S: Why can’t I speak English?
T: Daily you need immersion–story, talk shows, native conversation and to stop focusing on grammar.
S: Why?
T: It’s peripheral, map learning, not language–which is intuitive, human.
Here ‘peripheral’ means:
a. wrong
b. extra
c. unimportant
The answer is ‘b’. The meaning of peripheral is actually on or at the limits of, on the edge of or just outside of
What is meant here is not that grammar is unimportant, but that it is a method of setting down or establishing rules for consistency in language. Grammar did not come first–language did. And so it is felt that language is natural and thus can be understood naturally. Indeed, the research of linguists shows that human beings have an innate and evolved ability to comprehend grammar. The point is students may need to understand grammar, but to become fluent they have to know when to depart from grammar and start trusting their brain and their daily use of the language. This is how to develop fluency. Not by turning every corner by looking at the map, but by trusting the instinct and exploring without it.
