Hello, lovely.
I'm Maria.
And my name is Rory.
And we are the hosts of the IELTS Speaking for Success podcast.
The podcast that aims to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening skills, along the way.
We started this podcast because we want you to use high-level words and gorgeous grammar in your everyday English and in your IELTS speaking exam.
Rory, you're enjoying your holiday drinking beer, right?
No, actually, I hate beer.
I prefer wine.
Wine, yes.
Now we're speaking the same language.
Oh, that's a coincidence, because today we're going to talk about languages.
Yes, dear listener.
In IELTS Speaking Part 1, they can ask you questions about languages.
Rory, do you like learning languages?
I think I like the idea of learning a language more than the practicalities of it.
It's fun to learn some isolated phrases to get by, but it's actually quite a difficult thing to do to learn a language and it takes up a lot of time.
So, it's sort of like 50-50 when I think about it.
What languages do you speak?
Well, I speak English fluently, obviously because I'm a native speaker, but I also speak Russian passively, and I can speak a little bit of Swedish and high school French from back in the day.
How good is your Russian?
Probably pre-intermediate for vocabulary and elementary for grammar.
I hate grammar.
Are you learning any foreign languages now?
Well, I'm still learning Russian, although the grammar is kind of like my white whale at this point.
I don't think there's any way that I'm going to get any better at it.
I'll keep trying, though.
I believe in you.
You can do it, Rory.
Come on.
Man up.
Is it important to learn a foreign language?
I suppose it depends on why you're learning it.
There are different kinds of motivations to learn.
There's like integrative motivation, where you learn to integrate into a community, or there's instrumental motivation, where you learn for a specific purpose.
So, if you've got either of these two kinds of motivations, then yeah, it's very important to learn.
But if you're doing it just to look cool, then I don't think it's so important.
You should maybe work on your character more.
How did you learn the languages that you speak?
Well learning English.
I suppose I just grew up being surrounded by the language, so that was a pretty passive process on my part, until I got older and I started taking an interest in it.
And then when it comes to languages like Swedish and Russian, I learned it lexically.
I learned things like phrases and chunks of useful vocabulary that really helped me out.
Why do people learn more than one language?
I think the main reasons are employment and emigration.
Some people do learn languages just out of interest, But I think those are the first two I mentioned are the biggest reasons why people do it.
And, of course, if you want to work abroad or if you want to live in a different country, then obviously it's important to learn the language that people speak there.
Do you think that all children should learn foreign languages at school?
They should at least try although their school teachers should also try a lot harder to make classes more engaging.
I think we had the grammar translation approach at high school, which is the most boring thing in the universe if you've ever done it.
So yeah, they should at least try as long as the schools are trying.
And if it turns out to be their thing, then great.
It can open up a lot of opportunities.
But I suppose one could argue so can a lot of the things you learn at high school.
So if you're not so good at learning languages, then I wouldn't worry, you could be good at other things.
Do you think it's difficult to learn a language?
Oh, yeah.
Like, you've got all the vocabulary and the different grammar structures to learn.
And then on top of that, there's all of the skills and the micro skills.
So it's really difficult.
But I think it's worthwhile, ultimately.
Will you learn other languages in the future?
Probably studying and practicing two languages is enough.
So like Russian and English for me.
I don't think I'll learn any other languages.
My cousin wants me to try and learn Gaelic, which is one of the native languages in Scotland.
But I think it's too difficult at this point and I have other things to do with my life.
Maybe computing languages, but I don't think that's quite the same thing.
Rory, thank you very much for your answers.
No problem.
Okay, shall we go over the super vocabulary you just used and grammar structures for a high score?
Which score, Rory?
A band 9 score.
So, when we talk about languages, first of all, we learn a language, right?
And we speak a language, like speak English, right?
Mm-hmm.
And also you say like the English language, but English.
Or you can say English language.
If you're using it as an adjective to describe something, so like English language TV, but no one talks about the English language.
Usually people just say English or Russian or French.
It's a bit different in Russian though.
People say English language or Russian language in their own language, but it's not like this in English.
You have your mother tongue.
Mother tongue.
So the language that you speak, well, as a baby, right?
Yeah.
So my mother tongue is Russian.
What's your mother tongue?
Oh, my mother tongue is British.
My mother tongue is British.
British.
My mother tongue is English, actually.
Yes, you seem to be confused, Rory.
Yes.
Okay, yeah.
So, your mother tongue and also a foreign language.
So, my mother tongue is Russian.
I was born in Russia.
But a foreign language that I can speak is English.
A little bit of Spanish, right?
A foreign language.
Some people also use the phrase second language.
It's got a little bit of a different meaning in some contexts, but some people use second language and foreign language interchangeably.
Yeah, in switzerland, for example, they speak different languages, so like it will be like the second language french german, italian speak the same language.
At the beginning uh, we've mentioned this, like oh, now we're speaking the same language, what is it about?
So that's just a phrase to describe if you're thinking the same thing or if you're talking about something in the same way.
