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Technique: Minimize Differences

Lesson 7 from: Build a Language Learning Foundation

Matthew Youlden

Technique: Minimize Differences

Lesson 7 from: Build a Language Learning Foundation

Matthew Youlden

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Lesson Info

7. Technique: Minimize Differences

Lesson Info

Technique: Minimize Differences

we now going to look at another technique. So we've already had the technique of emphasizing similarities, and now we're going to look at the technique which I refer to is minimizing differences, and they're very linked to each other because we're able to use the two. And this one, however, is more focused on What do we do when we confronted with the language that we really don't know about, we don't know anything about. We know very little about the sounds of different the alphabet, the writing system. We don't understand that. I mean, like, we've just seen its young li in Hebrew and, like how I mean, it is right to left. And if you think about how many letters there are in English and is 12345 in Hebrew and where did the words letters go? So we're really gonna focus on this now? Andi, some of you might already be thinking already. Is this a cause me concern? Absolutely not, because we can use this is the strength on still focus on things that are much easier in that language. So let'...

s take the plunge. As we were talking about swimming before on in this section. We're really going to, As I said, we go to focus on Similarity isn't easy things which we already know. We already know this technique because we've already and now the main emphasis is really on, minimizing differences and focusing on logical connections, even though we know that we do not have the advantage of knowing the language now, what do I mean by this? It's quite simple because I like to keep things simple, and this is really not only deducing logical information from this, but it's really putting things into context, and it's learning through learning. So the idea is you're going to learn a language through a language, and we're all this might sound intimidating. I've used that were quite often today, and I want to start using it because it is negative. But I'm always trying to show that you shouldn't feel intimidated because there's nothing to feel worried or intimidated about. It's essentially what we're looking at here now is we're going to learn a language through a language, and this is something we are familiar with because essentially, this is how we learn English or whichever the language we speak hope this means that we're acquainted already were familiar with this technique, even though we've probably not realized that we are able to do this already on the technique that I'm speaking to speaking to you about particular in this case is a method called oil pan. So let me ask you the question again. Is it possible to actually learn a language without any similarities? Now, this method it is the oil pan is the Hebrew word for studio, and this is a method that was developed on in Israel in order for and it's what we call immersion is where students learn Hebrew through Hebrew. The school's enforced a program of complete Hebrew immersion, which enabled the stool the whoever participated in the course to come into the school. The programme speaking no Hebrew and leave speaking, reading and writing the language. Now, in this case, there are no translations toe any language. The only language used in the classroom is Hebrew, and some of you might think, How are they even going toe? How can I even go about doing this? I mean, I can't really I can't write, and I certainly can't speak. So is it possible on. If you're thinking I'm crazy, the answer is yes. Because as I said, we've already seen how to do this because no one Tartars no one. We didn't come into this world knowing English from scratch we had from from day one we had to essentially go through the process of what we're going to be doing now. And this is minimizing the differences, focusing on the similarities, but really keeping the differences to a minimum on deducing information. But also just the immersion element is that you're going to have to imagine that you're in a situation where you don't literally understand the language because you don't read it. You don't write it and you don't speak it. But you're confronted with this situation and you can't get out of it. The only option is you switch off your computer or you run out of the studio. You're free to do both. I would rather you didn't, but you're more than welcome to. But as I said, I'd rather you didn't. And I don't think there's any need to, because I'm now going to show you how we can