How to immerse yourself in the language environment. The method of immersion in a language environment, or why I spoke Italian in Italy and did not speak German in Germany

Many have heard that the best way to learn a language is by immersion method . However, not everyone actually knows what immersion is.

Term (immersion) appeared in the 60s of the last century in Canada. Everyone knows that Canada has two official languages - English and French. But few people know that Canadians are not bilingual at all. Most of them speak only one of the official languages, while the second one is only taught at school and their knowledge of English is similar to that of our schoolchildren—almost nothing. In the 60s, it was decided that something had to be done about this, since the school curriculum could not teach a second language at a sufficient level. This is where the idea of immersion arose: children from English-speaking families began to be accepted into French schools, where, after a little preparation, they began to study all subjects in French. The experiment turned out to be quite successful and began to be adopted with different variations in other countries.

What do they sell you on courses under the guise of immersion?

Often I see courses advertising their programs as an immersion method. This is understandable, because everyone has heard what results it gives. In fact, under the guise of immersion, it is often served... conducting classes in English. Yes, this is great and very impressive to those who remember how we were taught at school. But I’ll tell you a secret: now in any normal courses, teaching is conducted in English, and Russian is used only if necessary. With two to three classes a week, this is not immersion at all. In this case, it is issued for direct(i.e. untranslatable) method.

Intensives from several days to a week, where those interested are gathered to communicate exclusively in English - this is also not immersion. Firstly, a couple of days for diving is clearly not enough. Secondly, in order to more or less communicate, you must already speak the language at a certain level, and Elementary-Advanced students are often invited to such events, that is, they sign up regardless of level - from beginners to advanced. Essentially, what is called immersion in this case is communication training. That is, training in speaking skills. And in order to train any skills, you first need to have them. This kind of event will be effective if you already have a certain level of knowledge, but you need what is called “talk.”

We can talk about the real immersion method when it is a private kindergarten or school, where everything is conducted exclusively in English. When a child receives information in a language almost every day and within a few hours, this is a real immersion method. Yes, this is quite an expensive pleasure, but the result is worth it. In other cases, you are given other methods for diving, which are not bad and bring their own results, but are absolutely incomparable with the effectiveness of diving.

Is it possible to organize a dive yourself and how does it work?

Let me give you one striking example: the majority of the population of Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands speaks excellent English. * . And it’s not as if they had more hours of English at school or used any special teaching methods. It’s just that films and programs on TV channels in these countries are broadcast without dubbing, and translation is only available in the form of subtitles. As a result, in conversation, if necessary, they easily switch from their native language to English, and books often read in the original.

*Countries where English is spoken best as a foreign language. Russia, by the way, is also there - 39th place, between Mexico and Ecuador.

Foreign methodologists have long identified a pattern: ToO amount of information we receive in language (in the English language there is a special term for this - exposure ) significantly affects the speed and quality of its study.

After all, if you think about it, by the age of 5-6 years, most children speak their native language perfectly. And although no one specifically explained the rules to them, they nevertheless speak almost perfectly from the point of view of grammar. Children master language by hearing every word, phrase, and sentence repeatedly and in different situations. This is how we remember words and the contexts in which they are used. The brain analyzes the information received and develops patterns based on it, i.e. the same grammatical rules that we then learn in school during lessons. But we begin to speak long before we learn the very concept of “grammatical rule.” This all happens thanks to exposure . Adults (for example, immigrants) also learn a foreign language faster by living in a language environment, compared to those who only study the language twice a week in courses or with a tutor.

! Imitating immersion in a language significantly speeds up its learning, but does not replace . If you have already left preschool age, then you will no longer be able to completely master a foreign language as your native language, simply by coming into contact with it. That is, you cannot refuse the textbook and conscious study of grammar and vocabulary, but you can supplement the textbook as much as possible to improve the results many times over.

I hope you found this article helpful. If something is missing or you disagree with something, please write in the comments.Good luck in learning English!

I have always believed in the immersion method: since childhood, I have heard stories about how someone came somewhere, was silent for a while, and then started speaking in the local dialect as if it were their own. Having suffered endless failures in English at school, I always dreamed of trying out a wonderful method of immersion that does not require effort from a person. Fate gave me two chances.

