How To Learn English

Here are some tips which may help you to master the English Language!

1. Speak without Fear

The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear.  They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all.  Don’t do this.  The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again until you get it right.  Like anything, learning English requires practice.  Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want.

2. Use all of your Resources

Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of class.  Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster.  There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two.  The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it's perfect.

3. Surround Yourself with English

The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it.  Take notes in English, put English books around your room, and listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television.  Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.”

4. Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible

There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it.  However, there are several  reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate.  The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and comfortable they will become.

5. Watch English Films and Television

This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective.  By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors.  If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.

6. Listen to English Music

Music can be a very effective method of learning English.  In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension.  The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings.  There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time.  And if you like to sing, fine.

7. Study As Often As Possible!

Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language. 

8. Do Exercises and Take Tests

Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun.  However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with.  Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned.  If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing. Start now by doing some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you've learned. Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English.

9. Record Yourself

Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time.  You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.

10. Listen to English

By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audio books or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see the person that is speaking to you.  Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.

 در اينجا نكاتي را يادآور مي شويم كه ممكن است به شما در يادگيري زبان انگليسي كمك كند :1- صحبت كردن بدون ترس و خجالت :2- تمامي منابعي را كه داريد استفاده نماييد :3- خودتان را با انگليسي محصور كنيد :4- هرآنچه مي توانيد به آدمهاي بومي انگليسي گوش كنيد :5- فيلم هاي انگليسي و برنامه هاي تلويزيون به زبان انگليسي را ببينيد:6- به موسيقي انگليسي گوش كنيد : 7- تكاليفتان را انجام دهيد :8- امتحان بگيريد:9- صداي خودتان را ضيط كنيد :10- به انگليسي گوش كنيد :11- با انگليسي تفريح كنيد :

