Becoming bilingual

I have been on a journey. A journey past my white middle class Mid West world that I grew up in. It started when I was in high school. I thought I knew what I wanted to be, a teacher, but there was more to it than that. In high school, God called me to be a missionary, to go wherever he said and impact people's lives for good wherever I go. My first long trip was to Peru. I moved there to work in an orphanage and teach the preschool-aged children. What didn't fully sink in until I got there was that the entire world that I was walking into was in a language I was not going to understand. I had had some Spanish in high school but considering that it was 5 years later, and I hadn't really paid close attention, I could barely answer the question...how old are you. I was in for a rude awakening. I learned several lessons. First, not everyone around the globe knows my language. I mean, I knew that in my head, but the reality of it sank in. Labels at the grocery store, taxi cab drivers, people in the airport, almost all of them didn't know my language. So, in order for me to communicate, I needed to learn theirs and fast. Second, a few key phrases could get me far. Since I knew I needed to learn the language fast, I learned a few key phrases that were necessary for me to handle day to day communication situations like how much is this and few that would help me learn more like what is this. Third, I needed to be willing to take a risk, sound silly, and be wrong. Sometimes very wrong. That is the only way that I was going to learn another language is to try....take chances.... pay attention to my mistakes... try again.

I learned ten times more Spanish in the six months that I lived in Peru than in the three years I was learning it in school which really shocked me! Since concluding my time in Peru, God has directed me to Ethiopia, Romania, Greece, and the next leg of my journey is Colombia. Some of the places I went had more English speakers than others, but the lessons I learning in Peru served me well in all of the other places I have gone. In every place I could not assume that they were going to know my language. I needed to learn their language, or at least some of it in order to communicate effectively, a few phrases could go a long way, and I was going to make mistakes and be silly. I also realized that I could learn languages much more effectively in a natural environment than in a school environment.

I figured this out instinctively but I had no idea that there were theories that could help me explain some of this phenomena. A very smart researcher, Stephen Krashen, came up with several theories about the best way to learn language which he terms the natural approach. The first theory is called the acquisition and learning hypothesis. This theory explains that the best way to learn a language is to acquire it through natural ways, similar to the way toddlers learn a language (Guo, 2016). Babies and toddlers start to make associations between words and objects as they hear their parents and others engage with their environments. As parents say things like, "here is your cup" while they hand the cup to the child, the child makes connections between the words and the actions and language is being formed. Have you ever heard a parent ask a question that they know their child can't respond to? The parents are going on instinct, modeling language for their baby. This style of language learning works much better than memorizing a bunch of flashcards or phrases.

How does it work though? I can tell you that there were many days in Peru that I had no idea what anyone was saying. In fact, I could not even figure out where one word started and another word ended. Another theory helps answer this question. It's called the Input Hypothesis which says that the best way to learn a language is that you have to have a good mixture of material you know and material you don't know yet (Guo, 2018). If you know most of the words being spoken, the rest can be gathered through context clues. Too many difficult words and the content will go over your head, too few difficult words and you will not continue to grow in the language you are desiring to learn. This seems like an obvious statement, but if you are in the role of helping someone else learn a language, understanding this concept and applying into your teaching or conversations with them is really important. If they are a true beginner, you cannot talk to them like you might talk to your coworkers or family. One or two word phrases with a lot of visual clues like gestures is the only way they are going to understand you. If they understand you, then their language will improve because their brains will pick up or acquire language almost without thinking.

