Re: asking for an advice

minimus wrote:
Dear All,

You may have some advices as many of you are proficient in using (Academic) English.
I am a PhD student and writing my first articles.
I would like to imporve my English in this respect.

I would like to ask what I may do to improve my usage of English

1. Learn and repat phrases and practice vocabulary

2. Read journal articles all the time (which I already do). But read their English not only content.

3. Study the "how to write an academic paper" type of books

4. Listen BCC radio

etc...


This may be a naive question for some of you, and I hesitated to ask: why should I ask, I know what I need to do. Dont waste people's time. But no. Why? I am asking it. Maybe you have some advices and tips to give.


Above all, READ a lot to learn how to write; LISTEN a lot to learn how to speak. It sounds paradoxical, but true. All the writing in the world isn't going to teach you how to write if you don't have models of good prose in your head. Same with speaking.

As for reading, read of course in your field; since that's the model of prose you're expected to write.

But for general writing skills, read what you like. No sense being a masochist (someone who enjoys pain). Read bios of movie stars, if that's your interest (those ghost writers are usually competent, regardless of the material).

The main thing is to want to read on. And if you read what you're not interested in, you'll get bored easily. I bet if your sweetheart wrote a twenty-page love letter, you'd read right to the end and look up every big word in it and made sure you understood their meaning. Moreover, you would reread it constantly. That's what I mean by wanting to read on. But, alas, today a sweetheard sends text messages like "i luv u. XXX."

I'm addressing the issue of learning a second language, not necessarily of acquiring culture. The US writer, Ernest Hemingway (a sports enthusiast) said he learned French by reading the French sports pages. See, he read what he liked and learned quickly that way.

As for listening, you're in a good situation today, where you have access to numerous English-language videos (news, etc.). So listen to those. And instead of listening to many of them, listen to one at a time repeatedly, until you absorb the vocabulary and intonation.

Also, pop songs help with idioms, vocabulary, and phrasing. Probably the so-called American songbook (older pop and Broadway songs)is better than Rock 'n' Roll for this purpose. And you're lucky here too. These lyrics are easily available on the Internet. If you go to the main sites of these lyricists or singers you'll find accurate lyrics.

Good luck and here's one final bit of advice that may annoy you. I'd spend more time reading English-language published texts than posting on the Internet. Reading and rereading an editorial in an English-language newspaper or a popular novel is more useful than trying to build up your literary competence by asking questions one at a time. Turn off your computer and your cell phone and try to finish a certain amount of English-language reading material each week.

Finally, living in the culture of your target language will certainly help immerse you in the language, since you're forced to do all your reading and listening in that language, unless you associate with your compatriots, which is sometimes the case. That won't help.
.

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