It sounds like you're speaking the same language, like you're speaking English and I'm speaking English, but actually it's a phrase with a sort of double meaning.
Yeah, so can you say, like, we're on the same wave, we are speaking the same language?
You're so close.
We're on the same wavelength.
Wavelength, yeah, we're on the same wavelength.
Or we speak the same language.
Also, when we talk about languages, we can say that I'm bilingual, right?
So, if I speak two languages.
I think, yeah, if you speak two languages with the same level of competency, then you're bilingual.
Is that right?
Yeah, yeah.
Can I be multilingual?
You can be.
Or, if you wanted to get a really high score, you could say that you're a polyglot, which means you speak more than one language.
Polyglot?
Yeah, that's a fun phrase.
Oh, sorry, a fun word.
You mentioned practicalities, right?
So the practicalities are things that you have to do physically and mentally in order to be able to do something.
So the practicalities of learning a language are you have to find the time to learn it, You have to sit down and study it consciously.
You need to find a teacher.
You have to find the motivation and the enthusiasm to do it.
This is all really demanding stuff.
People who learn foreign languages are heroes.
They should be commended for all of the work that they do.
Yes, dear listeners, you are all heroes, okay?
Yes.
When we talk about languages, we should mention specific vocabulary about languages.
For example, vocabulary, grammar structures, skills, chunks of vocabulary, right?
Chunks, that's like phrases.
Also, Rory, you've mentioned micro-skills.
What do you mean micro-skills?
Well, the four big skills in any language are reading, writing, listening and speaking.
And then you've got micro-skills like listening for specific information, or listening for detail, or listening for the attitude of somebody.
So...
If I make a sarcastic remark and you can determine that, then you're listening for inference or attitude.
Oh, yes, English teachers know what we mean here.
We can speak English, for example, fluently.
I want to speak English fluently or speak English well, right?
Rory, you've mentioned a white whale.
Whale?
What?
So this is from the book Moby Dick.
It's to do with chasing something or working on something which ultimately destroys you.
So for me it's learning Russian grammar, because I really am obsessed with trying to learn it, but it's just impossible for me.
So it's sort of like a futile thing to do with my time and with my life but...
It gives me some meaning, so there's that as well.
It's not a very common expression, but it is quite a good one if you want to reference the fact that you've read quite a lot as well.
Can you say that English grammar is a white whale?
Compared to Russian grammar, no, it's not.
It's more like a white fish.
Yeah, Russian grammar is impossible.
I have no idea how you learn it and no way.
Neither do I. We can master a language, right?
For example, about your Russian studies.
Have you mastered the Russian language, Rory?
Definitely not.
Far from it.
I know enough, though, to get by.
And by get by, I mean I know enough to function in everyday society.
So I do quite well with the Russian I have and people are often quite happy with what I'm saying.
I think if I had to express more... nuanced and interesting positions.
I wouldn't be able to do it in Russian, but I could try.
Yeah, so we can say that we want to master a language, I want to master English, or I want to reach a high level of language proficiency.
Or you just want to get by.
You want to get by, yeah.
You just want to be able to order a beer or something.
Rory, you've used lots of phrasal verbs, so it takes up lots of time.
Absolutely.
Yeah, it does take up a lot of time.
So if something takes up a lot of time, it's like another way of saying it uses a lot of time.
But we don't really use the expression use in English.
We say something takes up a lot of time.
Also, you said like help out.
It helps me out.
Yes, absolutely.
So, it supports me.
Again, or you could say something helps you.
But again, in your exam you are expected to use phrasal verbs and collocations at a higher level for a band 9 score.
So, try using phrases like it helps me out.
Yeah, he helped me out, for example.
Also, you said like it turned out to be the best thing or something?
Yeah, you're close.
If something turns out to be your thing.
So this is talking about the result of an action.
So it's like after a long time, something turns out wrong. well, for example.
So you could study a language at high school and if it turns out to be your thing if you discover that it's your thing, like you're good at it, then you should continue to do it.
But if it turns out not to be your thing like, if you discover that you're not so good at it at the end of the process, then it's not a disaster.
Let's check your language proficiency, Rory.
Could you tell us a couple of words in Russian, please?
No, because it's an English podcast and not a Russian one.
And also it's embarrassing when I speak Russian.
How about Swedish?
Swedish.
A couple of words in Swedish.
Come on.
I only know the bad words in Swedish now.
I've not spoken Swedish fluently for quite some time.
Yes.
Let's do it.
No, no.
Again, we're a family-friendly podcast.
We can't swear.
Oh, no.
You're a killjoy, Rory.
I'm just professional.
Oh, no.
You're a killjoy.
You can also say, I've always wanted to speak Spanish.
So when the examiner asks you, would you like to learn any language in the future?
I've always wanted to speak Spanish or I've always wanted to master Italian.
Right, Rory?
Yeah.
The present perfect here.
You've mastered Italian, haven't you?
