"Bonjour"" doesn't always mean just "hello"

Quintessential Canada

Two weeks in Canada!    My mind is still whirling, thinking about the hospitable people that we met, the beautiful locales, and the language experiences that kept my brain well entertained.

If you have been following this blog, you may know that I had been trying to breathe some life into my knowledge of the French language before visiting Quebec and Nova Scotia.  My study of French has stretched over a lifetime, but it has been spotty and irregular, and never put to the acid test - actually communicating with a French speaking person.  So you may be asking the logical question, "Well, did you use any French on your trip?"

The answer is Yes and No. I understood quite a bit of French, but I spoke very little.  But isn't that what the language learning experts say we should do-spend a long period comprehending before we speak?   And my introverted personality feels very comfortable with that philosophy.

Stephen Krashen, noted language acquisition expert, describes a phenomenon that he labeled the "din in the head."  It is the sensation when you are comprehending enough input in the new language that you start to hear it in your own mind.  Beginning with the conversations of passengers lining up for the flight from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Montreal, I felt a change in atmosphere from monolingual English to bilingual English-French. Upon arrival, the Montreal Airport was a model of bilingualism, with announcements, signs, and conversations in two languages.  So many French learning opportunities, there for the asking.  Before long, the "din in my head" in French began.

Welcome/Bienvenue to Halifax

It was fascinating to see official bilingualism at work in Canada.  People who deal with tourists have a quick way of determining which language, French or English, you want to speak. They greet you in two languages ("Bonjour, Good morning") , and the one you respond in is what they use.

I always have to remind myself in foreign countries that I can't treat tourist situations like my own personal classroom. Those busy making a living are focused on getting their jobs done, not listening to my attempts to use their language or giving me a free grammar lesson. But how I longed to at least utter a few memorized phrases in French before I left Canada.  Surely I could say "Bonjour," "Merci beaucoup," or "De rien" to indicate that I am a language lover.  I must have been carrying that thought around in my subconscious.

It was 4:30 am and very dark on the train between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Quebec City.  The sleeping car attendant had given us specific instructions the night before.  He would wake us by knocking lightly on our door.  If we knocked back, he would know we were awake.  Our special stop at Charny was scheduled for 5:20 am. I responded confidently to the polite tapping on the door.

Early morning ablutions were a bit hectic (in a sleeper with a tiny bathroom- see below) when there was another knock on the door.

The train all purpose bathroom

Hey, wait a minute, my foggy brain said.  There wasn't supposed to be a second knock. Murder on the Orient Express came to mind.  Should I open the door?  I made a split second decision to do so.  

The polite sleeping car attendant said "Bonjour, Good Morning." I made the fatal mistake of answering "Bonjour," which meant I was given rapid fire very important instructions IN FRENCH that our train was arriving early and that we needed to proceed to an exit several cars down .  I caught the gist, but not the details. My husband Wayne would kill me if I didn't get the information right!  I had to eat humble pie and request the information in English.

But I am not deterred.  We have bilingual Canadian friends visiting us in El Paso in several months. I had better get to work on that French MOOC that I am halfway through.  À bientôt!

Oops!  Better know some basic French at this stop sign!

Siri goes cosmopolitan

Maybe Siri has always been cosmopolitan, but I just recently found out that the wise Siri not only knows all, but knows it in various languages as well.  In case you haven't met her, Siri is the virtual, personal, digital assistant available on Apple devices.

My family is the proud owner of a latest generation iPad (a present from my technology-talented son who said he wanted to  "keep the old folks in the technology loop").  The iPad has been in the family about 18 months now, and we are still trying to develop a friendly relationship with it.

Before I discovered the oral language talents of Siri, I learned that to write in a foreign language was a piece of cake on the iPad.  The keyboard is already set up with diacritical markings for various languages, like accent marks in Spanish.  If I need to write the Spanish surname Gómez, for example, the 'o' with an acute accent can be located by holding down the 'o' key and then tapping on one of nine 'o' choices with different markings. For the English writer who wants to throw in an occasional word in a foreign language, Apple has made it super easy to spell correctly.

