I recently had lunch with my friend Sue, who teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults in Boston.
She said that she spends a fair amount of time explaining to her students how to pronounce English words. For example, how to move one's mouth and where to put one's tongue to produce certain sounds.
English is a hard language to pronounce just right. Particular “culprits” for foreigners are often the two “th” sounds (think/those); the “l” and “r” sounds; “v” and “w”; and the combination “wh.” (This infographic demonstrates well the difficulties learners of English often encounter.)
As she was talking about how to produce various sounds, she laughed and moved her jaw around, by way of demonstration.
A mouth full of teeth
When we speak our own language, we don't think about “mouth mechanics.” We don't think about how our jaw is moving, where we place our tongue, and how we position our teeth, etc.
But try to pronounce a foreign word that has a sound which is not part of your own language – and suddenly there you are, aware that you have “a mouth full of teeth.” There's a Dutch expression: “je staat met een mond vol tanden” (you stand with a mouth full of teeth), which aptly describes a sudden feeling of awkwardness about speaking up. I love this expression, it makes me smile.
I think about it when the “mechanics” of my “foreign language mouth” fail. Just one of these all too human moments!
My friend went on to describe how one of her students had difficulty with a particular sound in English. Then she said: “All I did was tell him to put his tongue against his lower teeth.” He tried it, and the word sounded “like spoken by a native.” All the other students applauded.
English and German Speakers
When I was teaching (college) German, I would ostentatiously demonstrate “mouth mechanics” for certain German sounds that are difficult for Americans. For example, the difference between the harsh “ch” and the soft one.
Or the sound of the German “l” which is light and lilting, as opposed to the American one, which has a “heavy” sound. The German “l” is produced in the front of the month, the American one in the back.
On the other hand, Germans find the English “w” is a hard sound to pronounce. It's a sound that does not exist in German. (The German “w” is pronounced like an English “v”.) Remembering to “round” his lips (like blowing) helped my husband improve his English “w”s!
The wisdom of teaching "Mouth Mechanics"
Later, during the time that I was a writer and editor of self-teaching language courses, mentioning “mouth mechanics” was off limits. But I'm coming back to the wisdom of my teaching days. And so, I've decided to start including a few critical “mouth mechanic” descriptions in our Games for Language courses.
Once you've understood the mechanics of producing a particular sound, the next step is to practice. Certain French sounds and sound combinations always were hard for me (my first language was German). But here I am, babbling away in French with my friends and relatives, no problem.
What has helped me to get over the pronunciation hurdle is practicing a lot, while remembering some key French “mouth mechanics.” And if you want to pick up some quick French "mouth mechanics" tips read this post.
Even the best idea has its pros and cons. We started out with GamesforLanguage.com in 2011 as an online foreign language learning program, using a travel story and fast moving interactive games as key teaching tools.
We felt that the combination of a very stable CMS and a fast Internet connection would work well for many users. Besides, plenty of language learning has been moving online. This is true to a large extent because an online system has clear advantages over a CD/DVD or down-loadable program:
Pros for the user
- Immediate use after sign-up, no installation required - Fast start-up with only login and password required - Access from your office and practice opportunity during a “language break” - Access from any PC (not necessarily yours!) in the world with an Internet connection - Updates & corrections occur automatically
But, comments from our friends and users have highlighted some of the disadvantages:
Cons for the user
- Access problems with slow or unreliable Internet connection - Open offices or public libraries make speaking/recording practices difficult - Not always the ability to use “on the road,” in airplanes, trains, etc. without Internet - Technical problems w/browser, Flash Player updates, etc. may occur - User only has access to website and has no (physical) CD/DVD
Apps may avoid some of the problems. However, even the best technology will not be able to solve the key challenge for a language learner: To find time to learn and practice regularly.
Technology can provide added opportunities for those who are motivated and can find time. The ultimate reward - acquiring a new foreign language - not only adds a new skill, but also opens for you a whole new window onto the world.
Learning a new language is a pretty complicated process. When someone speaks to you in a foreign language, there are so many things going on at the same time.
