Keys to Learning Another Language

English native speakers living in Korea often get questions such as where are you from?, what was your first impression of korea?, can you eat kimchi? and even How old are you?

Most of us don't mind those questions too much, except maybe the one about age, because we realize they provide a way to break the ice and get to know each other. And if they're asked in korean, they give us a good opportunity to practice korean.

In many cases, the series of questions comes around to "How can I learn to speak English really well?" I get the feeling that some of these inquirers are hoping that they have at last run into a magician who will pull some magical potion out of a hidden pocket and whisper in their ear, "Take this before you go to bed tonight, and tomorrow you'll wake up as a native speaker of English."

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Young people generally prefer an answer such as, "get your parents to send you to an english-speaking country so that you can do 'total immersion' for a year or two."

Usually I disappoint them by giving some weak response like, "well,you have to study really hard." Studying hard doesn't mean that all you have to do is simply memorize a long list of words and grammar rules.

Knowing where all the keys are on the piano doesn't make you a good pianist. You have to practice untill the piano becomes part of you. The same goes for English. You need to constantly practice English with real people for real purposes.

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