If you are the one learning the new language, it is valuable to find people who are willing to talk more simply, slowly, and are patient with your progress. Kids are some of the easiest people in the world to learn a new language from, especially at the beginning. They already have a limited vocabulary and will speak more simply than adults usually will. They are also very patient and do not mind your repeated questions. There were many days in Peru that I would sit with some of the kids, and I would just ask them a bunch of questions. When I got a little bit better at the language I was able to describe something and have them help me figure out the right word. For example, I was able to ask them a question such as "Como se dice el lugar para coches, el lugar para ir al cuidad, {pointing} este mas alla," (how do you say the place for cars... the place for to go to the city, {pointing} that over there) . In my broken Spanish, I was able to learn vocabulary like "Calle" aka "road" and other things I needed to learn. I usually needed the word for a conversation I was having. I would follow up the word discovery with using the word in a real-world way right away. I might have used the word I just learned to say, "Yo quiero ir en la calle a Trujillo para cena." (I want to go on the road to Trujillo{A Peruvian city} for dinner). This process of asking and discovery and using language in a real way was one of the biggest reasons I gained a lot of language in a short time.

The last theory that Krashen proposed that is very informative for language learning and language teaching is the Affective Filter Hypothesis (Guo, 2018). This theory basically says that a key factor to someone learning a language is how their emotions effect the learning process. The more someone has positive emotions toward learning a language such as motivation, and less negative emotions such as anxiety, the better and faster they will learn the language. I definitely found this to be true in my life. In order to give a real-world example, let's look at the difference between when I went to Peru and when I went to Ethiopia.

When I went to Peru, I had a strong motivation to learn the language...very few people could communicate in English and I was expected to teach in Spanish after living there only two months. I was also willing to make mistakes and sound silly as I went on the journey of language learning...this was helpful because of the great willingness the kids had to teach me the language and their patience with me while they did. Oh course they laughed at me sometimes, but they were enjoying knowing something I didn't. They were not frustrated or upset that I didn't understand or remember what they taught me, at least not a majority of the time. I had high motivation to learn and a low level of anxiety.

When I was in Ethiopia, it was a different story. Where I lived, there were several people who were fluent in English and could act as a translator for me in many situations. I had a much lower motivation to learn the language. When I did try to sit down and learn language from people, they wanted me to say things without error and would correct pronunciation. It probably was not possible to live up to their standard as a nonnative speaker. There was a lot of judgment against me when I wouldn't remember or use a word correctly. It made it difficult to try, especially since I had alternative ways to communicate. Over the course of three trips, I was actually in Ethiopia longer (almost a year) but I only know a few phrases and a small amount of vocabulary. I could not carry on a conversation with someone in Nuer (an Ethiopian language), whereas I am an intermediate Spanish speaker and can understand quite a bit and can carry on a conversation with some effort about a variety of topics.

APPLICATION:

As you read my blog, I don't want to share with you the observations and education from my life. I want to provide you with an opportunity to take something away from this.

Teachers: Many of you have English Language Learners (ELLs) in your classrooms. Keep these three theories in mind as you help these learners learn English. The more authentic and understandable the language is (including visuals, gestures, simplified speak, and so on) the more likely your students will learn the language well. Helping provide an environment that minimizes anxiety and helps motivate them to learn will also go a long way in supporting language learners.

Anyone: I would recommend learning a language to anyone. If you embark on this journey of language learning, you do not need to go to another country to learn the language. Finding people in your community that speak that language and getting together with them is one good way to learn language. Try to limit your English use as much as you can with them, especially after you have learned the basics. Another great resource is Rosetta Stone (2019) is another great resource since it teaches languages through the natural process like I talked about. Also, even if learning a language is not on your radar, please be considerate of other people who are learning a language. Try to talk in simple ways(without sounding like you are talking to a baby). Give them extra time to answer. Try to give them feedback, like a word they are trying to remember, without making them feel like they are stupid. Patience can go along way to helping someone else learn and feel welcomed into your community.

#ELL, #bilingual, #learningalanguage, #esleducators, #alifebeyond, #thebilingualworld, #teachers, #languagelearning

References

Guo, D. (2018). A Study of English service learning under the Theory of Second Language Acquisition. International Forum of Teaching & Studies, 14 (2), 27–33. Retrieved from http://www.americanscholarspress.com/content/forumofteaching.htm

Rosetta Stone. (2019). Learn the language, not just the words. Retrieved from https://www.rosettastone.com/