Language learning questions - long post (university, high school, techniques, profession)

[altlover85]

I have a couple of questions for foreign language teachers and experts, but before I ask them I want to give readers a little background on my language experience.

My background in language learning is 5 years of high school Spanish and one semester of Intermediate Spanish. I had a good grasp of grammar and was even able to translate a small play from Spanish to English. I was okay at listening and speaking, but never really comfortable. When I got to college everything about the class I was in seemed overwhelming and I wasn't grasping it as quickly as I thought I would. I ended up dropping the class and haven't taken a Spanish class since. I think part of the problem was that I just don't really like Spanish as much and people speak way to fast. I went to Spain when I was 14, but barely used any Spanish while there.

I thought I had to learn Spanish because I'm Colombian, but was adopted when I was 2 years old and have lived in the US ever since. Ever since sophomore year of high school however I've really been more interested in French. I love the way it sounds and my ear is better at picking out words in French as opposed to Spanish.

Now that you know some of my background, here are my questions.

I'm trying to learn French and I was wondering if I should eliminate English as much as possible when learning (ie: Rosetta Stone) or if I shouldn't worry about that as much and just try and build vocabulary.

I'm also nervous that without a teacher to correct my pronunciation my accent could go south fast. Should I try to speak it as much as possible even if I say words wrong?

I have a few books and I'm also on livemocha and will be using my headset and microphone in a few days.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Merci beaucoup!

[milwaukeegirl]

I am a foreign language teacher and have taught French and Spanish in the past.

Please don't feel bad about being interested in Spanish just because it's part of your heritage. That may come later, especially when you have kids of your own. From your post I'm reading that you grasped Spanish grammar and were okay listening/speaking it, but then had problems in college (?) University level classes move fast and use different methods than the high school level. Perhaps next semester you should drop down a level in Spanish (even if you placed higher) and the easier course will make it seem less overwhelming.

I'm pleased you like French! Often interest leads to success in studying a foreign language. If you decide to take French I would opt for a non-translation course of study such as Fluenz or Rosetta Stone. You will find that your background in Spanish will serve you very well. It really is true knowing one foreign language makes the second or the third one easier to learn. In my experience French pronunciation is very important, especially when talking to people from France (as opposed to Canadians/ Africans/ Haitians.) I believe the two programs I mentioned allow you to speak into a microphone and a meter shows you how close you came to an authentic accent.

Bonne chance!

[altlover85]

The issues I had in college Spanish were that the work load was a lot more than I was used to. I used anywhere from two to three times as much time on my Spanish work as opposed to everything else. I graduated from college in 2007 so I probably won't be going back to school to take a class in the immediate future. I think I've matured a bit as a student, so hopefully it wouldn't be as big of a deal now, if I did go back to school to take a class.

Thank you for your suggestions and advice, especially in regards to French pronunciation. I've heard of Fluenz and liked the concept behind it so I may look into it when I get a job again.

I'm assuming that any program that uses English too much would cause the learner to rely too much on translation and not as much on learning the language more naturally and picking things up through context? Is that a correct assumption?

[Sudcaro]

Originally Posted by altlover85

.I'm assuming that any program that uses English too much would cause the learner to rely too much on translation and not as much on learning the language more naturally and picking things up through context? Is that a correct assumption?

I would say: yes and no.
I don't think you can get rid of English altogether. You'll need it at least for explanations (grammar rules etc).
As for vocabulary, it just depends on how you learn it. For instance many methods (such as Rosette stone) use pictures, which can be a good thing, or a bad one.
Example: you see the picture of a dog which says chien. So you assume chien = dog. But in another lesson, you see the exact same picture, but it says caniche. Now you wonder why the name is different. The only way you can find out is by looking for the translation of that word! (caniche actually means poodle).
As for picking up through context, that's an excellent thing, but there again, sometimes you're not 100% sure (different meanings possible etc), and may have to check. Same with idioms.
Not to mention, of course, notions which cannot be taught via pictures etc.
What I'm trying to say is that sometimes, you just can't avoid translation.
Of course, the less you use your language, the better. And the more knowledgeable you'll be in your target language, the easier it will be for you to understand things without needing a dictionnary all the time. It just takes time and patience! Especially since you'll be learning via a method, not being in a French speaking country or surrounded with French-speaking people.

Bonne continuation!

[altlover85]

Merci Sudcado.

I decided to go with Rosetta Stone Totale. At some point I will buy a grammar book. I'm also using a book called Easy French Reader. Rosetta Stone Totale has an online component in addition to the regular lessons. I'm also listening to French radio and songs.

I have another post about Rosetta Stone Totale, but basically it's not bad, but the online part is not as active as I'd like and it's hard to schedule the one on one lessons. I definitely feel like I'm learning though, so that's the most important part.

My biggest issue is getting my r's down.

[Miaiam]

Other than for professional reasons, sometimes mandatory, one usually learns languages for the sheer love of them. In my opinion, you should learn what interests you, regardless of it being related to you ancestry or not.

Learning any language is a plus on one's cv, or to say the least a tremendously positive achievement, so do what you can and at your own pace.

Simply put, I would say a teacher could basically help you in levels such as:

1.Elementary - teach you the basics, including pronunciation keys, so that you can "start learning the right way"
2.The intermediate part, with some skills and patience, you can pretty much "do it yourself" with progressively advancing learning techniques and books.
Keep your grammar handy and as much as you don't have to "leave" your current language, whatever it is, make sure you start "thinking in another language" as quickly as possible.
3.Advanced - help you develop further conversational/written skills and take you to the next level as opposed to getting "stuck" in intermediate-level skills

Try to "momentarily forget" linguistic concepts you are used to, in case the languages don't belong to the same linguistic group, that is, in case of French, Romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian). Keep in mind many people get stuck in grammar concepts bc they insist on thinking the way they believe a language structure should "work", which, of course, is usually non-applicable if the "new" language belongs to a different linguistic group.

Romance languages are not as similar as many people think, but obviously learning one of them is a great step ahead if you want to learn any other.

Bonne chance!

[lhpartridge]

Carnegie Mellon has a good open source courseware site for French:

French

[Sudcaro]

Originally Posted by altlover85

My biggest issue is getting my r's down.

That will come in due time.
And don't worry if your accent is not perfect, even after years of practice, what matters is to be as clear as possible and understood by French speaking people. Don't forget that they, too, have various accents, and they won't mind "a little something" in a foreigner's way to speak.
I see you are very motivated, so I wish you the best of luck. Some days will be harder than the others, but if you like what you're learning, then you'll succeed!