Now you can use your iPad to complain that a linguistic term is recherché, brag about your new recipe for pâté de fois gras, or describe your vacation in São Paulo with complete confidence that you are showing the world you are a literate person.

Up to this point, I have not used Siri very often.  My husband Wayne talks to her all of the time, although  he gets really annoyed when she doesn't understand his Texas accent  Maybe me not using Siri is a gender thing.  Did I hear that the new iPhone 5S has a choice of male or female voices?   That brings us some interesting possibilities.

Recently I read that Siri speaks and understands several different languages.  My mind started whirling. How could I use Siri's cosmopolitan outlook not especially to get information but as part of my foreign language learning hobby?

Step 1 was to see which languages Siri knows.  I went to Settings, General, Siri, and Language to find the answer.  Nineteen languages are listed, some of which are dialects of the same language.  I was pleased to find, in addition to my native language English,  that Siri is conversant in French, which I have been brushing up on, and Spanish, which was my first foreign language. I didn't find Portuguese, which I used to teach. Too bad, because Portuguese is really fun to speak.

Map of Spanish-speaking countries

What caught my eye was that Spanish was listed with three dialects, Mexico, Spain, and United States.  I understood the separation of Mexican Spanish and Peninsular Spanish, but I didn't know that there were enough common identifying features of Spanish spoken in the US to warrant a separate setting.  Spanish in the US differs considerably from location to location.  Spanish spoken in New York City, for example, may differ considerably from that spoken in Los Angeles. And New Mexican Spanish may differ considerably from Spanish spoken in Colorado.  How did the Apple software engineers decide on which features to include in the Spanish-United States setting?

I also notice that Siri speaks French from Canada and French from France.  I'm not sophisticated enough in that language to hear the difference in the two dialects.  As a matter of fact, if I can get Siri to understand anything I ask in French, I will feel quite accomplished.  I hope she isn't secretly smiling at my unauthentic French 'r'.

Now I am intrigued with Siri and her language ability.  I'm going to try some simple experiments that I will be writing about in coming weeks.  Do you have a story about Siri and languages? Please share.

PLEASE NOTE:  Language Lover's Blog is going on vacation and will return on October 28.  See you then!

Exploring "The Not to Do List for Successful Language Learners" Tip No. 1

I'm a sucker for articles about language learning.  My secret hope is to find some trick to learn a foreign language that doesn't require blood, sweat and tears (not to mention huge chunks of my time, moving to a foreign country, or hiring a live-in foreign national, which my husband would probably applaud if she were young and beautiful). 

So when I saw the following article, I read it immediately instead of relegating it to the read sometime in the future folder. Maybe you would like to take a look at this easy to read article, "The Not to Do List for Successful Language Learners"  by John Fotheringham before we get started.   http://l2mastery.com/blog/linguistics-and-education/methods/not-to-do-list.

First of all, I gave a big fist pump and yelled "Yes!" when I read the article.  Now I want to explore why we are not already following the common sense advice listed, either in language courses or as independent learners. Let's take a memory trip back to your and my attempts at learning a foreign language, using the 10 tips in the article.


1. Do NOT spend more than 5% of your study time on grammar, translation, vocabulary lists or any other overt information about the language.

5%? Not much time to learn all those rules and exceptions to the rule!   The big controversial topic here is grammar.  Translation and extensive bilingual vocabulary lists have pretty much passed out of use (I hope). But the language profession has been waffling for decades about how useful grammar instruction is for learners whose main goal is to speak the language.

What is so seductive about studying the grammar of a language?  I must admit  I am one of those weird persons who likes to know how languages work.  Using my current online French course as an example, am I fascinated by the fact that French has two helping verbs to form the past tense (passé composé), and that each verb has specific rules for its use?  I am, and it gives me great satisfaction to learn those rules and complete a grammar exercise (answers at the bottom of the page upside down) and select all the right answers. I can mark an A+ on my paper. And my ego gets a little boost.  Are you one of those types of language learners also? 

