Levitin Language School | Тимур Левитин и Language Learnings USA: языки онлайн

Why your existing knowledge may be the fastest way to learn a new language "The shortest path to a new language often begins with knowledge you already have." — Tymur Levitin Many people believe learning German always starts the same way. First come vocabulary lists. Then grammar. Then exercises. Then, perhaps months later, real communication. For some students, this works. For many others, it feels frustratingly slow. There is another possibility. Perhaps you do not need to build everything from the beginning. Perhaps you already possess something far more valuable than a large vocabulary. You already understand the world. You Don't Need to Learn Biology Again Imagine a student who has studied biology for years. They already understand: how the human body works; what ecosystems are; how plants grow; why climate affects living organisms. When that student moves to Germany, one thing suddenly changes. Not biology. The language used to describe bio...

  «Интонация начинается там, где словарного значения уже недостаточно.» — Tymur Levitin Мы привыкли думать, что разговор состоит из слов. Человек выбирает нужные слова, соединяет их по правилам грамматики и передаёт другому человеку готовую мысль. Но в реальной коммуникации всё происходит сложнее. Мы часто понимаем отношение собеседника ещё до того, как полностью осознаём содержание его фразы. Он только начал говорить — а мы уже чувствуем: он раздражён; он сомневается; он пытается быть вежливым; он не верит нам; он говорит искренне; он скрывает недовольство; он ждёт возражения; он произносит правильные слова, но имеет в виду совсем другое. Откуда мы всё это узнаём? Не только из слов. Мы слышим человека раньше, чем успеваем проанализировать его речь. Слова сообщают факт, голос сообщает отношение Представим простую фразу: Очень хорошо. На письме она выглядит положительно. Но в живой речи она может означать: настоящее одобрение; спокойное согласие; облегчени...

  First in the mind. Then in reality. Every day, billions of decisions are made. Some are tiny. Some change entire lives. We decide what to say. What to buy. Whom to trust. When to stay silent. When to leave. Most people believe these decisions happen at the moment we act. I don't think they do. I believe every important decision is made twice. The first decision happens silently. The second becomes visible. Only one of them can be seen. The Invisible Decision Imagine two people receiving exactly the same email. One feels insulted. The other smiles. Nothing in the email changed. Only the interpretation did. From that moment forward, everything else becomes predictable. The first person replies defensively. The second begins a conversation. Outsiders believe they made different decisions. In reality, their visible decisions were already determined by an earlier invisible one. Each person first decided—without realizing it— what the situation meant. Everyt...

Why studying mathematics in another language is not always a mathematics problem A student knows how to solve equations. They understand percentages. Functions make sense. Geometry is familiar. Then the family moves to Germany. The mathematics lesson begins. The teacher gives the student a problem. And suddenly, the student cannot solve it. What happened? Did their mathematical ability disappear during the move? Of course not. Perhaps the real problem is much simpler. The student knows the mathematics. They do not yet know what the question is asking them to do. A Formula Can Be Universal. An Assignment Is Not. We often say that mathematics is an international language. In one sense, this is true. Numbers remain numbers. A triangle remains a triangle. An equation does not change because you crossed a border. But mathematics at school is not made only of numbers and formulas. It is also made of instructions. Berechne. Bestimme. Begründe. Zeige. Vergleiche. Er...