Reflection on experiences as a language learner

[Laura Major]

Besides the fact that I feel like a secret agent speaking a hidden code that only I and others within my surroundings can understand, I enjoy learning languages because it opens my mind to another culture from whichever part of the world that I choose. Sure it's difficult at times (and by at times, I mean almost always) learning another language but the process through which I learn it allows me to experience more than just the language itself but also its culture and history from the countries in which it's spoken. I would say that one of the most challenging difficulties I have encountered would be that no matter how hard you study a language, it can have many dialects and roughly be an entirely separate language (depending on which language, of course). I have learned Spanish through many years of high school and college courses but what I found when I went abroad to the Dominican Republic was entirely different from the Spanish that I was taught. Nevertheless I learned a great amount and can use the "new" Spanish to better my use of the language in other countries or merely just in class. I have realized that I learn best learning a few basic words of the language I am trying to conquer and then a few "meet and greet" phrases to help me understand the generic syntax. I then like to learn common verbs and how they are conjugated and how they fit properly into sentences. Overall, I learn best by understanding the simple bits and pieces of the language and then work my way up into harder concepts like grammar and verb conjugations. I find it easiest to divide my learning process into sections or lessons pertaining to my level of understanding from novice to advanced. In doing so, I test myself after each lesson so that I have a thorough knowledge of what I had learned up until that point. One thing that I find absolutely crucial for myself in learning another language is understanding the theory behind how the language works. In other words, I must know why a sentence is formed an irregular way or why a verb has been conjugated in a particular manner. I cannot simply just follow a language and accept it as it is unless it involves a rule such as an irregular verb, for example. I enjoy figuring things out on my own and working the language like it's a puzzle and figure out how it works. I do feel however that I can better my language learning by enhancing my vocabulary and using the new words in common or often used sentences. This way I will be able to recognize everyday words easily. All in all there is still so much to learn and understand from language learning as I am starting a whole new one from scratch.