AsIwasthinkingaboutlanguagelearningtheotherdaytheimageofbakingbreadcameintomymind.Icomparedsomeoftheexercisesanddrillsthatweputourselvesthroughinordertolearnalanguagetothevariousingredients(原料)thatgointobakingaloafoffreshbread.

Reallanguagelearningtakesplaceinhumanrelationships.Noonesitsdownandeatsacupofflourevenifheishungryandinahurry.Youdon'tbecomebilingual(双语的)bylearninglistsofvocabulary.Youdon'tbecomeaspeakerofalanguagebymemorizinggrammaticalrules.Youbecomebilingualbyenteringacommunitythatusesthatotherlanguageasitsbasicmeansofcommunication.

Iamnotsuggestingthatwecanmakebreadwithoutingredients.Flourisnecessaryasareyeast(酵母)saltwaterandotheringredients.Vocabularyispartofanylanguageandwillhavetobelearned.Grammaticalrulesexistineverylanguageandcannotbeignored.Butmerelycombiningtheappropriateingredientsintherecommendedproportionsdoesnotresultinbread.Atbestyouonlyendupwithaballofdough(面团).

Inordertogetbreadyouhavetoapplyheattothedough.Andinlanguagelearningthatheatcomesfromthecommunity.Anyonewhohaslearnedasecondlanguagehasexperiencedthatheat.Itcreepsupyourneckwhenyouaskthebabysitter“Haveyoualreadybeeneaten?”whenyoumeanttosay‘‘Haveyoualreadyeaten?”Whenyoutrytosaysomethingquiteinnocentandthewholeroomburstsintolaughteryouareexperiencingtheheatthatturnsrawdoughintogoodbread.

Remembertheoldsaying“Ifyoucan’tstandtheheatgetoutofthekitchen".Thisiswherelanguagelearningoftenbreaksdownbecausewefindtheheatuncomfortableandwestopthebakingprocess.Inotherwordswecan'tstandtheheatsowegetoutofthekitchen.

Howeverthelanguagelearnerwhostaysinthekitchen—intheheat—untilthecombined

ingredientsarethoroughlytransformedwillenjoytherichnessofaqualityloafofbread.Heisgladthathedidnot"getoutofthekitchen”attheimportantmomentwhentheovenseemedtoohot.

Nowthebakerenjoysgoodbreadseatedatthetablewithfamilymembersandguests.Howeverhedoesnotfocuson"bread"butratheronenjoyingthewholefeast:finesaladspastasfreshvegetablesrichdessertsandsoon.Andthe