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Language Exchange and Usefulness | ||
Tags: Tandem/Language Exchange | Usefulness | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| 이희선 Groupie Australia Joined 4955 days ago 56 posts - 97 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Russian | Message 1 of 3 15 October 2011 at 4:23am | IP Logged |
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I've just started learning French seriously (See my Language Log) and am thinking about the future, where I would need to engage with more speakers/native speakers.
I saw an event posting here in Korea for a French speakers' get-together and there were like over 100 people attending. So that is encouraging for when I do venture out with my language more. I've also been thinking about a Language Exchange Partner, but am not sure when it would become a realistically useful activity for me. (This is the main question...you can skip the following if you want) I recently mustered this writing in my Language Log : "Bonjour! Je m'appelle 이희선. Je suis Américaine. J'habite à Corée du Sud. J'adore français. Je comprends un peu le français. " And that took me some time and a lot of thinking. So I can't imagine myself at a Language Exchange right now, as I haven't much to talk about for an hour, or even bring in for writing correction. I'm doing a language exchange currently for Korean, but I'm at an intermediate level, and my partner is at advanced level in English, so it is easy for us to speak to each other about topics and bring in articles and writing to look over. I remember when I was beginning Korean, some of my classmates started Language Exchanges right away, but I was like, what do you talk about? We only know how to say our name, what is that, and I like this or that! Maybe another fear of mine is if I start a language exchange with such a low diversity of vocabulary, we will just end of using more of the time for the other language, and that will come to dominate the future implementation of the Exchange, even as I improve in my French. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4995 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 2 of 3 15 October 2011 at 1:47pm | IP Logged |
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I guess this is actually the everlasting question whether to use the target language from the beginning or to get through the "silent period" first. I prefer to know a bit more before speaking and that is the reason why I haven't found a partner for my beginner languages yet (I don't want to bore them to death).
However, speaking from the beginning has certainly some value (and there are many learners, more experienced than I am, who advice it) and I think you shouldn't worry that much about one "failure" affecting your future exchange attempts. If you were learning a rare language and there would be only one or two speakers of it available for exchange, you might have a reason to worry. But there are so many French-native people learning English on the internet that you'll have tons of opportunities to make a good first impression. (I didn't fully understand whether you're speaking about an exchange over skype or real meetings. I suppose the Skype since you are in Korea) So, if you want an exchange partner to speak with about beginner topics you have studied, there is quite no reason to not try it. It can't hurt and you can learn a lot. Just let the other know that you are a beginner to prevent any confusion. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| 이희선 Groupie Australia Joined 4955 days ago 56 posts - 97 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian | Message 3 of 3 15 October 2011 at 2:15pm | IP Logged |
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Cavesa, thank you for your reply and advice.
I would like to say that I am speaking out loud when I study French, just not having a conversation with anyone but myself. So I wouldn't consider myself to be in a "silent period" since I am able and willing to speak what I know of the language - it's just not on a breadth of topics. So I don't think its a question of "silent period". I am planning to find a native french speaker in person here in Korea. As noted in my post before, there seem to be French speakers' get-together with over 100 people attending that I could attend. We even have a ""French Village" neighborhood here. I'm not unfamiliar with language exchanges, as I already have been successfully doing one in another language for about 6 months now. I guess maybe a language exchange would be better for me if I could already have enough skills to talk about a few topics, other than my self introduction. And have enough skills to navigate a social meeting with someone in that language. (I.e. I am going to order some coffee, Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom, It's nice to see you again, What did you do this weekend, etc). Otherwise, I feel like, and have noted this happening in others' language exchange experiences, that if there is too much of a divide between the language levels (i.e L1 Native English/L2 Very Beginning French to L1 Native French/L2 Advanced English) then the language they can both communicate best in tends to dominate the conversation. Which then can be perceived as one person not getting enough out of the exchange for what they put in. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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