How to Improve Your Pronunciation

Here are some tips to help you improve your English pronunciation.

First of all, don't worry about not having a native-English accent. It's important to be able to speak clearly, so that people can understand you. However, it's almost impossible to sound exactly like a native English speaker if you are learning English as an adult in a non-English speaking country.

However, there are many things that you can do to improve your pronunciation and your speaking skills.

1. Listen to spoken English as often as possible.

Listen to how speakers pronounce various words and phrases and "model" your pronunciation on what you hear.

2. Learn the phonetic alphabet.

Use the phonetic alphabet page (at the beginning of most good dictionaries) as a guide to pronouncing new words.

3. Don't forget to learn the word stress of a new word.

Every English word has its own stress, or intonation. For example, the word "believe" has two syllables (be and lieve), but only the second syllable is stressed. We say be'lieve and not 'be lieve. Your dictionary will show the syllable stress by an apostrophe (') before the syllable to be stressed.

Word stress is important. In fact, it is more likely that someone misunderstands you because of wrong word stress than because of the wrong pronunciation of a sound.

4. Work out which sounds cause you most problems in English.

Depending on what your first language is, you may have problems with certain sounds. For example, French speakers have difficulties with "th"; speakers of Mandarin have difficulties with "r" or "l", and Arabic speakers have difficulties with "p" and "b".

5. Practise the sounds you find difficult.

A useful exercise is a "minimal pair" exercise. For example, if you have difficulty distinguishing between "p" and "b", try practising pairs of words which are the same except for the sound "p" and "b":

For example, "pair" and "bear"; "pond" and "bond"; "pie" and "buy" etc.

6. Be aware of intonation and sentence stress.

Not all words in a sentence have equal stress, and generally only the "information" words (nouns and verbs) are stressed.

'Where's the 'pen I 'gave you?

'Where's the 'red 'pen I 'gave you?

Where's the 'red and 'blue 'pen I 'gave you 'yesterday?

The unstressed words (such as "the", "I", "you" and "and") don't carry as much "weight" as the stressed words. They become much smaller in length, and are almost abbreviated. For example, "and" becomes "un".

Changing stress

Sentence stress isn't "fixed" like word stress. In fact, you can stress words that are normally unstressed in order to highlight different meanings.

For example:

I 'love you. (Love, rather than just like.)
'I love you. (With the stress on I to highlight that it's me rather than another person who loves you.)
I love 'you. (And nobody else.)

Intonation

There are a couple of easy to remember rules about intonation. Usually our voices go up at the end of the sentence to show a question, and down at the end to show a statement.

Intonation is also important in "tag questions":

You know him, don't you? (With rising intonation on "don't you?" to show it's a question)
You know him, don't you. (With falling intonation on "don't you" to show it's a statement you expect the other person to agree with.)

7. Learn to recognise spelling patterns.

For example, "tion" on the end of a word is pronounced "shun", while "sion" can be pronounced "zhun". There are often many ways to pronounce a particular spelling pattern, but it certainly helps to know what the variations are. For example, the pattern "ough" can be pronounced "uff" as in "enough" and "tough", or "or" as in "ought" and "bought" or "oh" as in "although" and "dough".

8. Don't rush.

If you speak too fast, the danger is that you could skip over some words, fail to pronounce them completely, or mix them up. If you speak too slowly, you might end up sounding unnatural. But it's better to speak slowly and clearly than too quickly.

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Posted in: better speak,English,good teacher,improve english,learning,learning english,pronounced,pronunciation,school,Sekolah,siswa,skills,speaking,teaching

Instruction How to Write a Concept Explanation Essay English

1.Select a concept for your essay by considering how well you understand the topic and the availability of sufficient relevant information. If you choose a frequently used repeated topic, think of new information or an interesting angle to cover in your essay. Focus your essay on a few significant aspects of a concept to provide an in-depth explanation rather than briefly touching on a wide range of issues. For example, if you wish to write on the impact of information technology, you obviously cannot cover all areas; concentrate on the effects of technological advancement on healthcare.

2.Search for information on the topic you select. Research books by famous authors or subject experts on the topic. Think of your personal experiences relevant to the topic that you can include in the essay. Find quotes from great personalities that succinctly express the concept. Find quotes that are apt, but rarely used. Locate statistical information that supports the viewpoint your essay propounds.