You need to decode the sounds and figure out the meaning of the words; you have to understand the underlying grammar (verbs forms, pronoun objects, etc.) and also determine the sentence structure (question, statement, imperative, etc.)
Finally, you have to connect everything to the context of the situation. That's a lot going on at once. So, how do you best learn to master this process, step by step?
Advice Galore
For sure, there's plenty of advice floating around on how to best learn a language. You'll find a language learning expert on almost every “corner” of the Internet.
One may tell you that all you need is to repeat and memorize words and phrases; another may insist you should just read and you'll absorb the language automatically; a third expert may say that all you need to do is copy the language and start writing on your own.
Someone else advises that watching TV or YouTube clips in the language will have you speaking in no time. Then, there's the “natural” method where you “learn like a child”; and there's the grammar-drill method where you grind your way through “pattern practices.”
In my own career as a college language teacher, I've watched various waves of teaching “methods” come and go. They are all helpful to some extent. People are learning languages all over the world using many of the above suggestions.
Do you really want to learn a new language?
For that, you need to be in control of your own language learning. It's your project. No-one can do it for you. You have to be passionate, persistent, and also patient.
Research has shown that to learn a new language “mere exposure is not sufficient … interaction in the language is needed in order for the learner to communicate personal meaning in the target language. ... Language practice which takes place in relevant context will then result in the acquisition of the language.” as Dr. Marjo Mitsutomi in “Some Fundamental Principles of Language Teaching and Learning" describes.
If your goal is to engage in relevant, personal conversations with others – the “Context Approach” is a good way to get there. As the "Language Lizard Blog" stresses, the value of context should be remembered even when teaching language to young children: "We use language for communication and therefore it is best learned in its natural form: through discussions, conversations, and stories."
Why Context matters
Taking a sample German “core conversation,” I'd like to illustrate how a learner may focus on different aspects of the language at different stages, and why context is important:
A young man, Michael meets is at the home of a friend. He meets Claudia for the first time. Michael: Hallo Claudia! Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. Renate: Michael, sei nicht so formell. Ihr könnt euch duzen! Michael: Wenn es dir recht ist Claudia? Claudia: Natürlich, wir Studenten duzen uns alle!
English translation:
Michael: Hello Claudia! Pleased to meet you. (formal) Renate: Michael, don't be so formal. You can say “du.” (informal “you”) Michael: If it's all right with you, Claudia? Claudia: Of course, we students all say “du.”
Initially you may mostly focus on:
1. Individual vocabulary (about 20 content items) • learn their meaning practice their pronunciation • practice their spelling
2. Find a way to practice the sentences • speak them aloud to whoever is willing to listen • type them out • write them out by hand • hang the page up in the kitchen or your office.)
Soon, you may also want to know:
1. The subject pronouns: • ich, du, er, sie es, sie (I, familiar "you", he, she, it) • Sie, ihr, wir, sie (formal “you”, plural "you", they)
2. Basic conjugations of the verbs used: • freuen (to be glad) • kennen lernen (to get to know) • können (can, to be able) • sein (to be) • duzen (to use the familiar "you")
Replaying this dialog, you may understand:
1. sentence structure: • the form of a statement • a command • a type of question • a complex sentence
2. other grammatical forms • direct and indirect object pronouns [mich, dir] • reflexive pronouns [euch, uns])
Key Points to consider:
1. What is important about the context the dialog provides? • the age of the people (they are students in their twenties) • how well people know each other • the circumstance of the conversation (the setting is informal)
2. Why take a conversation rather than individual phrases or sentences? • you'll better remember the words/phrases related to the context • you'll pick up cultural information (i.e. students say “du”)
3. Why only about 20 words? • It's a good number to practice and remember.
4. What will you have learned initially? • 20 useful words, in a meaningful context
5. And, later on either explicitly or intuitively? • all the subject pronouns • 6 verbs and a conjugation of each • 3 types of sentences
Once you've absorbed a few dozen conversations and acquired more than 500 content words, you're probably ready to engage in relevant, personal conversations with others.
