My favorite readings of the semester include Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction and “Family Tree of Language Has Roots in Anatolia, Biologists Say”. I found the conversations and reading about dying languages extremely interesting after learning the number of languages across the globe and the number of languages losing more and more speakers each day. The intervention of linguistics and language speakers to rescue dying language is extremely interesting as they take inventory of the sounds and vocabulary of the target language. Independently of SDLC 105, I learned about the intervention by native Hawaiians to save their language from extinction, an effort that began in the 1990s. Their mission was/is to recategorize the language as a symbol of national pride and create/maintain Hawaiian language schools. Their efforts give me hope for the preservation of the Hawaiian languages and other languages at risk of going extinct. Additionally, I enjoyed the readings and conversations surrounding the origins of language. The history of language has always been a very interesting subject as it seems extraordinary that a multitude of different languages can come from the same source. I have also always enjoyed identifying cognates between languages and the subject of language origins seems to feed into that idea.
I mentioned this in my language learning podcast, but circumlocution and word processing were my two biggest challenges this semester. It’s a really strange experience to have well-developed skills in one language while operating at a beginner’s level in another language. As opposed to my previous experiences with learning my first language (English) and my second language (Spanish), I have a greater understanding of linguistics and a greater expectation for my language production. When I was first learning English and, sometimes Spanish, as well, I was still developing as a person and, therefore, all of my cognitive abilities were operating on the same level, including my language production and comprehension abilities. Sometimes, when I spoke, I felt like my thoughts developed much more quickly than the Slovak words that I could think and produce verbally. It became frustrating to know that I could produce complex sentences in English while I could only produce basic sentences in Slovak. In response to this frustration, I remind myself of my progress in my target language and compare it with my attempt to learn Danish, a language that I can barely remember even though I lived in Denmark for 6 months!
Despite my frustrations with my circumlocution and word processing abilities, I definitely feel a lot more confident with my pronunciation abilities in Slovak as compared to my abilities in Spanish or Danish. I think the emphasis on properly learning the phonetic inventory and then reinforcing it throughout the semester helped in ensuring proper pronunciation. With Spanish, after the first two or three years, my teachers seemed to correct us less and less on pronunciation and did not put much wait in reviewing the phonetic inventory. Essentially, I could get away with speaking in Spanish with a Midwest/Chicagoan phonetic inventory.
Lastly, this semester reinforced my preferred methods of learning: visually and through action. One of the most helpful strategies was either drawing out (freehand or on the computer) charts of grammatical concepts and lists of related vocabulary words. The practice of making these guides helped in actually looking over the information and understanding it while I made a resource for future review. In the end, I created two different PowerPoints: one separating vocabulary into separate categories and another mapping out grammatical concepts. They do not include everything covered this semester, but they became helpful resources as I reviewed the concepts and vocabulary while putting the new information into the most digestible form for my own learning strengths.
Ultimately, I am very grateful for this opportunity to learn Slovak from a native Slovak speaker and learn more about my ancestral roots. I am hopeful that I can continue to learn more of my target language through watching Slovak media, practicing on Mango, and referring back to my notes from this semester.
Comments
I can definitely relate to speaking multiple languages with different proficiency levels and the frustration that came along with it. However, I’m glad to hear that you feel more confident now. I also think it’s great that you want to continue learning Slovak whether it be actively or passively. A suggestion I received from my language partner is to read news articles in your target language and/or listen to news podcasts- I do this for both of the languages I am studying and I think it’s a useful habit!
I want to start off by saying I'm very impressed with how you tackled learning Slovak. I know how hard learning a completely new language can be, especially when there aren't people around you that speak it or when you can't hear it regularly. I love how you broke down the areas that you struggled with and attacked them head on so that you could improve. I am also a visual learner so I can relate with you on why seeing things is so important when learning something new. I am glad you were able to overcome your frustrations and I hope you keep learning Slovak in the future.
Emma, I love that you mention the frustation of being proficient in one language and starting as a beginner in the other. That is how I often felt with ASL! To have so much to say, but not being able to do was such a different feeling. It definitely taught me a lot of humility. My parents don't speak English. So, whenever they visit the US, they feel so lost without me. I had not learnt any new language in my adult life. So, I had forgotten that feeling of frustation of not knowing a new language. Maybe if all Americans understood that difficulty of learning a new language as an adult, they would have more empathy towards immigrants who struggle to speak in English?
Emma, I was very impressed by your final presentation where you explored Slovakian culture through their cuisine. What’s more impressive is that you managed to cook all of that yourself! I too really enjoyed the “Tribe Revives Language on Verge of Extinction” article as well because it shows the importance of preserving unique languages and the collective human capabilities, we possess in making that possible. I’m glad you felt that you were able to connect with your roots better and I wish you the best as you continue your language journey.