understand a second language. We're going to have like a sort of a crash course. And how you're able to understand a second language after Dutch and German because we did German together, actually. How you're able to understand the second language without knowing any anything of the language. I mean, maybe you might know a few words, but in the ideal case, non of you here no Hebrew. As I said, maybe if you weren't here and there, but it would be great. And if you do just to get them, forget they ever existed. Forget you knew them. Forget. Yeah. So basically, what we're gonna be doing now is, and you can find this exercise in the workbook. There were two exercises here, Onda. And basically the 1st 1 is on page nine on. You'll hear a series of shots Monologues in Hebrew. Now, the idea here is to listen to the monologue and jot down words and expressions that you are going to hear from me in Hebrew. So wherever you are, just get a pen right down in the workbook, jot things, everything you hear down associations, you're going to hear words. You're gonna hear expressions. You can think that they might mean this that they might mean that it doesn't matter. Whatever you think it means. Write it down. And then afterwards, after I'm going to do, we're not gonna be speaking like for 15 minutes will be having small breaks. So we can just simply focus on a small element of what I what I'm saying. And then we can discuss together online with comments that you're sending him from from from online and also here in the audience in the studio about what we're actually what we're learning and how, where, how we're coping with the situation, this unknown situation. Andi did say before that, you know, maybe none of those the vast majority of us won't understand these words. But then again, as I said before, there are always always things that were that we know, even if we don't know the language. In the case of Hebrew, I mean Hebrews related to Arabic. They're very closely related. In some aspects, the numbers are virtually the same. The letters that written differently. But the alphabet is essentially the same, and we have one. There are so many other languages Semitic land. We just related to Hebrew, unhurried Aramaic. So speakers of these languages also. Well, Maltese will also notice the things that maybe think Oh, I never realized it's so weird to hear that any different e I would have never imagined that it was that. But it's really straightforward because you know that logically, it has to be that. And even in the vast majority, I think for the vast majority of people out there that don't have this association, then this is what I was saying before. The main emphasis is simply to listen, to absorb onto de juice, and we're going to start with the first model lock, which will be a short monologue. I'm not going to tell you what it's about because that would defeat the purpose of the exercise. So we're going to talk about a going to speak to you in Hebrew, and I would like you just simply jot down everything. Anything that comes into your mind, the association's on duh. We'll take you from that. So are we ready? And after Wilkening Yes, your free as okay. So before as well. Before we begin, I will be writing things down. No, in English, in Hebrew, which means I'll be writing in the Hebrew alphabet. So forget you, ABC. And then you're Alex. Bet so. Bonetti. Shallow, shallow, shallow. McCollum shallow. Any Sameer on Islam. Liotta po It came when he would say that the bear it him be Voight as Shalem coat of in Shalem Kahlo Shalem Shallow as an email. Shalom Shalom Be void Shalem une Matthew as shallow money Matthew Tom Miller Shalom Anne Matthew Val Matthew Who? Schemm Ugly Betty Who shame Ugly, ugly Matthew Louisville It on a long dream, Matthew Favorite baby weight on your mail. Shalem on me, Matty Une matty ish Allah Gade Matthew Baby baby Wait! Another Noam blame Israel an abnormally Mattie as Shalom Bomb shallow money. Matty, be great or mammal t any matty, babe? Great Or any Matthew bag Leet the angle. Eat on William Matthew The date as Shalom Shalom Une matteo. Based on what it did it as shallow money. Matthew or Matt Mattie Une une me Anglia Mayberry, Tanya Anglia Britannia As I need me Anglia All Mabley Tonya He may Manchester. Manchester Um You Dola the ganglia has the name of Anglia, Honey Matthew Chef Shay at at Sunda as at Sunder the any Matthew the hot soft off as any Matthew or Matt eBay for it? Very um manual. Say, man, you say behind him. A knee, professor. Any professor Anu Vaid on the Miller made some fault. And the professor? So, um, lace afoot any Milham? It's a Forza Fort Fatah Safar e on bleed. Girma need swagger. Deed Talk to gays. It ive lead Evite. Multi, is it? It's a fatigue. Suffer