The first question that came to me after reading this article was: How do I learn and how does my brain function? There is so much more than the physical usage of language (lips, the ear, or the tongue). Brain plays the most important part in language. The mind is actually what one uses to speak, not his tongue and mouth.
The two brain hemispheres each have its own role and are more involved in performance of some than other activities. For example, the right hemisphere usually controls the awareness of position in space, while the left hemisphere is more connected to the sense of progression and step-by step activities. Therefore, the part of brain which controls language is in the left hemisphere. Logically, language cannot be learned all at once, and our brain needs a lineal progression when dealing with language. Our brain needs time and exercise in order to become comfortable with logical steps behind connecting letters into words and into meanings.
Interestingly, according to the article slips of the tongue are not random. They are found within a similar rhythmic or grammatical construction (lit exchanged for hit). Observing these kinds of errors I make as a learner can tell me how does my brain perceive the new language and can even help me learn from my mistakes.
When studying a language one should focus on different aspects of it and not exclusively on one. I believe this is because our brain needs and is capable of connecting different components of linguistic organization in order to create sense out of it and enable one to communicate. A learner has the need to place study of individual levels within a more general structure perspective in order to understand the way language as a whole is organized (page 182). Therefore, the importance of levels and structure is a must in effective studying of any language.
Comments