Taming the Language Monitor

A chance conversation with an acquaintance reminded me of one of the most important concepts in foreign language learning — the role of the (subconscious) Language Monitor.  

I think of the Monitor as a tiny strict language teacher sitting on my shoulder when I speak another language, constantly checking what I say to make sure it conforms to grammar rules.

What's wrong with that you may say?  "I would love for someone to make sure I am speaking a language correctly." Here's what's wrong.

The acquaintance asked if I spoke a lot of Italian on a recent trip abroad.  "Not much," I complained., "I could read lots of the language but when it came to speaking....." 

 "What has happened with my Spanish," the acquaintance confessed, "is that I have been studying for two years, and I know so much grammar that it is slowing down my speaking ability.  I used to speak Spanish fairly fluently," she added, "but now my mind is checking everything that comes out of my mouth."  

How about it, reader, have you had a similar language learning experience? Do you have an overactive Language Monitor in your brain holding you back?

A first step in taming the Language Monitor is accepting the that fact that language errors must be viewed as helpful rather than disastrous. 

I know.  No one likes to make mistakes in life. But the idea that you are always going to speak perfectly is not even logical, even in our native language.  We expect babies learning their first language to make constant language "errors."  So will we as adults make many errors as we learn a new language, and it will be a good thing. Our minds will begin formulating our own subconscious idea of how the new language works (its grammar).   

Given the fact that language errors are inevitable in speaking a new language, why not let the Language Monitor clean things up before you speak?  Sounds logical.  But the reality is that specific conditions must exist for the Monitor to do its job. 

-The speaker must know the rule well in order to apply it. Remembering all of the written rules of a language is a difficult task, and many rules remain unwritten and not available for learning.

-The speaker must be focused on form rather than meaning.  (Have you ever made a conversational partner wait until you conjugated a verb in your mind to get the right form?  I have.)

-The speaker must have time to apply the rule.  I am picturing an impatient listener who just wants to get on with the conversation rather than waiting for you to stumble around trying to express yourself in error-free language.

So how about loosening up a little and patting yourself on the back for communicating successfully rather than formulating a perfect sentence?  Did you succeed in getting directions to the train station in Paris?  Were you able to ask for the check and pay with a credit card in Mexico City?  How was your chat on the Via Rail train in Canada with German-speaking dinner companions?

Tell your Language Monitor to cool it until you are writing an email to a new Portuguese-speaking friend whom you would like to impress with your perfect language.  Then you may use your Language Monitor that has been waiting in the wings, red pen in hand so to speak.

Beating a Language Study Slump

Most of my posts to this Language Lover's Blog are filled with enthusiasm about studying other languages. I have published 155 posts over the past five years extolling the virtues of foreign language acquisition.  I promised readers they would fall in love with languages, develop a lifelong fascinating hobby, and perhaps even ward off dementia for a few years.  

Now I find myself in the embarrassing position of not being excited about languages anymore. Yes, I have said it.  Just like my favorite major league baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, I am in a slump.

 And just like the hitters who can't connect with the ball like they used to or the pitchers who can no longer throw strikes, I can't put my finger on what the problem is or how to solve it. I wish I had Yogi Berra's philosophy.

The problem of maintaining motivation looms large in the field of foreign language acquisition. You may have experienced it yourself.  As you start to learn a new language, you are on an uphill trajectory.  You promise yourself to study every day, sign up for a course, use online apps, and plan a trip to use your new language.  Ah, I remember those innocent days! Reality soon makes hash of your good intentions, and to paraphrase Yogi Berra, you aren't in a slump, you just aren't acquiring the language of your choice.

Take my desire to learn Italian, for example.  With plans for a summer trip to Tuscany with friends and family, I felt fairly confident that I could learn a lot of Italian before the trip.  After all, I have degrees in foreign languages, I have taught foreign languages, and Italian is a Romance language similar to Spanish and Portuguese, which I know fairly well.  What could go wrong?

I signed up for a six-week Italian class at an institute on a local university campus.  The details are irrelevant, but suffice it to say that the only thing I learned about Italian was that "ci,","ce," "gi," and "ge" were going to give me lots of trouble.  I did not sign up for the second six weeks.