3. Begin the concept explanation essay with a quotation, anecdote or statistics to grab the attention of the reader. For example, if your essay is on the need for educating kids about drugs and alcohol abuse, offer statistics that highlight the prevalence of such abuse among youth. Give your thesis statement and the gist of the ideas you will explore in the essay.

4.Divide your material into several short paragraphs, each covering a specific point such as classification, comparison and narration of events. Make use of examples, similes and metaphors to convey your point clearly. Remember that a concept essay is an unbiased exploration of the concept and not a vehicle to express your personal opinions.

5. Conclude the essay with a summary of the salient points your essay conveys. Use words and sentences that are different from the ones you have used before, but which essentially convey the same idea. State the concept again clearly in light of the discussion in the preceding paragraphs. Make sure the sentences you use link your conclusion to the beginning of the essay. Use a quotation that aptly sums up the essence of the concept you have developed.

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Posted in: English,explanation,good teacher,improve english,improve wriitng skills,learning,learning english,school,teaching,writing skills

how to improve your writing skills

f all the classes I took in college and graduate school, the two that have helped me most in my career have been English Composition and Business English. In these classes I learned effective writing skills, which I have used in every job I have ever had. No other job but my work on this site included writing as part of my job description. In spite of this, I was required to write in every job, and it was taken for granted that I would be able to do this. This is the case with most jobs -- whether you must write internal memos, correspond with clients, or help design sales materials. Writing beautiful prose and poetry is a talent. Writing effectively, however, is a skill that can be learned.
Organize Your Writing

Whether you are writing a memo to your co-worker or a report for your boss, you should decide what information you want to convey. Here is how to do this:
List each item you need to discuss in your memo or report.
Put them in order — from most to least important
Write a brief summary of your entire memo — this will be your first paragraph.
Expand on each item listed in step 1.
If any action needs to be taken by the recipient, state that in your closing paragraph.
Some Tips

Avoid wordiness. Say out loud what you are trying to write. Listen to how the words sound. For example, the sentence, "I found out that I should take a look at our past sales figures in order to come up with a plan to help us re-evaluate our sales technique" could be more simply stated as "I must take a look at our past sales figures to re-evaluate our sales technique."
Write for your audience. Use simple language. You don't want the reader to need a dictionary to decipher what you are trying to say. You should not try to impress your reader with your huge vocabulary. Chances are you will frustrate your reader instead. Most people are juggling several tasks at the same time, and are interested in receiving only necessary information. You are responsible for making this happen. Instead of saying, "His gregarious nature credentials him as a superlative candidate for the job," say "His friendliness makes him a top candidate for the job."

Stay away from jargon your reader may not understand. If your work is very technical, but the person you are writing to is not well versed in that field, stick to words that person will understand. For example, if you are a Web site designer, this sentence in a memo to your client, a psychologist, will make no sense: "What would you like me to use as the BGCOLOR for your site: #ADD8E6 or #FFFFFF?" Anyone proficient in Web page design knows that this question can be translated to "What would you like the background color of your site to be: Light Blue or White?" However, don't expect your client to be more familiar with this technical jargon than you would be with her discussion of a psychological term such as trichotillomania.

A cliche a day keeps the reader away — or at least it does not make him or her remember what you are saying. You want your writing to be memorable. Because we hear cliches often, we become desensitized to them. The words, then, are not uniquely associated with your writing. Rather than saying "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today" in a memo to a subordinate you are trying to motivate. Simply say, "Stop procrastinating. Get the job done now."

When possible, use the active voice. The active voice makes your sentence stronger and usually shorter. Let's try these examples. Passive voice: "Sales increased due to the networking I did." Active voice: "My networking increased sales."

Don't be redundant. It is not necessary to say "2 p.m. in the afternoon" or "the expectant pregnant woman." Saying "2 p.m." or "2 in the afternoon" or "the expectant woman" or "the pregnant woman" all convey what you want to say and are less wordy.

Of course pay attention to grammar. Use Strunk and White's Elements of Style, available on the Web. A good dictionary should be nearby, along with a thesaurus. A thesaurus will allow you to keep your writing fresh by helping you find a variety of words to use. Many of these resources are available online.