Here is the crux of the matter.  When I am face to face with a fast-talking French Canadian later this year, will I be able to use the correct French past tense form in a timely manner?  Probably not!  "Why not?", you may ask, "Didn't you make an A+ on the grammar exercise about forming past tense verbs in French?"  Well, yes, I did, and I can explain to you (if you have patience and time to listen) that avoir is the helping verb used with most verbs to say a phrase like 'I have read', but that when I use a verb of motion, or a reflexive verb (I'll spare you the digression needed  to explain what a reflexive verb is) être is the only possible correct grammatical choice.   

By the time all of that grammar information filters through my brain, I might be able  to eventually croak out a correct 'Je suis arrivée au Canada hier.' (I arrived in Canada yesterday.) The French speaker would have to live up to the reputation of Canadian politeness not to experience some frustration with the snail's pace of our conversation.  He/she might even regret having asked me the innocent question, "When did you arrive in Canada?"

If you are still with me in this discussion, you may be wondering, "If grammar study and exercises aren't the solution,  then how can I learn to use the two French past tense helping verbs well enough to carry on a decent conversation?"  I would recommend the following:

(1) Listen to French past tense conversations until I notice that two different helping verbs are used.

(2) Hypothesize about the characteristics of verbs that use être or avoir as helping verbs.

(3) Check my hypotheses by listening and reading in French.

(4) Participate in many simple conversations in French about past tense events. 

(5) Realize that I am going to make errors (no A+s here). 

(5) Now check the grammar rules if I want to.  They will make a lot more sense  at this point.

Summary:  Learn grammar by using the language, not by learning about the language.

I'm off the soapbox for today. Thoughts and opinions  are sincerely appreciated.  We'll look at some more tips next week.

A personal view of MOOCs

MOOCs (Massive, Open, Online Courses). The greatest thing since sliced bread or the beginning of the end for higher education?  If you keep up with news from the world of education, MOOCs appear in the title of at least one article on a daily basis.  Some articles are pro-MOOC, some are anti-MOOC; all are still long on opinion and short on data.  It's too early for the verdict.  The jury is still out.  

In the many discussions about MOOCs, there are concerns about the quality of instruction, how or if to grant credit for the courses, the financial implications, and possible resulting changes in the current higher education model. Proponents of MOOCs point out the large numbers of students who can be served, reductions in education costs, and the availability of outstanding instructors to more students. 

Here is a link to a recent article in Time, All Hail MOOCs! Just Don't Ask if They Actually Work in case you would like to jump into the fray.

Not being able to solve the large questions about MOOCs,  I started thinking about the importance of MOOCs in my life.  And this is admittedly a personal view.  I am in love with the idea of life-long education.  I always want to be involved in learning something new. I've said many times that if I could find someone to support me "in the manner to which I have become accustomed," I would be a perennial student, hanging around  university corridors carrying an old backpack.

Several years ago I attended a language conference and found myself at the communal breakfast table at a B&B with a gentleman well known in the language field.  What impressed me is that he had brought a Japanese grammar book to the table.  When other guests began arriving, he of course put the book to one side and began a lively conversation.  But I'll bet he would rather have been studying his book. A man after my own heart.

The availability of MOOCs has allowed me to continue to be a student from the comfort of my own home, or hopefully from a hotel room or lobby in an elegant vacation spot. 

Well, maybe not quite this elegant.

My world broadens and becomes more flexible as long as I have an internet connection.  I can go to http://www.openculture.com  and find "Free online courses," "Free certificate courses," or "Free language lessons"  (free being a key term here), among many other seductive offerings.  And I don't have to worry about transportation, scheduling conflicts, grades, homework. or buying an expensive textbook.

