Learning Foreign Languages -- Not As Hard As One Thinks!

After studying various foreign languages and formal linguistics for the past three decades or more, I've studied, used, and purchased a wide variety of language learning materials--some have been useful, others have been worse than useless.

Using a language textbook without audio (CD, cassette, or record <yes, there *were* days when folks still used 45-rpm vinyl records--I still have some>) is not usually a good idea--unless one is studying Latin or some other non-spoken language. For many languages (Spanish, Russian, and English in particular--to mention just three), the spelling doesn't match the perceivable pronunciation and vice versa.  Just compare the spelling/pronunciation of threw, through, thought, though, rough, dew, do, too, to, and two.  Aaargh!  The Russian "G" (Greek "gamma") in its typical spelling can be pronounced as a "G" as in "good", "K" as in "bike", or *V* as in "love".  Truly weird. And extremely annoying if one is trying to learn the language without the benefit of audio to help along in the process.

So... this brings up the next point--which language book/tape/CD set to try?

Most of the time, buying one of these sets is a matter of trial and error. If you can try them out before purchasing--look inside the book and listen to sample audio--you are less likely to get a bad learning experience.
 

• Most language books and tapes cover the basic pronunciations and alphabets at the very beginning--in fact, they *should*. If you find one that does not, I suggest looking for an alternative.
• Language courses frequently combine the pronunciation/spelling prerequisite with vocabulary building--giving basic words that not only add to your vocabulary in that language but also illustrate the sounds of the language. This may seem efficient to some--but I find it annoying because trying to learn vocabulary without the context of how the word is used in a sentence complicates later grammatical struggles. For instance, using a particular *form* of an adjective to modify a noun in Russian depends on whether the noun is considered "masculine", "feminine", or "neuter"--which is usually determined by the ending (consonant, vowel, sylable) of the noun. Other languages, such as Japanese, have varying forms of words depending on the "politeness" or "status-level" required of the speaker depending on who the speaker is addressing. The verb "is" in Japanese can be "desu" or "de gozaimasu". (And I won't go into the details of conjugating the verbs here--for Russian and Japanese it is quite an exercise.) So... whether you want to get vocabulary quick or want to get the pronunciation out of the way so you can move on to learning coherent sentences in "real-world" situations, that is your choice. I choose the latter.
• The best language courses will have some form of what are called "substitution drills"--drills which provide a sentence pattern of the language. The pattern is repeated over and over with only one word substituted each time. This is similar to the following pattern (this is a simple example--there are also more complicated versions):
• The book is red.
• The book is blue.
• The book is green.
• The car is green.
• The car is yellow.
• The car is black.
• The chair is white.
• The chair is big.
• The door is big.
• The door is small.
• The door is wide.
• The wide door is green.
• The big car is yellow.
• The small book is red.


Patterns like this make learning how the words fit together a lot easier to remember.  When used along with an audio program that provides pauses for the learner to try the phrase, then with a repeat of the phrase as a confirmation for the learner, repetitive substitution drills speed the learning process.
 

• Some language courses hire seemingly minimum-wage narrators who are extremely bored with reading the lessons and who may also have speech impediments such as loose dentures or a lithp. Sometimes also, the narrators are not from the mainstream language base (such as those who do the national television or radio newscast) but will be from one of the outer fringes of the foreign country with a particular regional accent. Any of these problems (or worse, a combination) results in some truly weird pronunciations that when used in real-life situations has the natives staring at you as if you've lost your mind. Of course, if you are *not* familiar with the language you are trying to study, this is a hard one to discern when listening to a tape or CD. Consider foreigners trying to learn English from someone with a heavy Texan accent, New England accent, Australian accent, Scottish accent, Valley Girl accent. There are definite dialects in most countries which in many cases become totally different languages.
• Which leads to the dialectical problems. The Osaka and Kyoto dialect of Japanese has totally different words from the standard Tokyo dialect. "Doomo arigato" (Thank you) in Tokyo becomes "Doomo okiini" in Kyoto and Osaka.  Sort of like the difference between a "gunny-sack" and a "burlap bag" in American English. A Spanish tape set we purchased had the narrators saying, "Yo hablo Castillano" to mean "I speak Spanish" instead of "Yo hablo Espanol". After discussing this quirk with a Mexican friend, he explained that the dialect taught on the tape would work fine in Spain, but would not work in Mexico or the rest of Latin America. One would come across as snotty or snobbish in those countries if you tried to use what was on the tape there.
• Be sure that both male and female narrators are included on the audio--also important, it's good to also include a wide mix of older and younger speakers on the audios. The words (in Russian--a lot of them; also true for Japanese and Vietnamese) change dramatically in conversations between males only, females only, mixed male and female, older and younger, and then mixes of age groups and sexes.  And you can't just rely on the male or female narrator speaking only one word. You have to hear the *INTERACTION* between the two to start hearing the real speaking differences when the same meaning is intended.
• Be aware of the differences between a Reader (such as "The Kampampangan Reader") and a *Conversational* course. The "Readers" tend to lapse into the "underpaid, bored-narrator syndrome"--and the narrator reads straight text of the native language. Yes, you'll get *sort of* a general understanding of the basic *sounds* of the language, but you usually won't get any of the *lively* interaction that makes language so much fun to begin with. Again, it's important to get a mix of male and female narrators--and a good variety of them, if possible--for the audio portion of the language program.
• Some of my favorite language programs are those put out by Pimsleur. Compared to all the other programs that are out there--many of which I've wasted money on--these courses are top-of-the-line. (Except the the Spanish tapes are good for Spain, but sort of weak for Mexico and Latin America.)
• 4-cassette/8-lesson sample lesson kits can be purchased (usually less than $25).  These give you a basic familiarity with the sounds and simple phrases to allow you to get around more easily in the country that speaks the language.
• If you want to go for the "whole enchilada", you can get 3-volume sets of the Foreign Language I, II, and III.  These can range from $299 to more than $500 (depending on where you get them--I've included those available from eBay and Amazon in this Squidoo lens).

For All Sorts of Ways to Learn Foreign Languages, Click Here!

• Japanese--3 years of high school and 3 years of university-level coursework. I've taught basic Japanese at Bishop Baumgartner Junior High school in Sinajana, Guam (mini-seminar week during break in normal academic program) and for Sonrise Christian Academy, Livermore, CA (2-year program). This experience was enhanced by working in the Japanese tourism industry for two years and with Japanese marine-biology specialists at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory.

• Russian--Year of Russian in high school and another semester of Russian at the University of Guam.

• Spanish--Year of Spanish in junior high school and have traveled to Mexico a few times since taking the language.

• I've picked up bits and pieces of the following languages by living and working with native speakers of those languages:
• Chamoru (Guamanian)--Lived on Guam for 12 years.
• Kampampangan--Buddies from Guam and Theresa speak this language as a primary language.
• Tagalog--Buddies from Guam and Theresa speak this language as a primary language.
• Mandarin Chinese--Buddies from Guam and some of my coworkers speak this language.
• Vietnamese--Buddies from Guam and some of my coworkers speak this language.
• Palauan--Buddies from Guam and Palau speak this language. Spent some time exploring Palau.