应用程序能教你一门语言吗？

这个BBC播客在英国以外由广告支持。

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside The UK.

无论你在哪里收听，都能通过BBC播客获取更多内容。

Get more with BBC podcasts wherever you listen.

订阅Apple Podcasts上的BBC播客高级版，抢先收听你最喜欢的节目，比如《邪恶天才》《好坏亿万富翁》和《你对我已死》。

Be the first to listen to your favorite shows, like Evil Genius, Good Bad Billionaire, and You're Dead to Me with a subscription to BBC Podcasts Premium on Apple Podcasts.

你也可以通过订阅Amazon Music，免费收听我们的一系列播客，没有广告。

You can also enjoy a range of our podcasts ad free with an Amazon Music subscription.

还有六分钟吗？

Got another six minutes?

我们还有很多内容可以帮助你提升英语。

We have lots more to help you with your English.

试试《简单英语》节目，从自然的英语对话中学习，或者从世界各地的重要新闻中学习英语。

Try Real Easy English to learn from natural English conversations or learn some English from the biggest news stories from around the world.

在你的播客应用中搜索BBC Learning English，找到我们的其他节目，或者访问bbclearningenglish.com获取更多内容。

Search BBC Learning English in your podcast app to find our other programmes or find much more at bbclearningenglish.com.

六分钟英语。

Six Minute English.

来自bbclearningenglish.com。

From bbclearningenglish.com.

大家好，欢迎收听BBC Learning English的六分钟英语。

Hello and welcome to six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

我是尼尔。

I'm Neil.

我是皮帕。

And I'm Pippa.

像多邻国、Babbel和Busuu这样的应用，都旨在帮助你学习一门语言。

Apps like Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu all aim to help you learn a language.

但它们真的有用吗？

But do they really help?

在今天的六分钟英语节目中，我们将尝试回答这个问题。

We'll be trying to answer that question in today's episode of six Minute English.

和往常一样，我们也会学习一些有用的新词汇。

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

是的。

Yes.

别忘了访问我们的网站，获取本期节目的文字稿和一份免费练习表，来测试你学到的内容。

And don't forget to head to our website for a transcript of this episode and a free worksheet to test what you've learned.

都在bbclearningenglish.com上。

It's all at bbclearningenglish.com.

好的，尼尔，我们从一个测验问题开始吧。

Okay Neil, let's start with a quiz question.

以下哪种语言不是你可以用多邻国学习的？

Which of these is not a language you can learn using Duolingo?

是a)拉丁语，b)克林贡语，还是c)精灵语？

Is it a) Latin b) Klingon or c) Elvish?

我会选c)精灵语。

I'm going to say c) Elvish.

好的，我们会在节目最后揭晓答案。

Well, we'll find out at the end of the programme.

现在，大家可能对多邻国这个应用比较熟悉。

Now, might be familiar with the app Duolingo.

还有其他应用声称能帮你快速学习一门语言，比如Busuu和Babbel。

And then there are other apps which say they can help you learn a language quickly Busuu and Babbel, for example.

听众们可能也熟悉这些应用通常是怎么运作的。

And listeners might be familiar with how they tend to work.

你会得到一些短课程，这些课程会反复测试你一组单词。

You get short lessons which test you on a repeated set of words.

对。

Right.

而且很多这类应用说它们侧重于通过情境和隐性学习来教语言，而不是直接教授语法等语言规则。

And many of these apps say they focus on teaching language for situations and implicit learning rather than directly teaching language rules such as grammar.

如果某件事是隐性的，那就是被暗示但未直接说明的。

If something is implicit, it's suggested but not communicated directly.

是的。

Yes.

所以如果你想想孩子是怎么学会说母语的，那主要是潜移默化的，他们并没有上课。

So if you think about how children learn to speak their first language, it's mostly implicit they don't have lessons.

但这对成年人来说也适用吗？

But can this work for adults?

BBC广播四台的节目《Sliced Bread》一直在调查语言学习应用背后的证据。

BBC Radio four programme, Sliced Bread, has been investigating the evidence behind language learning apps.

