tell me if you know who he/she is, OK? :)
To be loved by someone is something
To be loved by someone you love is exciting
To be loved by Allah is everything.
(anonymous) --> please tell me if you know who he/she is, OK? :)
Monday, March 22, 2004
Learning All the Time... (hiks)
Ahahahaha...
Actually, Nita was exaggerating when she told me my english is "very well-done" and "bagus bgttt :)". Ummmm... like I always says in the description: "...anything from editing my bad english...", I want to say that everything is evolving (it should!) toward better result. Obviously I am still learning, and I hope I can make other things work well too, not just this one.
But yeah... thanks a lot, Nita! Your compliment has been so stimulative. You do a great job at motivating others, don't you? *grin*
And my sincere thanks also to you who make me feel that I am not alone in the land of the bloggers...
*taking a glimpse to the left side* ^_^
Actually, Nita was exaggerating when she told me my english is "very well-done" and "bagus bgttt :)". Ummmm... like I always says in the description: "...anything from editing my bad english...", I want to say that everything is evolving (it should!) toward better result. Obviously I am still learning, and I hope I can make other things work well too, not just this one.
But yeah... thanks a lot, Nita! Your compliment has been so stimulative. You do a great job at motivating others, don't you? *grin*
And my sincere thanks also to you who make me feel that I am not alone in the land of the bloggers...
*taking a glimpse to the left side* ^_^
Thursday, March 11, 2004
A Perfect Beauty
"Kiku-san is such a perfect beauty that a man taking her to bed has double-edged knife in his household: complete distraction and extreme jealousy from any other men " says Lord Toranaga-noh-Minowara ("Shogun" by James Clavell).
Just thinking that Kiku San in this world would be someone like Jeon-Ji-Hyun or Takako Matsu?? Wondering...
Just thinking that Kiku San in this world would be someone like Jeon-Ji-Hyun or Takako Matsu?? Wondering...
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
One Good Reason Why He Is So Protective Over Us...
Just before moving out to Semarang after 5 years being Bandung inhabitant, while making myself busy with packings and the likes, I found some documents that finally uncover the big question: why he is so protective over us...
Argamakmur, Northern Bengkulu. A small house near the outskirts of the town. 18.50 PM.
Right after Maghrib praying Mr Soemarno was sitting on the living room, reading his newspaper. His wife was in the kitchen, doing something (undocumented ^_^). The children? One of them was sick, the other had just already gone to bed (typically kids...). The house was so peaceful until those 2 guys coming to their house.
"Good evening, does Mr Soemarno live here?" said Mr. A (sounds too polite?? wait until you read this...)
"Yeah, right. Is there anything I can do for you?" said Mr Soemarno. He saw the other guy (Mr. B) and recognized him vaguely.
Not waiting to have decent hospitality, Mr. A put his dagger--still covered with its scabbard--directly on the table.
"Hei! What's this all about??"
"Why did you write about the inventory in your report?" He stood still, his hands were right on his hip.
"It's my duty as your supervisor."
"Well, then I am here to correct it. You should exclude that one. Right away."
"Why should I? It's not simply as you write something wrong the way you did in the school. It's forgery." Mr. Soemarno insisted. His increasing tone had made his wife realize there's something wrong out there.
"Well, if you don't, I have brought the dagger. You choose."
"If it's all about official matters, let's make it clear at the office, tomorrow. Officially. And not like this way. You may think there's nothing I can do to fight against you two with your bloody dagger, but I can make sure that you will not get out safely once our neighbors come and settle the problem, with their own way" said Mr Soemarno with finality, expecting the worst to happen in a split second.
Strange. Those guys look hesitated, staring to each other. And finally Mr. A took his dagger and soon they left the house, without a single word. But one thing for sure, they will make it up. At least, they think they can.
Until the document became part of the proof, and more and more documents were made to settle the dispute, elegantly.
Can you imagine if Mr Soemarno pushed them so hard that they went nuts? What do you think would happen to his family? to the children?
Well, go find out yourself. One little hint: the child who was ill that night is now writing the story just for you :)
Argamakmur, Northern Bengkulu. A small house near the outskirts of the town. 18.50 PM.
Right after Maghrib praying Mr Soemarno was sitting on the living room, reading his newspaper. His wife was in the kitchen, doing something (undocumented ^_^). The children? One of them was sick, the other had just already gone to bed (typically kids...). The house was so peaceful until those 2 guys coming to their house.
"Good evening, does Mr Soemarno live here?" said Mr. A (sounds too polite?? wait until you read this...)
"Yeah, right. Is there anything I can do for you?" said Mr Soemarno. He saw the other guy (Mr. B) and recognized him vaguely.
Not waiting to have decent hospitality, Mr. A put his dagger--still covered with its scabbard--directly on the table.
"Hei! What's this all about??"
"Why did you write about the inventory in your report?" He stood still, his hands were right on his hip.
"It's my duty as your supervisor."
"Well, then I am here to correct it. You should exclude that one. Right away."
"Why should I? It's not simply as you write something wrong the way you did in the school. It's forgery." Mr. Soemarno insisted. His increasing tone had made his wife realize there's something wrong out there.
"Well, if you don't, I have brought the dagger. You choose."
"If it's all about official matters, let's make it clear at the office, tomorrow. Officially. And not like this way. You may think there's nothing I can do to fight against you two with your bloody dagger, but I can make sure that you will not get out safely once our neighbors come and settle the problem, with their own way" said Mr Soemarno with finality, expecting the worst to happen in a split second.
Strange. Those guys look hesitated, staring to each other. And finally Mr. A took his dagger and soon they left the house, without a single word. But one thing for sure, they will make it up. At least, they think they can.
Until the document became part of the proof, and more and more documents were made to settle the dispute, elegantly.
Can you imagine if Mr Soemarno pushed them so hard that they went nuts? What do you think would happen to his family? to the children?
Well, go find out yourself. One little hint: the child who was ill that night is now writing the story just for you :)
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