can-do attitude

My current location as of now is unimportant..=P..but yes. I did live in an English-speaking country for awhile when I was younger. ^_^

Doi la bien kho..

To Mr. Huck: hihi you don't have to say thank you, cause I must be the one to say it. Thank you for joining our little English club and for posting such a meaningful topic. Of course, it attracts our attention a lot I've never seen a topic where English is used that much. Well, I'm having some problems and reading your "can-do attitude" really helps. I think I can work out them out easily now And I'd be extremely thankful to you if you join me in the "Guide to pronunciation" topic. You know, I really lack experience, which is definitely important to make readers understand what my point is. I'm looking forward to reading your next post on "ways to form the right language habit of native speakers" I guess it will be wonderful
To No_mercy and Scorps: Your posts are really useful. I'm glad that you two share with us your own experiene. As it's a bit concerned with Pronunciation, would you mind if I paste another one into "Guide to pronunciation" topic?
As we go on, we remember all the times we had together
As our lives change, come whatever
We will still be FRIENDS FOREVER

No problems Brit, just feel free to do so.

It's unbelievable we can be together !

Thank you Brit, I think the â?oGuide to pronunciationâ? topic is pretty interesting. But I guess Iâ?Tm going to start a new topic soon which is totally dedicated to American Accent. In the meantime, I will keep posting more articles on this topic. The next article is going to be about habits and language habits. Brit, you lived abroad for a couple of years therefore Iâ?Tm sure your experience might be very helpful on this topic.
Have a nice day!

Thank you longarm, this is a very interesting topic. I learn a lot from peoplê?Ts posts. They reminded me of my experience of learning to speak English.
I think few people in Vietnam can tell ESL from EFL because most Vietnamese think they can hardly speak English like a native speaker simply because English is not their mother tongue. In other words, ESL is something unattainable or unrealistic. They are more convinced when they see very few, or even no, Vietnamese who speak native-like English in Vietnam.
I used to think that way, too. I used to be satisfied with my ?ogood grades? at school and thought my English was pretty good. (maybe that was grammar only) Then I watched Star Movies, HBO? and I realized my spoken English was a far cry from those folks on TV. A lot of times it crossed my mind: ?oShe is so cool! Wish I could speak just like that American teen! ? but right after that I thought to myself: ?oForget about it! I wasn?Tt born therê?. What a shame that I used to doubt my ability to speak English with a native-like accent instead of doubting the way I learn to speak it.
Later, I found that it was a BIG mistake to have a can?Tt-do attitude! Children in US can speak American beautifully. Why can?Tt I? What they have is the right way to speak, a flexible tongue and perfect environment. That?Ts it! The second advantage limits the number of foreigners who can speak English like a native speaker. I guess only students who are under 20 can do it; Older people probably find it hard, not to say impossible. Luckily, I was teen when I was shown the right way to learn how to speak the standard American English and had chance to practice it quite often with Americans. You know what, as I knew I was doing the right thing I found I made fast progress and became much more confident.
I think what Vietnamese students need is not only can-do attitude but also a place where they can learn English - spoken English - in the right way and practice it enough ( ?~coz everyone agrees that the environment plays a very important role) so that English becomes a part of them as longarm said. Does anyone know a place like that in Vietnam now?
I look forward to your articles on forming habits and language habits, longarm. I think a lot of people do.
Sebastian - Every day I learn

Today, let?Ts discuss about habits in general and language habits in particular and how to form language habits of native speakers.
First of all, let me define ?ohabits? and ?olanguage habits?. Habit is pattern of behavior that we develop over time and has become a part of us. You can tell a person by his habits and we all have good habits as well as bad habits. Remember that habit here is understood from its social perspectives.
Language habits refer to certain patterns of personal and interpersonal communication behaviors, or the way one person exchanges ideas, thoughts, feelings and information with other people who speak the same language. In this sense, ?olanguage habits? are highly influenced by common values, perceptions, attitudes, beliefs that the majority of people who belong to one particular culture share. It?Ts not easy to notice your own cultural and language habits until you meet a foreigner whose behaviors might be a little bit or very much different from yours.
Now, let?Ts go back to language learning process and see how language habits have a powerful impact on you as a student and as a person. The best place to learn a language, of course, is in the country where that language is spoken. And that?Ts the reason why many people who are currently studying in America or England find it hard to believe that there are Vietnamese students whô?Tve never even been abroad can speak English with a native accent. Why can they make that dream a reality? Well, they did it simply because they?Tve already formed the right language habits of native speakers. How could they do it? Good question! There are really many reasons why those cool students did it. They have a lot of English-speaking friends. They must?Tve attended some English language centers for a few years. They are language genius. They have MTV, CNN and StarMovies and other cool channels at home. They read a lot of books written in English and write e-mails or letters to their English-speaking friends pretty often in English. There are also dozens of other reasons, you name it. But it should be easier and faster for you to achieve that goal just by knowing the process in which you convert what you?Tve learnt into actions and form language habits of native speakers.
In order to form language habits of native speakers, it?Ts vital for you to find a good environment where you can interact with people who speak English as a first or second language. It?Ts really not always easy to find a good one in Vietnam and in that case I think you should you create an environment around you first while searching for a good English speaking environment. Get a habit of reading authentic materials written or spoken in English. I suggest you find books, dictionaries, movies, DVDs, music CDs, newspapers, magazines, software, etc. written in American English since it?Ts really abundant here in Vietnam and you can find them almost everywhere with pretty reasonable price esp. in Hanoi and HCM. Write down your thoughts and feelings in English. Get on the internet, join some clubs, find some pen pals to you can exchange e-mails with them often in English. Make sure in your room or at least on your desk you can see almost everything printed or written in English. Try to find some American friends or some Vietnamese guys whô?Ts been to America and have good command of spoken American English so you can call them once or twice a week and practice speaking with them in English on the phone. If you can?Tt find them now, search the software market for a lot of English language software. Go for the one which is highly interactive and use it often. Look for new words using dictionaries written in English. It might be difficult at first but trust me; you?Tll like using English-English dictionaries a lot more than the English-Vietnamese ones. Search the internet for subjects that you love the most; music, movies, people, culture, anything interests you; and read them often. There are also another dozens of ways you can do to create your own English-surrounding environment where you proactively make things happen rather than complaining it?Ts too hard to find a good one in Vietnam.
To be continued?
Have a nice day!
ĐỈợc longarm sửa chữa / chuyfn vào 22:04 ngày 25/06/2003