主持人格雷格·富特采访了语言学习专家伊丽莎白·万纳卡特教授，也就是莉兹，谈到了隐性学习。

Presenter Greg Foote spoke to language learning expert Professor Elizabeth Wannercutt or Liz about implicit learning.

一个孩子不断接触语言环境，和一个人每周只花几个小时学语言，这两者之间有着非常大的区别。

There is a very big difference between being a child who gets constantly exposed to this world of language compared with trying to learn a language a few hours a week.

有相当多的证据表明，一些显性的教学，比如教语法和词汇，是有帮助的。

There is quite a bit of evidence some explicit teaching of, for example, grammar and vocabulary is helpful.

明白了。

Got you.

所以，试着模仿孩子的做法，也就是完全沉浸其中，会更有帮助。

So it would be helpful to try to mimic what children do, which is full immersion.

但现实情况是，你很难达到那种程度。

But realistically, you're not going to get to those levels.

Liz说，虽然孩子是在语言环境中耳濡目染地学习母语，而成年人每周往往只花几个小时来学习。

Liz says that while children learn their first language implicitly by being constantly surrounded by the language, adults are often learning for only a few hours a week.

对。

Yes.

所以对于成年人来说，想学一门新语言的话，研究表明适当的显性教学是有帮助的。

So for adults trying to learn a new language, research has shown that some explicit teaching is helpful.

显性教学和隐性学习正好相反。

Explicit is the opposite of implicit.

比如说，显性的语法教学就是有人给你讲解语法规则。

So for example, explicit grammar teaching would be somebody explaining a grammar rule to you.

明白了。

Right.

所以成年人实际上不可能像孩子那样完全沉浸在语言环境中。

So adults can't realistically achieve full immersion in a language like children do.

沉浸意味着完全被某事物包围。

Immersion means being completely surrounded by something.

好的。

Okay.

所以，将应用程序的隐性教学和一些显性教学结合起来，比如学习语法规则，是有用的。

So a mixture of the implicit teaching of the apps and some explicit teaching, for example, learning grammar rules is useful.

但是，尼尔，关于这些应用程序在教语言方面到底有多有效，研究还很有限。

But Neil, there's limited research about just how effective these apps can be at teaching you a language.

确实。

Indeed.

不过，利兹·瓦纳科特看到了一个她觉得可能有趣的研究，该研究比较了两组说西班牙语的人学习英语的情况，一组使用应用程序，另一组参加类似时长的课程。

Liz Wanacott has seen one study she thinks could be interesting though, which compares two groups of Spanish speakers learning English one using an app and one attending classes for a similar amount of time.

她在BBC广播四台的节目《Sliced Bread》中详细解释了这一点。

She explains more to BBC Radio four programme Sliced Bread.

关键发现是，在一些测试中，比如书面语法测试，多邻国的学习者进步稍微多一点；但在听力测试中，课堂学习者的进步似乎更大。

The key finding was that in some of the tests, written grammar tests, the Duolingo learners actually improved a bit more, while actually in a test where they were looking at listening, the classroom learners appeared to improve more.

所以前景确实很乐观，但当然，这只是针对某一种语言、某一款特定应用和某一所特定学校的对比。

So it's really promising, but of course, it's one particular language in one particular app against one particular school.

莉兹表示，研究的关键发现是：应用程序用户在书面测试中进步更多，而课堂学习者在听力测试中进步更多。

Liz says the key finding from the research is that the app users improved more on written tests, but the classroom learners improved more on listening tests.

所谓“关键发现”，指的就是一项研究中最核心的结论。

A key finding is the most important conclusion of a piece of research.

Liz说这项研究很有前景，也就是说它显示出积极的迹象。

Liz says the study is promising, which means it shows signs of being positive.

对。

Yes.

不过，Liz指出了这项研究的局限性。

However, Liz points out the limits of the study.

它只关注一种特定的语言、一款特定的应用程序和一所特定的语言学校。

It's only looking at one particular language, one particular app and one particular language school.

