Sometimes my students ask me what the best way is to learn Spanish. I tell them to go live in a Spanish-speaking country for as long as they can and avoid associating with Americans and speaking English while they are there. There is no substitute for this total immersion approach that I know of.
I have lived in Mexico for five years, one year after graduate school on a Fulbright Scholarship and I later taught at a university in northern Mexico for four years. When I lived in Mexico, I associated with very few English speakers and would sometimes go weeks and months at a time without speaking English. This was a very valuable experience for me and helped me really become fluent in Spanish and familiar with Mexican culture. As a result of these experiences, I look at the world in a different way, and can appreciate how Mexicans have a different worldview than Americans.
For this reason, I would recommend a living-abroad experience for every young person. It will help you learn a different language, culture, worldview, and at the same time, make you appreciate some of the things that we have in the U.S. that you might take for granted. So go volunteer for the Peace Corps or volunteer to work in Africa helping the people there. You will never be the same.
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Agree . When I in my country , I study English ,even I study 6 hours every day , noboday practice with me , only remember , I don't have good momery , sometimes I forgot . But when I lived in the US 6 months , one day I mat my English teacher online , he is from England . He told me my English better than before . We both think move to English country is a best way to learn English .
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few friends who have studied abroad. Some of them experience the foreign country in a group, gravitating to those students who have a stronger grasp of the language, thus avoiding the necessity to totally immerse. The others assimilate into daily lives interacting with commoners and local students -- I find that they come back with not only a better understanding of grammar, but also a less noticeable accent.
ReplyDeleteSerena and Mike,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comments about the benefits of living and studying abroad. It can be a wonderful experience that I wish every American could have the opportunity, if possible.
Sometimes this "total immersion" method has been called the "sink-or-swim" approach. It can be frustrating and even painful to jump into a foreign country, language and culture, but it is definitely worth the effort. The experience forces you out of your comfort zone, and that is a good thing.
Jeff
Jeff- I had an opportunity to live abroad 25 years ago and study art in Spain. I was taking Spanish in college and sort of wish that I would have. I wonder where my artwork would have gone and also where my Spanish speaking levels would be...life as we know it
ReplyDeleteWayde, Why didn't you?
ReplyDelete