For anyone who as ever posed themselves or another the question of 'what for?' when it comes to learning a new language, I have compiled here a collections of reasons and motivations for language learning of a number of University students currently on a language related degree....
"The feeling you get going abroad and understanding what people are saying to you! Being able to order at restaurants or ask directions without anyone's help is amazing!"
"Language learning is fun"
"In the world of Politics, speaking several languages gives you the edge over the rest"
"Understanding the rules of communication like Grammar and conjugation makes us appreciate our Mother Tongue so much more"
"I love Spanish food and culture so knowing the language gave me a greater insight into all that"
"Lots of employers are looking for people with practical skills like languages. If you apply for a job and have extra language abilities, you're a step ahead of the other candidates who don't have those skills!"
"Teaching Language is very rewarding and through a language class the students can learn culture, politics, science, literature...anything really!"
"Language makes travel so much easier!"
"the learning and preservation of language is so important as it promotes intercultural understanding and cohesion"
"French is such a sexy language. I could listen to people speak it for hours!"
"Knowing the target language allows me to appreciate works of art such as books and plays in the original language rather than risk losing some of the value of the work through translation"
"Interpretation and Translation jobs are well paid and allow you to travel all across Europe and the world"
"Learning language is like learning to break a code. Its exciting, thrilling and very challenging"
"It's so rewarding to see one's own progress in the early stages of language learning. It makes one feel confident and ready to tackle the challenges ahead"
"Language is interesting because it is always changing, just like mankind"
"If I learn french I can go live in France one day, or have a second home there"
"Studying language is fun because its like picking up a habit more that studying. In stead of having to pore over books all day and night you can learn it by watching TV or listening to music or even having coffee with friends, as long as it's in the language! What better way is there to study?"
"When you graduate with a Language degree you actually have a real, practical skill that you can put on your CV"
"As English is being spoken more and more around the world, its important that we can also appreciate other languages and keep them alive"
"For a career in Fashion, languages are VERY important as I would need to travel and deal with models and designers from all over the world"
"Being able to speak the languages of people across the world can help you meet new people with confidence and make new friends, connections and acquaintances"
"Learning to speak languages like portuguese allow me to go to Brazil and work with the underpriveledged children and people who have no education. My studying the language now can help me educate others in the future"These are just a few motivations of students already studying languages. What are your motivations? In my experience, the clearer the motivation, the clearer the process and the better the result. Why not jot down a few reasons for learning a language on a piece of paper and stick it on a wall or book that you can see, and when lacking in motivation, take a look at it and maybe even say it out loud to yourself. Whatever the case, and whatever the motivation, it is imperative to keep it high throughout the language learning process...
Language is in fact a skill. It's a habit you picked up from your childhood. I don't believe that people are "good" or "bad" at languages, because if you are able to communicate in your mother tongue, then you are, in essence, a successful language learner*. Keeping that in mind, picking up the habit of a second, third or even fourth language isn't so daunting, considering you succeeded so well at it the first time!
Bearing that in mind, it is useful to break language down into four separate areas. Thinking about your mother tongue, let's assume it's english, try and think of all the ways in which you encounter language...Speaking to people, listening to music, reading the paper or books or road signs, texting friends, writing emails etc. All these activities in which you encounter language can be divided into four specific skill areas, or four different things you are doing in each activity: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. Breaking the entire concept of "learning a Language" down into these four areas makes planning to learn it a WHOLE lot easier!!
You will find that resources may or may not be geared towards all of these skill areas. For instance, a comprehension based text book with lots of passages and questions is useful for developing reading skills, yet not so helpful in practicing Speaking. Many textbooks come equipped with audio CDs and speaking exercises incorporated. These are most useful as general opinion is that learning is most effective when most senses are engaged**. In this sense, an activity where you saw some of the language written and read it outloud, listening to your own voice as you speak each word, and then wrote down answers to the questions or perhaps a summary, would be the most effective of activities in that it involves all four skills tasks AND your senses of sight, sound and touch (whilst writing).
Breaking language learning down into these four areas allows the learner to plan for their learning. Whether you are in Primary, Secondary School, College, working full-time, part-time or not currently employed, it is important to monitor each of the skill areas to ensure they are recieving the attention they need. Find ways of challenging and excercising each skill area and practice, practice, practice!
