This Fundamental Law Rules How We Speak A Language And How We Communicate

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Have you ever felt like your speech is just too complex--in fact, intricate to your own ears? You start out on the right track but later veer right into a loop you can't quite exit. Once there, you either leave your sentence unfinished, or finish off in some awkward way.

When learning a new language, we often feel the urge to communicate with complexity rather than effectiveness. We need to prove to ourselves--and others--we can be as articulate as we are in our own native language.

When that happens, we forget simplicity- and things get out of hand.

When it comes to languages, effectiveness and efficiency live in linearity.

Imagine finding yourself in an emergency. You're walking down a street and notice a man who's lying on the ground unconscious.

You call the emergency number, and this is how you communicate.

OPTION 1

Buongiorno--e buon Primo Lunedì di Quaresima. Vi chiamo per un'emergenza che mi vede coinvolto visivamente e anche un po' emotivamente in via ***, nella quale un uomo si trova--nella suddetta via intendo--riverso in posizione di decubito prono in stato di violenta e continua convulsione. Allorché--se l'impressione non m'inganna--l'uomo di cui sopra (di bell'aspetto, eh, nonostante la senectute) sta passando un momento di profondo malessere, di natura--credo, non sono un medico--psicofisica, e dunque vi incoraggerei a venire in maniera celere e priva di qualsivoglia esitazione.

OPTION 2

Mi trovo in via ***, e un uomo sui settant'anni ha violente convulsioni. Venite immediatamente. Non ho conoscenze mediche e non so cosa fare.

Option 1 is obviously an exaggeration to get one fundamental point across--speakers need to utilize a system of communication that is simple, linear, and conventional. This is the only way to perfectly understand one another in situations where misinterpretation could prove fatal.

The law of economy or law of least effort regulates this principle- if it feels too forceful, or complex, or hard, you're probably doing it wrong.

Here's how you can apply it.

1) If you struggle pronouncing certain sounds, sound combinations, or longer words, watch for red flags. Are your neck, jaw, and lips tensing up? Then you might be overdoing it. You're not supposed to sprain your ankle trying to pronounce a word right. A language evolves so to be easy for speakers to speak.

Relax your upper torso and facial muscles and try to say the word syllable by syllable at first. Once it starts sounding right, always practice it in sentences. Never practice pronunciation using isolated words.

2) You tend to speak in long-winded sentences, but speech is supposed to get a point across effortlessly, effectively, and quickly.

Train yourself to one short sentence and simple structure to deliver your main point. Then add one or two--brief--extra-sentences for additional information.

Keep to simple patterns as you learn. Longer sentences are just a combination of simple, shorter structures. Master the latter first.

3) You don't need all 15 or 20 verb tenses and a thousand other patterns to speak a language fluently. First master the basics and learn to combine them. The rest is just vocabulary.

Read this article or watch my video here for more details.

If a pattern feels too complex, you're either just unfamiliar with it or you're doing something wrong. The latter often means doing too much.

This fundamental language law helps you reduce. Apply it, and you'll see changes.