N°10
Editeur responsable:
Jean-Luc Godard,
55, Tonnelet, B-4900 Spa

2001/2002


www.dialogue-languages.com

(Other testimonials at www.dialogue-languages.com)

Children do not learn rapidly
Contrary to what is generally accepted, children do not learn that rapidly. They start to speak after listening for 10 months. Between 9 to 15 months old, they pronounce their first words. They produce incomplete sentences after only 18 months. At the age of three and over, the language has been formed, though the number of acquired constructions is extremely limited. With less than 1000 words, vocabulary is still very limited at this age.

Mother tongue: 6 new words per day
According to the most optimistic studies, a 6 year-old child should know, at least passively, 12000 words, an average acquisition of 6 words per day, or about 2000 words per year since birth. Why is this process so slow? Why are 12 years necessary to master the spoken language? At that age, one is still far from having acquired the written language or abstract vocabulary. Before attending school, a child learns without noticeable effort: speaking is just another game. Speaking slowly forms its thoughts and personality. It takes time.One often forgets that a child automates its speaking, and this process of automation requires a long time.

The key to automation: 3000 repetitions
To communicate naturally and with pleasure,one most have acquired the more widely-used phrases. There is no miraculous solution:these phrases must be repeated 3000 times. It 's just the same when learning to swim or ride a bicycle. Even insurance companies agree with this number:a new driver is considered dangerous until he or she has driven 3000 kilometers. How to say it?

The cultural dimension
Speaking a foreign language well is not enough. You must be able to respond within the cultural tone of the person you are speaking to. Copying expressions straight from your mother tongue does not allow for a constructive dialogue. The person you are communicating with will prefer to listen to grammar or vocabulary mistakes before feeling assaulted by common or polite expressions in our mother tongue. Even when used with the best of intentions, they literally undermine our communication.

One week at DialoguE corresponds to a year elsewhere
Like most of the participants in our programs,you will progress more in one week at Dialogue than in one year at school or university. And this, despite the difficulties mentioned above. In one week at DialoguE, you will have begun to automate at least 2500 words. At the end of your stay, your personal audio cassette will contain all your useful "key sentences". Listening to this cassette just 15 minutes each day will be enough to maintain the level you have reached.

The unique method developed by DialoguE for improving oral comprehension and pronunciation allows you to save time, and avoids having to correct any bad habits you might acquire (pronunciation,grammar approximations,etc.). Don 't forget that correcting a bad habit requires twice as much time as acquiring new notions. One week at DialoguE will allow you to become sensitive to cultural differences. You will be easily understood and accepted by the people you interact with.

The DialoguE approach will motivate you. You will be impatient to continue the sometimes difficult, but stimulating, quest of learning a foreign language. Like a mountain climber, in the company of your DialoguE guides, you will soon reach those summits you only dreamed about.