| If you've ever studied a foreign language and | | | | a method of language learning that we can all |
| suddenly surprised yourself by knowing or saying | | | | identify with. Children often repeat and repeat a |
| a word that you didn't know you knew (!), then, | | | | word (sometimes to great annoying effect) and |
| you've just proved that ‘immersion' as a | | | | this is what the monster did, in the end, using the |
| technique to learn a second or foreign language, | | | | power of language with an evil intent. But |
| works. I found myself doing just that when I was | | | | theatrics aside, what this episode was |
| studying French. There I was, having a rather | | | | show-casing, was how ‘immersion' works, and |
| stilted, but very enthusiastic conversation with | | | | again, it is something we can all identify with. |
| mon amie, when suddenly and quite unexpectedly, | | | | If we turn to the case of Matej Kus[4], widely |
| I found myself answering her "je ne sais pas," | | | | reported in popular press, we again see an |
| with "non, moi non plus." I didn't actively learn it - | | | | example of ‘immersion' at work. Here, the |
| I'm sure my teacher never taught it to me, or | | | | 18-year-old Czech speedway driver woke up |
| wrote it on the board, or got us to repeat it - but | | | | from a terrible crash, speaking perfect English. Not |
| my clever old brain had somehow picked up the | | | | so surprising, until you discover that before the |
| fact, maybe from listening to other people or | | | | accident, his English was, as his promoter, Peter |
| reading it somewhere, that "moi non plus" means, | | | | Waite, said, "broken, to put it mildly." What |
| "I don't know either!" Magnifique! | | | | happened here was not a question of xenoglossy |
| And that's pretty much the basic idea of the | | | | as was often quoted, but the ‘immersion' |
| ‘immersion technique.' By surrounding yourself | | | | technique at work. Having lived and worked in the |
| in a language, and even without actively setting | | | | UK, Matej's brain had obviously and subconsciously |
| out to learn it, your brain picks things up, stores | | | | picked up enough of the language to be able to |
| them without you even realising it, and then, | | | | use it and communicate. It just took something as |
| suddenly, just when you need it, out it pops. In | | | | dramatic as a car crash to ‘unlock' that part |
| fact, as I've often told my students who are | | | | of his brain, and as Peter Waite said, to |
| glued to their electronic dictionaries, if you think | | | | "rearrange things in his head." |
| back to your first words when you were | | | | But, it goes without saying that having a car crash |
| developing your language in your mother tongue, | | | | is a bit of a ridiculous, not to mention, dangerous |
| no one gave you a bilingual ‘Japanese/Baby | | | | way of learning a language. So how can the |
| talk' dictionary. Children learn by what they hear, | | | | average learner learn English using the |
| read and see. They absorb words like sponges | | | | ‘immersion' technique? Well, the most obvious |
| and then use their stored knowledge to | | | | way is to study in a native English-speaking |
| communicate. So why should it be any different | | | | country, but even if this is not possible, to absorb |
| for an adult learning a second language. | | | | themselves with English wherever possible. Having |
| Preconceptions maybe, about what a | | | | an English radio or TV programme on in the |
| ‘language lesson' should be? | | | | background, even when you're ironing or cooking |
| The ‘immersion technique' works on the | | | | and not listening, is effective; while think you |
| principal that language learning shouldn't be | | | | maybe concentrating on not burning your hand or |
| confined to text books and rehearsed and | | | | shirt or dinner, a tiny part of your brain is listening |
| formulated listening exercises in the classroom. | | | | and absorbing and learning, passively, and is just |
| Rather, the target language is used as a tool and | | | | waiting for the opportunity to use it - and it's a |
| is used constantly. The idea was first developed in | | | | great way to get the ‘music' of English in |
| the 60s in Canada when English-speaking | | | | your head. |
| educators tried out an innovative programme to | | | | Reading is another great way of expanding your |
| help their students learn and understand French | | | | vocabulary (as my teachers always told me at |
| language and culture.[1] Many studies followed, | | | | school). Guessing the meaning of words form |
| including Dr. Chen Ya-Ling's 2006 study of the | | | | context helps enormously to expand your range |
| immersion technique on Taiwanese children[2], | | | | of expression and knowledge of colloquialisms and |
| published in the Asian EFL Journal which looked at | | | | phrasal verbs. And of course, if you are luck |
| the worrying possibility that immersion at a young | | | | enough to be studying in a native English speaking |
| age might devalue a learner's original cultural | | | | country, then use English wherever possible. Talk |
| values. Luckily, this assertion was proved | | | | to people; ask for directions even if you are not |
| unfounded by Dr Chen's research, but importantly, | | | | lost. Go shopping, ask the shop assistants for help |
| what this research proves, is that the success of | | | | if even you're just window shopping. It's free, so |
| ‘immersion' is now so widely accepted by | | | | use them as ‘guinea pigs' to extend your skills |
| today's educators, that its efficacy at language | | | | in listening to regional accents and dialects. And |
| learning is not even called into question, rather its | | | | most importantly, don't worry if you make a |
| value culturally and socially has to be assessed - | | | | mistake, it really doesn't' matter, just go out |
| proof, since people are actually worried by its | | | | there and try. The world is your classroom! |
| potential negative effects, that it works. | | | | If you'd like more information about Cultured |
| This evidence is not confined to the scientific | | | | Learning specially developed bespoke‘ |
| world, but has even crept into popular culture. The | | | | immersion' programme PACT, which allows |
| cult BBC show "Doctor Who" which aired in 2008, | | | | students to go out into London to shop, visit |
| included a terrifying ‘monster' in an episode | | | | tourist sites and dine in confidence with the help |
| entitled ‘Midnight,'[3] which, unable to | | | | of a language consultant, then please visit our |
| communicate at the start of the show, repeated | | | | website: |
| what was being said in order to learn, absorb, | | | | [1] Baker, C. (1993). Foundations of Bilingual |
| communicate, and then try and dominate. The | | | | Education and Bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual |
| entire premise of the episode was so | | | | Matters. |
| psychologically terrifying because it was based on | | | | |