Proofreading is one of the most important things you can do. Since you probably do most of your writing on a computer, you have access to automated spelling and grammar checkers. Beware though — some words, used in the wrong context may be missed by computerized spell checkers. For example the sentence "To employees attended too meetings two learn about the gnu software," would pass through the spell check without any misspellings being detected. Have someone else proofread your document, if possible. If time allows, put your composition away, and proofread it later, or even better, the next day.

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Posted in: belajar,belajar bahasa inggris,cara belajar bahasa inggris,English,good teacher,improve english,improve wriitng skills,learning,learning english,skill,skills,teaching,writing skills

Belajar Bahasa Inggris dengan Mudah

Siapa bilang belajar bahasa Inggris itu sulit dan membosankan? Sebenarnya banyak cara yang dapat membuat belajar bahasa Inggris itu mudah dan menyenangkan. Anda bisa belajar bahasa Inggris melalui lagu, permainan komputer, permainan kelompok, teka-teki, dan lelucon. Artikel ini akan membahas bagaimana kita dapat menggunakan lelucon atau kisah-kisah lucu untuk belajar bahasa Inggris. Bagaimana caranya? Ikutlilah artikel ini selanjutnya.

Lelucon atau kisah-kisah lucu adalah cerita yang amat digemari oleh hampir setiap orang. Lihatlah betapa banyaknya buku yang menjual kisah-kisah lucu, seperti Mati Ketawa ala Rusia, si Kabayan, si Pandir, Abu Nawas, Nasrudin Hoja, dsb. Buku-buku tersebut disukai oleh orang dari berbagai tingkat usia.

Oleh karena itu, kisah-kisah lucu tersebut akan merupakan bahan yang tepat sekali untuk belajar bahasa. Pertama, karena ceritanya menarik dan menyenangkan. Ke dua, dengan membaca, Anda menambah jumlah kosakata yang Anda miliki. Ke tiga, Anda juga dapat melihat penggunaan pola struktur kalimat dalam konteks yang wajar. Dan, yang terpenting, dengan membaca, Anda mempraktekkan penggunaan bahasa itu. Kalau Anda mau melangkah lebih jauh lagi, Anda dapat menggunakannya sebagai bahan latihan bercerita atau bercakap-cakap dalam bahasa Inggris dengan teman Anda.

Bagaimana caranya? Pertama, carilah cerita-cerita jenaka yang ditulis dalam bahasa Inggris. Ini dapat Anda temukan di toko-toko buku atau di internet. Namun, Anda perlu menyeleksi kisah-kisah itu karena banyak kisah lucu yang memanfaatkan selera rendah manusia alias kotor. Di situs ini kami telah memilihkan beberapa kisah jenaka yang dapat Anda gunakan untuk meningkatkan kosakata bahasa Inggris Anda. Kisah-kisah itu sudah kami kelompokkan menjadi tingkat dasar (elementary), menengah (intermediate), dan lanjut (advanced) sehingga Anda dapat memilih sesuai tingkat kemampuan Anda. Beberapa kisah yang tidak terkelompokkan ditandai dengan kata tidak terkategorikan (uncategorized). Ini karena kisah tersebut diambil dari sumber yang memang tidak terkategori. Sesuai dengan nama situs ini, semua cerita kocak dalam bahasa Inggris ini dijamin bersih dari konteks dan kata-kata yang jorok, dan kasar.
Karena banyaknya, kisah-kisah jenaka itu tidak dimasukkan ke FrontPage. Anda dapat mengaksesnya melalui Main Menu. Klik Learn English dan kemudian Funny Stories. Di situ Anda akan mendapatkan daftar kisah-kisah jenaka itu. Pilihlah salah satu dan nikmatilah.
Ke dua, bacalah cerita-cerita jenaka itu. Fahami artinya, dan tertawalah kalau Anda ingin tertawa. Kalau ada beberapa kata yang masih belum Anda kenal, bukalah kamus untuk mengetahui artinya. Membuka kamus ini penting sekali karena banyaknya kata-kata baru itulah yang menunjukkan kemajuan bahasa Inggris Anda. Semakin banyak Anda memiliki kosakata, semakin sedikit Anda akan membuka kamus. Pilihlah kamus yang baik, yang memberikan contoh konteks penggunaan kata itu dalam kalimat. Ini karena konteks tersebut akan menenukan arti sebenarnya kata-kata tersebut.

