Islands¶

Notes on “How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately,” by Boris Shekhtman.

This book was interesting, although it would have been better as a magazine article than as a book. Here’s a summary of the sections.

Show your Stuff¶

• self explanatory

Build up your Islands (foreign language is like swimming…)¶

• linking, segue to your island

• baiting, get the audience to your island

• each island should be small, practical, and interesting

• I must create the island myself

• apply memorization techniques for the island

• the island must be muscle memory to be effective (create them in memrise)

Shifting Gears¶

+1. Sidestep and feign indifference

+2. Segue to new topic

+3. Introduce new topic

+4. Develop topic (island)

+5. Connect back to the speaker (ask question on the new topic)

+* alternatively, first get information by redirecting their question back at them

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify¶

• use the simplest words (the most automatic words)

• use short simple sentences

Breaking Away (from English grammar)¶

• use only the target language grammar

• know the grammar automatically

• know as many grammar structures as possible

• Transmitting vs Translation, transmit meaning in proper grammar structure

• Rehearse different topics with the same grammar statement (no lo quiero, no lo hablo)

Embellish It¶

• purple prose: add parenthetical elements, rhetorical questions, adverbs and adjectives

• use idiomatic expressions, add islands (seduce the audience)

• practice! Embellish simple statements

Say What?¶

• two levels of listening, skimming and in-depth

• Practice questions as islands! ¿Como se dice … en español?

• Clarifying questions, repeat portions, get synonyms, ask to speak slower, etc

Notas en español¶

Cómo a Mejorar su Idioma Extranjera Inmediatamente

de Boris Shekhtam

Mostrar Tus Cosas

• autoexplicativo

Construir sus Islas (idioma extranjera es como nadar)

• Vincular, segue a su isla

• de Cebo para traer la audiencia

• cada isla debe ser pequeña, práctica e interesante

• Debo crear la isla yo mismo

• aplicar técnicas de memorización para la isla

• la isla debe ser memoria muscular para ser efectiva (crearlas en memrise)