*** Human Mind VS. Language ***
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
When I was 5, we had Chinese neighbours. I would sneak out of our house and visit them daily! Whenever I was missing, my mom knew exactly where I was. However, just a few months ago I was teaching English to 2 boys and they had a private Chinese teacher. She didn’t know a word of English and I didn’t know a word of Chinese. I was starting to think that we will have a huge communication problem. Yet, as she spoke, I understood what she was saying! Ahhhh &^%$ was my first reaction!
I felt like Doctor Dolittle, a physician who rediscovers a very special gift he has suppressed ever since he was a young boy - the ability to understand and talk to animals (Dr. Dolittle - Directed by Betty Thomas).
Conclusion: The human mind is like a memory bank which stores almost everything! I guess my experience proves some theories of language learning/teaching wrong. Language is not always about loads of practice; instead it is about forming the right base to give opportunity for improvement.
P.S. I understand Chinese!
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