Bagaimana dengan cara pengucapan kata-kata tersebut? Bahasa Inggris memang cukup membingungkan bagi orang Indonesia karena ejaan kata dan bunyi kata itu sering tidak sama. Kalau tujuan Anda hanya ketrampilan memahami bacaan secara pasif, Anda tidak perlu pusing dengan cara pengucapan kata tersebut. Tetapi kalau Anda juga ingin mempunyai ketrampilan berbicara (misalnya pidato di depan orang banyak), Anda dapat mengetahui cara pengucapannya dari kamus yang baik.

Kunci keberhasilan berbahasa asing (termasuk Inggris) adalah seringnya Anda bertemu dan menggunakan bahasa itu. Oleh karena itu, usahakan bertemu dan menggunakan bahasa Inggris setiap hari. Anda dapat mengunjungi situs ini barang sepuluh menit untuk membaca barang satu atau dua kisah jenaka dalam bahasa Inggris sambil bergembira. Insya Allah, kisah itu akan terus ditambah setiap hari. Jangan terlalu banyak menambah kata-kata dalam satu hari. Yang penting, sering bertemu dan menggunakan walau dalam waktu yang pendek setiap kalinya.

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Posted in: bahasa Inggris,belajar bahasa inggris,English,guru,learning,mudah,teaching

Teaching English by Using Song

You can Increase English Proficiency when you learn English songs. Whether you have a little son or daughter who is trying to learn a foreign language, or you are trying to learn one yourself, you should not underestimate the power of song! The use of music and rhythm is an ancient way to teach new languages and surprisingly enough, it is a good technique that can be integrated into today' lessons. You'll find that when you start singing songs in a language that is foreign to you that your ability to pronounce the words and put sentences and grammar together become much improved. Learning English and other languages through song can make the entire process significantly easier for you.!

Songs for little kids

Your child can learn English songs and he (she) is never too young to get started when it comes to learning a new language, and it will not surprise you to note that there are entire series of songs for little children who would like to teach another language. The Alphabet Song is a great one for younger children to start off with, especially if they've had some formal training, and I Can Sing a Rainbow and We're Going to the Zoo can engage any younger child. !

Easy Songs for children

you will find songs that are perfect for children who are just starting out in English. These are simple songs with easy to understand words, and there is no worry about running into homophones or confused meanings. The song Over the Mountains is a great one to visualize with your child, and you can have them draw pictures of the trains, cars and planes that are mentioned in the song. Similarly, you'll find that a song like the Tooth Family can help familiarize your child with translations of family descriptions, bringing the lesson home. .

Themed songs

When you are trying to teach your children English, be sure to head to themed songs You can learn English songs that are based on subject matter and level of difficulty and it is important to select songs that will suit your child's proficiency. The selection of a song that is too simple will bore them, and one that is too hard will frustrate them. No matter what your own English is like, take some time to sing along with them. Cooperative learning can do a lot to make a child aware of his or her education, so take advantage of this opportunity to learn along with your child.

Not easy songs

you'll be able to see that not all songs are easy ,and that some will be challenging even for older children. The Pirates Song is a great one for when your kids are going through that persistent pirate phase, and if you are looking for a song about animals and what they can do, see what kind of fascinating facts you can find in the catchy song, Record Breakers.

English songs with Arabic translation

There is a big gap between English and Arabic, especially when it comes to word choice and sentence structure, so head to several English songs with Arabic translation and see what you can find in terms of songs that have a good Arabic version. Have your child learn English songs and match the English words to their Arabic counterparts and you'll soon see a better degree of spoken language and listening comprehension.

Songs with texts

you can listen to the songs with reading the texts and learn about the word meanings, making this a excellent lessons for language beginners of all ages. You can also use the format used at this site to listen to specific lines over again until you and your child are sure you know what you are hearing. This is an invaluable tool while learning a new language.

When you are looking for a way to introduce a child to a language, why not do it through song? The rhythms and rhyme scheme all contribute towards getting your child to a place where he or she can feel and understand the language as much as listen to it. There are many different things you can, but this could be instrumental in getting your child up to early fluency! Let's enjoy this song...

