Day 9

The university teachers seem to understand something that a lot of classes do not do. University knows that what is important is letting the language grow naturally.

I’m going to make some names, because I don’t know what they’re called.

“Official talk” is when teachers are describing something relevant to the lesson

“Casual talk” is when teachers go into that more candid mode of talking, where it becomes more important to be understood.

 What sets the really strong classes apart is that TL is used for both official and casual talk. There is a lot of big talk about the importance of making the language real but many forget that casual talk is inherently real. It doesn’t have to be simulated or artificially created, it’s already there. Casual talk, filler words, figures of speech, and language mannerisms are the very foundation of a language – they are often the cause for much of the jolting awkwardness when being immersed in a new language. “Official talk” is valuable, but “casual talk” is imperative.

When learning a language I am an advocate for the deep-end approach. The language should hit you like a brick all at the same time. While you are flailing about in the vast ocean of confusion, you see a small boat with a light coming towards you. Just as you feel you are going to drown you feel a hand plunge down into the water and grasp the back of your shirt firmly. You are lifted up at once out of the churning waters and dragged onto the little boat. You gasp and cough. You rub the salt out of your eyes, as you vision clears you finally see the person who saved you. But- what is she doing now? She’s trying to put a vest on you. She puts a bright orange vest on and ties a rope around it. You are relieved, then whooop you notice you are soaring through the air. But wait! You exclaim, I am not a bird! You are met once again by the jolting splash of the water. You flail as before, but this time, you feel a steady tug on the rope and the light buoyancy of the vest. You are no longer sinking, but you still must work to keep afloat in the storm. “Today you will learn how to swim!” comes a voice above the roaring. 

Ok, wow that got really long. I hope that made sense...