Category: All Levels

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Patricio’s Last Recommendations…

Sadly I am graduating, so this will be my last blog post 🙁 Before I leave, I wanted to give everyone some media recommendations as well as some advice on things to do with the time you have left at Reed.

Go to the language conversations groups! If you have not gone to them yet, you really should. I met some of my best friends at both Pause CafĂ© and Sobremesa (which fun fact was previously called Picadita). These groups are such a unique resource that you will likely not find after Reed. Think about it, it’s a chance to meet new people by immersing yourself in the language you’re learning while eating free food! Which is usually delicious as the language scholars are amazing. Seriously, if you haven’t met them yet you should. And new ones come each year, so you get a clean slate next semester!

Don’t worry about what you’ll do with your major afterwards. Many people don’t study languages because of feelings of uncertainty on what jobs they’ll bring in the future. I was scrolling though the Reed alumni page and found lawyers that studied French and artists that studied physics. Your major does not trap you to certain fields as much as you think it does, and it’s ok to figure it out later and study what you’re passionate about now. You’ll be surprised by how little your undergraduate major matters in the future, and how valued being multilingual is.

Study abroad!! If you feel suffocated at Reed or like you need a break, I cannot recommend studying abroad enough. Reed makes it fairly accessible for all majors, arrange a meeting with Alberto del RĂ­o Malo and he will help you figure it out. I personally was on the verge of leaving Reed after my sophomore year, but I decided to study abroad for a semester instead of transferring. When I came back I felt like I had a newfound perspective on Reed and started really enjoyed my time here, and many of my friends who studied abroad felt the same way. Four years in this tiny campus is a lot, sometimes you just need a break.

I could go on and on with my advice, but I don’t need to, there’s other LangLabbies that are here to support you with their wonderful personalities and insight. Actually, my last piece of advice would be to talk to Nina, Leilani and Sara. They are incredibly talented and intelligent Reedies, so you should go visit them at the Language Lab! Lastly, here’s a French song I haven’t been able to get out of my head and a French movie that made me cry. Have a wonderful summer!

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Language Laddering with Duolingo

Perhaps we at the Language Lab have been too harsh on Duolingo—it can’t all be bad. While I believe that learning a language from a (human) speaker of the target language works the best for me, there are still ways to use Duolingo in a way that complements what I learn in a classroom. I’ve found that Duolingo can be an effective way to try out the language laddering technique. Language laddering is when you use your second language to learn a third. For example, as a native English speaker, I could use French to learn Chinese. This technique takes your native language out of the equation entirely. Not only will you build skills in your third language, but it strengthens what you already know in your second language. For anyone with dreams of becoming a polyglot, this technique may work well for you!

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Need new music? I’ve got you covered!

Here’s a list of some fun German songs I’ve been listening to. I wrote down the exact mood you have to be in to listen to the songs. Viel spaß!

Do you need a song that makes you hyper-focus on doing your homework? Something like the Mario Kart theme song but less intense? Here’s two great pop songs for that:

Do you need to have a main character moment looking out the window while it rains? Here’s two songs that could be straight out of Grey’s Anatomy:

Need something upbeat? Want to impress your friends by memorizing incredibly fast German songs? Here’s two songs for that:

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Beginner-friendly French songs!

Listening to music in French is a great strategy to absorb more of the language throughout your day. For beginners just starting out your adventures into the world of Francophone music, I found this album, Non Ouais! by Pink Martini (which fun fact – originates from Portland!). This album is well-suited for beginning French learners, as it has simple grammar, clear pronunciation, and familiar vocabulary. You might be surprised with how much you can understand! Here are two of the most popular songs to give you a taste:

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Why even bother learning languages?

Es ist so einsam im Sattel seit das Pferd tot ist. That’s what my German step-mom’s Whatsapp status used to say. The sentence translates to “It’s so lonely on the saddle since the horse is dead”, so during my German-learning journey I thought to myself, it must be some sort of figure of speech! But it’s not. It means the same thing in German as it does in English. Learning languages independently though apps is tricky because the meaning behind language is put through conversation. Language is used when catching up with a friend, or through an author telling the reader a story. This type of connection is impossible to establish when taking online courses with Duolingo. Here at Reed we have such an amazing resource to put this meaning behind language: Language courses! As my time at Reed comes to an end, I would like to recommend to everyone that can to take a language class, as it’s one of the most enriching experiences Reed has to offer. Here’s why:

Add emotions to the language you’re speaking: One of my favorite classes I took during my time at Reed was Post-War French Cinema with Catherine Witt. The focus of the class wasn’t learning French as much as it was studying and, most importantly, discussing French media. Some documentaries were quite hard to watch, and others were incredibly moving. Being able to express these emotions with the class was a challenge. Going from being able to formulate sentences to being able to express feelings is not that simple, but classes like these give you the jump you need.