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Posted in: Education,English,learning,teaching

How To Be A Good English Teacher?

I will ask you to try to remember all the teachers you have had, all of them, from kindergarten until university. Surely you have had that kind of teacher who just gave the number of the pages of the book that you had to copy on your notebook, probably you also remember that teacher who was a human encyclopedia, or that teacher who put everybody to sleep in every class with a boring monologue, or maybe you had that teacher who supported and advised you when you had a problem, now think which one of them is the best for a student, the teacher who transmitted you his knowledge or that one who advice you in your doubts and personal problems.
Now a days, being a good English teacher is a really challenge, because transmitting knowledge to students is not the only goal of a teacher, there are too many aspects and values that a teacher may encourage to students. Teacher profession is not like others such carpenter or mechanic, being teacher is more difficult because a teacher does not work with wood or cars, a teacher works with people.
This entire means that good teachers have to be those two kinds of teachers that I mentioned before: the human encyclopedia and that teacher who advices a student when he needs it, because a student will never learn if he is distracted thinking about some personal problem he has. That is why teachers have to try to help the students to solve their problems.
Obviously transmitting knowledge and ideas to students still being the main goal of a teacher, but he also has to work the psychological, psychical and social aspects, in order to make his students learn better. Good teachers know their students very well, and they know what kind of intelligence each one has in order to know which teaching method apply.

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Posted in: English,good teacher,learning,teaching

how to increase your TOEFL score

To get a high TOEFL scores for most students and employees in Indonesia is very difficult. On average they are stuck in the range of scores of 450 and even though they have repeatedly followed the test predictions and perlatihan TOEFL scores are not rising. The need for a TOEFL score, especially in educational institutions and the private sector in Indonesia is increasing. Various universities who entered ranked Top 5 also requires students to pass the TOEFL test with a certain score and this also applies to those who want to enroll in college. Besides the professionals and employees who take courses from overseas package also requires a TOEFL score as one of the vital requirement. Then, how to have your TOEFL score go up? Follow these tips:
1. Learn English context, not only the vocabulary alone.
2. Understand that the TOEFL using different types of formal language of everyday language.
3. Master the 10 kinds of common mistakes in using standard English, eg:
- The harmony between subject, verb, and pronoun
- Grammar (note perwaktuan)
- Dangling modifier (modifier ambiguous, eg: "While running through the woods, the house Appeared Suddenly." The sentence above is grammatically implies that the house was the one who ran because the subject is not people!

There are still plenty of tips that you can get, in addition to grammatical problems also about your listening skills. Exemplified here, although we are not native English speakers are hard to follow an authentic accent, we still need to be able to understand the accent pronunciation of a vocabulary in a particular context so that when listening to conversations in the tapes, our ears are not misinterpreting the sound of the word.

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Posted in: Education,English,TOEFL

The Value of Learning English

Learning English is very important as it impacts your opportunities both personally and professionally. Because learning English expands your knowledge of culture and subjects, it increases your business and professional options as well as personal opportunities. Learning English provides insight into the culture, politics, business practices and new trends in the global community.

Personal Rewards

Learning English is interesting and challenging. The challenges include learning to think in new ways such as recognizing that the values you hold most dear may be different from the values other people hold. Learning to appreciate values other than your own is one of the most rewarding aspects of learning English because you gain a depth of understanding about yourself. Learning English is interesting because as you develop linguistic skills, you also meet new people who introduce you to different foods, movies, and entertainment.

Knowledge

Learning to read in English opens the door to many more resources than you would have access to in your native language alone. In addition to books, newspapers, and professional articles printed only in English, more than 80% of webpages on the internet are written in English. Reading a variety of resources provides a wider range of topics that you know about and a greater depth of knowledge. When you have access to this many additional resources, you gain an advantage over those with limited resources.

Travel

English is the official language in 52 countries and is the primary language in many small territories and colonies. It is estimated that nearly 1/3 of the world’s population speaks and understands English at least at a beginning-intermediate level. In addition, English is the de facto language of diplomacy. When you learn English, is the whole world becomes accessible to you. Whether you want to travel for pleasure or for professional opportunities, learning English enables you to travel more easily. The benefits of travel include giving you an edge in international affairs, in particular, in regards to business.