How I spoke Italian in Italy

The first experience was very positive. About seven years ago I found myself in a small southern town in Italy, where I immediately had the opportunity to see that what I had heard in childhood was not a fairy tale. My first acquaintance was realtor Katya (name changed), Ukrainian by origin; she helped me choose an apartment. Katya spoke fluently and without any embarrassment to the locals in Italian. Sometimes it seemed to me that she spoke almost better than them (all because she talked faster and louder).

My surprise and delight knew no bounds when I found out How Katya learned to speak. She came to Italy several years ago - she ran away from France from her husband with one suitcase and her daughter. She didn't know the language. The situation was urgent - it was urgent to earn money for a living and arrange a life, there was no talk of any language courses. Therefore, Katya learned Italian by ear as she went along, memorizing entire phrases heard in different contexts. She once admitted that she had no idea what the particle ci meant (I must say that this important particle has about six different functions!), but this did not stop her from using ci in speech: she simply inserted it where it was done others (let me remind you that Katya memorized not individual words, but entire phrases).

After a short time, Katya could not only communicate without problems in shops and transport, but also work as a realtor in an Italian agency - she selected apartments on the coast for Russian clients, like me. Since there were few Russian-speaking realtors in the city, and there were many Russian-speaking clients wanting to buy housing by the sea, Katya’s business took off very quickly.

I was delighted. By that time, I had already attended Italian courses in Moscow for a couple of months, knew about three of the six functions of the particle ci, could conjugate verbs, inflect nouns and much more, but, unfortunately, I could say almost nothing. Except Ciao and Grazie. The simplest questions from Italians baffled me. I dreamed of immersing myself in the environment, even dissolving in it. And this really happened.

Stressful situations especially helped to progress. For example, when you need to go to the local housing office and find out the origin of bills for hundreds of euros (the larger the bill amount, the better new words are remembered and the faster the phrases needed for dialogue in the housing office are constructed). Or when the water is turned off and you can only seek help from a smiling neighbor. Well, or when you proudly order LaTe at a bar (all the regulars of Moscow coffee shops know this Italian word very well), and instead of coffee with milk they bring you just milk without a hint of coffee. Such situations happen every day and are very motivating to look into the dictionary and formulate the necessary phrases in advance in your head or on a piece of paper.

Gradually, the fear of not understanding something began to let me go. At first I caught myself knowing what they were talking about at the next table. It happened by itself, I didn’t even really listen to the words. Then I began to feel calmer during personal conversations. If they asked me again, then instead of the horror and shame that I had experienced before, I began to feel annoyed: I was sure that the problem was not that I I said it badly, but the fact is that companion misunderstood me. And I calmly repeated the thought in other words.

I think the emergence of such audacity is a turning point in mastering foreign speech. A little later, I was able to make and answer calls (understanding the person you are talking to on the phone, especially if it is a stranger, is much more difficult). And finally, I felt like I could say everything. Let it be in simple words, but absolutely everything I want. It was a miracle.

The further I went, the more I fell in love with the Italian language. Conversational speech was not enough for me. A couple of times I took part in literary translation competitions (from Italian to Russian), and once I even took third place. Every morning I read the latest newspapers in the bar. I bought periodicals and didn’t even disdain “yellow” publications. I read fiction (for which I still “didn’t have enough time” in Russian). I watched videos with recipes and other nonsense on YouTube. I listened to the songs of the legendary Andriano, and then found their printed texts in order to better understand and remember. I really loved a series of BBC programs released back in the 1990s: each episode was dedicated to one region of Italy, an accordion played in the background, and the presenter had charming curls. Perhaps the only thing I didn’t do was watch TV. It’s just that I (my compatriots will probably understand me) are allergic to this channel of information transmission. In short, I no longer knew how I could immerse myself even deeper into the environment, until I discovered that there was a university not far from me (Universitá della Calabria).

The plan matured for about a year. First, I studied the site, then went to look around, consulted about the admission procedure, tuition fees and scholarships. Without going into details, I will say that in 2015 (at 35 years old) I became a student again. At the university, I didn’t ask for any concessions, I took exams on the same basis as everyone else. When people asked me where I was from, I answered that I lived in Calabria. I wanted to disappear among the local population. The goal was not education or a diploma at all, but the opportunity to be inside society, understand what it breathes, and, of course, improve your language abilities. I was even ready to be expelled - at least not for long, but I wanted to be the most ordinary, albeit a little dull, but Italian student.

