In my last post I mentioned how much you are surrounded by a target language when you are studying abroad. It’s everywhere. Here at home, you get just a few hours a week of the language in class. You need a bit more just to start to pick it up. Homework keeps the language fresh in your mind, and helps you to focus on a very specific part of the language. And most instructors realize that homework is not fun, so we bribe you with points.

However, we are all aware that not everybody puts a lot of effort into homework. Some textbooks and workbooks have the answers in the back, there are lots of online translators, and then there’s the old trick of paying someone to do it for you. It’s in nobody’s best interest to give you points for something that you didn’t really do.

I had a French professor who assigned workbook pages, but told us that we had to correct our own work using a pen in a different color. She graded us on having all of the exercises completed and having the marks to show that we had corrected them ourselves.

In my classes, students get points for turning in workbook exercises, as long as they are done correctly (no writing “whatever” over and over again). I figure that even if they copied the answers, that will at least give them some practice. Is that cynical or realistic? I don’t know, but at least I get everyone’s homework.

Meeting the requirements on the syllabus is one thing. Let’s look at the standard requirements in foreign language classes–today we’ll talk about attendance and participation.

Most foreign language courses require you to attend almost all classes. Think about it: if you went to another country to learn a language, you would constantly be surrounded by it (interacting with people, hearing it on the TV and radio, reading it in newspapers, etc). When you take a class that meets only a few hours a week, you have a lot less exposure to the target language. If you don’t show up half the time…well, sure, you can still pass the course, but your fluency probably won’t be that great.
Attending class allows you to participate, and participating in class helps you listen to and practice speaking the language. Each lesson focuses on one specific part of language learning (one grammar point or one vocabulary theme, for example), so the context for listening and speaking is clear, plus the exercises done in class help reinforce the grammar or vocab.

So the first step to being successful in learning another language is to just show up.

Next up: Why all the homework?

If you are continuing to study a language, take some time and review what you learned in your last class. If you’re starting from scratch, go over English grammar so that you have a good starting point. OK, so grammar isn’t the most exciting topic, but it’s necessary. And I’m not suggesting that you become a grammar guru…unless you want to! 

Most students only do what is assigned and ignore the rest of their book–but that’s a waste! At exam time (chapter exam or final exam), all of that extra material makes a good review.

Some instructors even take exam questions from the textbook or related materials. I’m just sayin’…

That does not mean that you need to include the definite article with every noun. You might need an indefinite article (an ‘a’), or no article at all. I had a student who kept referring to THE Wendy. Another student said that she was THE woman.

Those definite articles are definitely handy, but look at examples or ask your instructor if you are not certain when to use them in a sentence.

The typical foreign language textbook is organized into chapters with a theme: classes, food, occupations…and there are usually a lot of vocabulary words.

One way to practice is to use flash cards. The easiest way to make flash cards is to use index cards (big or small, lined or plain–your choice). Write one word or phrase in the target language on one side, and the English translation on the other side. Then, quiz yourself: look at the side in the target language first, and see how many of the words you recognize. Once you can give most of the meanings in English, try doing it the opposite way. Look at the English side, and try to give the word or phrase in the other language. A bundle of flash cards is easy to carry, and you can study in your ‘down’ time: between classes, on public transportation, during breaks at work…

Many foreign language instructors try to get students to ‘personalize’ the vocab by having them give their opinions and talk about their own activities and people who are important to them. That’s my go-to technique, too, but if the countdown is on, well…get flashing!

http://www.academictips.org/acad/literature/learningaforeignlanguage.html

There are two possible explanations (I think) for why my version is different. First, there are regional dialects in every language, so my Baba might have spoken non-standard Slovak. Second, she immigrated when she was quite young (and that was a very long time ago), and  language  evolves.  My dad  said the only word they used for bathroom really meant ‘outhouse’–but the Slovak that he  learned was what was common among farmers at the turn of the 2oth century.

I know a professor who teaches French and German, but who has a Ph.D in Norwegian. She had studied Norwegian in the 1960’s, and the language has become a lot more informal since then. She said that when she speaks Norwegian, it’s like she is saying “My good sir”, instead of just “Excuse me”.

Interestingly, she is already connecting the dots when it comes to languages. When she hears salsa music, she asks about Tio Javi (who’s from Colombia). When she hears French, she automatically thinks of Didi, a grad school friend who visited us from France last year.

The most interesting thing, though, is how she made the connection in Slovak. I only learned a little Slovak from my dad, but I’ve make sure that my little girl knows some of the basics: jak sa maš? (how are you?) and dupa (rear end). She had been saying both individually  for a while when one day,  she put them together and said “Jak sa maš, dupa?“