Business

Just as English is the de facts language of diplomacy, it is also the de facto language of business. Being able to read, write, and communicate in English opens a flood-gate of opportunities in the business world. Companies need English competent employees to set up and run branch offices overseas, communicate with competitors in other countries, stay abreast of industry trends, and serve as translators, negotiators, liaisons, and consultants for the company both at home and abroad.

Broader Diversity

Learning English helps you to learn about different cultures and different people. As you broaden your own sense of diversity, you become more tolerant of differences among people. This increases negotiation and problem-solving skills which are beneficial both personally and professionally. In today’s global economy, having a broad sense of diversity is necessary for success both in your home country and abroad.

Overall Value

In a study done by Weber in which six different factors (number of primary speakers, secondary speakers, population of countries that use English, major fields using English internationally, economic power of English speaking countries and socio-literary prestige), English was determined to be the number one most influential language. Based on this information, the value of learning English is to be active and competitive in the global community.

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Posted in: Education,English

Learning English

Learning a foreign language takes time and dedication. The reasons below may help to convince you to take the plunge, if such persuasion is needed. Some reasons are practical, some aspirational, some intellectual and others sentimental, but whatever your reasons, having a clear idea of why you're learning a language can help to motivate you in your studies.

Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.
You live a new life for every new language you speak.
If you know only one language, you live only once.
(Czech proverb)
Emigration
When you move to a different country or region, learning the local language will help you to communicate and integrate with the local community. Even if many of the locals speak your language, for example if your L1 is English and you move to the Netherlands, it's still worth your while learning the local language. Doing so will demonstrate your interest in and commitment to the new country.

Family and friends
If your partner, in-laws, relatives or friends speak a different language, learning that language will help you to communicate with them. It will also give you a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking.

Work
If your work involves regular contact with speakers of foreign languages, being able to talk to them in their own languages will help you to communicate with them. It may also help you to make sales and to negotiate and secure contracts. Knowledge of foreign languages may also increase your chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips.

Many English-speaking business people don't bother to learn other languages because they believe that most of the people they do business with in foreign countries can speak English, and if they don't speak English, interpreters can be used. The lack of foreign language knowledge puts the English speakers at a disadvantage. In meetings, for example, the people on the other side can discuss things amongst themselves in their own language without the English speakers understanding, and using interpreters slows everything down. In any socialising after the meetings, the locals will probably feel more comfortable using their own language rather than English.

Study or research
You may find that information about subjects you're interested in is published mainly in a foreign language. Learning that language will give you access to the material and enable you to communicate with fellow students and researchers in the field.

Language is the archives of history.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Travel
Many English speakers seem to believe that wherever you go on holiday you can get by speaking English, so there's no point in learning any other languages. If people don't understand you all you have to do is speak slowly and turn up the volume. You can more or less get away with this, as long as you stick to popular tourist resorts and hotels where you can usually find someone who speaks English. However, if you want to venture beyond such places, to get to know the locals, to read signs, menus, etc, knowing the local language is necessary.

Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages.
(Dave Barry)

A basic ability in a foreign language will help you to 'get by', i.e. to order food and drink, find your way around, buy tickets, etc. If you have a more advanced knowledge of the language, you can have real conversations with the people you meet, which can be very interesting and will add a new dimension to your holiday.

Die Grenzen meiner Sprache bedeuten die Grenzen meiner Welt.
The limits of my language are the limits of my universe.
(Ludwig Wittgenstein)
Studying abroad
If you plan to study at a foreign university, college or school, you'll need a good knowledge of the local language, unless the course you want to study is taught through the medium of your L1. Your institution will probably provide preparatory courses to improve your language skills and continuing support throughout your main course.

Secret communication
If you and some of your relatives, friends or colleagues speak a language that few people understand, you can talk freely in public without fear of anyone eavesdropping, and/or you can keep any written material secret. Speakers of such Native American languages as Navajo, Choctaw and Cheyenne served as radio operators, know as Code Talkers, to keep communications secret during both World Wars. Welsh speakers played a similar role during the Bosnian War.

Required course
You may be required to study a particular language at school, college or university.