My next effort was to sign up for Italian on Duolingo, a popular online language learning course, available on the web or as an app on mobile devices.  I had been using Duolingo for several years to study a variety of other languages and thought it was great fun.  About this time, though, Duolingo made a significant change in the program.  In the old version, you were allowed to make mistakes and keep trying to answer correctly with no penalty.  It was a relaxing way to learn.

The new version of Duolingo allows only a certain numbers of errors before your "health meter" runs out of segments.

Note health meter in top right hand corner

Unless you can buy back your "health," you have to wait more than four hours to regain it and continue practicing.  Needless to say, I found nothing motivational about the new rules.

Another change in Duolingo that I missed was the absence of "bots."  At one time, you could hold an actual conversation with a bot by typing or saying your answer.  I loved talking to the bots and learned a lot about conversational language in Spanish, Portuguese and French.  Sadly, though, I did not have this opportunity in Italian.

You probably know where all of this complaining is going.  We had a great trip to Italy, but I spoke virtually no Italian and understood less.  I found myself gesturing and pointing like a first year language student to even order a gelato.  

What do baseball players do when they hit a slump?  They keep on swinging and pitching.  I'll keep studying languages on Duolingo because I have a 1561 day streak going, and I hate to be a quitter.  Maybe, just maybe,  the thrill of language learning will return to me one of these days.

 





 

Oh those pesky Italian "c's" and "g's"

After a summer vacation in Tuscany, now back home in El Paso, Texas, I wonder what memories will stay with me? First would be the Italian landscapes that are even more praiseworthy than their depictions in travel books.

View from our villa, Le Due Volpe

The Italian people are friendly and helpful.  And they appear to truly enjoy life, something I forget to do from time to time.

Charming Italian guide leading wine tasting

But my first steps attempting to communicate in the Italian language may be my most long-lasting memory.  A note of caution:  if anyone tells you that everyone in Italy speaks English, do not believe them.  We did find a few people in the hospitality field who very kindly spoke English to us, but for the most part, our communication was done using sign language.  Two notable exceptions were our hosts at the villa, Cinzia and Aldo, who were always ready for a chat in English. In addition, I had  been assured before leaving the U.S. that I could get by in Italy using Spanish.  Wrong, again.  I'm sure there are Italians who speak Spanish, but I failed to locate them.

I had been studying Italian using DuoLingo, my favorite online free language learning program, for about six months in preparation for our Italian adventure. I was encouraged because I could read in Italian fairly well because it is similar to Spanish in its written form.  And the grammar wasn't too daunting.

But, oh the pronunciation of those Italian "c's" and "g's" proved to be the death of me!  I even wrote a blog post, "Just enough Italian pronunciation," several months prior to the trip pointing out rules for changes in "c's" and "g's'  before "i's" and "e's."  I soon discovered that knowing the rule is not the same as being able to apply the rule. (How many times have I preached that to my former language students?) As other travel memories fade, what I may remember about Italy is being gently corrected by smiling Italians when I continually mispronounced  "c's" and "g's."

My first language lesson was in Tirano, Italy, where we stayed several nights after riding the Bernina Express train through the Swiss Alps. The bright red cherries at an outdoor fruit stand looked luscious.  Unfortunately, the Italian word for cherries is ciliegie. The "c" before the "i" makes a "ch" sound.  Everyone knows how to say ciao, right?

And the "g" before the "i" makes a sound like the first and last sounds in "judge."  Now try putting those two rules to work on a busy Italian street with a vendor waiting for you to make a purchasing decision.  He patiently corrected my pronunciation and put the cherries on the scale.

My next Italian language lesson came during a lunch meal at a restaurant in Borgo San Lorenzo. I had been missing an iced drink in the hot, humid Italian weather, so I was inspired to order a soda with ice.  The Italian word for ice is "ghiaccio."  Oh no, more "c's and "g's"!  This time the "g" was followed by an "h" which changed its pronunciation back to a hard "g" (like "go").  And the "ci" still kept the "ch" sound, but not before you pronounced another hard "c" (like "cat") before it.  The waiter gave me a big grin and pronounced "ghiaccio" three times until I got it right.  Mamma mia!

Can you see the ice and lemon in my coke?

