Are there phrase transitions in language learning? It seems like children can practice the various parts of skills needed for something and the suddenly put them together in a rudimentary way. I think that happened to me, at least when it comes to understanding spoken Spanish. In the past few weeks, I have had multiple conversations with strangers on the street, and I almost always knew what was going on. In the past I understood maybe half of the conversation, and could not do much more than nod and interject a "Sí" or "Claro." But now I am giving people directions and having conversations with little old ladies at the bus stop. I can make eavesdropping in the Metro my new hobby - after all it's language practice!
Speaking is more of a slow, steady effort. I did quite well on my midterm exam, so I'm planning to continue studying the same way. Language practice with friends three times a week, Disney movies on the weekend, and flashcards as often as I can bear them.
In other news, Madrid is delightful in the fall. I have discovered what might be my favorite park nearby, Juan Carlos I Park. It has everything: lakes, gardens, olive groves, and for now, gigantic animal sculptures that will be lit up for Christmas.
6 comments:
Yay, ESL licensure coming into play here- there are *absolutely* transitional stages in secondary language acquisition. Some of the most dramatic ones are when the receptive language is strong enough to support the exploration of expressive language. I loved seeing this in my middle school students. There'd often be a clear line when they'd switch from just having casual conversation with peers to verbally engaging with the lesson content in English (academic language). It's such a fun moment when they realize it, too!
That's great news RM and we look forward to you setting up a new social media channel that will give us weekly updates on what's current and interesting from Metro conversations.
There might even be a book to be written from your overheard conversations, a listening skills exercise.
So funny how it’s not linear, but very sporadic! Awesome breakthrough. Now if you could just master that stupid oven…
OMG that octopus sculpture is EVERYTHING! Learning rarely happens in tidy progression, does it?
Cool octopus! Do Spanish people have a traditional association between Christmas and sea creatures?
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