On Early Speech Output

There is no such thing as early speech output of the Berlitz variety, where the teacher gets the speakers focused on how the language is produced. The mind should be allowed to do that infinitely complex work by itself.

Indeed, the mind – the deeper mind and not the conscious mind – is the ONLY thing that can organize something that complex. It should just be left alone while all the input comes in.

Forced early speech via the medium of focusing the conscious mind on the speech process is no more possible than asking a baby to speak or write properly – it can’t be forced anymore than a flower can be forced to bloom months ahead of schedule.

Of course this same principle applies to writing. Output in the form of writing and speech must wait time for its natural expression.

Just think of going up to a person who just arrived in a country with no knowledge of its language and asking her to begin, by conscious effort of will, to speak in that language. She can’t even say hello.

Teachers who force early writing and speech in their students before the necessary thousands of hours of input have been delivered in the form of listening and reading are just barking up the wrong tree.

Related: https://benslavic.com/blog/2010/01/09/output/