teat as the enemy Britannia and young Lee Anne Animated Behrang Late Anemic The bell Shove and late Very runny. Professor une professor a TEM TEM attempts to den team attempts to Dante City Student thing Any professor attempt Student team at Willow at student it very Jimmy. A task to Dent as Anakin Obi Yahad attempt a hard attempts to denting willow at student It very Jimmy at data that's dented. A task to debt of Alan are no student in Van you Mail venue Asia. Sunday. Uh, Laura Nadia a 10 10 gum. Susie attends Tonto as yes. Student student ID student invested nto. Okay, half the car. A break. We all feeling ok? Ok, so I'm going to repeat in a few things again. I wanna I want to say that again because it's the first time you've probably heard this. I've been repeating a few things already, but I'd like to go over a few things again. And then we're gonna pick up the monologue a tiny bit. We're gonna have more things in Hebrew on DSI. How you deal with that on DA. I think we'll do another one and then a brief one. And then we should be ready to go into exercise, too. So Okay, as a shovel, that could be a great quality about any Jose relegated Shalem. Any Matthew Anemia Britannia. Any professor. So inimitable. Effect on the Middlebury. Very tough shot every time they on me. But the enemy, the bail suffer hair it a name of the bell angle it angle. Eight E Safar Shelley Enemy. The bell angle eight be Manchester. Belonged on the New York Los Angeles Be so l Angelo me the bear angle eight b cell anemia. The bell If weight on the Middlebury rate but elevate the Beersheva their biggest Ellen aim at the belly Freight bay Madrid on the lawn with a barely rate in inimitable every piece. Well, animate the bell. Um, I mean with the best flooded bay. Model it anymore. The bear swag. A date by Mexico on the way. The bears for a database. But inside is on the move. The bell. Uh, the name of the bells Date. I found him in the bell on even the best of the date. Bay, Colombia. The Phillies Atom it the better it at midday. Barretts Have a date, baby. Mexico Chef shared with the bell. It started to Mexico. They will owe on the share share at me The Barretts with a date Bay, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Salvador like glue. The name the idea at Madiba. Let's have a date at May Madrid Lata and a lot as ah yes, you know a knock no middle blame Sat sat March Ola All out an abnormally molabo. It's a fact South fatigued as yet swallowed. Eight. The US South Atede south petite. It's a potato. Mom Loman. Hola. Buenos dias. Glowing anomaly. Mushroom or lash? Alarm. Ah, normally, Mezei, it's a fatigued and normal. It's affected an abnormal bond over the state with the Mongol came back. A full bid in gear. LaMotte no Shavei Belga or blame shallow set foot on German it or land it as a mom. Ream amid the booing, the brain and the brain, or land it well and it suffer. Tate. Very German. It all and it suffered. State the government it the fo a not know the bream gammon it some of the blame better than some of the blame. Game in a big ammonia ammonia on eagle an eagle, but get money in Eagle Bay, Berlin, The Berlin Bell Darlene Beera Gadola Shell uh, shall give ammonia. They, uh, any gum? A Sharlee, the Beira Shally, The Bagram. I need to be Austria. The Austria the San Francisco law. Long win Give money to San Francisco Bay San Francisco Enough. Norman. The blame A lot of I love with the brain on a low on a formidable Saturday to San Francisco with the brain and some of the blame. Angle it. Oh, my gums key. Yes, on a shame. Shame. It brings for a little as ah my Yesh as yes, Llano called her. Suffered as a foot or land eight on Google it sweater Date. Safa Tate MMA unashamedly bring before two girl before together and ashamed of the brain power to get it before to get it before to guess it. Very The Malta debris multi. Is it the limits? Crime meets the Rhine on a shame of the bream out of it, Have of it by Morocco. Algeria, babe. Trying Iraq on a shame of the bream out of it as the echelon Okocha hobby called Kamini South fort believably. Actually, the backs activate your name, Little Bail Loma. But if weight muz a managing with the ball in Portugal, it's a fat as I can. So stop for the second part. How would you feel now? Immersed? Immersed? Yeah. Kind of getting, huh? Yeah, you kind of. I hope that you developing a pattern. Great. So, uh, yeah, if you're taking notes down and now you're feeling more comfortable than you are on the right path because you should. Now you feel exposed to the language is still a language you don't understand. Not yet. Not just yet. You will be. Well, not just yet. On DA. Yeah, And now we're going to go into the third part, and then we're gonna go into the second