Getting in touch with your roots
If your family spoke a particular language in the past you might want to learn it and possibly teach it to your children. It could also be useful if you are research your family tree and some of the documents you find are written in a language foreign to you.

Revitalising or reviving your language
If you speak an endangered language, or your parents or grandparents do/did, learning that language and passing it on to your children could help to revitalise or revive it.

Culture
Maybe you're interested in the literature, poetry, films, TV programs, music or some other aspect of the culture of people who speak a particular language and want to learn their language in order to gain a better understanding of their culture.

Most people in the world are multilingual, and everybody could be; no one is rigorously excluded from another's language community except through lack of time and effort. Different languages protect and nourish the growth of different cultures, where different pathways of human knowledge can be discovered. They certainly make life richer for those who know more than one of them.
(Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word)
Religion
Missionaries and other religious types learn languages in order to spread their message. In fact, missionairies have played a major role in documenting languages and devising writing systems for many of them. Others learn the language(s) in which the scriptures/holy books of their religion were originally written to gain a better understanding of them. For example, Christians might learn Hebrew, Aramaic and Biblical Greek; Muslims might learn Classical Arabic, and Buddhists might learn Sanskrit.

Food
Perhaps you enjoy the food and/or drink of a particular country or region and make regular trips there, or the recipe books you want to use are only available in a foreign language

Linguistic interest
Maybe you're interested in linguistic aspects of a particular language and decide to learn it in order to understand them better.

Challenging yourself
Maybe you enjoy the challenge of learning foreign languages or of learning a particularly difficult language.

Sounds/looks good to me
Perhaps you just like the sound of a particular language when it's spoken or sung. Or you find the written form of a language attractive. If you like singing, learning songs in other languages can be interesting, challenging and enjoyable.

One language is never enough!
If like me you're a bit of a linguaphile / glossophile / linguaholic or whatever you call someone who is fascinated by languages and enjoys learning them, then one language is never enough.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
(Nelson Mandela)

Your reasons
If you have comments on the above or have other reasons for learning a foreign language, let me know.

To better understand our thought processes (from Judah Kay)
All of our thought processes are conducted in language, so really our entire existence or essense or soul, however we phrase it, is inextricably bound up to and with the languages we speak. Try to think without language for instance. However, we see that the language is in essence superficial, since many languages exist. To understand the true roots of our thought processes, the real nature of the human soul, a knowledge of several languages may be necessary.

To become someone else (from Janet Gil)
As a teen, I wished I were someone else. Learning Spanish let me be part of my best friend's family and have friends in college from South America whom I may not have met had I not had such an interest in learning Spanish. I liked myself with these other people more than I liked my American self (if that makes sense). I have known of people who learned another language at age 19 and above who now speak their second language almost without an accent but speak their first language with an accent!

To understand your own language and culture better (from Evona York)
Sometimes learning a foreign language helps you understand your own language and culture better through comparison, or through the relationship between the foreign language and your mother tongue. For instance, studying Latin in high school taught me an incredible amount of English, because English has so many words that come from the Latin. Same with Greek.

Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen
Those who know no foreign language knows nothing of their mother tongue.
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
To keep your mind healthy (from Harvey Schmidt)
Learning a second language has been proven to delay the onset of dementia.

To find your future husband/wife (from Rico Suave)
Learning a new language and culture increases the size of your selection pool.

To better understand the rest of humankind (from Philip Lightfoot)
Language is an aspect of humanity, and learning what a fellow human speaks teaches you more about humankind as a whole. The more languages you know, the more you understand our species, and that is beneficial no matter what the situation is.

To talk to friends without others understanding (from Elizabeth)
If you and some of your friends learn a foreign language, you'll be able to talk to each other without other people having a clue what you're saying. This works best if you choose a language few people study, such as Japanese.

To learn songs in other languages (from Michelle Kelleher Tietz)
Michelle has been learning Irish and Scottish Gaelic because she likes to sing and has founded an a cappella group that sings in Celtic languages. They sing old work songs, lullabies, etc. This hobby combines her interests in languages, history and story telling.

To help people in need (from Nuntawun Yuntadilok)
Learning other languages increases our chances of providing help to people who seriously need it, such as those in hit by the tsunami of 2004, many of whom can not communicate in English, especially children.

