As a missionary child, I grew up hearing a number of languages and thinking that learning languages was fun. In fact, I enjoyed languages so much that I decided to earn a degree to become a Spanish teacher. However, when I began teaching, I quickly realized that not everyone was as excited about languages as I am, and that in the same way I struggled with math, some people struggled with learning languages. To help those distance learning students and parents, this article highlights a few helpful hints for learning world languages. Although the article focuses on learning Spanish, the hints themselves are applicable to learning any language.
General Attitude
First of all, a language is not a class. Too often, distance learning students think of a language as something that happens within four walls. A language, however, is not simply something in a book. In fact, the first lesson students must understand is that to learn a language is to learn a new way to express yourself and a new way to see the world. For example, as you become more familiar with Spanish, the goal is to look at a dog and think of it as "un perro" as well. As a sign in my college's language department read, "A language is only foreign when you don't speak it."
Secondly, I have found that because all languages are made and cared for by God, all languages have a beauty to them. Just as we've all been moved by the physical beauty of a sunset or skyscraper, languages should also create a sense of excitement for us. As a teacher, it is not my job to make Spanish exciting for you. God already did that. It is, however, my job to show you just how exciting languages can be. Listen for the unique sounds of each language and enjoy the beauty of these sounds as you try to get them rolling off your own tongue.
As you study Spanish at Ignite Christian Academy®, you should also look for ways in which the language you are learning expresses truth in a different way than English. Even when you are bogged down by studying grammar and long vocabulary lists, keep your eyes, ears, and mind alert for the beauty of a different word order, new concepts that words can be masculine or feminine, or a word that doesn't even exist in English like estrenar, which means "to wear something for the very first time."
Specific Study Hints
With these things in mind, let's shift our focus to more specific hints that will help you remember the material you are studying.
One of the most important tips is to study the language each day. To get a language to stick, it must be used repeatedly. After all, how many times does a child say "Daddy" before he can associate the word correctly with his father? In addition, learning a language is sequential, so each concept must be mastered before learning more advanced material. For example, if a house was built without some of the posts, eventually the house would collapse. To effectively learn another language, you need to study it each day and repeat lessons throughout the day as well.
An easy way to repetitively study your lessons is by making flash cards. Put the English on one side in one color and the Spanish on the other side in a different color. Since flash cards can easily fit in a pocket or purse, you can run through them whenever you have a spare minute. Plus, they can be sorted depending on what you are learning or need to practice more. You can also label common household items with flash cards to help you associate common objects with their names in Spanish.
Note: Be sure to spell everything correctly on the flash cards, including accent marks, so you learn the words correctly.
Finally, use pictures or the actual objects of what you are studying as much as possible. As aforementioned, when you see a dog, you should think "perro" rather than first thinking of it as a dog before translating dog to "perro." The more you can directly associate the Spanish word with the item or verb itself, the better you will learn. A great way to learn verbs is to perform them. Don't just sit in your desk and say "caminar means walk." Get up, walk around, and say "caminar" as you are walking.
Conclusion
These study tips and hints should help you enjoy and learn a foreign language more easily. The more you learn, the sooner language instruction will cease to be foreign to you. As you make the language yours, it will become a much loved part of you.