Retain vocabulary: If you’re currently learning a language, try to think of the word for ‘tadpole’ in the language you’re learning. What about street cone? Phone case? Words like these are so random that, if you’re not engaging in conversation with people, they might never come up. And even if they do, there’s a high chance you’ll forget them immediately. I’m taking a German conversation class, and you’ll be surprised on how many of these random words come up in one hour of talking! In my experience, when these words come up in conversation, you’re more likely to retain them afterwards because you get tired of going “How do you say that word again?” It’s almost like it’s easier for your brain to remember these random words than to have to keep asking for help. Fun fact: tadpole in German is Kaulquappe.

Build connections: Another language course I took was Latin American Revolutionary Century with Christian Kroll. While I’m a native Spanish speaker, I was curious to learn more about the history of Latin America, and doing so in Spanish was a huge plus. What I didn’t expect from the class was to meet two amazing Spanish speaking friends with whom I could get soup with afterwards. Sometimes you have to remember that the whole point of learning a language is to be able to use it, and what better way to use it than with people who also speak it?

This suddenly got very philosophical, but it’s important to know that people give language a meaning. This meaning is hard to find with a screen, so appreciate the opportunity that Reed gives you! Give the language you’re learning some meaning, it’s easy. Here, from now on “It’s so lonely on the saddle since the horse is dead” is a metaphor for language learning. The saddle (language) is lonely with no horse (people to use it with).

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What’s in the Language?

Another reason to enroll in a course — you get to understand your international friends’ childhood cartoons 🙂

There’s a prevailing idea that Languages — unlike Chemistry, Economics or Anthropology — can be self-taught without having to sign up for classes or immersion programs.

To what extent is it true? While self-teach apps like Duolingo made a lingua-revolution in the language learning sphere, taking a class specifically dedicated to acquiring a new language has its hidden perks that not many know of.

  1. Language isn’t just a collection of words and grammar rules — it’s about opportunities. Learning a language as a part of a college course can open doors that aren’t available if you decide to learn it on your own. Many college departments, especially those at Reed, have grants, fellowships and access to opportunities that are only known if you work in close contact with the Language and Literature professors. For instance, Middleburry Immersion program that we wrote about recently prefers students with some form of language background that can be easily proven if you have a language listed on your transcript. Or perhaps you want to carry out a summer research dedicated to your favorite book? Well then look no further than Ruby Lankford Grant — and being familiar with language professors increases your chances of being chosen!
  2. Practice. Independence in language learning is important and nurtures one’s discipline but any language is inherently a social construct that can be polished and perfected through other’s feedback. Enrolling in a language course will put you closer not only to other students but native speakers and Language Scholars who specialize in teaching language acquisition to non-native speakers.
  3. It’s “official”. And while many would say that a “piece of paper” doesn’t matter and that any language knowledge unleashes itself in practice, many employers would love to see a Language course spelled out on your official transcript as a strong evidence for the skills you’ve gained. Jus simply stating that you know a language might not be sufficient in contemporary-day competitive job market so having an extra skill that you can show off is a great reason to enroll in a college-level language course.

Did you encounter other reasons to take a language course? Share them with in comments below!

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Middlebury Language School Immersion Program?

Have you seen these posters around campus? I see them all the time, so I decided to do some research on the program so you don’t have to!

How the program works:

The program takes place in Vermont, at either the Middlebury Campus or the Bennington Campus. It’s a summer program, typically from June 27 to August 15. You’ll be taking language courses, which can be transferred as 3 Middlebury credits (not sure how that transfers to Reed credits). You’ll live in dorms and eat at the dining hall. You’ll sign a language pledge in which you commit to only communicating in the language you’re immersing yourself in. This means only speaking, hearing, and reading in that language. It shouldn’t be too hard because they plan so many activities and you’ll live with plenty of students who are also committed to only speaking that language. You will eat with students and faculty, go to your language courses, and participate in optional co-curricular activities (cooking, dance, soccer, etc…) that relate to the culture of the language you’re learning. During the weekends, you’ll have cultural events and celebrations, which all seem pretty cool!

The downside…

I looked at how much the program costs, and it’s around $12,320, which takes, food, housing, and tuition into account. There’s additional expenses such as transportation and books, which might come to another $500. There’s a need-based financial grant that covers a maximum of $5,500. Take into account that these would be the expenses for most of the summer, though.

Most people that participate in this program come out fully fluent in the language they chose to learn, so you can see it as an investment for your future! It also looks like a great opportunity to meet other students and overall have a great summer!

