MNASL
The Methodology for the Natural Acquisition of Second Languages
This methodology facilitates the acquisition of second languages naturally, in the same way that a child acquires his/her mother tongue
But How Does It Work?
The MNASL methodology consists of using the way children learn their native language to learn a second language and imitating how parents speak to their children.
We do not learn to read or write until we are 5/6 years old, when we already have an advanced level of our native language. Therefore, in the MNASL course, we will focus on the spoken language. Soon you will start to understand, and when you are ready, you will begin to speak.
Parents do not translate; they speak to children only in their native language. The teacher will talk to you only in Spanish.
Parents repeat very few words many times; they only introduce new words when they think their children have already learned the previous ones. The teacher will repeat a very limited number of words over and over. It is normal that, at first, you do not understand some words; learning comes through repetition. Some people need less repetition, others more; this is completely normal.
Children do not use their first words until they are 10–15 months old, which means that parents and family members talk to them all the time for a year until they use their first word. This makes children focus first on the sounds of the language and then on understanding the meaning of the words to learn them. For this reason, in this course, you will not have to answer questions with words unless you want to and are ready.
The way children communicate with their parents until they say their first words is through gestures. After introducing the words and repeating them a few times, The teacher will ask questions, and you will have to answer those questions with gestures. Do not worry if you do not answer correctly; remember that some people need more repetition than others, and learning is a process of trial and error. In addition, if you answer incorrectly, it is also positive because you will hear the correct answer from the teacher again.
Children do not learn vocabulary in notebooks or with flashcards, but through interaction with their parents. We recommend that you do not learn vocabulary at home; only through interaction with the teacher in class. If we learn words through their written form, we memorize them along with the sounds of our language. This makes it difficult for us to understand when someone speaks to us in a second language because what we hear does not match what we have learned.
Nobody teaches children the grammar rules until they go to school (7-8 years old) when the level of the children’s native language is quite advanced. The teacher will not teach you grammar rules until you reach an advanced level.
The Research Behind MNASL
The Methodology for the Natural Acquisition of Second Languages (MNASL) is a methodological proposal for the teaching/learning of second languages that extrapolates the principles of the acquisition of the mother tongue to the acquisition of a second language. In other words, this methodology facilitates the acquisition of second languages naturally, in the same way that a child acquires his/her mother tongue.
To arrive at this methodological proposal, the MNASL has carried out an exhaustive analysis of the different phases of language development in children, following the latest studies in developmental psychology.
At the same time, the characteristics of Child-Directed Speech (Motherese) have also been analyzed, which is the genuine way, with its own characteristics, in which parents or guardians interact with the baby or the child. The MNASL has found that this type of speech is not exclusive to infants, but is also found in speech directed at people with intellectual disabilities.
Most studies in developmental psychology conclude that this type of speech facilitates the acquisition of the mother tongue.
The MNASL maintains that the application of these methodological principles facilitates the acquisition of a second language not only for purely linguistic criteria but also psychological ones. By being based on real communicative processes, and not like the communicative approach where the learning of syntactic aspects continues to be a fundamental pillar, the MNASL reduces anxiety and inhibition in the student.