My first years in Italy were painted exclusively in positive tones, despite the troubles and losses that, of course, happened. The Italian language has become almost native to me (in the sense: beloved, understandable, close). And yes, I think about it. When it comes to my Italian affairs and Italian acquaintances, I think straight away in Italian, it’s much easier than thinking in Russian and then translating.

The immersion method justified itself one hundred percent. I could have put an end to this if, inspired by the first experience, I had not decided to immerse myself again - this time in the German language environment. At university I took a German course. This language was not foreign to me - I studied it at school (it came second after English, which I hated, and I remember that I really liked it). When the opportunity presented itself to go on an exchange program to Germany for one semester, I happily agreed.

How I didn't speak German in Germany

I was looking forward to this trip and prepared in advance: when I came to Moscow for the summer holidays, I attended intensive courses at the Goethe Institute. I read novels that my best friend, a linguist by training, provided me with. I subscribed to German-language channels on YouTube and read the Deutsche Welle news site. In a word, I began to dive in with enthusiasm.

In October 2017, I found myself in the provincial German city of Schwäbisch Gmünd (Baden-Württemberg), where the Higher School of Education is located. And somehow everything didn’t work out right away. The much-desired immersion began to turn into agony. I didn't like everything. It seemed that I was doing the same thing as before: buying periodicals, reading books, listening to lectures (I still didn’t watch TV). I even signed up for the gym (this is perhaps the fondest memory of life in Germany).

It is difficult to explain why, but my being resisted immersion in this linguistic environment. At the store checkout, I couldn’t help but say Grazie or “thank you” instead of Danke. When locals approached me, I felt something like irritation. I remember in Italy, in similar situations, I felt delight at the opportunity to chat, mixed with horror of not understanding something. In Germany, I just wanted to be left behind, since I was not able to speak Italian, Russian or, in extreme cases, English.

The only ones with whom I felt like exchanging a few words were students from Italy and Russian-speaking guys from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. I counted the days until I returned to Italy or Russia. In short, the second experience of immersion in a language environment with the goal of mastering a foreign language ended in failure.

Why doesn't the immersion method always work?

In addition to my particular case, there are many other examples. For example, migrants often live in Europe in their own closed groups, communicate only with each other in their native language and extremely rarely have contact with the local population. We can also recall expats who have been working in Russia for years, some even have Russian wives, but continue to make do with universal English, and in Russian they can only say “hello” and “your health!” As a teacher of the Russian language, I have encountered such people.

Of course, the immersion method is theoretically very effective. However, in practice there is one important condition that either turns it into a magic wand or makes it completely useless. I'm talking about personal motive person to dissolve in the environment. When it is absent or it is far-fetched, immersion turns into sheer stress. In my experience, I can identify three factors that make language immersion more or less effective.

Strong communication interest.Remember, at the beginning of the post I told you how I didn’t want to pay extra money for an apartment in Italy and wanted coffee with milk at the bar? In Italy it was vitally important for me to understand and be understood. In Germany, it was more of a game - in everyday life, living among other foreign students, I could do without German, in fact, I only needed it during lectures. As a result, I understand speech quite well, but I still haven’t learned to speak.
Desire to changeimagelife. In Italy, I wanted to live “like them”: start the morning at a bar with a cappuccino or spremuta dachancia (that’s the name of freshly squeezed orange juice), walk along the beach, bargain at the market, shout to everyone I knew on the street. Sometimes I deliberately eavesdropped on the intonations of passers-by and then repeated them. I wanted to say Also. But Germany could not charm me. The German way of life did not suit my taste. All this precision, neatness, formalism caused rejection. I caught myself not wanting to live “like them,” I tried my best to maintain my usual way of life: I started my mornings with cappuccino, and not with buns, like all self-respecting Germans. (By the way, finding even the semblance of an Italian bar was not at all easy and the coffee, of course, was not the same either.) At home I cooked pasta, talked mainly with Italians and Russians, etc. I was like those migrants who don’t want to stick their nose out into the street, where everything seems alien. I wanted to isolate myself, but not to dissolve in this environment.
Grammar level. This is not my discovery - I read about it in a book by a Hungarian polyglot. She said that trips abroad bring maximum benefit to those who have already learned grammar at an elementary level (at least with a C grade). If you are a complete zero in the language or if, on the contrary, you speak very confidently, then immersion in the language environment will provide minimal progress. Remember realtor Katya? She learned the language from scratch only by ear, without ever opening a grammar book. She seemed to speak brilliantly. I never noticed her making mistakes. However, our mutual Italian friends opened my eyes: Katya often conjugates verbs incorrectly, uses a minimal number of simple tenses and..... practically cannot write. I had never thought about writing before. However, this is important - you can master spoken language quite well by listening, but things won’t progress on their own. A person who has mastered a language in this way can hardly be called literate in the full sense of the word (as we know, there are four basic language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing).