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Atrapados (Caught) – Patricio’s Recommendation of the Week!

I just finished watching this show and I thought it was pretty good. It’s your classic Netflix original murder mystery show that has all the classic tropes: A troubled main character with a traumatic past, a million plot twists that sometimes make no sense, and a chilling classical music soundtrack. The show takes place in a beautiful city in Argentina named San Carlos de Bariloche. I would recommend watching it if you want to practice your learning comprehension in Spanish, specifically for accents that are harder to understand and not often taught in school. Things to remember about Argentinian Spanish:

  • The double l’s are pronounced like a ‘sh’ sound. Ex: ‘llamar’ is pronounced sha-mar.
  • The ‘s’ is sometimes aspired, such that it’s pronounced like an ‘h’. Mesa, as in table, is pronounced Meh-ha.
  • TĂș and tĂ­ becomes vos, and the verb ser (to be) changes in the second person. TĂș eres genial becomes vos sos genial.
  • Verb conjugation changes a lot for the second person. Verbs like “tĂș tienes” and “tĂș quieres” become “Vos tenĂ©s” and “Vos querĂ©s”.
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YouTube en français

YouTube is a great resource for language-learning—you can learn new vocabulary, ways to use grammar structures, and hear different accents. If you’re just starting out your expedition into French YouTube, I’ve made a list of channels that can help you get started! These are more suitable for intermediate and advanced learners, as these videos only have auto-generated captions, and creators tend to speak quickly and use slang. (Sidenote – I found out the word in French is “youtubeur.euse” and I love it.)

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Íslensku!

I went to Iceland for spring break and I was fascinated with the language. It’s sad that so few people speak it – only 314K, which is less than the total population of Iceland! – so I want more people to learn it. Here are some awesome facts about the language that might get you to learn it!

I found their alphabet to be fascinating. They share the same Roman alphabet as other Germanic languages such as English and German, with the exception of the letters c, q, w, and z, which don’t exist even though they’re so prominent in other Germanic languages! The sounds of the letters are still there, but they’re replaced by other letters. The letter q is replaced by the use of ‘hv’. For example, the word ‘how’ is ‘hvernig’ in Icelandic, pronounced qver-nih. The letter c is entirely replaced by the letter k, which sometimes leads to some funny looking words. Credit card is ‘kreditkort’ in Icelandic, which I find hilarious. The letter w is replaced with the letter v, leading to certain words sounding like a vampire trying to speak English. ‘What’ is ‘hvaĂ°‘ (qvah-th), ‘where’ is ‘hvar’ (qv-ar), and ‘when’ is ‘hvenĂŠr’ (qven-eye-r).

Icelandic might not have these letters, but they do have new ones! Ð/Ă° is a letter named eĂ° and is transliterated as either ‘th’ in words such as ‘brother’ or if it’s at the end of a word it’s pronounced like the letter d. Þ/ĂŸ is the letter ĂŸorn and is transliterated as the ‘th’ sound in words like ‘thorn’. Æ/ĂŠ is technically a letter of its own pronounced like the word ‘eye’. Ö/ö is also technically a letter of its own and is pronounced like the ‘eu’ sound in French. There’s also accents that change the way the letters a, e, o, i, and y sound, but I won’t get into it as they don’t technically count as individual letters.

Another interesting fact about Icelandic is that last names work differently. In Iceland, instead of having your parent’s last name, you have your dad’s name followed by daughter or son. So if my dad’s first name is Carlos and I’m a boy, my name would be Patricio Carlosson in Icelandic. If my dad’s first name was JĂłn and I was a girl named GuĂ°nĂœ (two common names in Iceland), I would be GuĂ°nĂœ JĂłnsdĂłttir (Pronounced Guth-knee Joh-nsdoh-teer), as in GuĂ°nĂœ daughter of JĂłn. Typically the last name takes the father’s name, but there are some cases where the mother’s name is taken.

Finally, something that’s both interesting but also horrible about Icelandic is that, like German, they love mixing whole sentences into a single word. In 2010, a volcano in Iceland named Eyjafjallajökull (…) erupted and caused massive disruptions in air travel across all of western Europe for months. Pronounced as Eya-fiat-la-yeu-cutl, the volcano’s name means the island with the glacier on the mountain. Another example is dairy products, which is just mashed into one word in Icelandic: mjĂłlkurvörur (myoh-lkur-veu-rur). It’s like if instead of saying “I’m sitting at the bench in the canyon that’s under the blue bridge”, we gave a name to that specific bench and said “I’m sitting at the canyonbenchbluebridge”. It’s horrible to look at, but I guess it’s time saving!