CCSP English Minute 18

CCSP English Minute

Aulas curtas de inglês, duas vezes por semana (2ªs e 5ªs), exclusivamente no Clubeonline

Aula desta quinta-feira, 15 de maio

(Para ouvir o áudio desta matéria, clique no ícone “Rádio”)

Books vs. Beer

Today’s CCSP English Minute shows how fluency is as important as accuracy when learning another language. This is a lesson about books, about beer, and about my brother Dustin.

During the 1990s my younger brother Dustin and I spent some time living together in Catanduva, São Paulo. I had already lived in Brazil and I spoke Portuguese. Dustin had never been to Brazil and he was completely unfamiliar with the language.

I encouraged Dustin to learn Portuguese as I had: by studying grammar books and memorizing vocabulary items. I believed he needed to focus on accuracy if wanted to become fluent in the language.

The problem was that Dustin didn’t like to study. He liked to drink beer. And he thought the best way to learn the language was to go to the bar and talk to the locals.

I have no idea how Dustin managed to communicate with the people he met at the bar. But he always returned home with wild, entertaining stories – often about soccer, politics, and religion.

“Did the people you met at the bar speak English?” I would ask.

“A little,” Dustin would reply. “But mostly we spoke Portuguese.”

After a few months, Dustin was fluent in the language. He didn’t speak accurately, but he spoke with hardly any accent.



If we were at a table with Brazilians, our conversation might sound something like this:

Dustin: “Poder você passar me o sal?”

Jason: “Sinto muito. (pause) Se o sal estivesse perto de mim (an even longer pause) eu passaria-lhe-o (the longest pause of all while wondering if what I just said was right), mas não sei onde está o sal.”

You get the idea.

The time Dustin and I spent together in Brazil taught me an important lesson: when you learn a foreign language you need to focus equally on fluency and accuracy. You need to understand the rules, yes. But you should also allow yourself to speak freely and make mistakes.

The trick is finding a balance between the books and the beer.



Confira aula anterior aqui.

Conheça o site de Jason Bermingham: www.vozemingles.com