But Miss Pollyanna, you may be thinking, what is the downside to studying by means of a MOOC? Wouldn't you really rather be studying a new language in a classroom led by a dynamic instructor?  Well, certainly.  MOOCs takes self-discipline, making my own opportunities for personal communication, and giving up the thrill of chasing an A for the course. 

Whatever the future for MOOCs, I'm grateful that they are still around to help me stretch my mind and imagination, stay entertained, and most of all to keep me out of that rocking chair on the porch (George Jones , the country-western singer, sang about it) for a few more years.

More about my French MOOC

http://www.loecsen.com/travel/0-en-67-2-3-free-lessons-french.html

Last week I started this blog with the old stereotypical saw about how embarrassingly monolingual Americans are. A few days later, this article caught my eye as a direct contradiction.  http://languageboat.com/2013/08/30/crushing-the-stereotype-about-monolingual-america/

"Of course," I chastised myself.  Not all Americans have to learn another language in order to become bilingual; they are fortunate enough to acquire another language through much less painful means - family, playmates, friends, significant others, co-workers, employers and employees, social activities, or residence in a foreign country. Ah, how I envy those non-monolingual Americans.

My focus is egocentric; I have to work at having other languages.  My latest effort is the French MOOC that I signed up for at Carnegie Mellon University under the Open Learning Initiative.  I would like to give you an idea of what the course experience has been , in case you might be inspired to join me.  Also, I want to ruminate about who might benefit from a MOOC.

First of all-the basics.  The course is absolutely free.  You need an Internet connection and a set of earphones (not even a microphone really). You also need to set the keyboard to US-International so that you can do diacritical marks, like accent marks. The enrollment is done in a few simple clicks without having to reveal your life story.  Every time you return to the course, you can start where you left off.  There is no instructor, no homework, no tests, and no grading, just you and your conscience.  No one tracks your progress or nags you.  The only deadlines are those that you set for yourself.  Sounds great, huh?

The only downside I have found so far is that I am having trouble making the course a priority in my life. Days pass without me entering the course.  E-mail and social media beckon.  They take so much less brain energy and give me warm, fuzzy feelings.  The MOOC is like a patient but persistent teacher. tapping her foot.

The MOOC includes the four traditional language skills.  You can learn to understand French (my goal), pronounce French (oh, my American accent!), read French (my best skill), and write French (not easy!). There is a cultural section also. The current lesson talks about beauty products, so this is everyday culture, that is rather interesting to me.

Each lesson includes a series of short videos of conversations that you can play over and over, which I often feel the need to do. The third time is usually the charm for understanding.  Then there are many short exercises of varying types that help you internalize the language of the videos  Most of the exercises are contextual and therefore fairly engaging. There are a few old-fashioned fill-in-the-blank exercises for verb forms.  Grammar explanations are kept to a minimum, considering the complexity of grammar.  The wrap-up activity asks you to apply the information to yourself.  For example, I now need to write a description of myself and my family members in French.  I have been procrastinating as usual.

Who might benefit from a MOOC?  I wouldn't try one if I had no background in the language and no contact with any other learners or native speakers.  But I am finding that this MOOC is a thorough  review of the French that must be buried somewhere in my brain.  And it doesn't hurt that I have an upcoming trip planned to French-speaking Canada.

But back to the many Americans who are already bilingual.  I think a MOOC might be especially attractive to them, especially if they want to strengthen reading and writing skills, plus add to vocabulary.

Tomorrow is my first French conversation class at our local university.  I'll let you know how it goes.

http://www.loecsen.com/travel/0-en-67-2-3-free-lessons-french.html

Adventures with a French MOOC

MOOCs have been much in the news recently.  MOOC stands for massive open online course. The El Paso Times of  September 3, 2013, carried the reprint of a humorous article about new expressions in English by Michael Dirda, writing for the Washington Post. He states,  "This phenomenon [MOOCs] is clearly here to stay, but 'I'm taking a MOOC' sounds disgustingly lavatorial."  I'm not even sure how to pronounce the acronym MOOC.   Is the vowel sound the same as in 'foot', 'mood', or another sound?  

