Diane Farrug's Blog
Posted by Diane Farrug
So many people I meet want to learn a foreign language, myself included. Although I am bilingual French-English, I want to speak Spanish, too. I know from personal experience that living in the target culture is the best way to learn. I had plans to spend a summer or two in Costa Rica, attending classes and living with a host family for total immersion. Then I had kids.
Taking off for several weeks isn't a viable option for me right now, at least while the kiddos are young. Even signing up for a course has its logistical challenges. I hesitate spending hundreds of dollars for dvd's and computer programs. As a language teacher, I know that communicative interaction between real people is invaluable, even if it's not overseas or in a classroom. What to do?
Here's what: Check out the eduFire website. Peruse the profiles of tutors from around the world teaching nearly 40 foreign languages. Most charge between $10-$35 for a one-hour session. As a comparision, I've charged $40-$75 to provide private lessons in people's homes. Naturally, I have to take into account my travel time, the cost of gas, etc. At eduFire, you receive individual attention but at a very reasonable price.
As a former French tutor, I cannot imagine a more convenient way to work with motivated students. I wouldn't be limited to my own hometown, travel time and expenses would not be an issue, and the hours would be flexible. Besides, tutors set their own rates and only a very small fee goes to eduFire. When I'm ready to tutor again, I'll definitely consider the online route with eduFire.
For now, I might check it out as a Spanish student. I'll let you know how it goes!
Posted by Diane Farrug
Barack Obama made what I considered to be some obvious statements earlier this week to an audience of Georgia teens: "We should have every child speaking more than one language. It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup." Obama stressed the employment advantages of speaking more than one language and suggested that we begin foreign language study at an early age.
I'm not endorsing any particular presidential candidate--I'm still undecided. But I've got to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Barack Obama's statements on this issue. While foreign language learning is a common topic of discussion for me and colleagues in my field, it's been quite interesting to hear dialog on the subject by the public at large.
What has me scratching my head are the numerous forum posts I have been reading in response to Obama's statement. While many people agree with him, others are outraged. There exists a current of suspicion against immigrants, a desire for English-only laws, a sentiment that speaking other languages hints of elitism or snobbery, and even a fear that American children will be robbed of time better spent learning their native English. (Native language skills will improve with the study of other languages . . . but I'll save that for another post.) A few of the comments I have read are both frightening and embarrassing.
This need not be a politically divisive issue. C'mon John McCain---make a similar statement and stand together with Barack Obama on this one. Our youth need foreign language skills. It increases brain development, cultural sensitivity, and employability. Learning a foreign language enriches lives and opens doors. There's nothing to fear.
Posted by Diane Farrug
Stories are powerful. When you tap into the magic of a great story, language comes alive. With retellings, hunks of functional language make leaps from the page into your students' everyday vocabulary. The brain holds on more dearly to the language it encounters in the form of a story because it is contextual, and often visual and emotional, too.
Classic, familiar fairy tales are great for narrating, pantomiming, performing with dialogue, reading, illustrating, writing, and re-writing with a twist. Some of my favorites are The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, and The Little Red Hen. I've even used The Three Bears with my Level II high school French students to teach the difference between passé composé and the imperfect verb tenses.
A technique I've dabbled in, but haven't fully developed, is TPRS. TPRS, an input-based methodology originated by Blaine Ray, used to stand for "Total Physical Response Storytelling," but it has been more appropriately titled "Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling." Visit TPRStorytelling for more information.
Here is a resource of Suite101 articles about using children's books for the teaching of foreign languages. I hope it sparks some ideas for using stories and pictures books. And don't forget the goldmine of possibilities in literature from the target culture. Once upon a time, there was . . .
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (book by Eric Carle)
- Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? (book by Bill Martin and Eric Carle)
- The Grouchy Ladybug (book by Eric Carle)
- Learn French With Children's Books
- Create Foreign Language Stories
Posted by Diane Farrug
Nowadays, the Internet is a communication force to be reckoned with. So, of course, I became curious about what languages people are using out here on the Net. I turned to the authority on the subject, Internet World Stats. This website has been collecting information about Internet usage since 2002.
Ready for some good 'ol fashioned facts and figures?
Let's start with the total number of Internet users in the world. As of April, 2008, the magic number is 1,407,724,920. This figure represents an impressive 21% of the entire world's population, including (finally) my parents.
And just what are those 1,407,724,920 people reading and writing? Here are statistics for the top ten languages used on the Internet:
- English (427 million users, 30.4% of all Internet users)
- Chinese (233 million users, 16.6% of all Internet users)
- Spanish (122 million users, 8.7% of all Internet users)
- Japanese (94 million users, 6.7% of all Internet users)
- French (67 million users, 4.8% of all Internet users)
- German (64 million users, 4.5% of all Internet users)
- Arabic (60 million users, 4.2% of all Internet users)
- Portuguese (58 million users, 4.1% of all Internet users)
- Korean (35 million users, 2.5% of all Internet users)
- Italian (34 million users, 2.4% of all Internet users)
Other languages not listed in the Top Ten account for 15.2% of all Internet users.
Every language is experiencing Internet growth. Between 2000-2008, the use of English has grown 201.1% and Chinese has grown 622%. The prize for the fastest growing language online is Arabic, with an increase of 2062.2% over these past eight years. In fact, the Middle East and Africa are the largest growing geographical areas jumping into cyberspace.
The Internet is shrinking our world like never before. Millions of fascinating people are just a keystroke away. Communicate with them. Learn a foreign language.
Posted by Diane Farrug
My high school students often ask me which foreign language is the easiest to learn. Of course, every language has its pros and cons. But before deciding on a language to study, consider the amount of time it typically takes a native English speaker to achieve proficiency.
Fortunately, the U.S. Department of State has classified languages into three categories to make your choice a little easier. These categories are used by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) for training American diplomats and other professionals from the State Department and the military. The George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Virginia offers courses in approximately 70 world languages. The following list is by no means complete, but it will give you an idea of what it takes to learn various languages.
Category I
These languages are closely related to English. 575-600 class hours are necessary for proficiency.
- Romance Languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian)
- Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)
- Dutch, Afrikaans
Category I ½
Though not an official category, it is the logical place to mention German (750 class hours) and Indonesian (900 class hours)
Category II
These languages vary significantly from English, requiring 1100 class hours for proficiency.
- Russian
- Polish
- Hungarian
- Turkish
- Hebrew
- Croatian
Category III
Plan to study at least 2200 hours to learn these difficult languages. The FSI also requires a second year of study in the target culture.
- Asian languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean)
- Arabic
Ultimately, it is your dedication and motivation that will determine your success. Choose a language and culture that interests you, and work hard for as long as it takes to achieve proficiency.
Sources: National Virtual Translation Center website, Foreign Service Institute website
