As a native English speaker, I had never realized how complicated the language was until I began studying Spanish and Japanese. Interestingly enough, I have found that learning a foreign language has given me a better grasp of the English language and all of the little grammatical idiosyncrasies that come with it. Here are some of the ways you can improve your English through foreign language study.
"How do I say this in English?"
When you're first learning a new language, you will naturally compare it to your own. While learning the basics of any language, you are taught how to construct simple sentences, verb tenses and vocabulary. The rules you'll be applying to this new language will force you to take a closer look at English. When and why do we put have or had before a verb in the past tense? Where do we place the subject in a sentence? Can you identify the conditional tense and do you know when to use it? You apply these rules everyday when speaking English, but you may not even notice until you start studying the rules of a new language.
A Latin-based language is especially helpful for vocabulary
Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese all share Latin root words, suffixes, prefixes and other common language constructions with English. For example, the Spanish word for have or keep is tener. You can see a derivative of the Latin -ten in words like sustain, maintain and retain, which are all different meanings of the word have. To this end, learning a Latin-based or romance language can help you to improve your vocabulary or recognize the meanings of words in English.
Language Exchange programs
Doing a language exchange can allow you to practice speaking and listening in another language with a native speaker of that language who is trying to practice speaking and listening in your language. Many times, you will have to teach and explain basic grammar principles to your language partner, such as rules of tense, idioms, and tricky stuff like prepositions. With a language exchange program, you have the benefit of improving at another language while teaching English to someone else. Teaching will give you a better understanding of the way your own language is properly spoken.
Foreign languages have similarities and differences to English which can give you a better understanding of grammar and vocabulary. Whether you're a native speaker or not yet fluent in English, you may find that learning another tongue can help you in improving it, understanding it and teaching it to others.
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About the Author: Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com Labels: English Grammar
