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Maintaining languages in remote places | ||
Tags: Place to learn | Maintaining Languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| jtmc18 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7065 days ago 119 posts - 140 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 1 of 5 12 April 2012 at 8:14am | IP Logged | ||
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Maintaining my Spanish has been a challenge the past few years- my job is intermittent
and requires me to move frequently. Occasionally I find Spanish-speakers with whom to practice, as I did recently while working in South Florida. This summer, however, I will be working in a remote area of Alaska with little access to communities or even internet. The usual resources people use for maintaining a language- online exchanges, skype, news, etc.- probably won’t be available to me for several months. I am at a fairly advanced level, although I think I’ve slipped a bit lately- primarily because my daily life and work require English. I don’t expect to forget Spanish in four months, especially since I’ve invested seven years in learning it and have had multiple immersion experiences in Latin America. Nevertheless, I’m concerned that I’m already getting quite rusty and four months away from the language might exacerbate that. While I can generally read novels and newspapers without the use of dictionary, I’m finding spontaneous communication to be more and more of a challenge. I’ve also noticed a slight reduction in my understanding of newscasts- I have actually always had difficulty understanding these at a 100% rate, but now my comprehension is probably at 80% or even less. I find it especially difficult to understand Spanish after listening to English for 12 hours a day and it’s even more challenging to speak. I don’t expect to improve my Spanish in Alaska… I just don’t want to lose more of it. I’m taking some books and several telenovelas with me and I plan to focus on Spanish at least 30 minutes a day. If I can find anything, I might also subscribe to an audio magazine or newspaper and have it mailed to me (any recommendations?). I was wondering if there were any other techniques or activities that those of you who have been "away from your languages" before could suggest. I assume that most people who speak second languages have experienced periods of little contact with those languages. Almost daily I meet Europeans who speak excellent English and I can't imagine that they use it or hear it all the time... so how does one retain a language during dry spells? Any ideas are appreciated. (Incidentally, I am also taking some resources for Italian and French with me, but as my level is very basic in these languages I am not worrying about losing proficiency in them… I almost think it’s harder to maintain a language than it is to learn one.) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5082 days ago 2237 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 5 12 April 2012 at 1:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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I would take a shortwave radio. It is still used for broadcasting by the large international broadcasters for Spanish broadcasts. Even though the transmissions are not intended for you, you may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of reception. Obviously, we're not talking mp3 quality here. The fading and crackling does have a tendency to concentrate your listening.
When I was a kid growing up in a very small tow in the upper south of the US, there was no Spanish language tv, no Hispanic immigration and no internet. Shortwave and AM radio was the only way I could hear spoken Spanish. I think that is why I am so good at listening today. Another suggestion I have is to get a netflix account with the dvd option. As someone who lives in a remote part of the US myself, I must depend on the US Postal Service (Fed Ex and UPS consider us "international" and charge accordingly high prices). I find it cheap and reliable. Also, you could always subscribe to a Spanish language magazine or newspaper via mail. You could buy a kindle and download some books before you go. The local public library can also get Spanish language books for you via an inter-library loan. Even in far-flung remote Alaska they have a way to get books to you from the library. Lastly, you still may be able to practice speaking. Ask around if anyone knows any Spanish-speakers locally. You just never know. Asking around is one of the most important skills to have in small communities. I have learned this. It's easier to be anonymous and rely on just yourself in large urban areas or a place with easy access to large urban areas. In a small, out of the way place, you must rely on your neighbors a lot more. When I first started learning Portuguese, I asked around and found two speakers with whom to practice. Asking around and getting to know people is a good skill to have not only for small, isolated areas, but also for anywhere else and it's a skill that has atrophied to a large extent amongst folks as the world becomes more and more urbanized. Buena suerte. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| TrentBooks Triglot Groupie United States TrentBooks.com Joined 4674 days ago 43 posts - 98 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Guarani Studies: Biblical Hebrew, Japanese | Message 3 of 5 12 April 2012 at 7:40pm | IP Logged | ||