If you're not in the country and don't have a live community that speaks your new language, you should head to one of the virtual “language learning communities,” which Kirsten Winkler, Founder and Editor of EDUKWEST, calls “Pubs of the Global Village.” There, you can practice what you know and continue to learn.
Did you learn Spanish in high school but don't remember much of it? Did you learn French in college and all you can now say is "bonjour"?
Did you travel in Italy and pick up lots of Italian but now are beginning to mix up Spanish and Italian?
As discouraging as that may be, you are still much better off than someone who has never attempted to learn a language.
Language Learning and Your Brain
The effort of learning a new language has lasting benefits for your brain. Even if it's been years. You may not be aware of it, but the skills you acquired are still there.
For example, you may have a sharper ability to distinguish language sounds. Or you have a better sense for how language hangs together. Or, you have a more intuitive understanding of grammar.
These skills stay with you, even if you're no longer using the foreign language you learned. You just have to find engaging ways to relearn it.
I'm a firm believer in the idea that dull, dry, boring stuff like grammar sheets, phrase books, or vocabulary lists won't fire up your language learning brain. You want to keep your brain awake and you want to engage as many senses as possible.
A Two-tiered Approach
When you're relearning a language, try alternating between "close" learning (focusing on individual words, sounds, or grammar points) and "sweeping" learning (listening to streams of sounds, reading longer texts without stopping, repeating full sentences even if you don't get it all).
The 5 Steps
1. First, just Listen. Retrieve the sounds and the melody of the language. Do this for a couple of days. Listen to individual words, songs, dialogs, videos, films. Don't work too hard to get the meaning, just soak up the sounds.
2. Now add some Reading. Use both short, easy texts and longer, more difficult ones. Read the short ones carefully; read the longer ones just to get the gist. Take in the look of the language and the structure of the sentences.
Don't get yourself all entangled in grammar rules. From time to time, look up a grammar item if you really can't figure it out intuitively.
3. The next step to add is to listen and repeat. Start with easy words and phrases that you repeat after a native speaker. Alternate these with shorter and longer sentences that you try to repeat in their entirety and at full speed. Sound them out with gusto, ham it up, act as if you're a native speaker of the language.
4. Then, start to write some. Start by copying out words and phrases you want to remember. Write into a notebook or on the computer. Try also some simple writing games, they will also give you a good start. At the same time, begin writing a simple journal in your foreign language or write "postcards" to an imaginary friend.
When you feel more comfortable, look for a partner with whom you can exchange messages on Chat. Find one who'll give you some feedback, one who also wants to learn your native language.
5. Any time you're ready, start speaking. Start talking to yourself in the language you're relearning. Also find someone to talk to. It can be someone in your neighborhood or an exchange partner on Skype. Or travel to the country. You'll soon be ready to engage with local people!
Depending how much time you can invest, there are many resources available to you, including books, CDs, newspapers, Radio, TV, and obviously, the whole worldwide web.
There's no totally right way to learn a language. You may learn a new language out of necessity or by choice, but you have to do it yourself and find a way that works. No-one can learn a language for you.
Surf the net and you'll find hundreds of "tips" on how to best learn a language. The bottom line is that you've got to practice often, and have fun doing it.
Children vs Adult Language Learning
A lot of attention has been focused on how easily children assimilate one, two, or more languages. See a review of Welcome to your Child's Brain.
For example: "Adults are able to digest abstract or formal thinking cognitively," and are able to make abstractions based on their first-language's patterns. These are skills that children do not yet have.
Why Games?
Learning a language as an adult requires a disciplined effort and a commitment to practice on a regular basis. This is not always easy when your daily schedule is full. Adding another "chore" just doesn't cut it.
This is where learning with games comes in. Games put the player into a different frame of mind. When you are more relaxed, your brain is more receptive to absorbing what you are practicing.
Games can get you into a state of flow, where you can shut out the world (and your critical self) for a time. It's a great little break. So, for learning a language with games, what should you look for?