1- صحبت كردن بدون ترس و خجالت : بزرگترين مشكلي كه اكثر انسان ها در يادگيري يك زبان بيگانه دارند تنها ترسشان است . آنها نگرانند كه نمي توانند به درستي صحبت كنند يا اينكه احمق هستند و دور ياد ميگيرند بنابراين از حرف زدن خودداري مي كنند . ابن كار را نكنيد . آسانترين راه براي يادگيري چيزي انجام دادن آن است انجام دادن مكرر تا اينكه بتوانيد به درستي آن را انجام دهيد مثل هر چيز ديگري ، يادگيري انگليسي به تمرين احتياج دارد . اجازه ندهيد تا ترس كوچك ، شما را از يادگيري آنچه مي خواهيد باز دارد .  2- تمامي منابعي را كه داريد استفاده نماييد : فقط به صرف اينكه شما در مدرسه انگليسي ياد مي گيريد اين بدان معني نيست كه شما نمي توانيد خارج از كلاس چيزي ياد بگيريد . هر آنچه منبع مختلف مي توانيد استقاده نماييد همچنين از روش ها و ابزارهاي متعدد استفاده كنيد چرا كه يادگيري را سريعتر مي نمايد . بسياري از روش هاي مختلف وجود دارد كه مي توانيد انگليسي خود  را بهبود ببخشيد . خودتان را محدود به 1 يا 2 چيز نكنيد . فرصتهايتان را كشف نمائيد .  3- خودتان را با انگليسي محصور كنيد : بهترين راه حل يادگيري انگليسي درگير كردن خودتان با انگليسي است .يادداشتهايي به انگليسي داشته باشيد، كتابهاي انگليسي را در اتاق خود بگذاريد ، اخبار انگليسي نگاه كنيد حتي فيلم و تلويزيون ( برنامه هاي انگليسي ) در هر كجا كه مي توانيد با دوستان خود انگليسي حرف بزنيد . هر چه بيشتر خودتان را درگير انگليسي كنيد سريعتر ياد خواهيد گرفت و شما فكر كردن انگليسي را تجربه خواهيد كرد .  4- هرآنچه مي توانيد به آدمهاي بومي انگليسي گوش كنيد : بسياري از معلمان انگليسي خوب هستند كه انگليسي را قبل از يا دادن به صورت يك زبان دوم به خوبي ياد گرفته اند . به هر حال دلايل متعددي وجود دارد چرا كه بسياري از مدارس خوب تنها صحبت كنندگان بومي انگليسي را به خدمت مي گيرند . يكي از دلايل اين است كه كساني كه به صورت  بومي انگليسي مي دانند به طور طبيعي ، با انگليسي برخورد مي كنند كه يادگيرندگان مي توانند از آنها تقليد كنند هر چه يادگيرندگان نزديكتر به اين جريان باشند آنها راحتتر و متقاعدتر خواهند بود . 5- فيلم هاي انگليسي و برنامه هاي تلويزيون به زبان انگليسي را ببينيد: اين يك راه سرگرم كننده ، جهت يادگيري زبان است كه بسيار مؤثر مي باشد . با تماشاي فيلمهاي تلويزيوني مخصوصاً آنهايي كه با زيرنويس مي باشند شما مي توانيد دامنه لغاتتان را زياد كنيد و صداي روان هنرپيشه ها را گوش كنيد اگر شما به اخبار انگليسي گوش كنيد حتي به لهجه هاي متفاوت آشنا مي شويد .  6- به موسيقي انگليسي گوش كنيد :  موسيقي يك راه مؤثر در يادگيري انگليسي است . در حقيقت اغلب به عنوان يك راه جهت ارتقاء و بهبود درك مطلب است . بهترين راه يادگيري از طريق موسيقي ،گرفتن اشعار و غناها و ( لغات استفاده در موسيقي ) كه شما به آن گوش مي كنيد و سپس خواندن آنها به روش هنرمند و خواننده آن است . بسياري از سايتهاي خوب اينترنتي است كه شما مي توانيد اشعار آهنگهاي مورد علاقه تان را پيدا كنيد . از اين طريق شما مي توانيد گوش دادن و خواندن همزمان را تمرين كنيد و اگر دوست داريد آواز بخوانيد . آن را ادامه دهيد .  7- تكاليفتان را انجام دهيد : بله . اكثر اوقات تكليف خسته كننده است و البته كه گرامر انگليسي جالب و سرگرم كننده نيست به هر حال اگر شما نكته گفته شده شماره 1 را انجام دهيد و شما صحبت كنيد . شما احتمالاً اشتباهاتي را انجام خواهيد داد تنها با خواندن و مطالعه صحيح و انجام دادن تمارين شما مي توانيد اين خطاها را درست كنيد .  8- امتحان بگيريد: تستها جالب نيستند . آنها آدم ها را عصباني مي كنند و وقت زيادي جهت آماده شدن  براي آنها مي برد به هر حال با دادن تست شماره 2 شما به 2 چيز خواهيد رسيد اول اينكه مجبور مي كنيد خودتان را كه آماده باشيد كه نتيجه آن مطالعه كردن است و دوم حتي به خودتان نمره اي مي دهيد كه امتحان هاي بعدي را با آن مي سنجيد و ارزيابي مي كنيد و تنها با ارزيابي نتيجه امتحان شش ماه پيش با امتحان جديد است كه خواهيد دريافت چقدر شما يادگرفته ايد . اگر شما هيچ وقت خودتان را تست نكنيد شما هيچ زمان به اين پي نخواهيد برد كه چقدر پيشرفت داشته ايد . 9- صداي خودتان را ضيط كنيد : هيچ كس دوست ندارد صداي ضبط شده خودش را گوش كند اما همانند تست راه خوبي براي تست كردن خودتان گاه و بيگاه است  . شما بعد از پيشرفت در زبان آنچنان مجذوب پيشرفت خود خواهيد شد كه ديگر شنيدن صدايتان برايتان مهم نيست . 10- به انگليسي گوش كنيد : منظور من از صحبت كردن با تلفن يا گوش دادن به CD هاي انگليسي است اين بسيار متفاوت از تماشاي تلويزيون يا فيلم است و چرا كه شما شخصي كه در حال صحبت كردن است را نمي بينيد . بسياري از معلمان جديد انگليسي صحبت كردن با تلفن را سخت ترين مورد يادگيري زبان مي دانند كه تنها چاره آن تمرين بسيار است .  11- با انگليسي تفريح كنيد :  بخنديد . لبخند بزنيد ماداميكه در حال ياديگري هستيد تفريح كنيد . نمي توانم چراي آن را توضيح دهم اما زمانيكه شما از يادگيري چيزي لذت مي بريد شما آن را بهتر مي فهميد و حتي سريعتر سعي مي كنيد و آن را امتحان كنيد مي بينيد كه واقعاً متعجب خواهيد شد . سايت هاي زير را به شما پيشنهاد مي كنيم :  سايتي براي كساني كه به فرهنگ و تاريخ كشورهاي انگليسي زبان علاقمندند :Anglicسايتي براي تقويت انگليسي از طريق صدا و سيماي انگليس :BBCسايتي براي دانشجويان انگليسي :British Council سايتي براي تقويت تلفظ : Fonetiksديكشنري مجاني زنده LongMan :LongMan Dictionary سايت بزرگ و جامع انگليسي براي دانشجويان انگليسي : Word Englishبه عنوان زبان دوم و يا زبان خارجي شان .

What is Language?

Many animal and even plant species communicate with each other.  Humans are not unique in this capability.  However, human language is unique in being a symbolic communication system that is learned instead of biologically inherited.  Symbols are sounds or things which have meaning given to them by the users.  Originally, the meaning is arbitrarily assigned.  For instance, the English word "dog" does not in any way physically resemble the animal it stands for.  All symbols have a material form but the meaning can not be discovered by mere sensory examination of their forms.  They are abstractions.

Do the following words sound or look like the animal shown here: canis , chien , hund , perro ? (They all are words for dog in European languages.)

A word is one or more sounds that in combination have a specific meaning assigned by a language.  The symbolic meaning of words can be so powerful that people are willing to risk their lives for them or take the lives of others.  For instance, words such as "queer" and "nigger" have symbolic meaning that is highly charged emotionally in America today for many people.  They are much more than just a sequence of sounds to us.

