tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Aug 16 18:22:25 1998
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Re: KLBC - buv vagh DIp mojaqmey vImuSqu'chu'qu'.
ja' lung:
>I guess the whole point to these ramblings is that one
>does not just learn a new language. A whole new set of
>mental skills and processes must develop along with it.
I've found that some people already have these skills, without knowing
more than one language. The "mental skills" required seem to focus on
abstract thinking without _having_ to map concepts onto words in order
to think of them in the first place.
>Memory training is the most critical of these. The new
>words and grammatical constructions must be stored in
>such a way that it is not forgotten and yet easily
>retrieved for use.
Focusing on the "memory training" itself is probably counterproductive,
however. The human brain already knows how to remember things for good
recall; the important thing is to manipulate circumstances so that it's
more trouble to look something up than it is to remember it.
>You've already done it once as a
>child. You probably don't remember the process but it
>does prove that the skills are there and that you can do
>it.
This is not really relevant. Primary language acquisition is something
quite distinct from learning a second language later in life. Children
are evidently pre-wired to learn language, but lose their ability after
a time. The fact that someone learned language once doesn't imply that
he/she can do it again by using the same process.
-- ghunchu'wI'