Learning Journal #1

[Thomas Dennis]

The information provided in these articles elaborates on how complex the brain is, and more specifically the aspects of the brain involved in language learning. A language is much more than just a finite set of words used to convey meaning. Without some form of structure and context, memorizing a large amount of vocabulary in a given language is pointless. Instead of trying to memorizing grammar, verb endings, vocabulary, etc.; I will derive the underlying rules of the Spanish language so that its structure makes more sense. In my past attempts at learning Spanish, I have purely memorized only the information relevant to examinations and homework assignments, which resulted in a weak understanding of why these rules work the way they do. This semester I will focus on learning about the Spanish language itself, rather than merely translating English phrasing into the correct Spanish form.