exercise way. Love to get some of some of the responses from the audience and what they've Okay, what words? They might have great perceived. So would anyone like toe volunteer and say what? Like what were what words they think that I've been using and what they mean? C zero is ma, but, uh, no, unfortunately, but it's a very it's a It's a good gas. It's a very good get A to like I went to, you know, uh, is similar. Be lay. So not babe, certainly. But keep keep hold of that because that is very important. Willow on me. Yeah, I am almost. Yeah, Actually, it's not my name. That was the air is thinking about doing that, that shmee on these literally I. There's no verb in Hebrew for to be the race, but not in the present tense. So everything is a knee. You write you like that on any means? I. So how would you say Shand? I'm Shante. Exactly. And that's all you need. I might as And you, Jane, it's just that's the way it's done. And does anybody know how to say you? You Yeah, that's good. What the Safar? Me? No. OK, no problem. We, as I said, we're going to do again? Ang Lee. Yeah. What's angrily? You English? Exactly. Angrily is in. Frankly, Yeah, I am. Or were you saying I am English? I said no. I said, mama T. I said, and I really marginality. What did I say? So, Mayes, what I said on a Matthew Duchenne angrily Matty, it's a Yeah, it is exactly. He is. It is an English name. The baby great. The great Matty. So in Hebrew, we say Mattie Mattie O for Matthew. So, uh, but I said, I think someone said so far Does anybody know what Saffan didn't pick up on that somebody online accuses? It's of far date equals Spanish Started. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Everybody online. I don't want to take credit. That's done. That's really so Yeah, Exactly. Said I said, uh, Mexico made a blame, Swallowed it. So they would anyone like to guess? And what I said, Correct. In Mexico, we people speak or is spoken Spanish before two girls with the blue import to get it in Portugal, people speak Portuguese, Brazil with the blame Brazil with a blimp or to get it on. What do people speak? Parties. Does anyone remember? Serfaty told him old well done. So tough. It eight and everyone's like that means rich, whether where the Hector's tough fatigue come from. These words Yeah, that that this pronunciation times you're very, very French sounding So south fat is the Hebrew word for for France And everyone we saw the doctor is Franz is French When he rich stuff potato. I mean, we never were not going to get that without the logical. But if I say like today's removal knee with the belts are fatigue. Like I speak French in Montreal, in Paris, you're not maybe going to get it the first time round. But if I were to say, for example, if we if I were toe tell you in this next size we could have done what I could tell you what to look out for certain words. Then you get it, you get the word stray away. But the great idea of the great notion about this exercises you're you're asking yourselves, what do these words logically need on the fact that I need from an English perspective Could be I am is completely fine because it essentially is. I mean, it is I, but if you have you have you say? Une Mattioni Matthew? Any willow? Any Laura on the Jimmy And you see that at the beginning, is I am. Then that's completely fine. Because you essentially that's what you're saying. You are. But if you say I need Professor always got the same. I am a professor. Does anybody know the word for student? Doesn't remember exactly. So there's not just one word, huh? Why do we think there there are differences in the world. Why they're so why is the more than one word correct? On another factor is, well, male, female and chloral singular employer. Exactly. So this is a word that he was taken from other languages and we know that his student is to dent for the it ending is typically female. So it is the feminine form student id and then implore we have student team so we don't have an s in Hebrew. We don't have. We don't say students is to Dentyne. And if the poor off females to dent yacht so it's yours. So the it becomes yacht. Andi, This essentially is how we start forming our first words In another language. We start analyzing rules we start discovering patterns on we logically did use from a word that we already know from a similarity and minimizing the differences with disregarding the differences we start to understand, We start understand what they could possibly mean. We don't feel intimidated by we don't feel threatened by it. We don't think that it's something that we can't possibly understand. So we just wanted to get it right now because if we have the attitude that we're not gonna wouldn't is not gonna go anywhere. The idea