1) Structure: The key is to have structured lessons that have been put into a series of enjoyable games. (Games that are isolated drill snippets don't get you very far.)
2) Context: It's best to learn a language in a context that lends meaning and teaches communication. (Learning a series of unrelated words and phrases is not that useful.)
3) Pronunciation Practice: There should be lots of opportunities to practice your pronunciation. For an adult, pronunciation may be the hardest part of learning a language. If there's a way to record your own voice and play back, all the better.
4) Writing: Brief writing games train an important skill and allow you communicate using social networks on the Web.
5) Grammar: What you want, especially as a beginner, are short grammar explanations, plus opportunities to figure out some of the grammar rules for yourself. You'll remember them and will apply them even better.
6) Progress Scoring: There's no way around having to memorize new foreign words and phrases. Scores are a way to measure your progress. Getting positive feedback when you improve your scores encourages you to continue.
Web-based foreign language games can be played for 10-15 minutes daily, even during a lunch break. They may be more effective for learning a foreign language than the 30-60 minutes (or longer) modules of many self-teaching programs that you end up doing only once or twice a week.
We all learn a little differently, so how do you individualize your own learning? Here are some questions for you: • Do you like grammar, or not? • Are you a risk taker when you learn? • Do you mind making mistakes? • Do you read voraciously? • Do you love listening to stories? • Do you like memorizing things?
It's probably worth paying attention to your likes and dislikes. Being aware of HOW we learn makes learning so much more interesting and effective.
LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN
Research on left brain (logical, verbal, auditory, sequential) and right brain functions (creative, visual, spatial, emotional) has been ongoing for decades, and new imaging techniques have greatly enhanced our knowledge of how the brain works.
It's no mystery learning a language involves many functions of the brain for everyone. We don't learn a language just by listening (a left brain activity) and speaking, and kids don't do that either.
Small children don't yet know how to read and write. Still, they pick up a lot of visual and other clues from people (facial expressions, gestures), their surroundings (objects, movement), the context of a conversation (asking for something, looking for a toy), etc.
Once kids have learned to read and write, a mental “text image” may start to play along. Because we live in a text-based world, wanting to know how a word “looks” (is spelled) is part of language learning.
PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING
For example, when I was learning Chinese strictly through listening, I found myself imagining how the word would be spelled with western letters.
Without thinking about it, I used the “regular” German sound-letter system for this. The pronunciation of almost every [German] word can be derived from its spelling.
When not too long ago, I was learning Italian by just listening, I spontaneously (and erroneously) used French spelling to imagine how the Italian words are written.
I've come to realize that I best learn when I both hear and see a word or phrase.
PACING YOURSELF
Digital games are a perfect vehicle for structuring your own language learning.
They have auditory (spoken language, sounds) and visual features (text, colors, images, design), as well as kinesthetic elements (typing against the clock, clicking on moving images, etc).
If you want to focus on the sound, you can close your eyes or look away from the text.
If you want to focus on a text, you can click on it several times to absorb it visually. You can rush through a game to simulate a rapid-fire conversation. Or you can linger on specific individual phrases or sentences.
You can skip the writing games, or spend extra time with them. You can puzzle over grammar structures – and to follow up, google a dictionary and grammar to double-check. Or you can let your brain figure out the grammar intuitively.
Don't we all have an innate capacity to decode basic grammar?
It's a mistake to think that you have to learn in any prescribed way. Go ahead and learn a language at your own pace and in a way that keeps you motivated. Language learning more fun that way!
In the last few years, Digital Learning Games have become an increasingly powerful presence on the Internet.
No doubt, it's been that trend, which has encouraged us to create and develop our platform for foreign language learning: GamesForLanguage.com
LEVEL UP
The landscape of Digital Learning through games is full of innovative energy and diversity. Just for fun, I looked what I could find on the web.
A digital learning site that caught my special attention is www.scholastic.com “Level Up” which provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and Language Arts standard-based lessons that use video game design as a teaching tool.
