how do we learn English?

Honestly, before we had to do a linguistics course in our first semester, i had never actually given serious thought as to how we pick up a language. Of course, one's first instinct is to answer 'in school, of course,' but i don't think i've actually learned much from school, mainly because my teachers taught us boring things like grammar and spelling. Yes, those are important, but those are also, unfortunately, the things that do not stick in a person's brain. Because those school lessons only lasted for about an hour, three times a week, we weren't really drilled on conversational skills, or encouraged to read, two skills i find are important when picking up a language as complicated and full of slang as English.

Personally, i firmly believe that my grasp of English is due to my nerdy bookwormy habits as a kid and the fact that i never shut up, therefore giving me ample oppurtunity to practice whatever new vocabulary i picked up from reading. Listening is important too, especially if one is not so confident about one's ability to speak fluently. Listening to (or eavesdropping on) a conversation is a really good way to pick up on the nuances of the language, right? Plus, you won't embarrass yourself by saying the wrong thing or mispronouncing certain words.

So, yeah, I think that listening, speaking and reading are major players in the learning English arena. Doing workbooks, not so much, unless that person is really motivated to learn from his or her mistakes and keep practicing what was learned in the book. It all boils down to practice, really. There's no possible way to remember all the confusing, strange rules of the English language if it isn't practiced regularly, and that's the fact of it. That's all from me for today! ^.^