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Mormons and Language Learning | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| lady_skywalker Triglot Senior Member Netherlands aspiringpolyglotblog Joined 6892 days ago 909 posts - 942 votes  Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian | Message 1 of 35 09 June 2007 at 11:32am | IP Logged | ||
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This is a bit of an odd topic but I was wondering if anyone knows how Mormon missionaries learn foreign languages. I came across two missionaries today who spoke almost flawless Dutch after only a few weeks of language training. In Taiwan I also knew of missionaries who had mastered Mandarin in a very short time (I never did find out whether they also covered the written language, though).
I'm just wondering what kind of methods they use to learn a foreign language in such a short period of time. I'm assuming total immersion is a possible method but I'm still curious as to how these two missionaries speak better Dutch than I do after 7 months of living in the Netherlands. ;p 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Jerrod Senior Member United States Joined 6505 days ago 168 posts - 176 votes Studies: Russian, Spanish | Message 2 of 35 09 June 2007 at 12:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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I worked with a Morman once who had a "mission" in South America. He said he went to a 2 month intensive course after a month of missionary school. From what he explained it didn't sound like he learned all that much.
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| lady_skywalker Triglot Senior Member Netherlands aspiringpolyglotblog Joined 6892 days ago 909 posts - 942 votes Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian | Message 3 of 35 09 June 2007 at 12:18pm | IP Logged | ||
That sounds very similar to what the two guys my boyfriend and I were talking to today. They told us they studied Dutch in the USA for 2 months before being sent on their mission. It's a shame I didn't ask what their learning methods were as they seemed to have worked very well for them. If only I could master Dutch as quickly as they did. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6381 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 35 09 June 2007 at 12:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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My friend, who went to Brazil, had the same two-month training. The teachers were native speakers and other missionaries who had already been to Brazil. He said he couldn't understand anything when he arrived in Brazil but after two and a half months he was "fluent." He credits this to the fact that his fellow missionaries never spoke anything but Portuguese to each other.
EDIT: I forgot: he said he spent up to 12 hours a day talking to Brazilians. Edited by newyorkeric on 09 June 2007 at 3:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| reineke Senior Member United States https://learnalangua Joined 6449 days ago 851 posts - 1008 votes Studies: German | Message 5 of 35 09 June 2007 at 1:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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lol, I think what you forgot speaks volumes, also having in mind that most of them are highly motivated to use the language. Lady, I do remember you saying that you disliked the language and that you were pretty muched forced to study it. Edited by reineke on 09 June 2007 at 1:13pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| lady_skywalker Triglot Senior Member Netherlands aspiringpolyglotblog Joined 6892 days ago 909 posts - 942 votes Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian | Message 6 of 35 09 June 2007 at 1:31pm | IP Logged | ||
Indeed. It's not my favourite language but I still do want to learn it to basic fluency, if only to make my life easier. ;p I understand that many of them are very motivated (so much of the world *isn't* Mormon, after all) but I've heard that they often don't choose which country to be sent to. That's pretty much chosen for them and they're made to learn the language prior to being sent off to that country. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Kubelek Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland chomikuj.pl/Kuba_wal Joined 6854 days ago 415 posts - 528 votes Speaks: Polish*, EnglishC2, French, Spanish Studies: German | Message 7 of 35 09 June 2007 at 2:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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I came across a video on you tube of a Mormon missionary speaking very good Polish after being in Poland for around 10 months. I was really impressed!
Same story - two-month-long crash course in the US and then off to Poland. They are stationed in my city as well. Up until now I wasn't really interested in what they have to say, but now I'm intrigued. The next time I see them I'll come up to them to ask about their learning methods. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| reineke Senior Member United States https://learnalangua Joined 6449 days ago 851 posts - 1008 votes Studies: German | Message 8 of 35 09 June 2007 at 2:44pm | IP Logged | ||
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They are passionate about the message. Language is after all primarily a tool for communication/learning, and if you're passionate about something that a particular language facilitates, you'll learn it more easily. It could be learning Arabic to read old Greek philosophers or watch movies. I learned Italian "by accident" while watching TV. Spending a whole lot of time on it helps. You seem to have rather lowered expectations about learning Dutch, and I still feel the pain of learning it lol. Now, considering it's a rather easy language for an English speaker and especially for someone who has mastered something as foreign as Mandarin, I am assuming you must detest the task otherwise you'd be fluent by now.
I am suffering from a similar affliction :) Edited by reineke on 09 June 2007 at 2:46pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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