Why I study languages I may never speak

Studying World Languages

The Holy Grail of language acquisition is the ability to speak another language.  And I have no quarrel with that.  Communicating in a new language is, I think, pretty thrilling.

But recently I was questioning why I continue to study Irish Gaelic, faithfully devoting time to it each and every day.

Maybe our family travels will take me to Ireland in the near future. Maybe I will be able to read a sign or two in the Dublin Airport.  Or maybe I will understand a snatch of conversation as I crowd in with other tourists to view the Book of Kells at Trinity University.

But my true motivation in studying Irish Gaelic is none of the above.  The truth is I like the effect that even a small amount of this Celtic language has on my brain.  Let me explain.  My daily routine is to practice four languages on my favorite web-based language program, Duolingo.

Duolingo Owl

When I practice French, Portuguese, and Spanish, which are all Latin-based languages that I have studied formally, I can answer Duolingo's questions pretty much on automatic pilot.  Sometimes I even daydream and make silly typing mistakes.  But I always leave Irish Gaelic practice to the end, because I know this language will require me to actually THINK.

The first challenge is the structure of the Irish sentence.  After years of thinking of a normal English sentence as a subject, a verb, and an object, in that order, I have to make a conscious effort to construct an Irish sentence with a verb, a subject, and an object, in that order.

English:  He loses his cat every night.

Irish (literal) Loses he his cat every night. (Cailleann sé a chat gach oiche.)

And this small change is not as easy to internalize as one might think. I can't tell you how many times I have been bleeped by the Duolingo Owl for an incorrect response by failing to put the verb first in the Irish sentence.

The same Irish sentence (Cailleann sé a chat gach oiche)  also presents another brain challenge - keeping languages straight in the mind.  The third Irish word, "a," meaning "his" is the same word as a word very familiar to me in Portuguese - "the" as in a gata- the cat. So Duolingo has another chance to bleep me for mistranslating "his," a possessive pronoun for the definite article "the."

An even bigger brain challenge in Irish that is new to me is the "prepositional pronoun," that is, a combination of a preposition and a pronoun.  An example is uaithi, meaning "on her." My mind is still trying to cope with the Irish translation of "She wants food" as Tá bia uaithi, literally, "food is on her."

One hears much talk these days about the importance of keeping one's brain active and flexible. Crosswords I enjoy; Sudoku I don't; but analyzing other languages, even if I never achieve fluency, makes my brain add new pieces of learning.  And that must be doing something positive for my brain health.

         

Musings on Language Errors

Do you want to be corrected when you are speaking a foreign language?  If I ask a group of adult language learners that same question, the majority will vote yes for receiving correction.  And many learners are absolutely adamant that they need and want correction. How else will they ever learn to produce error free speech, they plead. It sounds so logical, doesn't it? Make a mistake, get corrected, say everything right the next time.  Step 1, step 2, step 3. Too bad learning a foreign language is not that straightforward.

Here is the argument against error correction.

When you are participating in a conversation in a foreign language, your mind is extremely busy, trying to pronounce sounds, choose words, and put phrases and sentences together.  Your goal is to communicate meaning.  If someone (generally with the best of intentions) corrects your language, in most cases your mind cannot process the information.  Your personal grammar making machine located in your mind can't absorb the information quickly enough to make your language more correct in the future.

If you are still with me, thinking through this thorny issue, the next logical question is, "Okay, if correcting my language errors does not lead to a more accepted version, how will I ever improve my language skills?" And most people, given the choice, really do want to speak more correctly.  The solution is for the learner to listen to and read enough standard language that the brain begins to compare your evolving second language with the more standard pronunciation, word choice, and phrase and sentence structure of native speakers.  Complicated?  Not really,  Children learn their first language by this method all the time.

Now, that being said, I was reflecting recently about the role of error correction in my favorite online language learning program, Duolingo. When I make an error, Duolingo definitely brings it to my attention by a bleeping sound, an X , and the correct solution.

And I believe that I do indeed profit from the correction of my errors, because when I'm given another chance by the patient computer program, I often can produce the correct response. That realization led me to consider the difference between language learning on Duolingo and face-to-face conversations.  

