Language Learning

A few years ago, as I began my love affair with Gregorian chant, I decided that I wanted to take some steps to learn Latin. It's an incredible language, one that has made a great impression on our own vernacular (I believe that I read that about 80 percent of English words have their etymological roots in Latin).

After about 3 years of doing some independent study of the language, I can fake my way through a lot of texts (Ecclesiastical ones; Classical Latin is another story). I can parse sentences, conjugate verbs, decline nouns, translate (poorly) . . . but one skill that I'll probably never gain: speaking it.

I recently stumbled over a system of language-learning called the Pimsleur method. Paul Pimsleur studied language acquisition, and came to the conclusion that languages are best learned not through memorizing tables and studying grammar, but by speaking it. He studied how children learned their primary language and applied these revelations to his own method.

The method is based on four principles (see the link above), which lead to a certain level of proficiency in speaking the language of choice. Though it has no Latin course (and why learn to speak a language that nearly no one else can speak), I tried the first level of his German program, and I've started the first level of his Spanish program (I became impatient waiting for the library to get the German--Second Level). And you know what: it works. I now have a small German vocabulary, though useful, which I could use to fake my way through some conversations with some native speakers (as long as I only have to ask how they are, ask for directions, or order a beer).

Here's how it works: the system is audio-based, so you listen to one 30-minute lesson a day, which consists of native speakers pronouncing words and phrases and the hearer repeating them out loud. A narrator adds helpful hints and often asks questions that the hearer is to answer in the foreign language. No further study is required; they say that the best way is to one lesson, every day, and before you know it, you're speaking and, just as important, understanding. And it's great fun! (Though annoying for my wife when I walk in the door and want to throw out a new German phrase that I just learned)

And after studying Latin, learning some German and some Spanish, I've made an important discovery: English sucks. I pity all the bazillions of people that have to learn it as a second language. Latin is so regular; you take five minutes to learn the pronunciation and you can pretty well read anything aloud . . . there's so few exceptions. English has nothing but exceptions. Try to form a rule in your head for pronouncing the English ending, -ough, then read the following:

through
though
tough
cough
etc.

(Just found this funny poem)

Can you imagine trying to explain these different pronunciations to someone who speaks a language with actual rules?!? What a shame that of all the languages in the world, English is the one most used in international relations (I'm speculating, but it seems obvious enough (ee-nuff)). I'm honestly amazed that anyone can learn English as their second language . . . and it's also funny that we as Americans refuse to learn any other languages fluently. Reminds of the joke:

What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual

Two languages? Bilingual

One language? American!


More about the Pimsleur method.

A testimonial from one of my favorite bloggers.