英语学习“七宗罪”

这篇英文原创使用了“每日一词”计划中的全部 30 个单词。这些单词为加粗词，点击即可跳转至相应的推文页面。为了确保用上全部单词，一些地方的可读性和简洁性会受到一定影响。

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Seven Deadly Sins in English Learning

The importance of English varies. All would agree that English counts at school; some say fluency of English rewards you with an edge in the workplace; others would even go as far as to assert that English is a passport to success in life--and hence all the fuss, relentlessness, agony and charlatanry. Yet Chinese students consistently perform below average in TOEFL and IELTS, whose signature is a fully comprehensive assessment of language skills. Their embarrassing and even humiliating scores say much about the collective fiasco of English education and learning in China. 

In the Bible of English Learning, to be published in my head, are Seven Deadly Sins: lack of motivation, apathy, pride, greed, sloth, false starts, and willfulness. English learners everywhere are characterized by these sins, but they seem more acute in China. Hope an examination of them will help address the mystifyingly troubling question: why, for many Chinese students, English learning has been an agonized experience. 

1) Lack of motivation 

Motivation matters the most. In Harmony of Babel, a collection of profiles of famous European polyglots written by a Hungarian polyglot named Kató Lomb, when asked what the number one factor is in successful language learning, most super-polyglot cited motivation as the key: 

The second question was, What gifts do you consider decisive for successful language learning? ... More important than linguistic skills was motivation; 91% asserted that there is no effective language learning without motivation. Some ranked it most important, others as second-most important. No one called it unimportant. 

Another question asked about the personal motivation of each respondent. For 53%, the motivation was being interested in people; for 51%, social ambitions were motivators. Relatively few people referred to work requirements, and only 33% mentioned an attraction to linguistics.

Surely it does not have to be a higher purpose, but it has to be crystal clear. It could be upping your chances of mating; getting paid 50% more than your peers; being able to effortlessly understand Youtube videos and podcasts, or read books that have not been (or never will be) translated into Chinese or financial statements published by 500 Fortune companies. Whatever it is, you have to be able to relate to the motivation. It has to be clear, personal, and strong. 

2) Apathy

An interlinked sin is apathy. Without the right motivation, it is hard for keen interest to take root. Language learning is an integrated experience. The skills—listening, reading, speaking, writing and translation—require learners to be immersed in the language. Practice helps, but by no means suffices. 

The most effective English learners also play with the language. They imagine likely scenarios in which a certain word, phrase, or sentence structure would fit neatly. Further, they take learning to the next level: they are fascinated by the evolution of a particular word, how loanwords joined their Anglo-Saxon cousins, how rhythms work, how some words can express ideas in a way that Chinese words cannot, how short sentences are sometimes better than longer ones, etc. 

Curiosity opens up a novel linguistic world. Without curiosity, learning is mechanical, slow, painful, and demoralizing. It may sound cloying or extreme, but consider English a lover and try discovering between you and her/him some chemistry. 

3) Pride

A bizarre sense of pride, attributable to an overabundance of resources, clouds many English learners. Lack of resources is certainly not a matter of concern for most people. On the contrary, resources abound—books, apps, Wechat public accounts, Ximalaya FM podcasts, to name just a few. The availability has never been so omnipresent and accessibility never so ready.

Paradoxically, however, a glut of learning materials can be a massive problem. Precisely because we are constantly showered with a torrent of resources we create and perpetuate the illusion that owning them amounts to mastery of English. The more we possess, the greater pride we feel. Sooner or later we will wake up to the reality that foolish pride does not last. So don't be swayed by the illusion.

4) Greed 

We are equally troubled by the myth that there is such a thing as the best English learning method, and unless we find it, we cannot set out. Unsurprisingly, it has long been the norm for English learners to ferret about for the shortcut. 

This is foolish as much as greedy. As there is a vast number of doctrines, the ability to discriminate sensible ones from nonsensical ones is critical. Yet without enough exposure to English, discrimination is impossible. So just be practical and patient. Keep calm and practice. The ideal method will elbow its way into your attention and evolve. 

5) Sloth

Every sin above-mentioned or a combination of them can affect sloth. Like all the other skills, proficiency of English requires practice and perseverance. Learning is often lonely. To reach a noticeably higher level takes time. It is true that once you get the hang of a language, learning becomes more manageable and enjoyable, and you can derive a great sense of achievement. But throughout different phases (beginner, lower intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate, advanced, near-native, native) challenges of all kinds emerge. Bottlenecks can be hopelessly intimidating, especially when there is no timely feedback, proper guidance, or genuine encouragement. In moments of despair, diligence, discipline, and determination are essential for anyone to pull through. 

6) False starts

Another sin that merits our attention too is false starts. Most students are first exposed to English at school. A decade or two ago many English teachers were ill-qualified themselves. Few of them majored in English. To make matters worse, China had a tradition of following the USSR's language pedagogies which give disproportionately greater weight to grammar and vocabulary, completely disregarding the very purpose of language—communication. Students adopt the misguided notion early on that listening, speaking, and writing are not as important as grammar, reading, and vocabulary. It is unsurprising that their communicative skills lag far behind their input skills. 

On the reverse side, students in Scandinavian countries are introduced to English at a young age through cartoons, movies, and pop culture. This is in part because Nordic countries are small and have a strong incentive to build international relationships, and English—the lingua franca—is promoted on economic grounds. According to a German acquaintance residing in Stockholm, for example, virtually all the English-language movies in Swedish movie theaters are shown with English subtitles and are rarely dubbed (the opposite is true in Germany) presumably because with a population of less than 10 million, the market is not big enough to justify the costs of dubbing. Whether the reason is sound or not, the fact that original English-language movies are favored in Sweden provides Swedes with an excellent opportunity of language exposure. 

7)  Willfulness 

One last sin remains. As I have already devoted a post to willfulness, I will only share the link to the article.

Rated the most widely learned second language globally, English has shaped much of globalization. On a personal level, I have committed the past 18 years to English learning. In return, it has paid handsome dividends. It enables me to travel freely and intellectually in the world, reading original books, speed-watching English videos (at the speed of 1.25x to 2x), understanding NPR and The New York Times podcasts first-hand without worrying about the unreliable indirect help of translation. It even contributes to the formation of my world views and values and a distinctive persona.

However, I was not untroubled by the burden of these Seven Deadly Sins. The past years have seen my bittersweet experience with English. Fortunately, I met responsible and excellent English teachers throughout my learning process. They walked me through the linguistic jungles, warned me of the pitfalls, encouraged me, and had faith in me. I am forever indebted to them, living and dead. 

I hope this article turns out to be a good fit for you, and hope you have enjoyed this article and had the chance to contemplate the Seven Deadly Sins. I have no doubt that with motivation, determination, curiosity, and hard work, your English will eventually flourish. 

附“每日一词”计划 30 词：

vary, count, remain, abound, help, last, trouble, merit, suffice, say, see, relate, edge, signature, perform, justify, amount, favor, chemistry, flourish, shape, ground, address, cloud, rate, norm, characterize, passport, sway, fit. 

这篇足足写了十几个小时。喜欢的话欢迎分享给正在英语苦海中挣扎的朋友。

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题图：下雨乐队。

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