FOREIGN LANGUAGE: What is it? YOUR “TALKING” COURSE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:FOREIGN LANGUAGE:What is it?What is it?

YOUR “TALKING” COURSEYOUR “TALKING” COURSE

In terms of CUA’s distribution requirementsdistribution requirements

(religion, philosophy, the humanities,

natural and social sciences) which is foreign language most

like?

Like the Like the HumanitiesHumanities, , foreign languages work foreign languages work

with with words and expression, words and expression,

literature, literature, communication, communication,

and cultureand culture

Like Like Science and mathScience and math, foreign , foreign language has language has

rules and formulas, rules and formulas, lots of memorizing, lots of memorizing,

a strict sequence which builds a strict sequence which builds cumulatively cumulatively

and there is even and there is even a lab. a lab.

Like the Like the Social SciencesSocial Sciences, ,

foreign languages use foreign languages use a country’s history and a country’s history and sociology as content.sociology as content.

Most importantly, think of language as a think of language as a

“performance”“performance” course, such as music or drama majors

take.

THINGS THAT NEED TO BE

REHEARSED …

What do the following have in common?

They are all things that need to be

• new dance steps• the violin• the apology to your parents• a tennis serve• your lines in the play• a new pick-up line• foreign language

THINGS THAT NEED TO BE PRACTICED…

PRACTICE: PRACTICE: REPITITION, REPITITION REPITITION, REPITITION, REPITITION,

REPITITION, REPITITION, REPITITION, REPITI….

SpeakingSpeaking a Foreign Language

Handoutonline

English is certainly not the easiest language to learn:

THE BAD• Spelling!! – Spanish and Italian

are so much more phonetic• Pronunciation!!!!• Size of English’s vocabulary:

500,000+ words (vs. 100,000 in French)

THE GOOD• No gender for adjectives and

nouns• Verbs are where they

“belong,” unlike German• 26-letter alphabet, unlike

countless pictographs of Chinese and Japanese

The NINE!! sounds in Englishof ough:

A rough-coated,dough-faced, thoughtful

ploughman strode through the street of Scarborough where - after falling into a slough - he

coughed and hiccoughed.

Phonetically:A ruff-coated,

doe-faced, thawtful plowman strode

throo the street of Scarboruh where –

after falling into a slue – he coffed and hiccupped.

If you study only by reading silently,

you draw only upon your visual memory.

If you study out loud, you doubledouble your efficiency

by adding auditory memory and you make your mouth work,

helping with pronunciation and speech.

You cannot get by in a foreign language course

by cramming at the last minute.

You may be able to “learn” vocabulary items that way,

but you cannot teach your mouth to use them in sentences.

(Can you cram for a piano recital?)

Pause-fillers in your target langauge

Fr: Comment faites-vous pour dire?It: Come faccialo per dire?

Sp: Cómo hágale para decir?Gr: Wie Sie tun Sie zu sagen?

“Whatever…”

• Gr: Was auch immer• Fr: Qualunque• Sp: Lo que• It: Quoi que

Smith – we’re getting another one of those strange

“aw blah es span yol” sounds

ddon’ton’t LEAN on LEAN on English…English…

¡PRACTICA!¡PRACTICA!PRAXIS,PRAXIS,

PRATIQUE,PRATIQUE,

PRACTICEPRACTICE

You can’t learn to speak a language by

“thinking” about it.

You’ve got to USE it - that means practice.

Don’t worry if at first the language sounds

odd – Hello?!!

It’s a “foreign” language.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Self-consciousness can be a mighty

obstacle to learning a language which may be why children so readily acquire

languages – they don’t mind saying:“Me want dose.”

Imitate pronunciation and rhythm

as exactly as you can.

DANS LA CLASSE,DANS LA CLASSE,

IN CLASSIN CLASS

Don’t fall behind – language learning is

cumulative, one unit building on the previous.

Don’t zone out when somebody else is reciting

in class – recite MENTALLY with them and

get some private practice for yourself.

Don’t stay away from class

even if you’re unprepared, because you’ll just fall

further behind.

Apologize if you’re unprepared

and then start to catch up

listening to the ongoing classwork.

To know another language is

to have a second soul.

- Charlemagne