Friendship (from Bill Conwell)
My best friend is French and speaks English, Spanish and some German as well. I am trying to learn French to enhance our communication, though he doesn't demand nor expect it.

Venting your feelings (from Dick H.)
Another reason why one might want to learn a foreign language is to insult/cuss out people without them understanding what you're saying. It works best if you choose a language few people study. Avoid the Big Two (Spanish and French), because too many of us learned them in high school. And you never know who has a German, Finnish, Italian, or Greek grandmother!

To help you understand how other people think (from Orionas)
Language influences culture, so learning a language helps you to understand how other people think, and it also helps you to get a general understanding of our world and the many people and cultures that inhabit it.

Because I love learning languages (from Cody Warren)
My reasons for learning foreign languages is because I just love to do it, it's all the different ways people express themself, and it shows that there really are other people out there (to a teenager who's always stuck at home in a small farm town). Its also a way to learn how people interact and socialize with each other, and how each society works.

Also, I like conlanging, and learning different languages help me to understand how things work so i can build conlangs, and vice versa, creating the conlangs help me to understand how all different languages grammars work (Im always a sucker for using a lot of moods, cases, tenses, etc).

Learning languages to me, is much more than making myself able to communicate with others. To me it's like getting some nice new surprise and a whole new level of understanding.

Showing respect (from Nicole Signer)
I believe that when somebody at least tries to learn the language of the country they are visiting it shows a lot of respect. People really appreciate it.

It's fun (from Shelley Khadem)
Learning a language is fun and can provide a shared interest with your husband or partner. It also satifies perpetual students' urge to study.

To express things that are difficult to express in your native language (from Tenacious Mel)
Learning a foreign language can provide you with ways to talk about things that might be difficult to express in your own language. It's also a way to get in touch with other selves.

To better understand your own language (from Kaiti)
In order to learn another language, you need to learn the different titles and functions of sentence parts. Learning these things can make you a better student and a more articulate person. Also, many of the root words used in foreign vocabulary will help you later on as you struggle to comprehend or analyze new words in your native language.

Understanding people (from Adam Briceland)
I believe a great reason to learn a foreign language such as Pacific island languages is so that you can understand what the native speakers are saying to each other when the'yre speaking their own language to each other. So you can s it there and not talk to them but completley understand what they're saying in public.

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Posted in: Education,English

English Is Very Important

IF YOU are currently learning English in a school, college or institute of further education, you join approximately one billion other people around the world who are engaged in the same pursuit. However, as you try to memorise proper grammar, and try to avoid the mistakes common to most students of English, you may wonder why you are learning the language in the first place.

So, why is English important?

After Mandarin, English is spoken by more people than any other language, and is the native language of more than 350 million people. More people speak English than those who speak the Arabic and French languages combined.

Moreover, English is the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, UN & NATO armed forces, engineering, tourism, Hollywood films and arguably the best pop and rock music in the world.

English has plenty of words to choose from. In fact, an English speaker is offered the biggest vocabulary of any language with a choice of 500,000 to 1,000,000 words (including technical and scientific terms).

But don’t panic, most English speakers do very well with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words.

English can be fun too. For instance, the music of such stars as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Madonna has encouraged fans to speak the language of their idols, whilst others have enrolled in English classes to improve their understanding of the dialogue in films and TV shows.

Or perhaps they have embraced English to enjoy the writing of Stephen King, George Orwell or J.K. Rowling. They may even have an interest in speaking English just to converse with travellers from other countries, who communicate by using the English global interlingua while travelling abroad.

Finally, if you are studying English at school, college or university, remember that getting an ‘A’ grade in English is almost worthless, in terms of communication, if you cannot speak the language. Spoken English is used in the best careers, the best universities, and is increasingly being used at job interviews. So like it or not, English is a very important language to learn how to speak.

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Posted in: English

Introduction

JEC adalah sebuah lembaga kursus lembaga kursus bahasa inggris yang berdiri sejak tahun 2010. dengan memfokuskan kepada tata bahasa dan conversation atau speaking menjadikan para alumninya siap berbahasa Inggris secara aktif baik lisan maupun tulisan

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Posted in: Education,English,Jasmine,JEC