is, here is and this e really pleased. I'm really pleased to see responses that you've given me. I think it's great on what I would like you to do. Now, on second page on page 10 we now have a I'm gonna What I'm gonna do is I'm going to repeat some of the monologue. You don't have to look at me well and do this and I'm just gonna say it's part of the monologue again on you could simply fill in the sheet while I speak on. You'll know that the bottom that I wanted to make it a bit more difficult, So I've put translate from Hebrew to English. Most of you might be thinking, How will I ever be able to do that? If you turn over the page on page 11 you have the Hebrew alphabet. Now I have been writing in the Hebrew alphabet, but you might see that the way I'm writing is different, and I have done this on purpose. It's not that I'm writing wrong. I'm rating in the alphabet the form of the alphabet that you write use when you write, because in English, we don't always right. Sometimes we write lower case. Now Hebrew has its own farm off. Writing this sense, you could say it's a lower case, but Hebrew letters sometimes look differently when they're written by hand. Then why they're written as they appear for that that we have here. Don't bother about that or you need to focus is on the fact that here here, they're written in the form that the appear in the alphabet so you don't need to worry about that. And you also have the equivalent of the sound in English. So this is what we need to be looking up. This is what need to be focusing on. I'm going to repeat a few of the monologues for the next three minutes. 34 minutes on I'd like you to either. Remember the words that you already know and just jot them down. You don't have to write, by the way, if you want to, you more than welcome to You don't have to write Wait, says Hebrew. You can write them in Latin. That's completely fine, because I'm not gonna expect you to learn Hebrew in the Hebrew alphabet in three minutes. I'm very confident in your, but even as a linguist, I know it can't be done in three minutes, and that's fine. That's not the activity here. The activity is to Teoh be acquainted with the new language, a language that we can't read. We can't write, but we can with the help of the alphabet. Then we can deduce the information. So, as I said, I'm going to repeat the monarch again. Andi. Then we could just simply fill in the work, fill in the form the sheet, and then we'll take it from that and they go into the next activity. Okay, so Bo not saying good bye, Amber Great Shalom! Coolum! Annemasse. You any Marty be very late on William Matthew on any lost ident. And he lost to Dent Anne, Professor Attempts toe, then team at Willow at student it. And you beat your demons, Shand. A task to Dent. Attest to Dent. Very, um, any law on the Lome Miss San Francisco on a lonely San Francisco enemy, Manchester. And may me Britannia Enemy Anglia as any loamy New York Any loam in Los Angeles and a me, me, me, me, Manchester, Mamie Anglia They a name of the bell and late if rate Slager dates back to Gazit a mode on my days eight London Gammon eight Safa Tater on emitted bets Often state Very Um, yes, Really? Ah, actually calling low Michael Actually, criminal Michael Michael The moment the bell suffer Tate start date a great angle. Eight for two days. It my old also fort. What's a photo? Her what they did with the blooms? Like a date. Babe with a side is very bad. Mexico. Very Benny card. Very, uh, enigma. That was okay. So I might actually come back to this er this exercise simply because I'd like this toe sinking on guessing the vast majority of the words that we've heard will not be retained simply because the exposure isn't enough of the moment. But if we were to say listen to a radio broadcast in Hebrew every day and get used to the sound get used to the words get used to the stuff that we're hearing. And especially even if we do it and say that a small podcast in easy Hebrew then would be picking up these words because we'd be acquiring them the entire time. And it would be building them into our vocabulary. So if you haven't finished, don't worry is completely fine. We can always go back to this later. If you have finished, I just like to ask the studio audience, Have you finished most of the exercises? No way. Exactly. Begin. So we can do. This is a way we can see. This is homework as well. So do you be complete the first part? More or less. The English to Hebrew? Yeah. What about the ones online? Really? Yes. I mean, there have been a few answers online. Perfect. Okay, great. So we already know what I is, huh? We've already discussed this. Can anyone say I again I need a knee on knee And this is that. If you speak Arabic, it's on now on