“Why isn’t he talking about motivation first?”
The
reason I am starting with methodology first is that the wrong method of
learning a second language is often the biggest deterrent of motivation.
I
hear this all the time from potential expatriate wannebees who tell me
they would love to do what my wife and I did—move to Mexico. Many are
highly attracted to Guanajuato because it is a beautiful colonial town
in central Mexico with a small American population. The few expats who
do live here have chosen to learn the language, in varying degrees of
proficiency, in order to assimilate into the culture. To live in
Guanajuato, you have to learn the language to some degree and this
frightens many Americans who could live here if they would learn
Spanish.
Those Americans who are attracted to Guanajuato
instinctively “get that.” They know they have to become at least
marginally proficient in Spanish but the thought scares them to death.
Let
me ask you something: For the sake of argument, let’s pretend you
researched the place to which you want to retire and Guanajuato is your
number-one choice. You just have to move here. No other place will do.
Why on earth, you reason, would you want to take the time and expense
to move to Mexico if you are not willing to try to learn at least some
of the language? Why be doomed to living in one of the “Little America”
enclaves where linguistically challenged expatriates move?
"Ridiculous," you reason. “I want a genuine Mexican town.”
So you
know you want to learn at least some of the language and want to start
long before making the move. You have two or three years before
retirement so you have some time to engage in a good stretch of
studying the language before actually taking the plunge.
What is
the first thing that will pop into your mind or might be suggested by
family and friends as to how you should start your Spanish learning
adventure?
“You should take the Spanish courses at a University or Junior College.”
This
is exactly what you are going to think of or be told your course of
action should be if you want to learn Spanish. You will think of
enrolling in the Spanish sequence of courses at a college-level
institution.
Traditional Spanish courses, at either the high
school or college level, are usually a sequence of four courses. You
have Spanish level I, II, III, and IV. You enroll in Spanish I and get
a textbook, a workbook, and some CD’s or Cassettes tapes. You show up
for class where, in most cases, you will not have a native speaker but
rather someone with a Spanish degree or who studied for a number of
years in a Spanish-speaking country. Rarely will you be lucky enough to
get a native speaker as an instructor.
On the first day of class,
you will be given a class syllabus where your course of study will be
outlined for that semester. You will be required to memorize a certain
number of vocabulary words and dialogues, you will have to do textbook
and workbook exercises, listen to the CD’s or tapes, and be tested on
it all.
If this doesn’t scare you into running out the door
screaming for a refund on textbooks and tuition, and you manage to make
it to levels III and IV, this will: the classes will most likely be
conducted entirely in Spanish. Not one word of English will be allowed
to be uttered or even thought.
How does this sound to you? You
will spend a fortune on books and tuition. You will spend a great deal
of time and energy to participate in a traditional method of learning a
second language that by design will not equip you to speak Spanish. You
heard me correctly. This traditional language learning methodology is
NOT designed to teach you how to speak Spanish.
"The American
system of foreign language instruction has not taken advantage of the
more than 40 years of modern linguistic, psycholinguistic, and
neurolinguistic research on language learning and development. The
approach used in most American schools and universities is called the
grammar-translation method which has been codified by professional
teachers." – Harris Winitz, Ph.D. Language Development, K.C., Mo.
NEXT: “But, but…what about the conversation classes?”
Find
out the unique and sometimes baffling differences of what it's like to
live in Central Mexico. Expatriating to Mexico's Heartland is as
different as someone in New York or Los Angeles moving to Kansas
City--America's Heartland!
