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There’s More to Language than Conversation
How language learning is shaped by trends and how to make the most of them
If you ask someone who has just started learning a language what their main goal is, they’re very likely to tell you: “I want to be able to hold a conversation.”
Well, that makes sense. In a globalized world dominated by technology, most of those who want or need to learn a language do so in order to speak with other people. That’s why most language courses promise not to vex you with endless vocabulary lists and grammar drills, and to help you get active in conversation right from the start — and they usually deliver!
This kind of approach, which we may call the “communicative approach” because it mainly emphasizes using the language and developing communicative competence, hasn't always been at the heart of language learning.
Just as is the case with fitness, school curricula, or fashion, language learning is subject to tendencies, too.
As a language learner and teacher myself — I teach Italian, my native language, as well as English and German, and I’m currently learning French — I’m often asked what “the best way” to learn a language is.
Not a stupid question at all: I often ask myself that, too. What can help me…