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN Branch of JSC "NTsPK "ORLEU" in Pavlodar region"

“Language immersion as an effective language teaching technology”

Completed by course participants

Arlyapova E.Yu. Pavlodar State Municipal Committee for Commissariat No. 126

Filipenko T.I. Pavlodar T.I. GKKP i/s No. 19

Kryukova V.L. Pavlodar State Committee for Public Utilities, s/c No. 104

Makhankova N.V. Ekibastuz city GCCP sub-station No. 4

Vakilova R. S. Ekibastuz State Municipal Committee for Commissariat No. 4

Lishitskaya K. A. Ekibastuz State Committee for Public Utilities, station No. 10

Iskakova A.K. GCKP Krasnoarmeisky I/s

RELEVANCE:

The diversity of the world, languages, and cultures currently determines the philosophy of intercultural interaction. At the same time, linguistic diversity is considered as one of the most valuable elements of cultural heritage. Knowledge of languages is one of the basic skills, the proficiency of which should become the rule for every Kazakhstani. Language learning needs to be supported in early childhood. Thus, preschool educational organizations are faced with new tasks, one of which is the early acquisition of two or more languages.

Problem: In the updated educational system, methodological techniques for teaching children languages require rethinking, with the goal of raising a multilingual personality capable of communicating with others in their language

Object of study: Language immersion technology

Subject of research: pedagogical conditions for the formation of a language development environment at the initial stage of language learning.

Hypothesis: If you constantly motivate and encourage a child to be in a language environment, immersing the child in a speech atmosphere, this will lead to increased speech activity and effective development of not only his native language, but also other languages.

Target: practical development of a model of the language environment in educational institutions. Tasks: 1. Study scientific and pedagogical literature on the topic. 2. Systematize technologies for the speech development of preschool children that contribute to the development of their native and other languages. 3. Develop a model of a subject-development environment for language immersion of preschool children.

Target group : Teachers before Parents Children Implementation period: 1 year

EXPECTED RESULTS OF CREATION OF A LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENT IN A PRESIDENTIAL INDUSTRY: 1.Development of children’s communicative functions, including the ability to communicate. Development of speech abilities (phonemic hearing, sense of language, ability to imitate, etc.), development of mental functions (speech thinking, including). 2. Development of the speech apparatus (mastery of sounds that are not in the native language system contributes to the development and preservation of the flexibility of the speech apparatus of children) and the development of speech of preschool children in general. 3. Development of thinking, since in the process of learning a language, children voluntarily or involuntarily analyze and compare it with their native language, that is, they continuously carry out the thought process. 4. Enrichment of vocabulary: expansion of vocabulary through the assimilation of foreign language vocabulary, as well as linguistic and cultural material. 5. Development of such mental processes as attention, memory, involved in learning languages.

Organized educational activities
Multilingual component
Theatrical activities
Play activity
Regime moments
Working with parents
Working with teachers

The problems of bilingualism within the framework of activity theory were studied by A.A. Leontyev, A.A. Zalevskaya, I.A. Winter L.S. Vygotsky wrote back in 1928: “The question of multilingualism in childhood is now being put forward as one of the most complex and confusing issues of modern psychology, on the one hand, and on the other, as a problem of exceptional theoretical and practical importance. The latter hardly needs explanation."

The KRAT experiment is currently being conducted in Kazakhstan (Kazakh-Russian-English trilingual) Multilingual education is becoming the norm in our society. Today, the teacher is faced with the task of forming a multicultural personality. Knowledge of the native and state languages and the study of a foreign language broaden a person’s horizons, contribute to his multifaceted development, and contribute to the formation of an attitude towards tolerance and a three-dimensional vision of the world. Knowledge of foreign languages is a necessity in the modern world.