The first difference that comes to mind is that on Duolingo, I am not hurried.  I can carefully consider my error, read other people's comments about the question, or even defend my answer by reporting a problem to Duolingo.  Therefore, I can internalize the information much better than in a conversational exchange where I have to consider the presence of another person, keep the conversation going, and even possibly overcome my embarrassment at having made the error. After all, Duolingo doesn't care if I make an error; it just rewards me for getting the right answer by making a cheerful sound and moving a bar forward so that I can earn points.

My conclusion is that many kinds of language experiences are valuable for language acquisition, but the experiences call for different language learning techniques.  As for me, I'll continue to remind my live conversation partners that I don't want to be corrected, just understood.  But I'm looking forward to conquering some obscure grammar rules on Duolingo by taking its corrections to heart.  

   

Does language learning make you uptight?

Why do so many people want to learn a foreign language but never quite succeed?  This is a question I have asked myself (and about myself!) for some time now.  Friends and acquaintances frequently ask for language learning advice because they know that acquiring other languages is one of my life passions, If only the advice could be condensed in a few words.   To use a phrase I hear a lot these days - "It's complicated."  But here are two suggestions that may rid you of the uptight feeling that often accompanies language study.

(1)  Dispel the idea that the foreign language you produce always has to be perfectly correct.

Easier said than done, right? I fight with this notion all the time myself.  Why?  Because I am an adult and should know how to do things right.  Because I am detail oriented.  Because I don't want to appear uneducated.  Because I always make A's... Because....  Well, you understand. Being correct feels so very good.

But is it realistic to think that in a foreign language you will produce perfect language?   We spend years acquiring our native language and continue to improve it throughout our lives.  Why should one course (or several courses for that matter) in Spanish enable a person to speak with unassailable vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation?  Give yourself a break!

Rather than having to do mental gymnastics (a term coined by Stephen A Krashen) to focus on correctness, how about focusing on communicating meaning.  Isn't that the major goal of communication?

When children are acquiring languages, they use language as a tool.  We adults could well follow their example.  And children correct their language by themselves as they continue to use it by comparing their version to the adult version.  We adults will begin to speak and write more correctly as we hear and read more and more language spoken and written correctly.  Just give yourself some time - lots of time!

(2) Slow and steady wins the race.    It worked for the tortoise, and it may work for you in acquiring another language.  The fast world we live in, where so much happens instantaneously, is now a cliché.  We expect language learning results to be quick so we can get on to the next life project.

Smaller daily doses of a new language may work better than longer, intense study sessions.  And don't leave daily language practice to chance.  One of the reasons I enjoy duolingo.com, a popular online language learning site, is that the program allows you to set up daily reminders to make progress.  At first, I allowed Duolingo to nag me with emails when I had not been on the site in 24 hours.

Soon, I had made Duolingo so much a part of my daily routine that I opted out of the reminders. Now I can proudly say that I have done language practice for 650 days straight.  And I can say that I feel like I am moving forward with learning other languages.

It's time for a revolution in language learning.  Let's tame our egos that make us always want to be perfect.  Let's work on our daily self-discipline to take small steps to success.  Let's put language acquisition in the category of enjoyable activities instead of drudgery.

So many languages, so little time

If T-shirts were a part of my daily wardrobe, I would have one specially made that says, "So many languages, so little time."   Languages are always on my list of fun activities.  But with an estimated 6000-8000 languages identified in the world today, which languages should I choose to devote time and effort to study?

This very intriguing issue presented itself to me yesterday as I logged onto a free language-learning site, livemocha.com.  I had my choice of 35 languages, with a long list of planned languages for the future.  What a smorgasbord!  And the winner was Catalan.  

Catalan is a Romance language, derived from Latin like its sister languages, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

It is one of the official languages of Catalunya, whose capital city is Barcelona. Catalan is spoken in other regions of Spain and France as well and on various islands. Catalan is the official language of Andorra, a small nation bordered by Spain and France. 

But why did my eye settle on Catalan instead of the other 34 choices?  This question leads to a larger question of why we are attracted to some languages and not others.  In my case, the Catalan language brought memories of a family trip to Barcelona several years ago.  And I savored those memories.