now and in Maltese Yeen una on a year. So I nie is related to Anna Onda. Uh, you so student as well we saw. And I hope you are right. Four versions and not just one. Because we know now that singular, plural, masculine and female. What about Britain, Tanya? Well done, Britannia. We actually know this work because it exists in some form in English, even though we don't use anymore. But it's the song in English, which is probably really fitting in the United States called Rule Britannia, but awful song awful song on And the next one French language we had waas Exactly. So it's affected and to let you want in a little secret. So we saw before the eat was feminine, right? So student it Safa Tatis female So all languages in Heber a few miles on great date, part to get it if you want to say the masculine. So I said before show Munley an English name. So all we do is get rid of this letter here. Safir, T spalla di RV. Every Portugese. And then we have emasculate. We make it plural on gleam south 14 and then we have it already on Matthew, which is Matty exactly. Mathey the Hebrews, actually Hebrew. It means so. It's a shot of the version of Matic Dio, which is really loosely translated as president from God or in English. It sounds funny if I say God's gift, but we will, Yes, when you're writing the Tabor words down while you're speaking is that Does that help with anchor? Definitely the language, even though we don't understand exactly, because you'll be looking this and thinking like Okay, especially knowing that there are two ways of writing and then we'll be looking at that thinking like, uh huh. And then what we can do is essentially, if we're seeing this happen, then we can feel free to write what we already know in Latin. So we could be seeing this in the making. Well, okay, so you just said something that sounds like student on enough student it are then stood in team and then we couldn't highlight this, and then I mean, there are very few situations where it would actually be really doing this unless we're really pushed into the dependence that this is okay. You know, you're in the interrogation room when you've got some crazy guy speaking to you and say, uh, you know what, you don't You like what I say in that case, you Do you have any interpreter anyway? But in this case, it's a really great exercise is to see that even if we don't understand, we have no knowledge of the language, no prior knowledge of the language we're still able to understand. We're not gonna understand everything, because that's impossible, especially the beginning. It's just not gonna happen on that's comforting to know, because this will also, I said before, we need to stay realistic. We need toe emphasize on what we can realistically do. And I'm telling you now that you can't realistically learn are expect to know every single word that I said, Look, over the course of 10 minutes, it's just not gonna happen. But what is great is that you're able to take away, and this is really important to take away what you've understood by deducing the information that I have. And sure, I threw in a few words their international student. But we also need to focus on because every language has These, of course, are fat. We resolve Mexico. And then we thought so fat. And then we're stuff. Why? Why is it called so far? Because it is just is why is it called Spain in English? Because it is So This is when we how we need to approach lady in language that some things are going to be really understandable from the get go. We're going to see this in the case of doctrine German, which we did really, really well and in other cases is gonna take a bit longer to grasp the idea because we need to familiarize ourselves of it. But at the same time, we can still always minimized the differences by focusing on the stuff that we already know when we can deduce. And if we don't, we can always make a logical deduction from the others. So I'd like you. Maybe it's homework to become acquainted with the alphabet. I'm not gonna test you tomorrow. We're not gonna gonna go through the alphabet. I'm not going to say right our life off of that. We're not going to do but what we are going to do is definitely will need it for tomorrow for a few other exercises, so it's always really handy to keep.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Bonus Video: Time to Ployglot
Bonus Video: Why learn a language?
Bonus Video: Myths about language learning
Language Workbook for Beginners
My Language Calendar
Bonus Video: Exercise 1 Pronunciation
Bonus Video: Exercise 2 Tongue Twisters
List Of Major Languages
My First 50 Words
Music Listening Exercise
Bonus Video: Getting Started: Take the First Steps

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