On Language Environment

As an in-house English trainer for a small class in the International Business Department of the company I work with, I often encourage my colleagues to use the language in practical situations rather than merely learn it. A common feedback is that there is no language environment, and they cannot use the language just for this reason. Of course things would be better if you have to communicate with some native speakers out of necessity because they can not speak Chinese. But fact is many people who have lived in US for years still cannot speak English fluently, either because they always hang around with people speaking the same native language, or they get lost and frustrated when put into a pure English environment.

To make my point clear, I would like to compare a pure English environment for language learners with the deep water for beginners of swimming. Actually human babies can easily manage the deep water for their natural endowment and their lack of sense of danger. Similarly, babies are entirely immersed in the language their parents speak and try hard to understand it. Before they start to babble, they have already got used to the sound system of language and been able to tell the emotions with the language. As soon as they learn something, they put it into practice, without worrying about losing face by making mistakes. As children grow, they gradually lose part of this capacity, of either swimming or language acquisition. So the way for us adults to resume these capabilities is to go through roughly the same process as babies do, and take the same attitude. But an adult beginner cannot recklessly plunge into the deep water, because he or she probably would get drowned. You’d better get yourself prepared.

So, what is the best environment for English learners? It does not matter at all whether there is a pure English environment around you at the beginning stage. You do not need it anyway. Just follow the footsteps of the baby: first, listen attentively; second, imitate what you have listened and repeat; third, recite and practice some words, phrases and sentence patterns; fourth, put things around you and thoughts in your mind freely in English, either by speaking and writing. Let’s see what kind of environment is needed for these: The first step requires tapes, audio or video recordings, and most importantly your attentive ears; at the second step, you need to open your mouth and enjoy imitating with your own voice; the third step is about memory training; only at the fourth step, it is better to have a partner to talk with or write, although you can also do it in your imagination or talk to a mirror.

The four steps above can be mingled and taken at same time. Basically, the first three steps are for the preparation of speaking and writing. They require your time, attention of your ears, mouth and brain more than anything else. Actually the brain is the most effective and ubiquitous environment for us. We always live in our brain. It is always with us, and within our control.

Lastly, please do not wait for a native speaker to start practicing your English, especially for those who rarely have chance to meet one. Try it with your colleagues, friends and family members. Just pretend and make yourself believe that English is the only language you share. With certain amount of practice, you will find that you are ready for the plunge into the deep water.