At least I got some occasional comic relief in the language category.  The same waiter described above was naming meats offered on the luncheon menu and proudly announced that they had "cinghiale"  (wild boar meat).That word in Italian, correctly pronounced, sounds very close to a Spanish curse word (always good for a snicker).  My husband, Wayne, and I exchanged startled looks.

Italy was an unforgettable experience—one of our best trips we have decided.  But my goals before I visit Italy again are to conquer the elusive sound variations of "c"and "g" and to learn to ask correctly and politely for ice in my drink and maybe even a vegetarian menu!

DuoLingo Wants to Crown You

One morning not long ago, I logged onto my DuoLingo language learning program and discovered a new feature — a gold crown attached to each of the topics.

DuoLingo is my favorite free online language learning program.  I must enjoy it because I have been using it on a daily basis since 2014.  I began by studying the Spanish language and soon added five other languages.

DuoLingo often adds new features which the user needs to experiment with to understand.  The first thing I noticed was that the crown levels add a surprising amount of new material  (five more levels) to each topic. For me in Spanish, this feature was welcome because I had long ago completed the "tree" which contains all of the possible vocabulary and grammar topics. A new challenge was just what I needed to add complexity to my Spanish study.

So I jumped right in with my iPhone and started a crown level.  A new circular counter with five segments appeared in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.  What was that I wondered?  I soon found out. Every time I made an error of any kind, a segment of the counter disappeared.

Only two segments left!

And when all the segments were gone?  I had "lost"and was not allowed to continue with the program until I regained my "health." 

Out of health!

My options were:  (1) Spend 450 of the gems I had collected on the program to refill. (2) Purchase gems for cold hard cash from the program to refill. (3) Wait about five hours for my health to be automatically refilled. (4)  Trudge up the stairs to my laptop and do a few easy lessons to refill the counter. (The web version doesn't have crowns or counters.) (5) Buy DuoLingo Plus for a monthly fee.  

None of these options would help me progress in my language study.  As a business model for DuoLingo, I can understand what the program wants the user to do.  But from the viewpoint of a language learner, cutting off my language learning is not at all helpful.


One of the big controversies in language instruction is whether error correction helps or hinders a learner.

On the DuoLingo web version, a line appearing at the top of the screen advances or retreats depending on whether you give a right or wrong answer; however, you are allowed unlimited access with no penalties.  The web system is a gentler form of error correction.  The new mobile crown system is much more punitive.  Imagine if I were to make a language error speaking in real life and be barred from further conversation unless I paid a ransom or waited several hours! That just isn't realistic.

DuoLingo is the best language learning platform that I have found.  It is accessible, motivating, and innovative.  The stated mission of the program is free language education for the world.  I love it and use it every day.

But that darn health meter really bugs me and gets in the way of my language progress.  I wish I could log onto DuoLingo one day in the future and find that those intimidating counters were just another failed experiment.

 

DuoLingo Has Something for Everyone

Most people I chat with these days about language study mention they are using DuoLingo, a free,  popular internet program. I am a devotee of DuoLingo and have been using it every day for over four years (I have a 1465 day streak going—obsessive, right?)  I study four Romance languages and two Celtic languages.  DuoLingo offers an impressive array of languages and frequently adds new languages.. You can do Duolingo on a computer or a mobile device.

If you haven't been introduced to DuoLingo yet, let me try to summarize it. Warning: the program is addictive.  You are presented with a series of exercises in the language of your choice based on vocabulary and grammar topics, such as "to be" or "business."

Each exercise has approximately ten parts which may be listening, speaking, reading or writing activities. Answers can be submitted by keyboard or voice. If you complete an exercise successfully, you hear a pleasant computer sound and are awarded 10 or more experience points (XP's). That is the heart of the program. But DuoLingo consists of more optional features to personalize the language learning experience.  Which types of personality might use the various features, I wondered?

Language Geeks

As I began to use DuoLingo, I was both surprised and heartened to learn how many language geeks besides myself are out in the world.  For example, in the web version, after submitting each answer, DuoLingo gives you the option of discussing it with other users.  Who would have predicted that there would be so many passionate and complex exchanges about grammar and vocabulary? An example from DuoLingo Spanish, one of 103 entries about translating "We drink milk," is "Can someone help me understand the difference between bebe, bebes, bemos (sic) and bebemos?" 

