Hey all! I am linking up with Fairytales and Fitness. Today I'm going to tell you 5 Things About Languages...
1. I started learning Spanish on my phone again. Duolingo is the coolest app ever for learning a language. I am progressing pretty fast since this isn't my first time using the app. But it is the first time in about a year or so. I am much better at reading Spanish than I am at coming up with the words myself. Isn't that the way it always is?
2. I wish the American education system taught languages to children at young ages. It's done in other countries so why not our's?
3. When I was in high school, I took three years of French and one year of Spanish. I barely remember anything.
4. I was called Celeste in French class and Claudia in Spanish class. (We could pick our names.) I picked Claudia because of the character in The Baby-Sitters Club that had the same name!
5. If I could speak any language fluently, I would pick Spanish. A lot of the custodial staff at my school speaks Spanish so it would be cool to be able to communicate better with them. Plus, so many people speak Spanish, it would make sense to know the language! I'm working on it.
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you speak any other languages?
Have you tried Duolingo?
If you could speak any language fluently, what would you pick?
Have you tried Duolingo?
If you could speak any language fluently, what would you pick?
I've done the duolingo too and you are right, it is much easier to read than to say or even understand someone else saying it.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I teach English as a second language, so I kind of wanted to put myself in my students' shoes so to speak. It is hard when you are immersed in a different language!
That is a great idea to try to put yourself in your students' shoes! What languages are your students' first languages?
DeleteI keep hearing about duolingo and I need to check it out. I’d love to be able to speak French again.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a fun app. If you try it, let me know what you think!
DeleteI took two years of French. I used to be able to read it pretty well, but not so much any more since I never had a use for it! I did find it very interesting though. I like to know the origins of words. Sydney is taking Spanish and Zach has just started German. German looks really hard!! Spanish would be quite useful, especially because we have been to Mexico so many times (and never to France. Sad!!).
ReplyDeleteOmg you should totally start learning Spanish especially since you like going to Mexico! And some of the words are similar to English... so I'm sure that's a word origin thing, right? hehe. El telefono. :)
DeleteI used to take Spanish in middle school but then switched over to Latin when I got to high school. I really wished I had stuck with it through high school because I wish I knew how to speak two languages. It's so much harder to learn as an adult.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is harder as an adult! I hope I remain committed to learning and don't quit it like I did 2 years ago...
DeleteClay was doing duolingo for awhile. I've never tried it though. I took two semesters of French in high school and four semesters in college and really liked it. It was a nice break from all the English classes (meaning English major and obviously, taught in English).
ReplyDeleteI wish elementary schools here took foreign language more seriously... unfortunately I don't see changes like that happening with the current people in charge. Ugh.
I feel like there is such an emphasis on math, science, and reading (which are super important, I agree!!!!) but not enough time on other useful things... What do The Fins do??? I think they are like the highest performing schools in the world. I bet they teach language.
DeleteI had four semesters of Spanish in college. I remember some of it, but not enough to carry on an intelligent conversation LOL
ReplyDeleteBut maybe a FUN conversation? hehehe
DeleteI learned spanish and french in high school and then later did 3 more years of spanish at college. At the time i was also working for a Japanese company and we had some basic lessons in-house to bring the Americans and Japanese closer together. I loved it! But... after 4 years at the company I was sent to the Netherlands where none of my language skills came in handy. Except for the fact that maybe I'm "good" at languages. So now I speak fluent Dutch, a little bit of German (had 2 years of German a few years ago) and my French comes back a bit if I'm in France long enough (same with spanish, though I've learned from being over 'here' that Spain spanish is WAY different than Mexican spanish.
ReplyDeleteIt's a real shame that we don't learn languages the way that other countries do. I mean, the US is such a huge country and many people never leave the borders so it's not really necessary. BUT I found, when I was growing up, that my curiosity was just too much when it came to hearing other languages. I wanted to know what they were saying! and I wanted to know about their country and culture! I can tell you though I was a bit of an anomoly in school and in my family (I am from a small town in New Mexico but even in my family no one was interested in learning spanish, even though NM speaks more spanish than english!) . I have learned so much about this world by getting to know other cultures and people from other countries and I always try to learn a few phrases wherever I travel just to make an effort with the locals.
Living in the Netherlands it's "easy" to get by and not learn Dutch. There are many english-speaking people here who don't bother. I find it very rude. Especially living here. It's disrespectful. So this motivates me even more to speak Dutch as much as possible (ironically, my Dutch husband and I speak english with each other all the time!!)
Wow it sounds like you speak a lot of different languages! I would just think it would get confusing! I can see why Americans are less motivated to learn another language... like you said, the country is so huge and many of use never leave. Plus if you travel, most people in other countries speak English as well! I don't know, I think it would just be cool to learn another language. I would like to know how Spain Spanish and Mexican Spanish is different. I have a friend from Mexico, I wonder if she could explain it to me.
DeleteI agree with you, languages should be taught early! I started learning English in 5th grade, but now they already start in 1st grade in Germany....
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the perfect time to start learning- 6 or 7 years old.
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