The sandwich method of learning Vietnamese is incredibly effective for second language learners. When children learn their native language, they don’t have a pre-existing language to interpret every meaning. But when adults learn a foreign language, they already have a foundation language to describe the world around them. Any object, phenomenon, or event is first presented to the learner’s brain in their native language, and then translated into the foreign language. We can’t force our brains to “think and speak in a new language.” However, we can trick our brains by combining both languages in a sentence or paragraph. This method is commonly known as “pidgin”.
If you’ve ever traveled to Vietnam, you’ll notice some mountain children selling goods to foreign tourists are quite good at it. They can speak English, although not always grammatically correct, but they can be understood. And what’s special is that they haven’t been taught in any school. They only learn through “pidgin”.
“Sandwich Speaking” is a second language learning method for those who want to understand and speak quickly without worrying too much about linguistic connections. It’s suitable for teaching Vietnamese for everyday communication purposes. I combine the “Sandwich Speaking” method to help my students learn new vocabulary more easily. I’ve compiled a textbook that combines English and Vietnamese from easy to difficult levels. However, we will also consider the level of each student. I will also supplement exercises and specific lessons for each student to “revise” the vocabulary they are weak in.
Try experiencing the effectiveness of method “Sandwich Speaking” by joining Vân Đỗ’s class.