In other words, students gain the “knowledge and tools to design their own video games” and learn in the process. That's cool. How I wish this kind of learning had existed when I went to college!
SERIOUS GAMES
There's also plenty of gamified digital learning going on outside of the strict educational setting. And the spectrum is wide.
At one end stand the “serious games,” which refer to games that are not just pure entertainment. One noteworthy example is G4C (Games For Change), an organization that supports games for social change and “provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and resources.”
Another, different example would be the Danish company “Serious Games Interactive” which has developed and sells educational games for “Corporate, Social, Educational, Health, or Market Education.”
TRIVIA GAMES
At the other end of the spectrum stand “trivia games,” which despite their name, have a lot of educational potential. A site that immediately comes to mind is the trivia games site Sporcle, which was featured in a Boston Globe article last year: “On top of the world: Thanks to Sporcle, young people are learning about geography, and other subjects.”
Another popular trivia site is “Trivia Plaza” which has been online since 2001 and continues the interest in trivia, sparked by the board games of that name.
GAMIFICATION
As I'm browsing around on the web, I learn that gamification is becoming the focus of all kinds of research projects. The word “gamification” is fairly new, but the trend itself goes back a few years. It seems to be one with good educational potential – provided the “products” are done thoughtfully and with pedagogic expertise.
(Updated 8/1/2017) Play is a great vehicle for learning. In fact, we learn our first language while playing games, naming things, repeating, imitating sounds, etc.
Playing can transform any difficult learning task into something fun – if packaged in the right way.
Games, can be that package. With their specific rules and controlled processes, games provide an excellent platform for play and learning.
Childhood Memories of Playing Games
When I was 5 years old, I spent two weeks in the Netherlands with my family. Highlights of this visit were days spent at the magnificent North Sea beach at Zandvoort near Haarlem.
My father often told the story that I had quickly found a group of kids to play with in the sand, and within hours I was fully engaged, playing and speaking Dutch.
(My mom was originally from the Netherlands, so I had heard Dutch at home, but had never needed to use it myself. This was my first chance to talk with Dutch kids.)
Playing at the beach: building a sand city, digging ditches around it, getting the water from the ocean, decorating our streets and buildings, all of this required skills of cooperation, strategy, and negotiation.
Apparently, within hours I had learned the basics for negotiating this kind of “team work” in Dutch, playfully. I wasn't aware of “learning Dutch” at that time, but I do remember feeling good about being able to communicate that way.
I wonder sometimes, if that early experience set me on my path to become a linguist and language teacher.
Adults Playing Games
Sports games, such as tennis, golf, baseball, etc. - which many of us love to play - are complex and complicated activities.
They are fun to do, especially because they challenge a player to focus, to figure out the rules, and to play at his or her highest skill level.
Usually, the more we play these games, the more comfortable we become with the intrinsic skill activities - we get better while playing.
Besides, there's a wonderful social aspect to playing such games. We are part of a team, we learn from each other, and of course, we compete with each other.
“[sports and play activities] we remember from childhood … were also exercises in resourcefulness, planning, strategy, design, decision making, creativity and risk taking.” (See also Kevin Caroll's Ted Talk: Play is necessary.)
In the same article, founder of the National Institute for Play, Dr. Stuart Brown states: “Humans are designed by biology to play throughout their entire life cycle.”
He describes our state of mind during play as “... not cognitive, linear thinking. And it's not sleep and dreams. It's kind of a bridge between.”
In the last couple of years “Games for Learning” have become popular, and such sites have mushroomed. Games for language learning are no exception. See also: Are Games Effective for Language Learning?
Multi-sensory games for language learning - using sound, colors, text, images, movement, etc. put the learner on the “bridge” between “linear thinking” and and the rich world of “imagination and memory.” Good games make language learning fun, and yes, effective!
Games have a long tradition of being both a fun way to spend time and to challenge the mind. Games can be playful and they can be serious, but always they engage us as we enjoy puzzling things out.
