Austen Term 2020 Newsletter

Language
Learning Tips
from our Teachers
The theme of this term’s newsletter is ‘Creativity’, so
take a look at these creative language-learning tips
from our teachers. i-Learner’s teachers all love
languages, and many of them are multilingual.
Each term, they’ll share tips with you about how
they learn languages. Try some of these yourself and
share your progress with your teachers!
Dr Liliana’s Tip: Make Connections
Make connections between languages as much as possible to remember grammar points and
vocabulary. If you know some German and are learning Latin, notice they not only have very similar
cases, they also use the accusative with prepositions of motion, as zu + acc. and ad + acc. If you speak
Mandarin and are learning French, you can compare similar sequences of pronouns and verb
positions, as in 'je lui ai dit' and ’ 我 给 他 说 ‘. If you're studying Latin and learn 'schola', you'll be able
to compare it to the English school, French école, German Schule, Spanish escuela, Italian scuola and
even Yiddish לוש The more you know, the easier it gets!
Languages Dr Lili speaks:
Modern
English & Spanish (Native)
French (Fluent)
Mandarin (Fluent)
German (Fluent)
Italian (Fluent)
Hebrew (Intermediate)
Portuguese (Intermediate)
Arabic (Beginner)
Classical/Medieval
Latin
Greek
Biblical Hebrew
Old English
Old French
Ms Alison’s Tip: Watch and Listen
Variety shows are full of colloquial expressions and clichés, which
are useful for learners who wish to speak a language naturally
instead of in a literary style. It also allows viewers to understand
the hottest topics of another culture and take in different opinions.
Music is another great tool for language learners. It seems to be
one of the most interesting ways to learn new vocabulary. You
search the lyrics, play the song a couple of times, and try to sing
along. It's not the perfect way to learn grammar, but it definitely
expands vocabulary and improves pronunciation.
Languages Ms Alison speaks:
Cantonese (Native)
English (Fluent)
Putonghua (Fluent)
Japanese (Beginner)
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