When I first thought about where I
was going to study abroad, a major concern for me was learning a second
language. As I’ve asked around, many people had the same priority. Back home I
study Linguistics, the scientific study of humans and their capacity for language,
and one of my favorite subfields is Second Language Acquisition, so I figured
writing a blog post about learning a language on study abroad might be fitting.
If you ask someone who comes to
Germany for the language what they hope to accomplish, they’ll probably
respond, “I came here to become fluent in German.” They want to acquire some
sort of mastery of the language to the point of being “fluent.” But what
exactly does that mean? Sorry to say, there isn’t really a good answer. There
is no universally agreed upon definition for fluency. Different agencies, like
the US State Dept, the Council of Europe, and others have standards they set
for their own purposes, but they often contradict each other, or else they
clash with everyday ideas about fluency. So without some sort of gold standard,
how do you define your goal?
I know someone who is more than
happy with being able to order a beer in German, but I also have friends who
want to be able to talk about highly technical subjects so they can work in
German companies. It all comes down to your personal goals, and there’s
absolutely no need to put in excessive work to live up to someone else’s
standards for language proficiency. As far as research shows, very very very
few people will ever be able to completely lose their foreign accent or pass as
native speakers of a language they learn after a certain age (estimates range
from 4 to 14). And that’s alright. Unless you’re planning on becoming a spy,
having an unobtrusive accent won’t hurt you (being the foreigner with the cute
accent can have its benefits). The most important factor is being understood, whether
that means in ordering food, or giving lectures.
So what can you do if you want to
learn a language, especially in country? These are some basic guidelines:
1. Exposure,
Exposure, Exposure:
Being in the country of your target
language is a godsend for learning. Your mind figures out a new language by
taking in as much data as it can and sorting out the rules, so living in a
German city means you are learning just by going about your life. Obviously, it
can be very easy to cloister yourself among English speakers, so take care not
to fall into that trap.
Try your best to make German
friends; not only are friends nice, but they’ll be a constant stream of
exposure, and often language help. When you take the tram from place to place,
listen to German music. It’s hard to soak in the language if every time you
pull out headphones, you’re streaming English.
2. Do
what you like to do, but in German
Exposure is key, but it can also be
draining. To make it easier, just adapt the things you already love into
opportunities to practice German. If you like novels, read a translation of
your favorite one. Knowing what you expect from the story can help you get the
meaning out of the new language. If you like movies, try the German dub of ones
you’re already familiar with. I love billiards, so I asked my German friends to
come with me to a pool hall, and I learned all sorts of pool terminology in
German.
3. Try
the “on/off” method with friends:
One of the benefits of living in a
country that has a huge number of English bilinguals is that when you have
difficulty, they can cut you some slack. When I was spending time with German
friends, I would try to speak in German until the effort tired me out. We’d
switch to English (something they were all too excited to practice), but after
a bit, one would yell “Auf Deutsch!” (“In German!”) and we would go back,
turning the German on and off. This way, I could practice without getting too
frustrated.
4. Speak!!!
Trying to speak in a new foreign
language can be very difficult. Between remembering the right words, getting
the accent right, and trying not to make grammar mistakes, it’s a demanding
task. Add on the social anxiety of not wanting to mess up in front of friends
and strangers, and it’s very easy to let everyone else do the talking. But that
is just about the worst thing you can do. Besides getting exposure to your
target language, producing it spontaneously is the most important part of learning.
Getting used to expressing yourself on the spot trains your use of the grammar,
helps you remember important words, and obviously, if you want to be at ease
talking, you won’t get there without practice.
5. Babble?
As silly as it seems, experimenting
with the unfamiliar sounds in your language by repeating them (yes, by babbling
like a baby), actually improves your ability to produce and perceive those
sounds. Recent research trends have been pointing to the idea that by training
the muscles of your mouth to make new sounds, you’re helping your brain to
better recognize them, so when you hear the sound again on the street, or try
to pronounce a word with the sound in it, you brain has a better idea what to
listen for. So go ahead, practice those consonants. And if strangers give you
that look, then clearly you were just clearing your throat.
6. Give
it time
Learning a language is a positively
massive cognitive feat. No one expects a marathon from a casual jogger. So take
your time to build up your new language and recognize there isn’t a bar you
have to get over. Even native speakers are always changing and improving their
abilities to express themselves. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy the ride. You’ll
need to ask for clarification, for a minute to gather your thoughts, and for
the waiter to please bring that back, no I didn’t mean to order it, it just sounds
like the thing I wanted and I thought I pronounced it right.
You laugh, but it’s a real story: I
was with a friend at the counter of a döner shop, and after my friend ordered,
the clerk asked Wie zahlen Sie? meaning
“How are you paying?” to which my friend, thinking the man had asked if he
wanted a salat, a salad, responded, Nein, danke, “no thanks”. Sure enough,
he never confused those two words again.
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