One case in point is the widely popular "Lumosity" site which offers a wide variety of games for brain training. Research and testimonials vouch for the effectiveness of training your brain with games.
More Language Games
The sheer number of games for learning on the Internet has exploded in recent years. More specifically, many language programs have added games to their site as a way to enhance foreign language learning.
For example, Transparent Language has added games such as "word seek" "hangman" "fill in the blanks" or "unscramble." Or, check out rong-chang.com, which lists dozens and dozens of ESL learning games.
Games are Tools
Gamesforlanguage.com is offering something still different: Games are not individual learning clips and they are not an "addition" or an "enhancement" of a language program. With gamesforlanguage.com the games ARE the language program.
The game-based beginner courses provide fun tools for learning French, Spanish, Italian, or German: - A controlled vocabulary acquisition program of 650+ frequently-used content words - Extensive audio practice - Listening comprehension practice - Gradual reading practice that enables you to read a 1800+ word text at the end of a beginner course (36 scenes/lessons) - Beginning writing practice - Essential grammar tips - Speaking practice, by repeating, anticipating, and shadowing words, phrases and sentences. - All of this is wrapped up in a fun story-sequel of a young man traveling to the country of his family's origin and is presented in the form of fun and easy games.
Feedback from Learner
Here are some comments we've received to date: - "The variety of activities is good." - "What's nice is that it doesn't teach too much at once." - "It flows easily, doesn't feel like I'm memorizing." - "I like the easy set-up." - "I like the pronunciation training." - "I like the way of teaching." - "The interaction is great." - "It's helping me to learn and memorize español words in correlation to English! Thank you!"
GamesforLanguage, just like other online programs, is a fun resource with which a learner can engage in another language. Our games help to build basic language skills, which in turn will increase a person's confidence to start speaking the new language in real life. That's the goal!
As we are moving from the demo phase into the full production phase for our four initial languages German, Italian, French and Spanish, we continue to be amazed and impressed by the software platform Webiva, which is the "engine" that powers our web-based self-teaching language program.
When we started out with our idea of creating a self-teaching language program that uses games as a principal teaching tool, we really had no concept yet how we could implement it.
We certainly knew that Cykod had developed a "Rails based" content management system, Webiva, but really had no idea what the Inbound Marketing Platform of the Webiva Performance Inbound Marketing Platform really meant.
Over the last few months, as we developed our language scripts, the Cykod team added various games to Webiva's "backend", as they call it. Without consulting any manual or much instructions, both my wife and I figured out how to add our language components to the games, and as importantly, how we could edit and modify them. We could easily add game screens, re-arrange the sequence of the games, and make other changes on our own.
As we went "live", initially with German and then with French games, Webiva let us see the number of hits, the number of users who tried our demos, how long a player stayed on each game, etc. We are also very grateful to all the players who filled out the surveys. Their feedback caused us to make changes, re-arrange, shorten some and modify other games.
We are also learning about Google adwords, Facebook links, twitter, how to blog on the GamesForLanguage.com site and all the other "bells and whistles" of Webiva.
The ease with which we were able to get familiar with Webiva, input our foreign language scripts and demo recordings, made us think about whether "Webiva gamesforlanguage" should not be marketed as a wonderful teaching tool to educational institutions. But this idea may be for another blog...
In the name of full disclosure we should note that Cykod, LLC was started by our son and his wife and that Webiva.com is their brainchild!
I recently had lunch with my friend Sue, who teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults in Boston. 
There's no totally right way to learn a language. You may learn a new language out of necessity or by choice, but you have to do it yourself and find a way that works. No-one can learn a language for you. 
“[sports and play activities] we remember from childhood … were also exercises in resourcefulness, planning, strategy, design, decision making, creativity and risk taking.” (See also Kevin Caroll's Ted Talk: 
As we are moving from the demo phase into the full production phase for our four initial languages German, Italian, French and Spanish, we continue to be amazed and impressed by the software platform Webiva, which is the "engine" that powers our web-based self-teaching language program. 
.