A major advantage of human language being a learned symbolic communication system is that it is infinitely flexible.  Meanings can be changed and new symbols created.  This is evidenced by the fact that new words are invented daily and the meaning of old ones change.  For example, the English word "nice" now generally means pleasing, agreeable, polite, and kind.  In the15th century it meant foolish, wanton, lascivious, and even wicked.   Languages evolve in response to changing historical and social conditions.  Some language transformations typically occur in a generation or less.  For instance, the slang words used by your parents were very likely different from those that you use today.  You also probably are familiar with many technical terms, such as "text messaging" and "high definition TV", that were not in general use even a decade ago. 

Language and speech are not the same thing.  Speech is a broad term simply referring to patterned verbal behavior.  In contrast, a language is a set of rules for generating speech.  A dialect is a variant of a language.  If it is associated with a geographically isolated speech community, it is referred to as a regional dialect.  However, if it is spoken by a speech community that is merely socially isolated, it is called a social dialect.  These latter dialects are mostly based on class, ethnicity , gender , age, and particular social situations.  Black English (or Ebonics ) in the United States is an example of a social dialect.  Dialects may be both regional and social.  An example is the Chinese spoken dialect and written form called nushu.  It apparently was known and used only by women in the village of Jiang-yong in Hunan Province of South China.  Women taught nushu only to their daughters and used it to write memoirs, create songs, and share their thoughts with each other.  While women also knew and used the conventional Chinese dialect of their region, they used nushu to maintain female support networks in their male dominated society.  Nushu is essentially gone now due to its suppression during the 1950's and 1960's by the communist government of China.  The last speaker and writer of nushu was a woman named Yang Huanyi.  She died in 2004.  Not all societies have distinct dialects.  They are far more common in large-scale diverse societies than in small-scale homogenous ones.

Over the last few centuries, deaf people have developed sign languages that are complex visual-gestural forms of communicating with each other.  Since they are effective communication systems with standardized rules, they also must be considered languages in their own right even though they are not spoken.

Birth of a Language--the emergence of a new sign language among deaf children in Nicaragua.         This link takes you to a video at an external website.  To return here, you must click the "back"         button on your browser program.               (length = 4 mins, 57 secs)

	Women in Papua New Guinea conversing in Pidgin English

A pidgin is a simplified, makeshift language that develops to fulfill the communication needs of people who have no language in common but who need to occasionally interact for commercial and other reasons.  Pidgins combine a limited amount of the vocabulary and grammar of the different languages.  People who use pidgin languages also speak their own native language.  Over the last several centuries, dozens of pidgin languages developed as Europeans expanded out into the rest of the world for colonization and trade.  The most well known one is Pidgin English in New Guinea.  However, several forms of Pidgin English and Pidgin French also developed in West Africa and the Caribbean.  There have been pidgins developed by non-European cultures as well, including the Zulus in South Africa, the Malays in Southeast Asia, the Arabs in North Africa, and several American Indian societies.  The most well known pidgin developed by American Indians is Chinook, which was used on the Northwest Coast of North America.

At times, a pidgin language becomes the mother tongue of a population.  When that happens, it is called a creole language.  As pidgins change into creoles over several generations, their vocabularies enlarge.  In the small island nation of Haiti, a French-African pidgin became the creole language.  It is still spoken there by the majority of the population as their principle or only language.  The same thing happened among some of the peoples of Papua New Guinea , the Pacific Islands of Vanuatu , and Sierra Leone in West Africa, where different versions of Pidgin English became creoles.  Similarly, on the outer banks of Georgia and South Carolina in the United States, isolated former African slaves made another version of Pidgin English into a creole known as Gullah or Geechee .  Creoles also developed in Louisiana, Jamaica, and the Netherlands Antilles .

It is common for creole speakers to also speak another "standard" language as well.  In Haiti, for instance, the more educated and affluent people also speak French among themselves.  Their creole language is used on the street in dealing with poor Haitians.  The Gullah speakers of Georgia and South Carolina speak English when dealing with outsiders.  Which language is spoken depends on the social situation.  This same phenomenon is often found in societies with different dialects of the same language.  People may quickly switch back and forth between dialects, depending on the person they are talking to at the time.   This pattern is referred to as diglossia or "code switching."  The African American situational use of standard and Black English is a prime example.  Black English is usually reserved for talking with other African Americans.  North American reporters and announcers on national television programs are often diglossic.  They must learn to speak with a Midwestern, European American dialect regardless of the region or social class they came from originally.  We become so accustomed to this that it is usually a shocking surprise to hear them speak in their own dialects.

Typically, the dialects of a society are ranked relative to each other in terms of social status.  In the London area of England, the upper class speak "public school" English, while the lower class often use a Cockney dialect.  Because of the stigma against the latter, upwardly mobile Cockneys in the business world may take language lessons to acquire the "public school" speech patterns.