Looking for a faster way to learn a language? Try historical linguistics

Language-learning websites, podcasts, and apps have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, promising to make us more proficient in less time.

Yet, a recent study by UBC English professor Dr. James Stratton suggests that, at least when learning a historically linked language, learning a little bit of language history may be one of the greatest strategies to accelerate your language learning.

In his study, pupils who learned about the origins of words and how sounds have changed through time did noticeably better than those who spent a comparable amount of time studying a language using conventional methods. The pupils who had received historical instruction were also able to accurately guess the meaning of cognates, which are foreign terms with a common root.

In my opinion, the results are fairly revolutionary because no one has ever empirically tested this before, at least not to the amount that I have and on the languages I looked at, Dr. Stratton stated. They hadn't encountered previously, and it demonstrates how historical linguistics knowledge can have a useful use in society.

Also visit Essay Typer

What did you learn from this study, and how did you undertake it?

German from the third semester was used in two portions. Regarding historical changes that affected English-German cognates, one segment got instruction. The other portion spent time studying vocabulary using the conventional teaching strategies currently employed in second language classrooms, where the focus is more on communication than on a clear comprehension of fundamental principles. The same instructor led both sections of instruction. The type of education provided to the two groups was the only meaningful distinction.

There were two key conclusions. Secondly, I discovered that learners were better able to recall the meaning of cognates when they were familiar with linguistic history. Second, and perhaps most significantly, I discovered that students who were taught about the different historical changes were better able to anticipate the meaning of cognates they had never come across before.

 

Why are these results significant?

For language students and teachers, these findings are crucial. They imply that you may essentially offer learners access to the meaning of hundreds of words without even expecting them to memorise their meaning by knowing just a few basic sound modifications. By focusing only on the connections between the languages you currently know, like English, it's a really effective approach to expand your vocabulary.

Could you give an example of how historical linguistics might make it easier for you to determine the meaning of new words?

In contrast to German, there were sound modifications that happened in English. For instance, the 'k' sound in English changed to a 'ch' sound before the vowels 'e' and I This difference in sound explains why words like Kirche and Käse sound different in German and English, respectively. If you are aware of this rule, you can anticipate the meaning of unfamiliar terms. Now, if I ask you to guess what the German word Kinn means in English, maybe you can figure it out. The letter "k" became the letter "ch," making Kinn equal to chin. It is the word "chin" in English.

Why do you think that knowing how words have changed over time is beneficial for language learning?

According to research, it is simpler to recall a word or thing the more knowledge you have about it. Consider splitting the class into two groups, like I did in my study. I instruct one group of pupils to study the German phrase sterben, which means "to die," as well as another 60 or so words. In the other group, I explain to the students that sterben is connected to the English word "starve," which in Old English originally meant "to die," but over time its meaning was linguistically reduced to refer to a certain kind of death, namely death by hunger (thus, today's "starve").

The word's original meaning was "to die," and it still has that meaning in German, but its meaning has been condensed in English. Which group do you believe will be better able to recall the word? As one might anticipate, students who were given the historical context retained the word's meaning more clearly and for longer periods of time as well. And the reason why is that people can relate to a story, a historical narrative.