Another feature that language geeks may enjoy is clicking the "report" button if they disagree with the correct answer.  I have done that myself a few times and have even received a reply back from DuoLingo saying that my answer would now be accepted.  Ah, the joy of righting a wrong in the world!

A "share" version on the mobile version allows users the option of sending an answer to someone or some place.  I just discovered one possibility, "Add to Notes," that may work for recording something I want to ponder at my leisure.

Finally, language geeks may be intrigued by the offerings of two invented languages,  Klingon and High Valyrian, recent additions to DuoLingo.

Old School Users

If your first experience studying another language was in a grade or high school classroom, as mine was, you may be searching for DuoLingo features that look and feel familiar.  Both the web and mobile versions have buttons to click to read short grammar explanations. You click on the light bulb in the web version to learn more about the topic.

You can also take a teacher role by clicking on the "Review" button after each exercise and comparing your erroneous answers to the correct ones.

As students, we are comfortable with ability levels (remember Blue Bird and Red Bird groups in kinder?).  DuoLingo allows users to progress through levels, with material becoming increasing challenging.  Recently DuoLingo introduced "crown" levels which give users even more challenge and practice (sort of like additional pages in a workbook). 

The good news is that the web version makes the crown levels easier to achieve because the consequences of wrong answers are not as dire as on the mobile version.  (This is a controversial topic for another day.)

Another feature that old school users may recognize is found under "Labs" on the web version.  I recently clicked on several of the interactive Spanish stories and found the experience familiar and enjoyable. 

Social Butterflies

As an introvert, I may not be the best person to comment on social opportunities on DuoLingo, but I do realize that connecting to other language learners is important.  The web version of  DuoLingo has an active discussion board where I have received good advice from time to time, usually about how to use a new DuoLingo feature. And be advised that DuoLingo does throw new features at you without warning for which you may need a little help from your online friends.

Another social media type feature of DuoLingo on the mobile version is an icon called "Clubs."  I haven't explored it fully, but at first glance it looks like a sort of Facebook for DuoLingo users.

Another less demanding social aspect of DuoLingo is following other users and having them follow you.  You can check your Leader Board to see how the amount of experience points you achieve compares to people that you follow. And be advised that there is always someone out there who is ahead of you. 

I try to imagine some of these leaders who are way out front.  Do they have a life?

No matter what your age, personality, language background or skill with technology, I believe that if you have an interest in other languages for whatever purpose that you can find what you want on DuoLingo to personalize the language learning experience.  And remember, DuoLingo is free and may become your favorite healthy habit.

More New Words for Old Ideas

Last January I published a blog post about new words that are being used to express old meanings.  That post received a high number of hits, so for the last several months, I have been on the lookout for more signs of creativity in language.  My husband, Wayne, who has a keen ear for colorful language, is in on the game. 

Recently Wayne returned from an annual meeting of the American Chuck Wagon Association, held in Fredericksburg, Texas.  He shared with me that he received an unusual compliment for his biscuits served from a chuck wagon.  (Not that a compliment was unusual, but the words used were!)  Someone told him, "Your biscuits are the bomb." 

Wayne was taken aback for a few moments until he realized that his biscuits had just received a rating of awesome, phenomenal, the best. Because the word "bomb" is usually associated with unpleasant events, using it with the opposite meaning makes it stand out.  I am reminded of how the word "bad" has taken on the meaning of "very good" in recent years.  

Newspaper comics are a constant source of innovative language use.  One of my favorite cartoon characters is the teenage boy, Jeremy,  in "Zits". 

Jeremy shows his friend, Pierce, a pop-up ad about himself advertising that he is, among other things, a "totally woke dude."   "Woke" has taken on a non-literal meaning of being socially aware, knowing what's happening.  The new use originated in African American Vernacular English and was first used by teenagers in Internet slang.  We older folks might say someone is really "with it."  (Oh, how our use of slang terms dates us!) 

Another source of creative language terms is National Public Radio (NPR).  If NPR uses a term, I feel confident that the term has reached a mainstream audience.  "Thirst Trap" is one such expression.  As I understand it, it is a message that seeks to get attention, such as a provocative picture or a flirtatious message on social media.  Another term is "Cringe Factor,"  which is self-explanatory:  something that provokes a negative physical response, such as flinching. 