Our twenty-something son had agreed to make one more family trip with his parents, and we had reserved a separate room for him in Barcelona.  As he tells the story, he had emerged from the shower, wrapped a towel around himself, and wandered out onto the small balcony of his bedroom to catch a view of Barcelona. When he turned to go back inside, he discovered that the sliding glass door to the balcony had closed and locked automatically.  His story of how he solved the problem was my first insight into the Catalan language.

He explained that he had started yelling to anyone he could see outside, giving his room number.  "What language did you speak?"  I quizzed him, knowing he had studied Spanish several years ago in high school but did not speak Catalan.  When he realized that using Spanish was not helping him out of the situation, he said he switched to Catalan.  And he was rescued!  "How in the world did you do that?"  I inquired suspiciously.  He said that he just took the words for the numbers in Spanish and shortened them. What a practical solution! I'll have to investigate that.

Some of my other memories of Barcelona are leisurely walking Las Ramblas, a pedestrian street filled with music, food, vendors and street performers,  

and subsequently nursing my husband back from a bout of stomach trouble caused by a suspicious paella dish. And then I remember the Picasso museum, sunning on the beach, and an unforgettable performance of Lang-Lang with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Opera House.  I also attended my first motorcycle race in a village outside of Barcelona.  A unique experience!

Yes!  I want to study Catalan, if for no other reason than to let my mind travel back to our stay in Barcelona, now with the added thrill of imagining myself communicating in the Catalan language.  "Hola!" I will say, "Com estàs?" "Eu dic Linda Calk."  "Com et dius?"  And I promise myself not to panic if I actually get a response in Catalan!

Problems with language learning? Blame it on your brain connections!

Are you a frustrated language learner?

Join the crowd.  Most adults I have encountered in my language teaching career suffer from some degree of language learning anxiety.  And oh, the damage language learning does to our self images as bright, competent adults!  Do some people really have an easier time learning language?

Always intrigued by information on how we acquire other languages, I enjoyed reading a recent article entitled "Why some people find learning a language harder than others." (www.telegraph.co.uk)  Researchers found that the manner in which our brains are "wired"  for various areas to communicate with each other may explain why some adults learn languages faster and more successfully.

Thank goodness.  Maybe my failure to become fluent in Irish Gaelic is not all my fault, after all.

When a group of fifteen English speakers were enrolled in a 12 week course to study French,  their language abilities in French were first tested.  Also before the course began, they were given brains scans (fMRI) to determine the strength of the connections between parts of their brains and two important language centers in the brain.  One center deals with verbal fluency; the other with visual word form. Connections in the brain play a large role in learning, especially when the brain is at rest, so strong communication between brain areas is important.

At the end of the course, the participants were asked to display their abilities in French by speaking in response to a verbal cue and by reading aloud in French.  Here is what the researchers found.  The participants who had stronger brain connections showed the greatest improvement in speaking.

So where does this research leave those of us who dream of becoming polyglots?

Researchers suggest that the new findings may help us better understand individual language learning differences and develop teaching methods to respond to differences.  Others state that we may be able to predict who will succeed and who will fail based on information from brain scans.  ( Note:  I really don't want to find out my brain connections are weak- learning languages is too enjoyable a hobby for me!)

And we have to consider the concept of nature vs. nurture.  Perhaps one's brain has an innate tendency to a certain strength of communication, but learning and experience will also play a part in shaping the brain, which is sometimes described as being plastic.

Until more is learned about the role of brain connections in language learning,  I have not yet found a creditable argument for giving up my daily language study sessions.

And I'm secretly delighted.

Do you remember Tom Swifties?

On this colorless January day as I am sitting at the computer searching for an entertaining language topic, "Tom Swifties" pop into my mind.  Tom Swifties were a nerdy type of word play popular during the 1960's.  I was in college during that decade, and I took great pride in showing off a new interest in linguistics by laughing at and formulating my own Tom Swifties.

