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).
