For me, trying to learn French has been a great learning experience. It is difficult to find the time but it has reinforced so much of what I have learned about bilingualism and language acquisition.
First off, being fully bilingual allows you to think conceptually about things. Learning what a "pomme" was did not involve my constant translating it to "apple" or "manzana." Rather, I saw the word "pomme" and saw an apple in my mind. I was not thinking about words but thinking about an actual apple. "Pomme" is not apple, rather it is a sweet thing that can be of a variety of colors, with a peel and a stem that we eat, and that has a distinct flavor.
I really do enjoy the challenge of teaching language, but now that I have been attempting to learn a new language, I find that just as intriguing. When I started this project I thought that I would learn a few French words and move on, but now I can't wait until I have actual free time to spend exploring the intricacies of the language. For example, people say that the romance languages are all pretty similar and that if you know one it won't be hard to learn another. I now know that this assumption is far from the truth. Spanish is a very phonetic and enunciated language. With the exception of "h" each letter has its own distinct sound and you pronounce it in every word. This is not the case with French. I can't seem to get a good grasp on exactly how the alphabet works because letters can make different sounds when paired with certain other letters. Also, plurals are pronounced the same way as if the word was not plural. This has caused me a lot of confusion when doing listening exercises because since there is no "s" sound I don't always catch the plural. You have to rely on the pronoun, which sometimes isn't pronounced any differently either. The single most difficult part to me about French is that words are often mumbled or slurred together. I can't catch all the sounds and get confused about meaning.
I have tried many different things while learning French like listening to music, watching television in French, but I must say that what I have found most useful is Duolingo. I'm better at reading French than anything else, but I figure that's a start for now.As difficult as this has been, I think that learning French will become a lifelong endeavor. Speaking two languages is cool, but I want to know more and want to attempt to understand people in their terms rather than in my terms.
As difficult as it has been, I think that learning French will become a lifelong endeavor. Speaking two languages is cool, but I want to know more and want to attempt to understand people in their terms rather than in my terms.
First off, being fully bilingual allows you to think conceptually about things. Learning what a "pomme" was did not involve my constant translating it to "apple" or "manzana." Rather, I saw the word "pomme" and saw an apple in my mind. I was not thinking about words but thinking about an actual apple. "Pomme" is not apple, rather it is a sweet thing that can be of a variety of colors, with a peel and a stem that we eat, and that has a distinct flavor.
I really do enjoy the challenge of teaching language, but now that I have been attempting to learn a new language, I find that just as intriguing. When I started this project I thought that I would learn a few French words and move on, but now I can't wait until I have actual free time to spend exploring the intricacies of the language. For example, people say that the romance languages are all pretty similar and that if you know one it won't be hard to learn another. I now know that this assumption is far from the truth. Spanish is a very phonetic and enunciated language. With the exception of "h" each letter has its own distinct sound and you pronounce it in every word. This is not the case with French. I can't seem to get a good grasp on exactly how the alphabet works because letters can make different sounds when paired with certain other letters. Also, plurals are pronounced the same way as if the word was not plural. This has caused me a lot of confusion when doing listening exercises because since there is no "s" sound I don't always catch the plural. You have to rely on the pronoun, which sometimes isn't pronounced any differently either. The single most difficult part to me about French is that words are often mumbled or slurred together. I can't catch all the sounds and get confused about meaning.
I have tried many different things while learning French like listening to music, watching television in French, but I must say that what I have found most useful is Duolingo. I'm better at reading French than anything else, but I figure that's a start for now.As difficult as this has been, I think that learning French will become a lifelong endeavor. Speaking two languages is cool, but I want to know more and want to attempt to understand people in their terms rather than in my terms.
As difficult as it has been, I think that learning French will become a lifelong endeavor. Speaking two languages is cool, but I want to know more and want to attempt to understand people in their terms rather than in my terms.