Unfortunately, English speakers (and especially Americans) are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to maintaining languages at a distance, for one simple reason: we produce an enormous amount of content through the media that is disseminated throughout the world, and we take in relatively little from other countries. What this means is that foreigners learning English have access to English much, much easier than we have access to other languages. And the fact that we produce so much media content, coupled with the fact that (generally speaking) American media is of better quality production than many other countries, means we (as a nation) are happy with our own media and don't consume media from other countries very often. (I don't mean to be western centric, or boastful, or anything like that; my first masters degree was in international mass media studies, and it's just the way it is). I guess my point is that it's somewhat unfair to compare yourself to them because you have to work a lot harder to get what you need than they do. As for your original question, how to maintain the language in remote places, I really think you're on the right path. Without having native speakers, the media is really the only bridge connecting you to your target language. This isn't an ideal scenario, but it's not a bad one, either. My experience tells me you just need something regular to keep that part of your brain active, and you'll do well in maintaining it. You can even progress in Spanish if you're doing it right (at least increasing vocabulary), by increasing the complexity of the media you're using (such as using a Spanish textbook as opposed to a children's story, for example). For what it's worth, I lived in South America for two years, and I've been home (USA) for almost 9 years now. Maintaining is certainly a challenge, but I think you're on the best path to keeping it up to snuff. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Celticdenefew Newbie United States Joined 4424 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Bulgarian | Message 4 of 5 18 April 2012 at 7:42am | IP Logged | ||
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Where in Alaska are you going? There are still Spanish speakers in this state, though not as many as Outside. I work on the North Slope and in my department of less than 30, we have 2 people from Mexico, one from El Salvador and one from Panama. There is a fairly large community of Spanish speakers in Anchorage as well as the smaller cities and towns. Granted you'd have better luck if you spoke Athabascan, but you still have a chance.
Also, are you sure there is no internet? If you are going to a small village, check with the school. It is usually the center of the community and may have access (many do nowadays, with computers, laptops, etc.) And I know ASTAC services much of the North Slope borough and cell service is also available if you have a portable broadband internet through your cell carrier. Welcome to the state and remember to be SAFE! Follow the rules they give you for the area you are going to, especially bear safety. I hope you enjoy your stay in this beautiful state! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| jtmc18 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7065 days ago 119 posts - 140 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 5 of 5 19 April 2012 at 11:38am | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for the advice everyone... the shortwave radio is in the suitcase and I have
verified that the postal service serves the area I'm going to. Incidentally, I'm now in Alaska, but not yet in a remote area (relatively speaking). Much to my surprise, I managed to have two conversations in Spanish since arriving here, both at Mexican restaurants. My final destination is near Gustavus, a small town in the Panhandle. There apparently is some internet access there, although I've been informed that skype doesn't work well due to bandwidth constraints, so conversation exchanges may still not be an option. I have no idea if any Spanish-speakers live there, but I'll definitely ask around- there are only about 400 people in the area, so I'm told. I agree that asking around is a lost art in our modern world- I intend to recover it this summer. I also fully agree that English-speakers are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning other languages. It seems that folks in Holland, Scandinavia and Germany have enough contact with English that they don't really need to actively polish their skills. When I'd ask people from those countries how they maintained their English, they'd tell me it was by watching movies and traveling. I wish it was that easy for me to maintain my Spanish- I feel like it takes me double the effort, even though I'm sure my Spanish is, or has been as decent, as the English that many foreigners speak. In my case, I've also always believed I should avoid English as much as possible, lest it interfere with my progress in Spanish. The idea was to simulate immersion conditions as much as possible, which I've been marginally successful at in the past (although not recently). I still try to use only Spanish when I can- it's actually been five years since I've read a complete book in my own language. In Alaska, of course, I'm bound to hear and speak a lot of English, even more so than in Florida. Maybe this is a misconception on my part though... foreigners seem to maintain their English while still using their native languages. Perhaps avoidance of one's native language doesn't contribute to proficiency in a second language?... I suppose this might be a different topic of discussion altogether. In any case, I'll take everyone's advice and become proactive here to maintain what I've learned already. (But incidentally, this IS an extremely beautiful state... I think it's probably worth forgetting a few verb conjugations to experience it.) Thanks again. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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