For many, learning other languages is an unrealized goal left trampled by life’s stampede. This is especially relevant to university students who often find themselves preoccupied with a constant flow of tasks and responsibilities.
However, there are methods of learning languages that can be adapted into busy schedules.
Exposure to a language is the easiest way of incorporating it into your life. Due to Brock’s predominantly English-speaking community, cultivating an environment where a target language is incorporated into routine tasks will encourage habits around learning it. This may include altering the languages on various social media platforms or apps used frequently to add a target language to daily app functions.
Consuming media and music in a target language will improve listening skills to recognize familiar phrases and pronunciation. Streaming services like Spotify can act as search engines and filters for exploring user-created playlists in certain languages with preferred genres.
Exploring film and television in target languages is a logical way to learn a new language. An especially effective approach is to select a familiar TV series or film of your preference and watch with subtitles of your target language on, or vice versa. The familiarity aspect of this can make a target language seem more approachable, especially for individuals with heavily occupied schedules.
Over the years, various language-learning apps have appeared on the scene and gained significance as both tools and cultural landmarks. The most notable of these is Duolingo, which is often praised or criticized for its gamification of the language learning process. On one hand, the colourful and user-friendly interface of the app makes language learning approachable to outsiders.
The coordinated and organized appearance makes Duolingo a visually appealing way to learn a language, though the effectiveness of its structure has been criticized by language learners. The app uses a “life system” where users are required to wait a period of time after making several mistakes before continuing lessons. This approach is highly flawed and puts users’ learning on the line.
Investing in formal language courses at Brock is not always an option students have. Regardless, there are several organizations on campus with the intention of promoting a language as well as the culture surrounding it.
Brock’s French Club welcomes students with all levels of French knowledge to their events, which range from social events, film viewings, trivia and more. Most recently, the club hosted a games night on Sept. 27. The club encourages students curious about French language or culture to attend events and practice the language in an immersive, non-judgmental environment.
Brock’s American Sign Language Club allows students to learn about ASL, the history of sign language and deaf culture. The club has become a staple in ASL learning on campus and hosts various events, notably movie nights exploring films that tackle the topic of deafness
For more on Brock’s language-based clubs, visit ExperienceBU’s Organizations tab.