Practice Makes Perfect
Language is one of the key aspects of everyday life. Its a complex system based on how we as human beings put words; phrases, syllables, and sentences together.We cant remember because we were children, but learning our first language was quite a strenuous task. In reference to Coates article, learning a new language requires effort from not only yourself, but also from others. It consists of countless years of practice and myriad times of failure, but in the end, how do you think your started speaking english?
I doubt you remember, but as a baby it was rather difficult to say “momma” or “dada”.
The only reason we finally caught on was because of repetition. Learning a language takes time and practice. “The only answer is to put one foot in front of the other, to keep walking, to understand that the way is up” (Coates pg. 3). After repetition with anything, may it be a sport, hobby, or learning a language, our brain familiarizes itself with what we are trying to teach it.
Things that were once a challenging mystery become familiar and easier to accomplish. If you have heard the saying “practice makes perfect”, well, it is the basic foundation of learning a language. “It's not enough to simply pat yourself on the back for trying out your French. You have to force yourself to try and apply the rules” (Coates pg. 3). Your not going to pick up a book

about French and learn the language by tomorrow. The only way to do it is to sit down, practice, take guidance from those who can already speak it, and most of all, repeat this process.
As children our parents took the job as our very first teachers without even knowing it.
The way they spoke to us influenced the way we pronounced our first words. In Too Stupid To
Learn French Coates goes on to talk about how as a child he did not have the discipline he now has because his teachers could not control him. Having a good teacher can go a long way in learning a new skill. Im sure you would rather have a math teacher when trying to solve an algebraic formula than your history teacher. In the article, Coates writes that “in order to speak
French you need to get the instruction, which you don't wholly understand because you don't speak French”. So all in all its like taking a leap of faith when it comes to learning a new language. You have to be willing to fail and let others help you achieve your goals. “I kept waiting for my instructor to just drop her book and say, "Est-ce que tu es stupide”.... But she was patient, She kept going., we powered through” (Coates pg. 3). A teacher that wont give up on you is also key in learning something new. They realize that while trying to learn something it takes practice. Your teachers didn't just appear at the front of the classroom teaching students. They too needed to constantly practice there profession, and they too also had some help. Our