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How would you study languages in prison? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| sctroyenne Diglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5185 days ago 739 posts - 1312 votes  Speaks: English*, French Studies: Spanish, Irish | Message 9 of 25 21 March 2014 at 4:51pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
I'd have to say I thought of what it would be like to be in prison for a while and just read as well. Though there are some big down sides so maybe a monastery/convent is more what we would have in mind. I wouldn't say there are any class concerns for learning Spanish as a second language in the US aside from maybe some very upper-class circles where everyone sends their kids to French or Mandarin immersion schools. Many Americans are impressed with anyone who learned to speak a second language fluently though I don't know how it would be perceived in prison. I wouldn't want to think about what it would be like to be perceived as the "nerd" in prison. It could help to use his book allowance to check out two copies of the same book - in English and in Spanish (or whatever language he chooses) and read them as parallel texts. Otherwise there are dual language books. If he can take advantage of the pen pal program to chat with someone in the language he's reading that will help if he can't break through the racial tensions to talk to someone in prison. Otherwise just keeping his mind occupied will be a great help. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| osoymar Tetraglot Pro Member United States Joined 4530 days ago 190 posts - 344 votes Speaks: English*, German, Portuguese, Japanese Studies: Spanish, French Personal Language Map | Message 10 of 25 21 March 2014 at 6:04pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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My first question would be, does he have access to whatever books he wants? And
similarly, are writing materials allowed? If no to the first question, he may be restricted to whatever his library can offer. Assuming he has whatever materials necessary, I guess the choice of language comes down to whether you believe that learning the written language exclusively will spoil you for any future learning of the spoken language. If you do believe that, then a dead language would probably be the best choice. Frankly, I'm not sure. I'm a big believer in prioritizing listening and speaking in the initial phases. But if you keep in mind that the sounds you're imagining in your head don't correspond exactly, indeed if you think of it as a kind of accent that you'll eventually unlearn, wouldn't it still be a big advantage to learn 3, 5 or 10 years of the written language? If you go in this direction, you may as well go for Chinese or Japanese. With all that time you could certainly develop a good understanding of written Chinese, Japanese, or possibly even both. Certainly Chinese would present even more pronunciation difficulties. If you really think this would introduce too much fossilization, in addition to dead languages Esperanto would be a viable option. There isn't really a correct accent as far as I understand and it would be a good start to any new language learner. Materials could be an issue, however. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| oldearth Groupie United States Joined 4689 days ago 72 posts - 173 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Esperanto | Message 11 of 25 21 March 2014 at 8:03pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Thanks everyone for your responses so far. They've been really interesting to read.
As far as I know, basic writing materials are unrestricted and do not count as books. I don't know if heavy notecards are permitted. I think after going through one or two beginning books (e.g. TY and Assimil), I would spend considerable time intensively reading by copying out portions of the text by hand and annotating them fully. I already do this when I have time, and find it less frustrating than trying to plow ahead at full speed when I'm not able.
I agree with this. I think Spanish might be the best choice just because of its wide use in the US and his passive exposure through eavesdropping, although the main goal here is just to stay mentally occupied and useful rather than learn a particular skill to impress people. I brought up the race thing to remind people who don't know that prisons in the US are highly segregated along racial lines, and racial ties form the basis of the various large prison gangs. So if you're a skinny white dude and have to respect the expectations of the local Aryan Brotherhood, that doesn't leave much leeway for going up to latino men for some awkward "Hola. Como te llamas?" action. But as long as you don't look like a huge nerd in front of others, I think what he works on in his cell is reasonably private.
Hypothetically, any books his lawyer can order direct from Amazon should be allowed which limits us to courses currently in print. Any accompanying audio disks will be taken and discarded by the authorities screening his mail. There is also mention that "coded/undecipherable materials" may not be allowed because they cannot be screened properly, so it's probably best to stick with languages that do not make heavy use of symbols (so no Greek), and also to choose translations of works that are recognizable from the cover (e.g. the Bible, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, other bestseller novels with familiar author names). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| tanya b Senior Member United States Joined 4572 days ago 159 posts - 518 votes Speaks: Russian | Message 12 of 25 21 March 2014 at 8:49pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I have in my possession an article about a native Russian speaker who took a job as a teacher at the Millcreek juvenile prison in Utah who decided to teach his students Russian in the classroom and stated that they responded very well, mainly because they were proud that they could do something that no one else could do.
It's doubtful that any of them went on to receive a Phd in Russian Literature at Yale, but the perceived nerdiness of learning Russian in prison was not an issue. These were gangbangers of all races who were curious about their new teacher's accent and Russian served as a reference point to stimulate academic interest in a population not known for academic achievement. I don't know the circumstances of the prisoner in question, but it would seem to me that a Secured Housing Unit, not a dormitory or two-man cell, would be the best place for serious language study. Living in prolonged isolation is hell for most people, but at least there is minimal interference from other inmates. As soon as hostile or rival inmates see something is of value to you, even if it is just a paperback dictionary, the temptation is to steal or destroy it. Prison guards on a whim also could deprive an inmate of learning materials so there is no guarantee of completing the study. Anyone in this situation should start out small, with a simple workbook and a pocket dictionary, and see where that leads them. I know that many POWs have learned the languages of their captors under trying circumstances, but it's not impossible. And it's definitely more constructive than covering your body with prison tattoos. Edited by tanya b on 21 March 2014 at 9:38pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Micha Triglot Newbie Germany Joined 4159 days ago 26 posts - 33 votes Speaks: German*, English, DutchC1 Studies: Russian | Message 13 of 25 22 March 2014 at 5:43pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
There is no way to tell how social dynamics play out in that particular prison, however generally I would advise against Spanish, but for the same reason. In prison weird is good. The weirder the better. Latin is perfect for that (and also neutral). Not good is everything that could possibly be interpreted as a supplicating gesture. He will know best which languages to avoid. Just never learn a language that is associated with rivals. It will be perceived as weak by everyone. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4662 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 14 of 25 22 March 2014 at 8:22pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I would totally go for Mandarin or maybe Japanese.
Seeing as he has lots of time to work on reading (and writing), he could learn several thousand characters (although the usual number stated is 3000, I recently read that 6000+ will get you to a near-native level in Mandarin) with something like the Heisig books and later work on pronunciation an speaking. In Mandarin the writing and speaking systems are very different and learning how to write and read are the biggest time sinks and there are quite a few people who advocate learning how to read and write first without paying attention to the pronunciation. It would probably really impress people if he can read and write Mandarin when he gets out. Mandarin will certainly keep him occupied for a good while, too. And there's nothing to say he can't study Spanish (or whatever else he's interested in) on the side). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Thor1987 Groupie Canada Joined 4528 days ago 65 posts - 84 votes Studies: German | Message 15 of 25 23 March 2014 at 8:57am | IP Logged | ||||||||
learning an asian language is gonna be a good idea. I'd go with Italian and Spanish(passively). Italian is I think a neural language in prison but I could be completely wrong. German would be next on my list but than you really have to know your position with the neo nazi. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6391 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 16 of 25 23 March 2014 at 11:14am | IP Logged | ||||||||
3 persons have voted this message useful |
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