Had met someone who claimed to know 4 languages fluently, with his 4th language English. His speech and writing is quite decent but somehow I find something awkward in the way he handles the language. It seemed far too “textbook” to be natural speech.

For those learning a second language or further, we need to know the fundamental differences between the 1st language or Mother Tongue compared to the 2nd and subsequent. These are definitely not apples to apples comparisons. Researchers had for centuries marveled at how a child can pick up his own language flawlessly without any education, but 2nd and subsequent language can be more of an issue.

Why is this so? Basically for 1st language, you are learning subconsciously, it is not by design and the idiocracies of the language aren’t lost. This is in comparison to 2nd language which are learnt via design and rote. The differences are substantial. A child can speak better in native tongue and expressed himself better than an educated adult who is learning the language as a 2nd language simply because the way of learning for most 2nd language aren’t natural.

You need to absorb first before you express yourself in that particular language. This aren’t so for most 2nd language learning where standardized sentences and rote learning comes into play. Why not use the same approach Monkey See Monkey Learn for those learning 2nd language? Here comes the issue of psychology. A normal 2nd language learner won’t feel confident in an unscripted environment. Without confidence, they tend to be stiff and defensive and defeats the purpose of learning in the first place. The author, Yours Truly suggest a mixture of free style and learn by rote in alternate to each other such that a typical 2nd language learner can gain confidence from the rote learning and flexibility from the free style learning. Parroting is the worse way to learn a language and thankfully for the last decade or so, the way in which 2nd languages are taught were greatly improved upon with the learners’ ability and confidence taken into account.

Such education will tax the existing public education system to the maximum. Traditional education emphasis on competition is counterproductive and exorbitant making implementation for quality language or other subjects instructions far too stressful on a nation’s budget. Peer to peer cooperation should be encouraged and enhanced if we are to implement anything beyond the traditional landscape.