Strategies in GPA for Negotiating the Meaning of a Word or Phrase

Indian markets are fascinating places to learn the skills of negotiating. Ultimately, you and the salesman are working towards a shared agreement of what an item or service is worth. It's a conversation with a lot of back and forth, give and take, until eventually you meet in the middle or you leave it and walk away.

Communication in a second language is about negotiation. As a matter of fact, learning anything is about negotiation. You start with what you know, ask questions, give examples, and continue to clarify meaning until somewhat of a shared understanding is reached.

Negotiating is a critical skill in the Growing Participator Approach (GPA) of learning another language and culture. GPA focuses primarily on building understanding of thousands of vocabulary words in Hindi, Urdu or other languages through lots of listening to native speakers in various contexts. With the help of physical or virtual toys/cards in Phase 1, to wordless picture books in Phase 2, to familiar stories in Phase 3, context always allows for negotiation. Phase 4 and Phase 5 are the more advanced GPA phases, so the contexts can becomes increasingly ambiguous and the words encountered can become ones that are definitely understood by and used by native speakers but less frequently than the words encountered in Phases 1-3.

Regardless of the phase, there are some specific strategies that can be employed by your Nurturer and by you, the Growing Participator (GP), to more effectively negotiate the meaning of a new word in your target language without using English.

9 Powerful Ways to Negotiate the Meaning of a Word or Phrase

1. Act out the Word

   See if your Nurturer would be willing to physically act out the meaning of the word just like a game of charades. This visual can provide extra context for understanding how and where that new word is used. And like a game of charades, make sure you are being a good guesser by throwing out ideas of what you think is going on. This feedback will help your Nurturer continue to clarify their actions to better describe through physical action what the word means. And just like that- you're powerfully negotiating the meaning of a new word in a way that you are unlikely to quickly forget!

2. Point to the Picture

   If you are in Phase 2 or certain activities of other phases where visuals are used, point to the picture when you hear a new word to see if you can narrow down the context even further to a specific object or action displayed on the page. Be aware that you and your Nurturer are both looking at the same picture but coming from very different langua-cultural worlds. So it is possible that the animal one of you thinks is a goat - the other is calling a dog. This kind of ambiguity is to be expected and can actually be very informative into your Nurturer's worldview. Wrestling through this ambiguity also makes this a powerful encounter with this word- one you will not easily forget!

3. Give an Example Related to the Context

   Our brains work particularly well in grouping words and concepts around a memorable context such as a story or activity. When Nurturers can therefore be intentional to give examples related to the actions and characters of the story within which the new word was used, it will be easier for us to negotiate what that word means and easier later for our brains to recall this meaning.

4. Give an Example Related to a Different Context

   Once the Nurturer and GP have negotiated an original understanding of a word based on the context in which that word was first heard, it can then be helpful for both the Nurturer and GP to try coming up with an example outside of this story where that word may commonly be used. This is often more difficult as the GP is needing to try to figure out not only the meaning of the word but is also now trying to figure out the new context in which it is being used. But it can also be more practical in hearing ways that this word is frequently used in normal every day speech.

5. Give an Example Unique to the GP

   GPA is a highly relational approach where GPs and Nurturers get to know one another deeply. When Nurturers know their GP well enough to give an example that is personally relevant to that learner, it creates an encounter with a word that will be easier to remember. Does your Nurturer know about your family- your spouse, roommates, children? - Bringing these relationships into reference can bring depth to the examples used to negotiate the meaning of new words.

6. Explain the Opposite of the New Word

   Comparing and contrasting are powerful learning tools that bring greater clarity to the meaning of a new word. If a Nurturer things a GP understands the opposite of a new word, they may use that to help contrast meaning with the new word they are describing. GPs should also try to initiate comparisons like these to help negotiate where a new word fits within what the GP already knows.

