Drinking is good for learning!

[geraldc]

From the Economist's Intelligent Life Magazine

"For adults to go on learning languages easily, they need to recapture the indifference of childhood. All other things being equal, the best learner will be the person who is the most relaxed in conversation, and the most self-confident. According to Mr Krashen, people with outgoing personalities do best at learning a new language because "they have the ego strength to make necessary mistakes involved in learning."

Alcohol probably helps, but only within limits. A scientifc study in 1972 found that foreigners pronounced Thai sentences better after drinking one to one and a half ounces of alcohol - but not more, and not less. The researchers deduced that a stiff drink could produce a "flexible psychic state" with lowered inhibitions and a heightened sense of empathy.

Language theorists use the metaphor of a "filter" which decides how "open" a person is to a given language in a given situation. The more self-concious or defensive a person feels, the more finely he or she will filter the incoming language, and the less of it he or she will absorb as a result. This may be why children may pick up accents or dialects form one another more readily than they do from their parents or teachers."

So it seems that the secret to picking up a good Chinese accent is to get a little bit drunk and to chat to kids

The article also mentioned this academic paper on second language acquistion:

http://www.sdkrashen.com/SL_Acquisition_and_Learning/index.html I guess some of you guys may find it interesting too.

[wix]

I have always considered going to the pub one of the best and most enjoyable language study methods. I don't drink so I can't comment on whether a few beers helps you acquire a language. However, I think the pub is a good place to study for a number of reasons. The main one is being able to speak to many people from different backgrounds. In a classroom situation you may be exposed to only a limited number of language models. The pub will expose you to people of different ages, accents, etc. so you become familiar with a wider range of language. Also having to talk when there is often a lot of background noise (loud music or other people talking) does a lot for your listening abilities. Last there is always the chance of meeting a lady or gentleman to whom you are strongly attracted. The desperate need to talk to them will accelerate your language learning even faster.

OK, I'm off to the pub.

[wushijiao]

Yeah, drinking can really help. The main problem for many people is self-imposed inhibition, timidity, lack of confidence, negatively comparing themselves to better speaker...etc. Clearly, a few pints of liquid courage can cure that ailment. Also, sometimes when native speakers are getting wasted, their pronunciation speeds start to slow down too.

By the way, that's one thing I've always liked about the Economist- their pro-alcohol agenda. They tend to ridicule prohibitionists in the US.

Good link, too.

[roddy]

Some of my most impressive Chinese conversations have been when slightly drunk (ok, falling-over drunk). Not only can you claim all your mispronunciations and odd word-choice are a result of the booze, but everyone else is too busy drinking to care.

[Lu]

Alcohol tends to increase fluency, but grammar gets worse. Also I don't agree native speakers speak more understandable, on the contrary. Extra problem in China is that when people feel more at ease/get drunk their putonghua gets less biaozhun.

[Tsunku]

When I first arrived here, going out and drinking really helped me to let go of some of the inhibitions I normally had about speaking Chinese. When you're just starting out, it can be sort of intitimdating to start off a conversation with a group of native speaking strangers. A few drinks help you to loosen up and just talk.

The same is true for my Chinese friends as well. I have a good friend here who, when I first met him over a year ago, could barely string together a single sentence in English. In school he didn't care about the subject, and never imagined it would have any use in his life. After we became friends, he met a whole load of foreigners, mostly at our local laowai bar here in km. He is now proudly fluent in what he calls "bar English." Get a few drinks in him and he's on a roll -- you can barely get him to switch back to Chinese.

[bhchao]

When you're just starting out, it can be sort of intitimdating to start off a conversation with a group of native speaking strangers. A few drinks help you to loosen up and just talk.

I'm quite shy with the opposite sex, and that tends to be an inhibition on embarking on a new venture Maybe I should start downing a few drinks.

[Lorenzo]

Sure, alcohol can lower inhibitions and relax one in all sorts of situations--practicing a language, making new friends, playing games of skill, etc. The problem--at least for me--is that I am only at the perfect level of inebriation to enhance my abilities for a short while; after that, my abilities get worse. It's difficult to maintain an even buzz all night without going up or down.

[Glenn]

I could make that statement for imbibing alcoholic beverages in general.