"We must hurry," said Tom swiftly.  I know this example isn't a knee slapper, but it does illustrate the principle of a Tom Swiftie without having to go into too much linguistic detail. You take a quote that you attest to Tom and add an adverb that describes how he said the phrase and also creates a pun referring to the phrase.  Merriam-Webster.com describes the Tom Swiftie as a way of "turning adverbs into punchlines."   Quite a few variations of Tom Swifties have evolved from the original formula.

The history of  how a language fad like Tom Swifties came into being is intriguing. In the first part of the 20th century, books based on a fictional character named Tom Swift, a young scientist and inventor, were popular with younger readers (much like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew).

TIME Magazine ran a contest in May of 1963 requesting original examples of Tom Swifties. This contest contributed to the general popularity of Tom Swifties.

The writing style of Tom Swift books included an overabundance of adverbs, often ending in "ly." The Tom Swiftie (or Swifty) was a parody on this writing style.  Notice also that "swiftly" in the original example morphed into "swiftie."

But on to the enjoyment of Tom Swifties.  Are you ready to chuckle, smile, or maybe groan? The following examples, and many more, are from Christine Sneed  (Notice that Tom is referred to as just "he" or "she.")

"Unlike you, I've always been a dog person,"  he barked.

"This pencil tip is dull,"  she said pointedly.

"I don't like going to museums,"  he said artlessly.

Merriam-Webster.com  gives one of the best Tom Swifties as follows:

"I just dropped the toothpaste,"  said Tom crestfallenly.

And this Tom Swifty image was on line.

Even mathematicians can have fun with Tom Swifties. I got a kick out of these on the pleacher.com site.

"The average class age is seventeen,"  said Tom meanly.

"Everyone stand in line by age!" Tom ordered.

Here is another Tom Swiftie with a mathematical pun.

But the most enjoyment from Tom Swifties comes from creating your own. How might you complete the following January themed statements?  I'll be sure to publish your contributions. ("Send in your contributions," said Tom generously.)

"I'm going to keep my new year's resolutions this year," said Tom _______.
"The scales say I weigh how much?" said Tom _______.
"How long is it until springtime?" said Tom ________.

I hope this post on Tom Swifties brings a smile to your lips.  If  the Tom Swiftie bug has bitten you, search for more examples at this amazing  collection of Tom Swifties.

Can you speak Yodish?

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  Have you seen it yet?  My husband Wayne and I joined a whole lot of other movie goers on Christmas Day this year at the Violet Crown theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico to get our Star Wars fix.  The movie has an intriguing plot, memorable characters and lively dialogue, but I must admit I missed seeing one of my favorite Star Wars characters-Yoda.

I admire Yoda because he is old and wise, but I have always been especially intrigued by Yoda's use of language.  When I taught courses in English Linguistics, I often used quotes from Yoda to introduce  students to topics in syntax, hoping to spark a little interest in what can be a very dry topic!

Yoda, of course, speaks English.  And we can all understand him.  But we also know that sometimes Yoda's language sounds a bit odd. "Lost a planet Master Obi-Wan has, " says the little green Jedi master. What's going on here?

Yoda sometimes uses an alternate word order from the Subject-Verb-Object basic word order of English.  (Linguists refer to that order as SVO.)  He often places modifiers, like adjectives, adverbs, and even modifying clauses, and also objects before the subject and verb, rather than after.   Yoda says, "Much to learn, you still have," rather than the more usual "You still have much to learn." (Linguists might classify Yoda's word order as OSV.)

Yoda's choice of a different word order gives us a chance to examine our own ideas of what is "right" and "wrong" in a language. 

Would you consider Yoda's language ungrammatical?  His language may sound poetic, archaic and formal, but is it truly wrong?  Yoda would not think so.

Yoda also often omits using the auxiliary verb "do" in negative statements.  He declares, "Size matters not" rather than the more standard "Size does not matter." Also, Yoda does not use contractions, like "doesn't" for "does not", which to me makes his language sound more formal. 

So, do you think you could change your standard dialect of English into Yodish?  The mechanics of doing so are really fairly simple, but can you match the wisdom of statements like these?

"Wars not make one great."

"Adventure.  Excitement.  A Jedi craves not these things."

And my favorite Yoda quote:  "When 900 years you reach, look as good you will not."

Would you like to read more Yoda quotes?    Yoda quotes