At any rate, MOOCS are a current controversial topic with supporters and detractors at each end of the spectrum, while others are taking a wait and see attitude. I wanted to see what all of the brouhaha was about from a student's perspective. The concept of lifelong learning has a certain appeal to me at this stage of my life.   I chose French because my husband and I will be in French-speaking Canada later this year.  I did not want to be an Ugly American, at least language wise, if I could help it.

My spotty background in French stretches all the way back to undergraduate days, continues through graduate school, and even includes a  disastrous semester teaching French I to high school students (if any former students are reading this blog, my sincere apologies).  I just never felt like I had the upper hand with French.

So three months ago I optimistically signed up for a  MOOC in Beginning French from Cornell University. Instructions stated that it is ideally a 15 week course, and I am just now starting Lesson 5 (do the math!) My plans were for this MOOC to be an opportunity to really buckle down and conquer the French language.  I started the first day with notebook, pencil, and French dictionary close by my laptop, remembering my usual modus operandi for a traditional college course.  My notebook is still mostly blank.  Online learning is a new world.

Procrastination!  A very human disorder.  I suffer greatly from it because I always want to do things perfectly and get an A+.  Clearly I had to change my ways or end up as a statistic as a non-MOOCcompleter (a large group, as I understand it).

So beginning with Lesson 5, I'm going to pledge to tackle this MOOC with a new determination and a new attitude.  I will devote the six to eight hours a week recommended by Cornell, and I will reign in my obsessive-compulsive personality and try to have a little fun with the course.

I'll keep you up to date on my progress, and also let you know how my French conversation course at a local university is working out.  I would love to read comments from anyone who has experience with a MOOC or is considering taking one.  À bientôt!

Acquiring Another Language - Pain or Pleasure?

Does this strike you as a leisurely activity?

Knowing another language is a highly prized ability, right?  Don't we identify polyglots as really smart, well educated, super intelligent, and in general, superior human beings?  So if knowing another language is so desirable, why don't more Americans (and we are not alone in this) make the effort to break out of our monolingualism?

You've heard the old joke: "What do you call a person who knows three languages?  Trilingual.  What do you call a person who knows two languages?  Bilingual.  And what do you call a person who knows only one language?  American.

The old excuses for English Only immediately rear their heads.  Europeans live closer to other countries, so they have more language learning opportunities.  European schools begin language study at an early age. Isn't English becoming the universal language, so aren't I lucky that I already speak English?  If anyone wants to do business with me, they had better speak English.  And on and on...

I would like to offer a new perspective.  How about plucking second language acquisition out of the realm of really serious stuff and nestle it into a category of fun things to do with my life?  Let's think about language acquistion the same way we do learning to play a musical instrument, conquering a new piece of software, mastering making homemade flour tortillas, or training to run a marathon.  Challenging, but intriguing and rewarding.

I'm in the midst of trying to recoup some of the knowledge of the French language that has been stuffed into my head at various points in my schooling.   Instead of approaching this task (oops, I didn't mean to say task), rather, opportunity for creativity, with an intense desire to succeed, how about if I take a more relaxed approach?

The first baby step I took to ween myself away from language learning as pain rather than pleasure was to sign up for a free online course with no feedback from an instructor.  If you are a language instructor reading this blog, please don't get out the rotten tomatoes just yet.  I spent my teaching career in second languages, so I think we still can play a vital role in language learning.  More about that topic in a future blog.  

What, a course where no one will tell me if I am right or wrong?  No homework, no tests, no one to encourage me, just me and my computer?  Yes.

In the weeks that follow, I want to share my experiences with learning a language through an open, online course.  And I hope to  investigate and evaluate other alternative ways of acquiring a language.

Wish me luck!  And send me a comment about language learning in your life.