[note: this post is imported from my short-lived alternate blog called Lenguajes Intercambiables]
I'm an avid reader of blogs around the internet on polyglottery and linguistics, like Hungry For Words, Language Hat, and Spanish-only, and El Forastero . One thing I've picked up is that language learning is a discipline, but one that can be fun. One technique I personally this is very helpful is just incorporating language into your every day life- what I do with Spanish and Japanese at the moment. Like I said in my first post, Spanish and Japanese are the major languages for me right now. They both like to float around in my brain all of the time, and where one is deficient(usually Japanese) the other picks up and takes over, until I really can't say anything and go back to English.
I think making language a real part of your life instead of sectioning it off into class(something easy for a student to do) is much more productive and satisfying in the long run. At the moment, I'm studying Japanese in class at the university, and just trying to practice Spanish on my own, in order to maintain it. I hope one day to simply be able to think completely in the other languages, but I'm not going to wait until I feel ready to try. Language is like math- it takes lots of repetition and practice to understand the concepts. Even if you don't have very much vocabulary(or, in math, know how to solve many kinds of problems), you can play with it, going off what you know. This post on Confessions of a Language Addict expands on a thought that I've been playing around with in my mind.
For instance, feelings:
I'm tired.
つかれています。(tsukareteimasu)
Estoy cansada/o.
Or things you're doing:
I'm going to go eat at the dining hall.
しょくどうで食べに行きます。(Shokudou de tabe ni ikimasu.
Yo voy a comer en la cafetería.
Everyday, instead of thinking these things in English, I try to play around with them in the other languages. The goal is that I don't have to think first in English and then translate, but just know and feel cansada. It's not like I can't say that in English, but it takes out a middle step when you really know the language. Of course, this is just a starting point to say such simple things to yourself. If you only do simple sentences like that, then you'll feel overconfident and not actually fluent. But most people know to know a language, you have to practice in other ways, whether through reading, conversation, or flashcards. And as your proficiency increases, just increase the things you make yourself think in the other language.
But engaging in self-talk can be beneficial in connecting the language to everyday things while going through your regular schedule. The main setback to this is that sometime you start to actually talk aloud(something you need to do to get the accent and pronunciation down), but you're in the middle of the street or on a bus. I've found myself mumbling in Japanese, and then realize where I am and look around to see some funny looks. But that's a risk worth taking. You know you're really not insane. And if you're alone, it's best to say it aloud for your mouth's sake.
Anyway, this is my philosophy. We'll see if it holds true. Are there any really bad side effects to this method?
I'm an avid reader of blogs around the internet on polyglottery and linguistics, like Hungry For Words, Language Hat, and Spanish-only, and El Forastero . One thing I've picked up is that language learning is a discipline, but one that can be fun. One technique I personally this is very helpful is just incorporating language into your every day life- what I do with Spanish and Japanese at the moment. Like I said in my first post, Spanish and Japanese are the major languages for me right now. They both like to float around in my brain all of the time, and where one is deficient(usually Japanese) the other picks up and takes over, until I really can't say anything and go back to English.
I think making language a real part of your life instead of sectioning it off into class(something easy for a student to do) is much more productive and satisfying in the long run. At the moment, I'm studying Japanese in class at the university, and just trying to practice Spanish on my own, in order to maintain it. I hope one day to simply be able to think completely in the other languages, but I'm not going to wait until I feel ready to try. Language is like math- it takes lots of repetition and practice to understand the concepts. Even if you don't have very much vocabulary(or, in math, know how to solve many kinds of problems), you can play with it, going off what you know. This post on Confessions of a Language Addict expands on a thought that I've been playing around with in my mind.
For instance, feelings:
I'm tired.
つかれています。(tsukareteimasu)
Estoy cansada/o.
Or things you're doing:
I'm going to go eat at the dining hall.
しょくどうで食べに行きます。(Shokudou de tabe ni ikimasu.
Yo voy a comer en la cafetería.
Everyday, instead of thinking these things in English, I try to play around with them in the other languages. The goal is that I don't have to think first in English and then translate, but just know and feel cansada. It's not like I can't say that in English, but it takes out a middle step when you really know the language. Of course, this is just a starting point to say such simple things to yourself. If you only do simple sentences like that, then you'll feel overconfident and not actually fluent. But most people know to know a language, you have to practice in other ways, whether through reading, conversation, or flashcards. And as your proficiency increases, just increase the things you make yourself think in the other language.
But engaging in self-talk can be beneficial in connecting the language to everyday things while going through your regular schedule. The main setback to this is that sometime you start to actually talk aloud(something you need to do to get the accent and pronunciation down), but you're in the middle of the street or on a bus. I've found myself mumbling in Japanese, and then realize where I am and look around to see some funny looks. But that's a risk worth taking. You know you're really not insane. And if you're alone, it's best to say it aloud for your mouth's sake.
Anyway, this is my philosophy. We'll see if it holds true. Are there any really bad side effects to this method?
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