In order to learn new material to practice with and progress in your language learning, use already designed resources such as textbooks, online course materials or the school or course curriculum. These will give you a clear projection of how you are expected to progress in your language learning over a period of time. HOWEVER, do not rely entirely on any single resource. Supplement your learning with as many authentic resources as you can! The internet is a wealth or resources from online news channels, newspaper websites, tandem partner exchange programs, music videos, films and TV programs etc. Try meet native or very fluent speakers and practice with them. If you're in school then your teachers and language assistants would probably be more that happy to sit and have a conversation in the language with you. If you go on holiday, try not to speak English to the local people, try ordering food, asking directions, talking about the weather and making enquiries all in the native language. This is probably the best way of all to learn language.
This is just a short introduction into thinking about learning a language. I will shortly post more specific ways of learning and practicing each of the target skill areas: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking.
*There is debate about language learning vs language acquisition but for the purpose of this post, all that is FAR too complicated!
**This is true for any subject, not just language!!
Name: JackStudying: French, Spanish and PortugueseMother Tongue: French and EnglishStrongest Language: FrenchFuture Plans: Teaching, Travel, Writing Novels and Short Stories1. Why do you want to learn languages? Languages make travel and communication easier and they provide insight into different cultures and societies. Language opens the door to the world. They are also an AMAZING skill to have, favoured by all employers and often just very impressive.
2. Why these particular languages? I’m already bilingual, speaking English, French and Creole (An Island Dialect), so Spanish was a no-brainer for me. Being one of the most widely spoken languages it has obvious strategic appeal. It I love Hispanic culture, particularly Latin American. I love the music and grew up listening to Gloria Estefan, Silvio Rodriguez and have always been fascinated with that part of the world without having the opportunity to travel there. Portuguese followed on from there, for its usefulness in Brazil and lusophone Africa as well a Europe.
3. What kinds of resources helped you in your University Language learning? I’m not a conventional language learner as a Dyslexic/Dyspraxic I find Grammar rules and linguistics quite complicated and hard to grasp, and learning things off by heart does not work for me! I like to use more authentic resources such as music, films, native speakers on the news, in interviews or in person, books etc. I believe you learn language best when immersed in it, so I try to surround myself with Spanish: playing music or movies, having words of songs or poems up on my walls, writing texts in it and speaking it to whoever will listen (and occasionally to myself!). Anything can be a resource really, I put my email accounts, mobile phone, computer, facebook account, camera etc into Spanish or Portuguese and you wouldn't believe how much that helps with undertstanding and confidence!
4. How do you improve your Reading? Writing? Speaking? Listening? I improve my reading by simply: Reading. Practice makes perfect. I use a technique of highlighting everything in a text that I DO understand, and speculating on what I DON’T, before looking it up or asking someone.
I improve my writing by again, simply: Writing, I practice writing all kinds of genres of Texts. I write summaries to practice vocabulary; commentaries and essays to practise structure and register; leaflets, stories and articles to practice fluency, and email exchanges with penpals or texting friends to build up competency and learn colloquial usage.
I try to speak as much as possible in Spanish to native and non-native fellow students like myself. I also have little debates in my head sometimes of a particular theme, and speak aloud to myself when hovering or doing the dishes alone. I also learn the words to songs and sing them to practice pronunciation, intonation and cadence, and I find this REALLY helps.
I don’t really practice listening as it comes to be as a byproduct of all the other skills. I listen to music, movies, news reports and my friends speaking Spanish and absorb it quite subconsciously I guess…
5. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses in learning Spanish? I’m a self-starter and that really helps. I also connect language with the context, it isn’t just a set of rules for me, its relevant to what I see on the news, what I hear in Shakira’s latest song, what I read in the Newspapers everyday.
My weakness is that I often overlook the details of language learning as they frustrate me, and this is detrimental to the progress of my formal and academic Spanish. I should spend more time on my writing and formal register.
6. What is the hardest part of learning Spanish? The Grammar and the subjunctive. As someone with learning difficulties, learning finicky little details like gender or complex and rare conjugations goes completely over my head, and I struggle to retain rules and irregularities. I also don’t respond well to many formal language learning resources such as text books and even some teachers as they adopt a linguistic point of view using lots of linguistic Jargon that always means very little to me. I may not know what the subordinate, colocative clause of the third person in a cognate is, but I do know how to use it!