Technologies in language immersion

health-saving

Design

triz

activities

personality-oriented

gaming

information-

communication

Age periodization

Younger age

Older age

Multilingualism

Biligism

Russian

language

Kazakh

language

Russian

Kazakh

language

English

language

Stages of language immersion work Analysis of language knowledge. Drawing up a work plan. Organization of PRS Using various technologies for language implementation Re-analysis of language knowledge. Drawing up a plan for individual work. Development of consultations for teachers and parents

Work on the second stage

With children

With teachers

multilingual component - didactic games
event “Today we speak only Kazakh or English”
theatrical performances
Kazakh, Russian or English national games - regime moments in different languages.
finger gymnastics
physical minutes
identifying the level of development of language knowledge
“Tell mom and dad new words,” “What words did you learn at home?”

With parents

-consultations “Language immersion”, “How language immersion occurs in my group”

— For teachers of the Kazakh and English languages: development of leaflets for the corner “We study languages” — creation of PRS — development of mnemonic tables on lexical topics — creation of theaters — master classes — production of handouts about language immersion (brochures, leaflets) — development of a language plan implementation - the campaign “I also want to learn Kazakh and English”

assistance in creating the PRS (actions “My Native Land”, “Corner of the Kazakh and English Languages”) - consultations for parents - master classes - parent meetings - conversations. For example: “Let’s help children learn languages” or “How can I help my child during language immersion”, “Share your experience during language immersion” - competition “We know words in different languages” - participation in theatrical productions - creation of books – kids “My first books in Kazakh, Russian and English”

5 reasons why children should learn languages in kindergarten. 1. Learning a foreign language contributes to the development of memory, thinking, imagination and all mental processes. Memorizing words and phrases, the child creates visual images in his head, preparing for educational activity 2. When faced with a foreign language at school, many children reject it as something alien and incomprehensible. If you start getting acquainted in kindergarten, then while studying at school a language barrier will not appear, and your knowledge will be much better based on the existing base. 3. In preschool age, the speech apparatus is still developing. Children pronounce some sounds from their native language incorrectly. Everything comes with time. While learning other languages, children develop their speech apparatus, paying attention to the position of the tongue, the movement of the lips and the entire jaw. This is a kind of speech therapy gymnastics that develops the apparatus. 4. Don’t forget about having fun. After all, in class children play, learn to listen, cooperate, and work in a team. This is an important part of preparing for school and life. 5.Children learn a foreign language through imitation. That is why in preschool age pronunciation is established with virtually no accent. During school years, achieving this result takes much longer.

Regulatory framework language policy in preschool educational institutions

Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Law on Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Law “On Languages”
State education standard
Model program
Convention on the Rights of the Child

The success of language technology depends on a correctly set goal, a drawn up work plan, and a system for using various technologies. And one of the main rules should be MOTIVATION (interesting, accessible, rich, memorable).

LIST OF USED LITERATURE AND INTERNET RESOURCES:

· Kolker Y.M., Ustinova E.S., Enalieva T.M. – Practical methods of teaching a foreign language, M: Publishing Center “Academy”, 2001

· Malkina N.A. Foreign language development environment and its characteristics. //Early teaching of English: theory and practice. Collection of scientific and methodological articles. SPb.: “Childhood-PRESS”, 2004, p. 22-32.

· Malkina N.A. Communicative difficulties in English classes and ways to overcome them - Ibid., p. 49-63.

· Yakushina L.Z. The connection between the lesson and extracurricular work in a foreign language, M: “Higher School”, 1990

· Materials from Internet sites:

http :// www . Englishclub . narid . ru

http :// www . websib . ru / noos / english /

http :// www . teach — learn . people . ru

Hello to all English learners! How are you doing? Are you satisfied with your progress in English, or do you want to somehow speed up the process of learning the language? I'm sure you want to. By the way, how often do you exercise? Two or three times a week? 45 minutes each? By the hour? Two? Very good! Regular lessons are the basis on which we need to rely, because no one can guide and correct speech and writing as well as a favorite teacher.