7. Ask the GP to Make a Sample Sentence with the Word

   Great Nurturers know that a GP simply nodding in agreement after an explanation of a new word is not enough to really demonstrate whether or not this GP understands the new concept. Let's face it- learning the meaning of word after word is exhausting! It can be hard to keep up the mental energy required to do this for the duration of an entire language session. But...failing to really press in and have a strong encounter with each new word in a lesson until it is as fully clarified as possible...this is also a waste of time where the learner will unlikely remember this word in the future. GPs being encouraged and disciplined to make a sample sentence after each new word to clarify if they understand that word and its use is a critical step in both understanding this word and learning how to apply it correctly in their own speech.

8. Encourage the GP NOT to Use English

   We learn Hindi by listening to and speaking Hindi. (Or Urdu, Punjabi, Telugu, etc). While it can feel more structured and safe to always tie every new word back to a concept in our home language, ultimately this practice will limit your ability to understand the beauty and nuance of the language world you are seeking to embrace. Yes, it is more difficult to learn a target language only using that target language. But as the adage goes- no pain, no gain. There is so much to be gained from the struggle or working through the meaning of a word using other words and concepts in that language that you already know.

9. Leave It After Awhile and Come Back Later During Debrief

   Just as we sometimes walk away in the market from an item that we didn't quite come to an agreed-upon price for, so in language learning it can be okay to take a break from neogiating the meaning of a word and come back to it later. In Phase 2 of GPA, there is a set aside "Debrief" time at the end of a set amount of time negotiating only in the target language. During this debrief, if the Nurturer knows some of the GP's home language, then the home language can be used to clarify certain words that were unclear. The encouragement is that as GPs move into Phase 3 and higher, this debrief time is no longer needed and the whole of each session can be done fully in the target language. This may mean a word that isn't 100% clear after trying many different things may need to be left with an ambiguous understanding for now. If it is an important or frequently used word in the language, then it will come up again in another context. All the struggle that a GP and Nurturer went through in one scenario will not be wasted later when re-negotiating the meaning of this word in a new context.

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

Conclusion

If language were a sandwich, vocabulary would be the meat, and grammar would be the bread. Both are important for making up a language in its fullness, but the real substance of a language comes primarily from the massive vocabulary that makes up its meaning. The Growing Participator Approach (GPA) is a method of learning language and culture through different phases suited to build your skills of understanding and speaking in a relational, fun and effective way.

Active languages such as Hindi Urdu are constantly evolving so it is hard to estimate how many words are required for fluency in these languages. But it is estimated that being comfortable with 2000 words provides for basic conversational ability in most languages (a benchmark achieved around Phase 2 of GPA) and comfort with 10,000+ words would be necessary to sound similar to a native speaker (a benchmark achieved by Phase 5 of GPA). While of course grammar is necessary to structure these words into complete thoughts, a structure with no substance- or a sandwich with no meat- is just buttered bread. Knowing the grammatical structures of Hindi Urdu without understanding or being able to use the vast and beautiful vocabulary of this language is also limiting.

How does one work towards understanding thousands of words in Hindi Urdu?

Time. Time. Time.

Time is the number one indicator of success in language learning. All methods aside, a dedicated learner committed to giving the endeavor the time and energy it deserves will reach their language goals and work towards increased fluency in a second language no matter which method they use. (See our blog on Which GPA Phase is Right For Me for an estimate of how many hours are required in each GPA Phase for most languages.)

So does the method of learning another language matter?

Absolutely! If you are like most of our learners at Launch India, you have already tried a few methods to learn Hindi Urdu before you reach out interested in trying the GPA method online or in person to make some progress. Self-paced methods such as pre-recorded programs, videos or apps may be helpful for learning to read the script of another language, but they are often not conducive for the amount of time, exposure, and interaction required to really make the kinds of gains desired in learning another language.

It is a common misconception that GPA is for everyone. There have certainly been many successful learners of Hindi Urdu who have used and enjoyed other methods to reach their goals.

Why use GPA to learn Hindi Urdu?

But we at Launch India have chosen to embrace the GPA method and support those who have decided they are ready to try an approach that is immersive, relational, fun and effective for learning Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Telugu, Marathi and Tamil.

Reach out today for more information or for a free trial class to see if GPA could help you meet your goals!