Better/best learning style for foreign language?
Is there a 'best' way to learn a foreign language regardless of learning style? "Rosetta Stone" has been mentioned but is that not auditory?...and are there better or a combination of ways to learn the language?
Hi Richard- As a student of Arabic, Farsi and Korean ( with limited success!) I was fascinated by your post! I also had a taxicab incident. I was riding in a cab with two friends in Seoul, Korea. The cab was fueled by propane and the tank- very explosive- was in the rear of the cab. I thought that I would show off my Korean language skills and said in Korean - "Hurry up we have no time!" He took off like a crazy person with us flying around the cab. Of course I had not learned how to say "Slow down!" LOL -Best wishes- Susan
The concept of "learning a foreign language" is a broad concept, and in that context includes elements of all the learning styles. The end to which it will be used may slant the emphasis in one direction or another. Learning a language to meet the requirements for a graduate reading exam may deemphasize certain elements such as speaking or grammatical details, for example, in German die, der, das, dem, den all mean "the" but with different case endings. My German instructor said not to worry about it, Germans know what the correct form is (and it varies by dialect), all we have to know is that it means "the" in English. I have also studied several "dead" languages--Latin, classical Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Akkadian, & Ugaritic. In those the emphasis is definitely on the written word.
On the other hand, I have traveled and lived overseas, and day-to-day interaction requires both speaking and listening. Acquiring a reasonable pronunciation for a spoken language entails kinesthetic skills. And the ultimate goal of language is communication, the conveyance of meaning in a different language, and language is rule based behavior. (Sometimes that requires explicit statement of the rules in addition to the inductive inference required in immersion classes.)
Behaviorists offer drill, practice, repetition. Some aspects of language learning require that. Other aspects of language learning require response to the semantic content. Everyday use helps in that. I suspect reading, writing, listening, speaking, and audio-visual media are all significant contributors to successful language learning.
Cognitive theorists are less clear on what the actual mechanisms are that constitute the learning process, but focus on the strategies that promote and facilitate the learner's mastery of skills and concepts. So, learners engage in drills, practice, memorization, speaking, listening, writing, etc. to help the cognitive process succeed.
I am currently taking an immersion type course in the Dakota language. Ideally, the course is/should be taught using only speaking and listening. The question/answer techniques used give a lot of practice using the language. And that is the ideal fostered by the Dakota community. The language had no written form until the nineteenth century, and Dakota elders are somewhat shocked and disdainful of the use of writing in teaching Dakota. However, I, for at least two reasons, need and use writing. First, I am already geared to the use of reading/writing due to my own educational experiences. Second, I am older and need help remembering what was said, and a lot more repetition than my younger counterparts to get the material to stick. So, in addition to the immersion classroom techniques, I use vocabulary flash cards, written notes of class activities, games (e.g. Go Fish, Jeopardy), and just a lot of review and drilling.
Another tool is memorized dialogs. They give quick practiced responses for anticipated situations. A friend of mine and I were riding in a cab in Esfahan when we came to the end of the street and had to turn either left or right. We were conversing in English when the cab driver asked us in Farsi "Which direction?" We both answered in Farsi in unison "Turn left" (the driver was impressed), and continued our conversation in English. We had practiced that mini-dialog several times in our Farsi class.
Hi Ryan - Thanks for your post to the forum. I really agree- it does feel real scary when dooing it but "total immersion" really works!Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
When my wives relatives viited from Germany I used a small translation book to only speak to them in German, this is simular to the total immersion style that Susan wrote about. While my gramor was incorrect, in two weeks time I could have a conversation that we both could understand.
I think the feed back on gramor and pronunceation of words and phrazes while trying to converse in that situation was the greatest tool in picking up german
Hi Jerry - Thanks for sharing that Flashcard site - amazing! Has anyone else on the forum used it before? Best wishes- Susan
I do believe in immersion, but it does require a few folks more time than others to 'pick up' the techniques of the languages. Something I found that is interesting for many subjects area are flash cards that can be developed online...
http://www.flashcardexchange.com/tag/Portuguese
FYI
Hi Jerry - Thanks for your post - a very good question! I studied Arabic for quite a while using tapes, flashcards, drills with some success. By far the most effective was the 5 weeks I spent in a total immersion program at UCLA where for 8 hours each day (including lunch and breaks)we spoke only Arabic. Any one else have suggestions for Jerry?? Susan