这里重复使用“one particular”意思是“特定的”或“个别的”。

The repetition of one particular here means specific or individual.

丽兹希望看到更多关于不同应用、不同类型教学以及更多不同语言的研究。

And Liz would like to see research on more apps, more types of teaching and also more different languages.

应用可以帮助我们学习语言的某些部分，但在这项研究中，它们在提高听力技能方面并不那么成功。

Apps can help us learn some parts of a language, but in this study they weren't as successful at improving listening skills.

因此，丽兹得出结论，将应用学习与其他学习方式结合起来，是提高语言技能的最佳途径。

And so Liz concludes that combining learning in apps with some other ways of studying is the best way to try to improve your language skills.

未来，将人工教学与这些平台结合起来，以提供那种重复练习，可能是正确的方向。

Probably moving forwards, some combination of human teaching and these platforms to give us that repetition is probably going to be the right direction.

作为老师，我们也会建议做一些有助于提升不同技能的事情，比如口语、听力、阅读和写作。

As teachers, we'd also suggest doing things that help you improve different skills speaking, listening, reading and writing.

所以，听播客或者尝试与语言交换伙伴练习口语，这些都可以与应用学习结合起来。

So listening to podcasts or trying to practise speaking with a language exchange partner could be things to combine with learning in apps.

找到适合你的方法。

Find what works for you.

我觉得是时候揭晓测验答案了，Neil。

I think it's time to find out the answer to the quiz question, Neil.

我问你哪种语言不能在多邻国学。

I asked you which language you can't learn on Duolingo.

你说得对，答案是C：精灵语。

And you were right, it's c) Elvish.

不过你可以在多邻上学拉丁语和克林贡语，就是《星际迷航》里的那种虚构语言。

But you can learn Latin and Klingon, the fictional language from the TV series Star Trek on Duolingo.

如果你真的想提升精灵语，我们还真发现了一款专门针对这个的应用。

And if you did want to improve your Elvish, we did find an app specifically for that.

好的。

Right.

我们来回顾一下本集学到的词汇。

Let's recap the vocabulary we learned in this episode.

"Implicit"的意思是暗示的，但没有直接表达出来。

Implicit means suggested but not communicated directly.

显性表达是隐性表达的反面。

Explicit is the opposite of implicit.

它指的是直接传达的信息。

It means something is communicated directly.

沉浸是指完全被某事物包围的状态。

Immersion is the state of being fully surrounded by something.

研究的关键发现是研究最重要的结论。

The key finding of a research study is the most important conclusion of the research.

短语“某一个”指的是特定的或个别的。

And the phrase one particular means specific or individual.

我们的六分钟时间又到了。

Once again, our six minutes are up.

用我们网站上的练习表来测试你学到的内容吧。

Test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website.

如果你有兴趣听完整集的《Slice Bread》关于语言学习应用及其背后的科学，本期节目下方的注释中有链接。

And if you're interested to hear the full episode of Slice Bread about language learning apps and the science behind them, there's a link in the notes below this episode.

如果觉得跟不上，可以试试用0.5倍速听，或者分段听。

Try listening on 0.5 speed or in short sections if you find it too difficult to keep up.

再见啦。

Bye for now.

再见。

Goodbye.

六分钟英语。

Six Minute English.

来自bbclearningenglish.com。

From bbclearningenglish.com.

无论你在哪里收听，都可以通过BBC播客获取更多内容。

Get more with BBC podcasts wherever you listen.

订阅Apple Podcasts上的BBC播客高级版，抢先收听你最喜欢的节目，比如《邪恶天才》《好老板坏亿万富翁》和《你死我活》。

Be the first to listen to your favorite shows, like evil genius, good bad billionaire, and You're Dead to Me with a subscription to BBC Podcasts Premium on Apple Podcasts.

你还可以通过Amazon Music订阅，无广告收听我们的一系列播客。

You can also enjoy a range of our podcasts ad free with an Amazon Music subscription.