How are ya? Good? Lovely!
Sorry it's been a while. A tidal wave of work hit me a week ago, and I've been booking trips and registering for winter classes. But I am back! Tada!
So. Language! I've been taking Spanish classes since I was little, and my mother speaks it fluently, but for some reason I've never felt entirely comfortable speaking it. I always freeze on the easiest words. You don't know the terror of forgetting how to say "agua."
Everyone who studies abroad wants to be fluent when they come back, but how do they make that happen? Partially supported by personal experience and partially by articles in foreign language acquisition that I've had to read for my internship, this is (hopefully)...
The Non-Bullcrap Way!
1) Speak/read/write in your other language, even when your brain can't even. You'll find your brain sometimes just... poofs. And sometimes you'll need some English TV. That's okay. But it's important that you make an effort to speak your mind. That's what people mean when they say "just speak Spanish." You need to find a voice. Even if that voice sounds a little cuckoo in your other language.
2) Reread/rewatch a favorite-- in your new language. Don't go pick up something you'd never finish. Be honest with yourself. Find a children's book you memorized, like a Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter. I have a friend who found a used copy of Junie B. Jones in Spanish! But make yourself pick it up at least once a day. Once you start seeing things in your head in your second language, self-expression and creativity become easier.
3) READ (ALMOST) ANYTHING. Seriously. Try reading in your native language or in your new language; read the Times once a day, or an article from the local paper, if your host family will let you use theirs; crack open that classic you've been meaning to hack through (Wuthering Heights, I'm looking at you). The key is that something has to CHALLENGE you. Buzzfeed does not count. (Sorry Buzzfeed, still love you!)
Why? Expand your mind. One of the most important traits of people who learn languages well are those who can associate words well. Learning a new word in any language exercises those muscles and makes it (eventually) easier to learn more. There are more technical ways of explaining that, but frankly I don't wish to rehash my education theory classes on here, and I don't think you do either? Yes? Yes. Let's move on, shall we?
4) Get a hobby! Find something you like to do and do it in your new language. I joined my school choir and a yoga studio, both of which I will talk about later.
5) Keep your words somewhere. This is the most difficult, but I find it REALLY REALLY HELPS. Word journals can be difficult/slightly useless, but that works for some. But what helps you learn new words? Ways to keep track of new words:
- Email them to yourself!
- Write them in the margins in fun colors
- Doodle! When I needed to remember what the poem "Los encuentros de un caracol aventurero" means, I drew a snail with a tricorne hat in my book of Lorca. And in case you were wondering, that means "The encounters of an adventurous snail." I love poetry!
- I rewrite words I need to know in sentences. It's not super-cool, and I don't do it as consistently as I should. But that's how I learned words in Ye Olden Days, and thus it's already in my subconscious.
6) You can cheat a bit. I highly, highly recommend Duolingo for some language practice, whatever your level. Free and enjoyable language software. What else could you ask for?
Finally, ENJOY YOURSELF! Get a little tipsy (responsibly and legally, people!) and babble incessantly once in a while. Get passionate in this language! Make the language YOURS!
Let's chat about this!
Tell me in the comments about your experiences in learning a foreign language! What helped, and what was total crap? Any tips or tricks? Funny stories are also accepted and encouraged; this is hard, and us second-language-learners can all commiserate.
Mkay, my brain is doing that poofy thing, so I'm going to say...
Agur!
(Ah-guur) That means goodbye in Euskera! The sound is very guttural, almost like "oo" but in the back of your throat. Glottal stop on the g, then roll that beautiful r. This is a hard one to say (or explain, sheesh), but once you get it, you'll feel very accomplished and local.Here is an oral example from the website Omniglot.
So agur, thank you, and see you next time!