But now the lesson is over, we return to our office, home, to our friends. How do we spend this time? If we subtract the time for sleep, then we are left with 7 × 16 = 112 hours a week, during which we communicate, read, watch TV shows, listen to the radio in our native language. And now simple math: 2-3 hours of lessons (on average) + 2 hours (I’m an optimist) for homework out of 112 hours of wakefulness. That is, 3-5 hours of communication in English per week out of 112 hours of stay in a comfortable environment of your native language! Not much for a student with an ambitious goal of learning a language!

To change this ratio, immersion in the language environment is necessary. This can be done in two ways:

Live six months in England. This is the shortest path to perfection, although, of course, not the cheapest. There are many intensive language programs in the UK, Ireland, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Malta. If possible, be sure to go there to practice.
- About the experience of traveling to a language school, read the article by our teacher Irina “”.
Invite England to your home. If you cannot currently get into an English-speaking environment for a long period of time, you need to artificially create this environment around yourself. How to do this? In this article you will find several techniques for creating a language environment that I myself use to keep my English in shape.

Step 1. Create your own personal dictionary

This could be a simple notebook or notepad. I'm leaning towards the latter, since the notepad is more compact. Always carry it with you in your pocket or bag. Immediately write down new words and expressions that you come across during the day. Next to the new word in parentheses, write the source in which you came across the word (text such and such or TV program such and such). Experiment with new words - try to use them in your speech and writing. If you have time, for example, on the subway or minibus, flip through old entries and refresh your memory of the words you have learned.

Try to write down in the dictionary not only individual words, but also phrases or whole sentences - words are easier to remember in context. Some students prefer to keep an electronic file for new words or use mobile applications - also an option. Just don’t forget to look into it sometimes!

Step 2. Listen to the radio in English

Every morning at breakfast or while exercising and in the evening at dinner, instead of TV, turn on the English-language radio for 15-20 minutes. My choice is .

This station has news, interviews, talk shows, comedy shows, theater productions and much more. You can listen to programs both live and recorded. Both can be done absolutely free.

Don't worry if at first you only understand certain words or phrases. Over time, you will begin to pick up more expressions and understand entire sentences and monologues. Try to make it a habit. When you wake up, immediately turn on the radio and listen to the morning news. When you come home from work and start heating up dinner, turn on an evening talk show and let English be heard in the background in the kitchen. While you are cleaning on the weekend, you can simultaneously listen to an interview with a musician, actor or politician, so you can immerse yourself in the language environment at home.

If you liked the word or expression you heard, record it in your dictionary.

Like radio, TV series and films in the original are a wonderful source of words and grammatical structures, a listening comprehension trainer and a model of correct pronunciation. Besides everything else, it is also entertainment. While watching our favorite TV series or a new film, we learn to understand the speech of native-speaking actors and their characters, and to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words and expressions. Here are a couple of popular resources: and, where you can watch films and TV series online with Russian or English subtitles. The first resource can be used for free for 1 hour a day, but there are restrictions on the translation of words in subtitles. You need to register on the second resource; there are also restrictions on the free use of subtitle translations and exercises.

Choose those shows, programs, films that you like. Watch the entire series first without stopping and try to grasp the general meaning of what is happening on the screen. During the second viewing, read the subtitles, pause and write down new phrases in your dictionary notebook.

A striking example of a resource where you will find hundreds of relatively short (from 5 to 20 minutes) very interesting monologue speeches is the portal. All videos in this format have subtitles available, as well as the full text of the speech.

If you prefer to listen to audio recordings, try short podcasts on different topics on websites and.

Don't forget to also record interesting vocabulary from these sources in your dictionary!

Step 5. Read in English

Again, everyone’s preferences are different, so it’s up to you to decide what to read. It can be fantasy, historical novel, detective story, modern prose - anything that captures and arouses interest. Decide on the level of difficulty: whether to immediately read the work in the original or an adapted version. If there are 5 completely unfamiliar words per paragraph of 100 words, this is the level for you. Ask your teacher to recommend a book to read. And if you don’t have a teacher, we’ve put together a table with recommended books for reading by level.

In addition to fiction, there are online publications, news portals, and online magazines. For example, articles from one of the most popular newspapers in the UK are available on the publication’s official website. On this resource you will find materials on various topics: society, politics, sports, business, culture, health, etc. This is an excellent technique for creating a language environment.

