I often have adults, particularly middle-aged ones, pry into my Spanish brain and ask about the best ways to learn a new language. The conversations tend to flow as follows:
"Alli, if I want to learn Spanish, what's the best way to do that?"
I'll say "Move to a Spanish-speaking country." Smile.
And they'll have that stare that tells me I'm not helping. And of course I'll come in with a more appropriate option.
"Yeah, you can't just move, but based on my personal experiences immersion is one of the primary ways for language acquisition. So immerse yourself as much as possible."
I believe in immersion. That trial by fire spirit teaches us more often than not. When I studied the pedagogy practices and LOTE (Language Other Than English) resources to complete my teaching certification, I soaked in all the information I could gather to prepare myself for the career ahead. But my actual hands-on, in the moment, classroom experience taught me the art of teaching. Did I have room for and desperately need the prior study in order to cross the threshold of my classroom door? Absolutely. But did a few tests make me a teacher? Absolutely not. Teaching, in a classroom, while making mistakes and making things happen, made me a teacher. A race car driver can't just study the manual and be deemed a race car driver. He's got to get in the car.
Where does that leave us as language learners? If we aspire to communicate, we must do more than study syntax, vocabulary and grammar. If we dream to intonate, to utter at cultural competency, the languages we study, sounds must leave our lips. If we want to speak Spanish, we ought to surround ourselves with every opportunity to speak Spanish. Does that mean that we should immerse ourselves with no supplemental study and preparation? No. But it also means that study is not enough. Study is a start. Execution, mistake, trial, error, and correction are what bring us to grow in language competency.
So yes. Study your vocabulary. Study your verbs. Study your writing and listening and reading. But in respect and responsibility to the language, do everything in your will power to immerse yourself in the language. How? Let's think:
1) Travel - If you can't just pack up and move (most of us cannot), then plan trips where the language will be to your advantage. I often read stories of competitive runners whose goal was to pursue a running lifestyle, and in order to obtain that lifestyle, they signed up for races. It's so simple and makes so much sense. If you want to consistently speak in another language, place yourself in situations that require your use of the language.
2) Media - Books, music, tv, anything you connect with socially is most likely in the language you are studying. Do you watch the news everyday? Then watch the news in Spanish. Do you listen to music like you breathe? Then find Russian translations. Big fan of Hunger Games? Guess what, it's probably translated. And my personal favorite - change the settings and keyboard on your phone to the language you're learning. Vocabulary sticks quickly that way.
3) Apps and Games - There exists out there in the world wide web an abundance of language learning tools, especially free tools, that put language learning at your finger tips. For the days when you can't engage with another human but still need the language exposure, go learn for the fun of it. Compete in apps like Duolingo, quiz yourself at sites like studyspanish.com, or hey, make a set of flash cards and beat your record time. There are so many tools and tricks available that excuses don't even have a place to hunt you down.
There is a discipline to language learning, and it can be a lengthy process, but those factors do not and should not keep us from seeking out the fun and brilliance that a new tongue can bring. Soon enough I'll dive into the responsibility of a language and the blessings we have to communicate in multiple languages. I hope these ideas have your wheels turning and motivate you to pursue the language learning process.
Hasta pronto,
Alli
"Alli, if I want to learn Spanish, what's the best way to do that?"
I'll say "Move to a Spanish-speaking country." Smile.
And they'll have that stare that tells me I'm not helping. And of course I'll come in with a more appropriate option.
"Yeah, you can't just move, but based on my personal experiences immersion is one of the primary ways for language acquisition. So immerse yourself as much as possible."
I believe in immersion. That trial by fire spirit teaches us more often than not. When I studied the pedagogy practices and LOTE (Language Other Than English) resources to complete my teaching certification, I soaked in all the information I could gather to prepare myself for the career ahead. But my actual hands-on, in the moment, classroom experience taught me the art of teaching. Did I have room for and desperately need the prior study in order to cross the threshold of my classroom door? Absolutely. But did a few tests make me a teacher? Absolutely not. Teaching, in a classroom, while making mistakes and making things happen, made me a teacher. A race car driver can't just study the manual and be deemed a race car driver. He's got to get in the car.
Where does that leave us as language learners? If we aspire to communicate, we must do more than study syntax, vocabulary and grammar. If we dream to intonate, to utter at cultural competency, the languages we study, sounds must leave our lips. If we want to speak Spanish, we ought to surround ourselves with every opportunity to speak Spanish. Does that mean that we should immerse ourselves with no supplemental study and preparation? No. But it also means that study is not enough. Study is a start. Execution, mistake, trial, error, and correction are what bring us to grow in language competency.
So yes. Study your vocabulary. Study your verbs. Study your writing and listening and reading. But in respect and responsibility to the language, do everything in your will power to immerse yourself in the language. How? Let's think:
1) Travel - If you can't just pack up and move (most of us cannot), then plan trips where the language will be to your advantage. I often read stories of competitive runners whose goal was to pursue a running lifestyle, and in order to obtain that lifestyle, they signed up for races. It's so simple and makes so much sense. If you want to consistently speak in another language, place yourself in situations that require your use of the language.
2) Media - Books, music, tv, anything you connect with socially is most likely in the language you are studying. Do you watch the news everyday? Then watch the news in Spanish. Do you listen to music like you breathe? Then find Russian translations. Big fan of Hunger Games? Guess what, it's probably translated. And my personal favorite - change the settings and keyboard on your phone to the language you're learning. Vocabulary sticks quickly that way.
3) Apps and Games - There exists out there in the world wide web an abundance of language learning tools, especially free tools, that put language learning at your finger tips. For the days when you can't engage with another human but still need the language exposure, go learn for the fun of it. Compete in apps like Duolingo, quiz yourself at sites like studyspanish.com, or hey, make a set of flash cards and beat your record time. There are so many tools and tricks available that excuses don't even have a place to hunt you down.
There is a discipline to language learning, and it can be a lengthy process, but those factors do not and should not keep us from seeking out the fun and brilliance that a new tongue can bring. Soon enough I'll dive into the responsibility of a language and the blessings we have to communicate in multiple languages. I hope these ideas have your wheels turning and motivate you to pursue the language learning process.
Hasta pronto,
Alli