Oh yes, at elementary level, absolutely.
I think you spoke Italian quite well.
I'm sure you mentioned it before, but maybe I'm misremembering.
Rory, maybe in your dreams I spoke Italian very well.
Yes, I love Italian.
When we talk about school, we can mention primary school or high school, right?
And you can say that learning languages should be compulsory, like a must at high school or at primary school.
You can also use it as an adjective, like high school French, meaning the French that you learn in high school, or high school English.
How long have you been learning Russian?
Five years now?
This is why the grammar is so difficult.
It's taken five years for me to just at least master past tense.
This is not good progress.
But then I've been working a lot, so maybe if you devote more time to it then it will be a lot easier for you.
And why do you think people learn bad words before they learn anything else?
And bad words, you know, they stick.
We remember bad words right away.
I don't think it's about the bad words.
I think they learn the interesting words.
And so you pick up things which are more interesting or more relevant to you than things which are less interesting and less relevant.
So, for example, if someone swears or says a bad word in another language, then that's interesting because it's like taboo information and so you pick it up very easily.
Whereas if it's just something like oh, how do I explain the difference between two different kinds of meat, for example?
That's not going to be interesting for a lot of people.
So I would forget something like this.
Can you say that learning slang is worthwhile?
I think, again, it will depend on why you're learning a language, won't it?
If you're learning it so you can emigrate to another country, then yeah absolutely, it's a good idea.
But I don't think it should be the only thing we you learn.
There's so many other things to pick up, so many other phrases, not just slang.
Yeah, we can say like, pick up some words right, or it's worthwhile, it's worth doing.
What's your favorite word in russian?
Well, it used to be babochka, which is butterfly, and now I've changed it slightly.
But again, my new favourite word in Russian is a very bad word, so I'm not going to say it on the podcast, Okay.
In Spanish, I love the word primavera.
What's that?
Spring.
Oh, it's nice.
Yes, primavera.
Thank you very much for listening.
That's all from us.
We really hope it's been useful and you've learned something new and enjoyed our company.
And we'll see you on the next episode.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Rory, do you like learning languages?
I think I like the idea of learning a language more than the practicalities of it.
It's fun to learn some isolated phrases to get by, but it's actually quite a difficult thing to do to learn a language and it takes up a lot of time.
So it's sort of like 50-50 when I think about it.
What languages do you speak?
Well, I speak English fluently, obviously, because I'm a native speaker.
But I also speak Russian, possibly.
And I can speak a little bit of Swedish and high school French from back in the day.
How good is your Russian?
Probably pre-intermediate for vocabulary and elementary for grammar.
I hate grammar.
Are you learning any foreign languages now?
Well, I'm still learning Russian, although the grammar is kind of like my white whale at this point.
I don't think there's any way that I'm going to get any better at it.
I'll keep trying, though.
I believe in you.
You can do it, Rory.
Come on.
Man up.
Is it important to learn a foreign language?
I suppose it depends on why you're learning it.
There are different kinds of motivations to learn.
There's like integrative motivation, where you learn to integrate into a community, or there's instrumental motivation, where you learn for a specific purpose.
So if you've got either of these two kinds of motivations, then yeah, it's very important to learn.
But if you're doing it just to look cool, then I don't think it's so important.
You should maybe work on your character more.
How did you learn the languages that you speak?
Well, learning English, I suppose I just grew up being surrounded by the language.
So that was a pretty passive process on my part until I got older and I started taking an interest in it.
And then when it comes to languages like Swedish and Russian, I learned it lexically.
I learned things like phrases and chunks of useful vocabulary that really helped me out.
Why do people learn more than one language?
I think the main reasons are employment and emigration.
Some people do learn languages just out of interest, But I think those are the first two I mentioned are the biggest reasons why people do it.
And, of course, if you want to work abroad or if you want to live in a different country, then obviously it's important to learn the language that people speak there.
Do you think that all children should learn foreign languages at school?
They should at least try although their school teachers should also try a lot harder to make classes more engaging.
I think we had the grammar translation approach at high school, which is the most boring thing in the universe if you've ever done it.
So, yeah, they should at least try as long as the schools are trying.
And if it turns out to be their thing, then great.
It can open up a lot of opportunities.
But I suppose one could argue so can a lot of the things you learn at high school.
So if you're not so good at learning languages, then I wouldn't worry.
You could be good at other things.
Do you think it's difficult to learn a language?
Oh, yeah.
Like, you've got all the vocabulary and the different grammar structures to learn.
And then on top of that, there's all of the skills and the micro skills.
So it's really difficult, but I think it's worthwhile ultimately.
Will you learn other languages in the future?
Probably studying and practicing two languages is enough.
So like Russian and English for me.
I don't think I'll learn any other languages.
My cousin wants me to try and learn Gaelic, which is one of the native languages in Scotland.
But I think it's too difficult at this point and I have other things to do with my life.
Maybe computing languages, but I don't think that's quite the same thing.