Step 6: Speak English

Take every opportunity to practice. If you have familiar native speakers - friends, colleagues, business partners - talk to them on various topics during a meeting, on the phone or on Skype. Maybe they are studying Russian? Then offer to exchange experiences: one day you communicate in English, the next in Russian. Do not hesitate to ask them the meaning of unfamiliar words that you heard during your conversation. They will only be happy to help a person interested in their native language. Write these words down in your notebook and actively use them in conversation.

If you don’t come across native speakers very often, find a conversation club in your city that brings together people who are interested in the language, and attend it regularly. In addition to the fact that in such communities there is an opportunity to practice your speech, it is also a great pastime, new friends, exchange of thoughts, joint holidays, picnics and other amenities. If there is no such club in your city, create one yourself! Now, with the help of social networks, you can gather like-minded people in one place in a matter of days. Any cafe will be happy to provide a cozy corner for regular English-speaking “get-togethers”.

When traveling abroad, do not miss the opportunity to exchange a word with a waiter in a cafe, an administrator in a hotel, local residents, other tourists, etc. Such seemingly simple tasks as finding out the route to a museum, making an order in a restaurant, choosing shoes the right size also require practice and a certain amount of courage. So don't be shy!

Step 7. Learn songs, poems, jokes in English by heart

By memorizing the lyrics of one song, we immediately replenish our vocabulary with several ready-made phrases and linguistic constructions of modern English. If you like to sing, then combine business with pleasure and learn the songs you like, sing them to friends and acquaintances - in karaoke, at a party or just in the shower. Nowadays the lyrics of any song can be easily found on the Internet. If you like listening and telling jokes, try to memorize a joke in English, for example, and tell it to your teacher in class, using phrases from the text.

And lastly: remember the motto “ Use it or lose it!”. This saying means that it is not enough to simply learn, read, hear and understand a word, phrase or sentence. Definitely necessary “ use it” - use it, pass it through yourself, reproduce this word in speech, oral or written. Otherwise it “ lose it” – is lost, forgotten, and then it is difficult to fish it out from the depths of our memory. Therefore, all the exercises listed above should be performed regularly! Practice makes perfect! I hope these simple tips for immersing yourself in a language environment will help you on the path to your cherished goal - confident language proficiency. Have fun learning and feel free to ask questions in the comments!

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One of the most effective ways to quickly master a foreign language is to immerse yourself in the language environment. It should be immediately noted here that immersion is not necessarily associated with a trip or move to another country. Let's look at possible immersion methods in more detail.

Diving while in an English-speaking country

Of course, moving or staying for a long time in another country can give phenomenal results in learning a language. In this case, rapid comprehensive learning occurs. You are forced to speak English to buy groceries, go to doctor's appointments, and so on.

Learning this way is like learning to swim by being thrown off a boat. We have to swim, there is no other way out.

So it is with a foreign language. We hear English spoken everywhere, we have to communicate with native speakers, watch programs in the language, and at this moment the knowledge is absorbed by itself. After a few days of being in the environment, any student already communicates well in a foreign language, can order pizza or call a taxi.

Perception is greatly enhanced and the skill of understanding speech is acquired. This is a skill that is sorely lacking when you learn a language only from textbooks. You know the words and phrases, but when you hear them, the brain does not associate them with what is in memory.

You don't have to move to another country to study intensively. Often, to get the fastest results, it is enough to spend 2-3 weeks. During this time, you will be forced to quickly learn to speak English and understand speech.

A simple holiday with accommodation in a language environment is usually enough to take your English language skills to the next level. Unless, of course, you sit in a hotel all the time with fellow countrymen from Russia. With this approach, it doesn’t matter what country you are in. No foreign speech around - no changes in knowledge.

Many people now probably thought that it is good for those who have the opportunity to constantly travel to English-speaking countries in order to improve their language skills. But for example, one of the founders of Genius English, Vladimir, lives in Brussels, where most people speak French. However, in the city center, communication is mainly in English. Vladimir’s wife and daughter speak Dutch, and he uses Czech and Russian to communicate with business partners.

This suggests that while in one country you can be immersed in five language environments. Another example can be given - Giuseppe Mpezzofanti. This is a man who was fluent in 38 languages and never left Italy. If you search the Internet, you will find many other similar examples.

