Over the past semester, I have really enjoyed my meetings with my language partner. I have learned a lot from her about actually speaking Hindi with locals, rather than just utilizing what I have learned this semester via book learning. I have really realized how important it is to actually meet with someone of the target culture to ensure that one is learning expressions that are actually relevant and used often, rather than learning expressions that locals never use!
I also have really enjoyed being able to try to speak with my language partner in Hindi, because she is able to ask me questions that will help me focus on the relevant vocabulary that I am learning. In writing, it is also really helpful to have someone there who can sound out the words just like a local would so that I know how certain sounds actually sound in Hindi -- for instance, the word bhaiya is really difficult for native speakers of English to say because of the "bph" sound, so it's incredibly helpful to hear her say it and to then write the word out. We were just working on writing practice a few days ago, and it was really encouraging to me when she was really happy about the amount of progress I have made in writing over the past few months -- since I came in with no prior knowledge of Hindi script at all, and now I can write full paragraphs (see my latest artifact)! Thus, she serves as a cultural guide, as well as a peer tutor and motivator!
Another activity that I really enjoyed doing with my language partner was watching Hindi dialogues as part of the "A Door Into Hindi" learning series. It's helpful to have someone there who can help me understand what is going on if the characters are speaking too fast or if they use obsolete expressions as well. She is also helpful in my reading practice because sometimes, the combination of certain sounds will be really hard for me to recognize, but she breaks it down into simpler sounds that I can try to say (which will then form the word).
Meeting with my language partner has been extremely helpful to me. Our meetings motivate me to stay on target with my Hindi goals, and she truly aids in facilitating my understanding of spoken and written Hindi! शुक्रिया !
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