為什麼我學的外語是“殘疾外語”？

我們每個人都有學習外語的經歷，少則幾年多則十幾年或者幾十年。但我們的多數人最終外語學成了“殘疾外語”。什麼是“殘疾外語”呢？“健康的外語”應該像我們的第一語言一樣，應該會讀，會聽，會說，會寫。可是我們絕大多數人的外語學習，最終是“只取其一”，罔顧其他。比如，有人只會聽，不會說。有人只會說，不會寫。有人只會寫，不會聽或說。還有人只會聽說，不會閱讀，等等。

除了每個人的語言天分不同之外，我們接受的英語教育基本相同。專業學習和非專業的學習區別，僅在時間的長短上。按理，只要堅持學下去，最終總是可以彌補以前失去的學習時間。可是，我發覺，往往許多人終身都不會將外語學到近似自己的第一語言的程度，即達到“健康外語”學習的結果。也就是，在讀，聽，說，寫這四個方面全面地發展自己的外語，而到令人滿意的程度。一個重要的原因就是，外語教學的制度或方法有缺陷，使學習者不能得到事倍工半的結果。

我們一貫接受的外語教學法的問題在哪裡呢？簡單地說，我們一貫的學習方法，沒有在大腦中訓練和增強“外語肌肉”的功能。外語肌肉，這裡指的是應用外語口語的能力。具體地說，是我們不能很輕易地將我們學的詞彙，語法，習慣語等“語言要素”，熟練地運用到我們的口語中來。這就造成了我們需要用外語表達時，經常張口結舌，詞不達意等。我們明明也學過這些外語的語言要素，但就是不能運用，不能將自己要表達的意思用這些要素表達出來。最明顯的例子就是許多留學出來的中國學生，在語言要素上下了很大功夫，但到實用時卻打了退堂鼓。中國學生和研究生中有相當的部分口語上不能交流以致影響學業，被外國的學校開除。

從範例哲學的角度看待外語教育方法時，我發現目前的外語教學方法有很大問題。第一，它不知道外語學習不僅要學語言要素，即“外語的皮”，還要訓練“外語的肌肉”，即如何將要表達的意義和語言要素配合起來。雖然在偶然的場合，比如與外國人交談，看他們的電視電影，對話，聽廣播等，學習者可以得到一些“外語肌肉”的訓練。但這些機會是遠遠不夠的。這如同一個想練出“八塊腹肌”的人，以為作廣播體操就可以成功一樣。你必須去健身房，通過專業訓練師的指教才有可能成功。

我創立的“範例語言入門”（Instancology Language Acquisition）簡稱“ILA”，就是從理論上和實踐上彌補傳統外語這方面的不足。ILA的來源是深刻的哲學根基。在我多年的教學中，ILA方法證明是非常正確和有效的。我衷心希望一切立志要學好語言的人，認真研究ILA的理論和教學方法，少走彎路，最終學成“健康外語”的成果。

Why my foreign language training is lopsided?

Each of us has the experience of learning a foreign language, from a few years to a dozen years or decades. But most of us end up learning foreign languages as "lopsided". What is a "lopsided foreign language"? A "perfect foreign language training" should be like our first or primary language us being able to read, listen, speak, and write. However, the vast majority of us learning foreign languages in the end, "only one function of the above" being unable to function in the other three capacities. For example, some people can only listen not able to speak. Some other people can only speak but cannot write. Still others can only write but not being able to listen or speak. There are also elsewhere people can only hear, can't read, and so on.

Except for the fact that everyone's language talent is different, the English education we receive in China is basically the same. The difference between professional and non-professional learning is only in the length of time. Theoretically, as long as you keep learning, you can always make up for the lost time learning in the end. However, I have found that many people often never learn a foreign language to a degree similar to their first language in their lifetime, that is, to achieve the goal of "functional foreign language" training. That is, in the four aspects of reading, listening, speaking, and writing, comprehensively develop your foreign language to a satisfactory degree. An important reason is that the system or method of teaching foreign languages is flawed, so that learners cannot get half the results of the work.

What is the problem with the foreign language pedagogy that we have always accepted? Simply put, our consistent approach to learning is not to train and enhance the function of "foreign language muscles" in the brain. Foreign language muscle, which in this case refers to the ability to achieve spoken foreign language proficiency. Specifically, we cannot easily take advantage of the "language elements" we have learned, such as vocabulary, grammar, and idioms, to our spoken needs. The result is that when we need to express ourselves in a foreign language, we often stamble or stummer not meeting our expectations. We have obviously learned the language elements of these foreign languages, but we just can't use them, and we can't express the meaning we want to express with these elements. The most obvious example is that many Chinese students who have studied abroad have put a lot of effort into the language elements, but when it comes to practical use, they faltered. A significant number of Chinese students and graduate students are expelled from foreign schools because they are unable to communicate verbally, which affects their professional studies.

When looking at foreign language education methods from the perspective of exemplary philosophy, I find that the current methods of teaching foreign languages are very problematic. First, it does not know that foreign language learning must not only learn the language elements, that is, I call them, the "skin of the foreign language", but also train the "muscles of the foreign language", that is, how to match the meaning to be expressed with the language elements. Although on rare occasions, such as talking to foreigners, watching their TV movies, talking, listening to the radio, etc., learners can get some training in the "foreign language muscle" function. But these opportunities are far from enough. It's like a person who needs to grow "eight-pack abs" and thinks that popular gymnastics can be do the job. You have to go to the gym and be coached by a professional trainer to be obtain the belly muscles you desired.

The Instancology Language Acquisition I founded, or "ILA," is theoretically and practically compensating for the shortcomings of traditional foreign languages. The source of ILA is deeply philosophical. In my years of teaching, the ILA method has proven to be surprisingly correct and effective. I sincerely hope that all those who aspire to obtain a mastery of a foreign language will seriously study the theory and methodology of ILA, avoid many detours, and eventually achieve a "perfect foreign languages" proficiency.