Comments on: Web 2.0 and Learning Spanish Grammar http://praxislanguage.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/ Learning on Your terms Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:32:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Cornelia http://praxislanguage.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/comment-page-1/#comment-8214 Cornelia Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:37:07 +0000 http://blogs.spanishsense.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/#comment-8214 Concerning velocity of speech I think FuDaWei really has a point. Especially in the Newbie-Elle levels it is unrealistically slow. I have a suggestion stemming again from the Birkenbihl approach (who always provide the text in 2 different speeds): continue to start with the slow dialogue, but perhaps insert more pauses in between words instead of actually elongating the words. At the end of the lesson, when you repeat the dialogue, go for a more realistic tempo, especially for the 3rd time repetition. For the dialogue only mp3s I would appreciate a relatively normal-quick speech as this would be used by more advanced learners or the newbies after gaining understanding with the full lesson. I think this principle holds true for any language. Concerning velocity of speech I think FuDaWei really has a point. Especially in the Newbie-Elle levels it is unrealistically slow.
I have a suggestion stemming again from the Birkenbihl approach (who always provide the text in 2 different speeds): continue to start with the slow dialogue, but perhaps insert more pauses in between words instead of actually elongating the words.
At the end of the lesson, when you repeat the dialogue, go for a more realistic tempo, especially for the 3rd time repetition.
For the dialogue only mp3s I would appreciate a relatively normal-quick speech as this would be used by more advanced learners or the newbies after gaining understanding with the full lesson.

I think this principle holds true for any language.

]]> By: FuDaWei http://praxislanguage.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/comment-page-1/#comment-8213 FuDaWei Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:07:13 +0000 http://blogs.spanishsense.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/#comment-8213 Hope to see you on the other side of the classroom desk, Ken. I'm excited to embark on Spanish; it interests me on a linguistical level because my motives for learning are entirely different. Will that affect my success? Is one motive stronger than another? Hitherto, I've studied languages that struck my interest. My intellectual passion was my motivation. But (and please don't misunderstand me here) I have no passionate drive to learn Spanish -- I have, instead, a pragmatic one. I live in the center of the US and my neighborhood has a swelling Spanish immigrant population. Several stores within walking distance are staffed by people who speak little or no English. Luckily, what I may lack in one area, I make up for in another in that I have a steady stream of very friendly people I can tap as a primary resource to check my progress. As to the lessons ... though I do not speak much Spanish and have only dipped my beak, one minor aspect at the Newbie level troubles me. There is a slight tendency to draw words out. No one really benefits from: "cooooh-ooooh-mooh taaaaaay yaaahhhh-maaaa-aaahs". I understand and appreciate the intent (to put people at ease, move slow, try to nail down the pronunciation), but when you draw out sounds beyond a certain point you end up distorting them. You also destroy the "lilt" of the sentence as a whole -- the "music" of the language. And people don't learn by memorizing isolated words. They need that "music". I'm not saying everything should always be "muy rapido" -- that would scare even me. By all means, break down the sounds when necessary, but don't dwell on it to the exclusion of the rest. All in all ... I'm looking forward to this new adventure and am "encantado" with our hosts! Hope to see you on the other side of the classroom desk, Ken.

I’m excited to embark on Spanish; it interests me on a linguistical level because my motives for learning are entirely different. Will that affect my success? Is one motive stronger than another? Hitherto, I’ve studied languages that struck my interest. My intellectual passion was my motivation. But (and please don’t misunderstand me here) I have no passionate drive to learn Spanish — I have, instead, a pragmatic one. I live in the center of the US and my neighborhood has a swelling Spanish immigrant population. Several stores within walking distance are staffed by people who speak little or no English. Luckily, what I may lack in one area, I make up for in another in that I have a steady stream of very friendly people I can tap as a primary resource to check my progress.

As to the lessons … though I do not speak much Spanish and have only dipped my beak, one minor aspect at the Newbie level troubles me. There is a slight tendency to draw words out. No one really benefits from: “cooooh-ooooh-mooh taaaaaay yaaahhhh-maaaa-aaahs”. I understand and appreciate the intent (to put people at ease, move slow, try to nail down the pronunciation), but when you draw out sounds beyond a certain point you end up distorting them. You also destroy the “lilt” of the sentence as a whole — the “music” of the language. And people don’t learn by memorizing isolated words. They need that “music”. I’m not saying everything should always be “muy rapido” — that would scare even me. By all means, break down the sounds when necessary, but don’t dwell on it to the exclusion of the rest.

All in all … I’m looking forward to this new adventure and am “encantado” with our hosts!

]]> By: Cornelia http://praxislanguage.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/comment-page-1/#comment-8212 Cornelia Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:52:43 +0000 http://blogs.spanishsense.com/2007/03/13/web-20-and-learning-spanish-grammar/#comment-8212 Hi Ken, I am very curious how the Grammar Guide in Spanishsense will look like. Any forecast as to when I might find something else than "this section is under construction" ? You really know how to keep us in suspense ! ;-) I would imagine that with Spanish it might be more difficult to explain grammar than with CPod: because your students have a more varied degree of experience with target grammar structures from their different mother languages. So I'd guess you have to explain more to a native English speaker than to a native German. Looking forward to new insights, Cornelia Hi Ken,
I am very curious how the Grammar Guide in Spanishsense will look like.
Any forecast as to when I might find something else than “this section is under construction” ? You really know how to keep us in suspense ! ;-)
I would imagine that with Spanish it might be more difficult to explain grammar than with CPod: because your students have a more varied degree of experience with target grammar structures from their different mother languages.
So I’d guess you have to explain more to a native English speaker than to a native German.

Looking forward to new insights, Cornelia

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