4 Pillars of Learning English

In the last two articles of Learning English series, we understood the myths about learning English and prepared the ground to learn it. Now the wait is over. We are entering the mainstream learning experience like never before. Let us understand the 'four pillars of learning' not only for English but any other language. 

Any language in the world is all about shapes and sounds. The shapes are identified as alphabets and the sounds are heard as words. When you hear a new word you are actually listening to a new sound. That's it no big deal.    

The four pillars of learning English are
listening, reading, speaking and writing. The four pillars are the four fundamentals on which the whole learning is based upon. The first two are the inputs to the mind and the last two are the outputs of the learner. Each one has its own importance and contribution to the language. Our outputs are directly depended on the amount of inputs we take. So the more your inputs, the more your outputs. That's as simple as that. Now let's understand the concepts in detail


The Inputs:

1. Listening: How did we learn our mother tongue? Of course, by listening. We heard our family speaking it, hence we got it naturally without much effort. Did anyone taught us grammar before entering the primary school? No, we got it unknowingly because we kept listening to the people around us and gradually speaking our mother tongue became a cake walk for us.
The same is true for any new language. Just keep on listening to English. When you listen intently for long, you no need to understand the grammar of a language. It comes as a flow. When you speak wrong, it doesn't sound harmonious to your ear and you will understand it easily if you become a great listener. In short, if you practice this art of listening completely, you no need to read the rest of this article. English is yours, forever. Here are some pointers to cultivate this habit of listening  

• Be surrounded by the people who speak good English.
• Watch TV or Listen to radio at least 42 minutes per day (21 minutes in the morning and 21 min in the evening). The more the better. Prefer CNN, BBC, CNBC and NDTV
• Watch a movie a day in HBO or Star Movies. Follow the English subtitles.
  
• Read an article aloud and listen to your own voice everyday
  

2. Reading: Reading refines our language. It helps us gain new understanding. It introduces us to new words and phrases. Whenever you are reading you are expanding your language.

• Read diverse material like a newspaper, a business magazine, a book, a blog etc
• Prefer 'Times of India' news paper in the beginning and gradually shift to 'The Hindu'
• Try to read small articles and slowly graduate to the bigger ones and editorials
  
• When you find a new word capture it and use it (more on this in the upcoming articles) 
  

The Outputs:

3. Speaking: As I said earlier remember that all your outputs depend on your inputs. Once you are done with enough inputs for one month, slowly begin mastering the outputs. The more you speak the more confidence you gain. Speaking doesn't mean a public speech, it includes conversations and discussions with friends and associates too.   

• Speak at every given opportunity
• If you don't have the opportunity to speak, create one
• Converse with a learner like you daily 
• Reward yourself for speaking in English daily 
• Focus on speaking not on mistakes
• Discuss your doubts with a good speaker or a faculty
  

4. Writing: Writing is the ultimate of all your efforts in learning a language. It is the destination and a proof that you have got a firm grip on the language. All the above three rivers (listening, reading and speaking) end up in the sea of writing. I have seen many co-workers who have great command in speaking great English but failed in writing even a simple email. Writing is an art unto itself.

• Write an article/essay a day
• Correct your mistakes in the article with a faculty or a friend who has command in the language
• Write about the topics you like
• Check your own articles and try to reduce the number of mistakes

That's all about the fundamental pillars of learning a language. So be honest to yourself and implement them as soon as possible.
In the upcoming article I will share incredible insights and innovative strategies in learning English. I promise, you will be surprised to know how fun it is to learn English. In brief, you will never think of English the same way again.

Until then keep speaking in English, join you in the comments -ajaY vegeSna