Thinking in A Foreign Language
Pic courtesy of Adam Jones, Phd
The book 1984 was written by George Orwell back in the 1920s 1940s (thanks to our commenter Santa for picking that huge mistake up). While it is mainly a book about Orwell’s vision of the future, it also offers those who study language an important lesson. The main character, Winston, must understand why two plus two is five. His teacher explains that it is simple, because the party said it was. Four is simply a label, and if the party changes the label, then two plus two is five.
While the U.S. has not been overtaken by the oppressive government Orwell foresaw, he did teach his readers that words are simply labels. What I, as a native English speaker think of as my head, my Swiss-German exchange student thinks of as my Kopf. My Kopf doesn’t change function or shape, just because I call it a head. Words are simply labels we put on the world around us. A foreign language, like German in my case, is simply another set of labels.
So it makes sense, when learning a foreign language, to start thinking with the new set of labels as soon as possible. This isn’t a concept I came up with all by myself, major language learning companies teach it in their courses. Instead of vocabulary lists, with words in the native language on one side, and the foreign language on the other. They use pictures, pictograms, and symbols to demonstrate a words meaning. They simply change the label.
Like when you were little, and learning how to read and write in your native language, the mind starts to relearn labels. The mind starts associating the word Kopf with the same objects as head. Slowly, as the vocabulary grows, or perhaps simply as it becomes easier, thought in a foreign language occurs. It’s nothing that can be forced, but slowly my Kopf is no longer translated to head. The word Kopf is seen and without translation, it is understood. As simply as if the word head had been said, Kopf is thought and said.
This is not a process that can be rushed, or forced. Your mind will think in the foreign language, when it feels ready. All that you can do (at least consciously) is let it happen. It’s a strange feeling, but when it becomes natural, a certain sense of pride washes over you.
A strange thing starts to happen, as foreign language skills begin to improve. Native language skills start to disintegrate. This is especially a problem, when exposed to a foreign language for a long period of time. Sometimes this is in the form of simply thinking and saying Kopf instead of head, in the middle of an English conversation. Sometimes it’s in the form of an English sentence, with German grammar structure. Sometimes, it’s simply speaking in one language, when you meant to use the other.
Learning a foreign language is a process, that is sped up only by spending time surrounded by that language. Perhaps it will only take a week, to begin thinking and functioning in English, perhaps it will take a little longer. Getting to this point in your language skills, is part of the experience of living abroad, and is a skill that will make life abroad much easier.
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what does this word”kopf”mean?
1.Active class atmosphere
2.vocabulary and listening skils I need to improve soon
3.native culture
culture mix
1. language is simply set of labels
2.learning language better by listening more
3.learning a language takes time
You make a good point by using the word label. In order to fully assimilate ourselves into a language we do have to in a way let go of our traditional thinking. It must take a lot of time to get to the point where you think in a foreign language, but I wonder if you ever dream in your second language?
CXY, you're a fucking idiot, or a troll.
Anyways, good article. This is one thing I'm struggling with at the moment. I'm currently learning Greek and living in Greece, and the whole 'labels' idea is a good one, and a concept you only appreciate fully when you're surrounded by a language.
Language is an abstract reality — to learn a new one is enter into another world.
1. Language does *not* consist of a set of labels. Not even nouns are labels — not do they map one-to-one from say German onto English. Try translating Goethe's opening line — Roeslein, Roeslein rot, Roeslein auf der Heiden — it won't come out as poetry.
2. Of course, abstract nouns fare even worse — what does 'Geist' mean? Depending on context: spirit, mind . . .
3. What makes language exciting is that each one divides up the world into sometimes overlapping categories or concepts but there are different "seams" and "patches" to every quilt — you can say things in German which cannot be said in English.
4. Agreed, being there among native language users is absolutely the best. That's because any language (even our own) has to learned in context of its everyday application. Here's what we say when we do X, when we want to express Y, when we want to express ourselves with irony, what we avoid saying unless we really mean to offend someone . . . .
Nuance is everything . . . the anti_supernaturalist
I really like your post, as a native german speaker I was quite astonished when for the first time there was an idea ("label" as you call it) I could have instantly explained using english but not in german. The step from translating to "being in" the language is indeed quite astonishing.
My name is Yassir from Jordan, and i would like to learn the english language from the native speaker, if u grant me thais chance to reach my dream. thanks
I totally agree with anti_supernaturalist.
Labels are a bit limited as a concept when you consider the different grammatical styles of different languages as well. How to you change your thinking to noun, adjective to adjective, noun: example gold fish (English) poisson rouge (French). Even that example is made more complex as the French see it as a Red Fish (lit. Fish Red).
1984 was written 1948 not in the 1920s..
Oh wow Santa, I have NO IDEA how our editor missed that. Changed….
I think labels are a really good idea, I have just finished a 16 weeks course at night school learning French and I have to admit that it went over my head a little when we were listening to a tape recording of someone speaking quite fast. For beginners like myself labels could really make a difference.
- Steven
Knowing a different language is great because you are able to communicate with different people from different parts of the world. Words from different languages have a different meaning when you relay them back into the language you want to speak.
Awesome post! That's a really cool way to think about learning a knew language. I really want to learn German. I took a semester of it, but couldn't keep it up. What does 'kopf' mean?
stop being such idiots and translate word kopf yourselves instead of asking in comments, that would take less time
IT MEANS HEAD, even if you don't know that word it's clear from the context unless you are really stupid
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