In other words, you can master the English language without leaving home if you use the tips and immerse yourself in the environment even without going abroad.

Immersion in English without going abroad

When diving without leaving Russia (or any other country), it is important to adhere to the rule - you should be interested in the environment where you are diving. Surround yourself with a context in which you will enjoy being.

That is, if your goal is to learn a language for travel, then use sources and resources for travelers. If your goal is to read literature in the original language, start reading simple or simplified works of literature in English as quickly as possible.

Diving into an uninteresting topic can be a serious blow to your motivation. And loss of motivation to achieve your goal will lead to the fact that you will not be able to voluntarily devote time to learning the language. This means you won’t make any progress towards knowing the language.

The best immersion is using materials in the context of your purpose. Watch programs, films, and TV series that interest you. Read books and articles that interest you. If you are learning a language for travel, read descriptions of hotels, apartments, apartments and reviews on booking.com and airbnb.com in English.

Some students paste stickers with English symbols on all objects in the room in order to quickly remember the names of all household appliances and things in everyday life.

If you need English for professional growth, be sure to read professional literature, study publications on the topic of work, participate in discussions on forums and on social networks.

You can systematize the various methods of language immersion in the following list:

Films and TV series in a foreign language;
Broadcasts in English;
Articles and publications on various topics;
Audio podcasts and audio books;
Electronic and paper books and magazines;
Websites for travelers;
Websites for communicating with native speakers;
Platforms and services for comprehensive immersion.

The list is advisory in nature and you can supplement it at your own discretion. It is important to remember that in addition to immersion, a constant increase in vocabulary is necessary. That is, even if you move permanently to the UK or the United States, sooner or later you will still be faced with the need to expand your vocabulary.

Without a serious increase in your vocabulary, you will not be able to gain a sense of language - that level when you understand the meaning of phrases without additional translation of individual words in your head.

It is ideal when immersion in a language environment is carried out using various resources. For example, in the mornings you read articles and books in the original language, in the afternoon you communicate with a native speaker via Skype or chat, in the evenings you watch movies and TV shows.

To communicate with native speakers, you can join special communities where students help each other learn the material. This practice is necessary to accelerate the acquisition of speaking skills.

An integrated approach allows you to diversify the language into all areas of your life. The ideal solution would be to use a platform for teaching English that contains various ways to learn and reinforce the material. In addition, the platforms allow you to systematize your approach to learning and allow you to build an effective schedule for repeating material.

For example, on the Genius English platform you will find:

Video lessons for every day
Online chat for communication
Cards to increase vocabulary
Conversation club for communication
Skype tutors
Effective materials, textbooks, workbooks.

A little more detail about each point.

1. Video lessons for every day

20-minute video lessons will allow you to master basic knowledge in a short time with maximum efficiency. Each lesson is structured in such a way as to assimilate the necessary material with optimal load and the required regularity.

2. Online chat for communication

Online chat allows you to quickly get involved in the use of written language in English. This is an indispensable element of communication in modern life, filled with communication through instant messengers.

Pay attention to how many messages you send to your loved ones, friends and colleagues via instant messengers or social networks during the day. This is already a separate direction of communication between people.

3. Cards to increase vocabulary

Increasing your vocabulary, as we said above, is the key to feeling the language. When you can understand humor in English, this will be a signal that you are beginning to feel the language like a native speaker.

4. Conversation club for communication

A conversation club is a way for students to communicate with each other. The teacher is present in communication as a coordinator. The topics for conversation are chosen by the students themselves. As a rule, in a conversation club, communication is about everyday topics: everyday life, recreation, vacation, weekends, travel, and so on. That is, everything we talk about in everyday life.

5. Skype tutors

English practice via Skype is used only as an additional tool for immersion and practice. Skype tutor is very helpful when you need to solve a specific problem with pronunciation or something else. It's like practicing in a conversation club, only individually with a teacher.

6. Effective materials, textbooks, workbooks

Of course, the availability of high-quality textbooks and workbooks is a real help in studying. Textbooks based on the method of accelerated learning of the English language allow you to quickly master and consolidate the material.

The success of the entire education often depends on the quality of textbooks. Bad materials are based on ineffective methods that force people to learn a language for years. Moreover, because of this mistake, you can easily lose motivation and refuse to continue moving towards your goal.