As many people observe, we tend to form habits naturally and wê?Tre pretty much dependent on and influenced by the social environment where we live in. People around us also have a very strong influence on how we form habits and character as well. But the good news is that we can always choose who to hang out with and who not even to meet and talk to. In regard to language learning, it?Ts extremely important for you to hang out with people who have better command of spoken English than yours and people who always give you encouragement and if necessary even corrections. I would encourage you to hang out with Americans since most of them are pretty open and friendly. When you talk to them, try to be as frank and straightforward as possible. Most Americans love to talk to you about their language and culture and are willing to help you with your pronunciation or practice speaking with you. Please note that, they are not always as available as you might think. Therefore, make sure you contact them first and ask them directly if you might come visit them. When you hang out with American folks, it?Ts important to know that honesty and punctuality are among many qualities that Americans appreciate the most. If they help you improve your English, you should help them some other thing in return. And keep in mind that to American, friendliness is not always synonymous with friendship.
longarm
Have a nice day!
ĐỈợc longarm sửa chữa / chuyfn vào 11:20 ngày 27/06/2003

I am grateful for your articles, guys. Through the activities in English club and your many interesting topics i've received lot of invaluable experiences in learning the language. I've learnt how to love my study, how to use the language in daily reports, in academic lessons and of course in communicating with my English_speaking friends. From your help , i have created my own english speaking environtment and a can_do attitude. Of course I always try to contact with other people and read a pretty amount of books written in the language i am studying. In fact, even in my dreams i speak out some of English sentences as my father said and even when i am too busy with other things, i cant stand for only one single days without English. Personally, learning English with an ambition of having a native accent can help you in thinking about it seriously and force you practice using it professionally.
I myself love to make friends with peole who like this language very much.

tát cho nó một phát

Good job, smallfoxnoel! Keep trying! I'm glad that you found articles posted on this topic helpful!
Good luck
Longarm
Have a nice day!

Youõ?Tve done a great job, longarm. Your article on õ?ocreating English environment around youõ? is so helpful. Iõ?Td like to add something (more of details) from my own experience.
Reading newspapers or magazines printed in English helps us not only build our vocab full of up-dated words, idiomsõ?Ư but also learn updated information and get closer to American culture. But what if you open a newspaper and see new words everywhere? I suggest you go for the topic you like best or the magazines of your type. For example, if you dream to be a politician, youõ?Td love to read what happened to Iraq last night or a biography of an American president. Or suppose you have a crush on somebody and in your hand is the õ?oSeventeenõ? with the headline õ?oHow to chop down a girl in 8 daysõ?, I bet youõ?Tll look up every single slang you see.
If you are a bookworm, youõ?Tll find the novels in English far more interesting than the translation. But there are not as many novels in English available in the bookshops as novels in Vietnamese. Moreover, the words in novels are either old use or literary -> not very useful, especially in daily life. Reading books, on the other hand, is practical not only in learning the language but also in applying the knowledge in various fields õ?~coz there are a lot of well-written books by American authors on a wide range of subjects such as communication, advertising, business, time management, health, etc .
Another way which is more entertaining to learn American English - the language and the culture - is watching movies. If you rent or buy DVDs, Iõ?Tll encourage you to enjoy the movie without any subtitle because 1st, the words are often not accurate and even create some õ?onew ideaõ? which the original doesnõ?Tt include (too bad, huh?); 2nd, weõ?Tll concentrate on reading the words and donõ?Tt have chance to practice our listening skills as well as enjoy how well the actors and actresses act. By the way, if you wanna learn American accent which varies from North to South, from East to West, go for the standard one which mostly comes from the Midwest. Usually movie stars who are famous have standard accent, such as Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanksõ?Ư. Is any movie expert there to help me add some stars or movies worth seeing
Iõ?Tve gotta go now but Iõ?Tll come back soon since Iõ?Tm really interested in this topic.
Sebastian - Every day I learn
éu?c sebastian s?a ch?a / chuy?n vo 11:23 ngy 02/07/2003