I need help from readers on the next term.  Several times while watching detective shows, I have heard the main inspector inquiring of colleagues something like, "What's the joy on the new case?"  Am I hearing that correctly?  Is "joy" being used for "new information"?  

The next example of descriptive language use comes from one of my husband's friends.  A group of men were discussing issues in their chuck wagon organization, specifically newcomers who had little knowledge but wanted rapid change.  One group member described them as "attacking with a rubber tomahawk perspective."     Isn't it amazing what we humans can create with language?

Often we resist language change, claiming that new words and expressions are a sign of moral and intellectual decay. We humans do hate any kind of change in our lives, don't we? But I would like to make the case that language change is a natural phenomenon, but we do have the power of decision over our own language use.  I for one find language innovation fascinating.  I may not choose to use all of the new language that I hear if it doesn't fit my personality or life style, but, yes, it does bring a big smile to my face.  

Dealing with Language Anxiety

This summer will find me on my first trip to Italy.  Plans are to travel around Northern Italy by local train for a week and then meet up with friends and family at a villa in Tuscany.

Italian Villa - Le Due Volpi

Sounds like a dream vacation, doesn't it?  Then what is the source of this anxiety I feel when I visualize the trip?  It may be language anxiety rearing its ugly head.

My husband, Wayne, reminded me recently that this is the only trip we have taken for which we have zero ability in the native language.  Our previous travels have been to countries where English, French, Spanish or Portuguese are spoken.  English is my native language (although I must admit that in Scotland, one of our favorite travel locations, communication was sketchy, at best!)  

I know enough of the other three languages to survive in Canada, Spain, or Portugal.  But my 

halfhearted attempts to learn Italian through the years have not resulted in even minimal  communicative ability.  And, to make matters worse, since I am the language nerd of the family, I am expected to know some Italian.  No pressure there!

Should I cop out and speak Spanish to the Italians, hoping there is enough similarity in the two languages to communicate?  Some of my Spanish-speaking friends have suggested this solution because it worked for them.  But a nagging voice inside tells me to use this trip as an opportunity to learn some Italian. I suppose it is time to get serious about this Italian study.

Italian is already one of the languages I study on a daily basis on Duolingo, my favorite free online language learning course. I work on Italian exercises about ten minutes daily, which has lulled me into thinking that Italian isn't that hard if one knows other Romance languages. 

Duolingo, Italian

You (plural) eat the bread, right?  The problem is that I have a passive understanding of Italian, which means I can read this sentence or maybe even understand it when spoken  But what if I find myself in a situation where I have to create the same sentence? 

Restaurant in Florence, Italy

 (The Florence restaurant is candlelit with violins playing "O Solo Mio" softly in the background.The waiter brings a basket of freshly-baked bread to the table.  I turn to my dinner companions and say magnanimously, "Voi mangiate il pane," remembering that I want to save room for the gelato on the dessert menu.)  

Even though I plan to continue with Duolingo to build up Italian vocabulary and grammar skills, I need an additional method to force me to think in the language, that is, to turn thoughts into language.  The method I have chosen will sound familiar to you—flash cards. 

I must admit that flash cards had never appealed to me before because they seemed to be all about rote learning and memory.  My Italian flash cards, however, will be personalized flash cards and used in a slightly different way.  As I do each Duolingo Italian lesson and come upon a useful word or phrase, I write it in English on one side of a small card and Italian on the reverse side. Choosing and writing the Italian words for myself has the added bonus of helping me focus.  

One of my first flash cards says, "The newspaper"  "I read a newspaper" "I have a newspaper."  Once I have confirmed that I am saying the correct words, I begin to practice conversations in which I use the phrases.  I continue the imaginary conversation as long as I can express myself and expand it if possible, sometimes researching other vocabulary and grammar that I need.  What is the plural form of newspaper?  How do you say, "Do you read?"  or "Do you have?"  Or, "How much is the newspaper?"  My Italian dictionary and Google Translate app are always close at hand.

Italian newspapers

An added benefit of flash cards is their portability.  I can carry a stack in my purse to practice Italian in waiting rooms or on long car trips.  And flash cards don't need power or a cellular connection. 

So if you have language anxiety (and most of us do), how about inventing a new way to continue learning that language, one that works for you personally and, above all, is something you look forward to doing on a regular basis?