Comments on: Learn by Drowning? http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/ My Journey Learning the Spanish Language Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:24:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Juanman http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/comment-page-1/#comment-207 Juanman Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:28:49 +0000 http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/#comment-207 I agree that immersion courses are a great way to ENHANCE your learning of a language, to go into one knowing nothing of the language prior is paramount to sitting behind a wheel of a car for the first time in a city centre at rush hour. Car crash education! I agree that immersion courses are a great way to ENHANCE your learning of a language, to go into one knowing nothing of the language prior is paramount to sitting behind a wheel of a car for the first time in a city centre at rush hour. Car crash education!

]]> By: Wayne http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Wayne Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:03:06 +0000 http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/#comment-45 Great comments and exactly what the article was talking about. Maybe someday soon I'll check one out for myself. By then I'll have enough practice and enough vocabulary to make it worthwhile. Great comments and exactly what the article was talking about. Maybe someday soon I’ll check one out for myself. By then I’ll have enough practice and enough vocabulary to make it worthwhile.

]]> By: Bilingual Blogger http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/comment-page-1/#comment-44 Bilingual Blogger Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:09:27 +0000 http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/#comment-44 Doing an immersion language program knowing zero Spanish is going to be a frustrating experience. Here's why: If you have zero vocabulary and know no grammar in Spanish, your first few weeks are going to be spent building that foundation. While that building is going on, you're not going to be able to converse much with other people in Spanish. Yes, you can say a few things here and there but you're not really going to get the full benefit of the experience (being in an environment where you can use the language with different speakers) than if you had arrived with a little bit of knowledge already in place. The typical and natural response by most raw beginners in an immersion environment is to seek out other English speakers and to use English outside the classroom, thus undermining the immersion experience. Everyone is different, of course, but it would be beneficial to know how to conjugate a few basic verbs in the present tense and have a basic vocabulary related to food, family, the weather and work/school, so that you have a little bit to go on when you start and have enough vocabulary to engage in and sustain very short, basic conversations. You can get those basics by taking a standard Intro to Spanish type course at a local community college or by listening to Spanish-language instructional podcasts, etc. I don't think it is necessary for someone to be close to mastering the language before doing a Spanish immersion program. That's kind of unrealistic and not right, because to reach a true level of mastery in a second language one will eventually have to immerse oneself in it. Doing an immersion language program knowing zero Spanish is going to be a frustrating experience. Here’s why: If you have zero vocabulary and know no grammar in Spanish, your first few weeks are going to be spent building that foundation. While that building is going on, you’re not going to be able to converse much with other people in Spanish. Yes, you can say a few things here and there but you’re not really going to get the full benefit of the experience (being in an environment where you can use the language with different speakers) than if you had arrived with a little bit of knowledge already in place. The typical and natural response by most raw beginners in an immersion environment is to seek out other English speakers and to use English outside the classroom, thus undermining the immersion experience.

Everyone is different, of course, but it would be beneficial to know how to conjugate a few basic verbs in the present tense and have a basic vocabulary related to food, family, the weather and work/school, so that you have a little bit to go on when you start and have enough vocabulary to engage in and sustain very short, basic conversations.

You can get those basics by taking a standard Intro to Spanish type course at a local community college or by listening to Spanish-language instructional podcasts, etc.

I don’t think it is necessary for someone to be close to mastering the language before doing a Spanish immersion program. That’s kind of unrealistic and not right, because to reach a true level of mastery in a second language one will eventually have to immerse oneself in it.

]]> By: Police in Texas Learning Spanish | Learning Spanish Blog http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Police in Texas Learning Spanish | Learning Spanish Blog Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:57:07 +0000 http://learningspanishblog.com/learn-by-drowning/#comment-8 [...] with someone to practice with (I’m assuming), then immersion. Like the one article I found here, immersion with no basic foundation, is a [...] [...] with someone to practice with (I’m assuming), then immersion. Like the one article I found here, immersion with no basic foundation, is a [...]

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