Ask anyone what the best way to learn a language is, and you’ll hear things like, ‘immersion,’ ‘find someone who speaks the language and practice,’ and ‘get an app, and practise speaking.’ The common denominator with all these techniques is speaking. The most natural way of learning a language is hearing it spoken, then repeating what you have heard.
Carleton University, and the schooling system at large needs to emphasize a more speech-based approach into language classes.
I have taken both Spanish and French at Carleton. Spanish I took as an elective in second year for interest’s sake, with a desire to learn, but I took Intermediate French this past year as part of my genuine efforts to reach fluency. After spending eight months in a classroom, I lived in Paris for one month. After spending three hours per week for an eight-month period learning French, one might think I would have learned how to navigate the French-speaking world with at least some sort of aptitude. However, in Paris, I had no clue what people were saying to me. When I understood some phrase or question, I could respond with perfect grammar and rightly structured sentences. I learned quickly, however, that nobody cared how pristine my grammar was if I couldn’t even answer their questions. In addition to this, I believe that the abilities I did have in speaking French, came largely from practising with mes amies Francophones.
I don’t blame my professor for my lack of fluency—he was a great teacher. He prepped us well for tests, graded assignments fairly, and made sure we knew all the rules, exceptions, and accords. He taught us how to speak, but he didn’t teach us how to communicate. In short, he did what he was supposed to do—he followed the curriculum. Being able to read and write a language is important, and is a part of fluency. However, if the natural order of learning a language is to have basic speaking abilities before the language is introduced on paper, then shouldn’t schools follow the same model?
I spent three hours a week in French class. At least half of that time should have been dedicated to speaking, and the other half to reading, writing, and test prep. For example, after learning how to conjugate verbs into the past tense, writing them out and correcting errors, having an exercise like getting into small groups and discussing past events, would help immensely. This way, students can see how to properly write sentences, then practise them out loud, cementing that knowledge. This would also aid in increasing their vocabulary, and help them learn expressions and slang as well as they naturally come up in conversation.
Of course, spending time in Paris significantly improved my speaking ability, but I lived mostly with other Anglophones, and we only spoke French when we were out in Paris, interacting with those we met, and became friends with. Not only did I have to learn how to communicate, I had to learn how to communicate like an average person. I spoke like King Louis XIV, staring down his nose at his peasants. I had to learn, ‘verlan’, their slang. Now, living in Ottawa, and possibly Quebec in the future, I am having to forget all my verlan, and learn Quebecois slang.
It is possible that the language system is stuck on doing things traditionally—stuck on teaching French, Spanish, German, or any other language the way they teach English.
But the requirements are different when learning a second language; students’ fluency is not at the same level as their mother tongue when they begin to learn grammar.
When the speaking ability comes first, the grammar and syntax comes much easier.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
