(496) Language Learning

Although I had English classes in Elementary school, my English vocabulary was far less than 500 at age 13. How did I know that? It was because I borrowed a Enid Blyton Blue Dragon book from a classmate but could not understand it.

Many people found it difficult to believe that English was my weakest language for many years. I really worked long and hard at improving it. Lately I have been spending time watching documentaries to improve my pronunciation.

I used to carry a little pocket diary everywhere I went. In the diary I recorded every new English word I come across. Whenever I have any free time, I would check my small English-Chinese dictionary and record the meaning. If I happened to have friends with me who can help me, I would ask them how to pronounce the new word. Once I caught the pronunciation, I would say it ten times and then write it down in my own phonetic symbols. While waiting for buses, I would be reading this and committing everything to memory.

Every week I make myself read one English book. If that week was after exam, it would be a thicker book. Otherwise I would choose a thin simplified volume. Even if for whatever reason I missed reading a book, I would make up during the school holidays.

On Sunday I force myself to go through the Editor's commentary. It was laborious! First I read through the entire article, underlining words I have not learned. Next I would check for the meanings and write it next to the word as well as add it to my pocket diary. Then I would go through the article with the meanings in mind. Last of all, I would read the article aloud.

My uncle in China sent a small transistor radio when my grandma visited him. Every night at eleven o'clock I would listen to one hour of The Voice of America broadcast in bed. That tiny radio served me well for about three years. During the holidays I would tune to BBC or the Australia Broadcasting Corporation. My family was too poor to own a TV until my eldest sibling went out to work. Till this day I am not good at catching conversations in movies. I prefer to watch movies with subtitle in another language.

In school I would cultivate friends who would speak to me in English. I particularly appreciate Indian friends who speak English at home. They are good in English and most willing to help me.

From the age 14 to 18 I kept diaries. The earlier pages in my first diary were almost entirely in Chinese. By the time I hit 17, most of everything written was in English except a word here and there that I could not think of an English equivalent.

So you can see, my abilities are hard earned. It seemed worthwhile now as I can definitely reach a wider readership in English than Chinese.