Share with us!
Maybe you will read about an idea that will help you a lot! Maybe YOUR idea will help someone else!
How to use this blog.
How to use this Blog:
1. Scroll down and find the question in your language
2. Click on the word "comment" or "comments"
3. Read the experiences of other people
4. Click in the Comment Space
5. Write about your experience or strategy when you were learning a language.
6. Click "Name/URL" and give yourself a fun fake name and a website from your hometown
7. Click "Publish your Comment"!
Ayúdanos saber qué funcionó para ti para aprender un nuevo idioma. Y hazlo en tu primer idioma.
¡Tal vez encuentres algo que te va a ayudar mucho! ¡Y tal vez las ideas que tu compartes ayudarán a otra persona!
Cómo usar este Blog:
1. Busca abajo tu idioma principal. (Si sabes algunos idiomas, escoge uno para empezar.)
2. Haz clic en la palabra "comment" o "comments"
3. Lee los comentarios que otras personas han compartido
4. Haz clic en el espacio para nuevos comentarios
5. Escribe tu experiencia o una estratégia que usabas para aprender un idioma.
6. Haz clic en la opción de poner "Name/URL" (nombre y sitio de web), y pon un nombre falso que te gusta, y un sitio de web de tu ciudad
7. Haz clic en "Publish your comment" (publica tu comentario)!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
What did you do to learn your second language?
Share with us your memories of what YOU did. What worked? What do you continue to do now? Don't tell us about a teacher or about what someone else does, tell us about YOU!
Well, I'll comment on my own blog in my first language, English! For vocabulary learning, I repeat phrases back to myself a lot, and even turning them into little songs that I sing as I'm walking or biking. I also listen to songs a lot, look up the lyrics, and try to use www.wordreference.com to make sense of confusing things.
Another strategy that I used to do was specific to Spanish. I wanted to practice the verbos reflexivos for accidental actions, like "Se me cayó" or "Se me perdieron mis llaves." To practice that I would intentionally drop my pencil or pretend to lose my wallet to give myself the excuse to tell my classmate or a waiter, "Ay, se me perdió mi billetera" or whatever it was.
Good luck with your language learning! I hope it's as rewarding for you as it has been for me! Please share more of your experiences and strategies!
Here are some strategies that have helped me to improve in English. Every time that I read a new book in a sheet of paper write down words that I don't know and usually that word keeps appearing, so instead of checking a dictionary I already have the word in the sheet of paper. For example, I had a different sheet for my geography class, another for biology, another for math, and the context is different. Hope this is helpful, take care :)
When I studied Italian in college, I tried to learn vocabulary and grammar by rote. I tried participating in Italian discussion groups, going to movie nights, reading children's books, even memorizing and mentally repeating phrases and rules before sleep. My problem wasn't that I couldn't learn; my problem was that I never could pin down how I learned best.
My entire time in school, language acquisition was a slow process for me, a war of attrition against a foreign grammar and an exception laden dictionary. Visiting Italy and getting a chance to study in Florence was a turning point, just as I'd hoped. Not having the time for reflection in English and having friends with enormous personal expectations and drive helped me make huge strides in a short span of time, but recreating that once I was back in Texas was a rather fruitless struggle. I still wonder how individuals manage to pick up a foreign language while in the comfort of their own homes.
For me, its never been on single best way to learn Spanish, but to mix it up as much as possible. I find myself switching back and forth between Rosetta Stone, Any great books I can find and speaking with a friend (or a tutor in my case). One particular book that I have found very helpful is Madrigal's key to Spanish. It takes a slightly different approach than the usual memorization and mindless drills you usually run in to. Of course the biggest thing is practicing as much as possible.
I would have to agree with Greybert, sounds like we had a very similar learning experience. I took Spanish classes all through middle school, high school and college, however the light bulb never went off until I lived abroad in Leon, Spain. Forced to speak the language and immersed in the culture, I really began to make a connection with the language and the people of Spain. I learned to love the culture of Spainards and their beautiful language. Unfortunately, that was 6 years ago. To keep up my Spanish I like to watch films in Spanish, read novels, take classes, read magazines and converse with native speakers. The learning process is endless and always exciting!
6 comments:
Well, I'll comment on my own blog in my first language, English! For vocabulary learning, I repeat phrases back to myself a lot, and even turning them into little songs that I sing as I'm walking or biking. I also listen to songs a lot, look up the lyrics, and try to use www.wordreference.com to make sense of confusing things.
Another strategy that I used to do was specific to Spanish. I wanted to practice the verbos reflexivos for accidental actions, like "Se me cayó" or "Se me perdieron mis llaves." To practice that I would intentionally drop my pencil or pretend to lose my wallet to give myself the excuse to tell my classmate or a waiter, "Ay, se me perdió mi billetera" or whatever it was.
Good luck with your language learning! I hope it's as rewarding for you as it has been for me! Please share more of your experiences and strategies!
Oh, and I am crazy about the resources that UT has recently developed for listening practice in Spanish: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/siteindex.php
in Portuguese: http://laits.utexas.edu/clicabrasil/
and seemingly fewer that I've been able to find in French: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/page/credits
I'll put them up with my main resource blog: http://sladesimprov.blogspot.com/
I use these currently, and I would have loved to have had them when I was beginning my language studies!
Here are some strategies that have helped me to improve in English.
Every time that I read a new book in a sheet of paper write down words that I don't know and usually that word keeps appearing, so instead of checking a dictionary I already have the word in the sheet of paper. For example, I had a different sheet for my geography class, another for biology, another for math, and the context is different.
Hope this is helpful,
take care :)
Letty
When I studied Italian in college, I tried to learn vocabulary and grammar by rote. I tried participating in Italian discussion groups, going to movie nights, reading children's books, even memorizing and mentally repeating phrases and rules before sleep. My problem wasn't that I couldn't learn; my problem was that I never could pin down how I learned best.
My entire time in school, language acquisition was a slow process for me, a war of attrition against a foreign grammar and an exception laden dictionary. Visiting Italy and getting a chance to study in Florence was a turning point, just as I'd hoped. Not having the time for reflection in English and having friends with enormous personal expectations and drive helped me make huge strides in a short span of time, but recreating that once I was back in Texas was a rather fruitless struggle. I still wonder how individuals manage to pick up a foreign language while in the comfort of their own homes.
For me, its never been on single best way to learn Spanish, but to mix it up as much as possible. I find myself switching back and forth between Rosetta Stone, Any great books I can find and speaking with a friend (or a tutor in my case). One particular book that I have found very helpful is Madrigal's key to Spanish. It takes a slightly different approach than the usual memorization and mindless drills you usually run in to. Of course the biggest thing is practicing as much as possible.
I would have to agree with Greybert, sounds like we had a very similar learning experience. I took Spanish classes all through middle school, high school and college, however the light bulb never went off until I lived abroad in Leon, Spain. Forced to speak the language and immersed in the culture, I really began to make a connection with the language and the people of Spain. I learned to love the culture of Spainards and their beautiful language. Unfortunately, that was 6 years ago. To keep up my Spanish I like to watch films in Spanish, read novels, take classes, read magazines and converse with native speakers. The learning process is endless and always exciting!
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