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 FSI Language Courses Forum : Learning Languages : General Discussion
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jordansmith
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Quote jordansmith Replybullet Topic: Testimonial and methodology
    Posted: 25 July 2007 at 9:05pm
Since I never got to take the Monterey Army Language School course in French back in the early 60s, when all my buddies were doing it, the FSI courses were a no-brainer, especially when available directly from the GPO (which legally cannot--or could not--make a profit off public-domain material). I lost track of the dozens of tapes that gradually decayed over time, then found the FSI courses again via a local (i.e., Seattle-based) company called Multilingual Books. They were expensive, and still are in downloadable MP3 format ($270 for the full French course), but that's all I found at that time, so I got the first half of the French course and gave it another shot.

Testimonial: I found, even after the second dialogue, that my French had improved dangerously: the French people I encountered assumed I spoke it fluently, so I was barraged by more than I could take in. That's still so, but I feel more relaxed about saying "Pardon, mais je ne comprends pas," with all the appropriate elisions and tweaks that make that seem like a lie. There's nothing like the FSI course. Barron's is based largely on it, with omissions of some of the drills. There are no shortcuts; we need the drills. A foreign language isn't something you memorize; you learn it until it's in your bones and blood--and until you can stand up to that barrage that your ecstatic interlocutor hurls at you because he or she thinks you are native French.

Methodology: when I studied German at UCLA back in the 60s, I found the language lab method exceptionally effective. As with FSI, you get a chance to repeat what you've heard and hear it again; but in language labs, you also get a chance to hear what /you/ have said, and by hearing just how bad you really sound, you can fine tune that pronunciation until it's really flawless. My favorite comment from German exchange students I used to chat with over lunch was (auf Deutsch), "I know you're from somewhere near Berlin, but I can't quite figure out the accent." Saying, "I'm American-born, never been to Germany" brought the conversation to a stunned pause.

This is all leading up to a question: is anyone out there working on a way of recasting the FSI courses in a form similar to language-lab methodology? There are such courses available online, but nothing as nifty as FSI. So the combination would be killer.


Edited by jordansmith - 25 July 2007 at 9:08pm
Paul Jordan-Smith
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manny
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Quote manny Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 8:55am

Thanks for the comments.

 

<< … There are no shortcuts; we need the drills. … >>

 

I am a recent convert to this method. I am reviewing my Spanish FSI (http://www.loquella.com/learn-spanish/). If you try to duplicate a child’s acquisition of their native language, most of the activity would be very boring too. I sure wish I had the Vol 1 pdf to look at.  :-(

 

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jordansmith
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Quote jordansmith Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 9:16am
My grandson's acquisition of English (and Spanish, simultaneously) is by no means boring to him. It's continual discovery of the power of speech: all new, all the time. He sucks up words like a sponge, uses words in new ways, engages constantly. The lesson here is that nothing is intrinsically boring: it's we adults who allow ourselves to get bored. We're also impatient, wanting to acquire a skill /right now/ and getting bored and frustrated when it doesn't happen. What we need is a kind of innocent approach--like a child's. When you tell a child a story, or read a book aloud, they aren't bored, even after twenty times: and therein lies the clue to acquiring language, and why the drills are so necessary.

When I learned German, I made lists of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc., and made up simple sentences that drove grammar, vocabulary, and syntax home. It's the same system used by the FSI courses. And it works.
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manny
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Quote manny Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 9:31am
 
Great description of a child’s language acquisition process!!!

 

I used the term "boring" since today’s MTV kids and adults call anything boring if it does not get their adrenalin going.

 

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jordansmith
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Quote jordansmith Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 9:55am
Yes--by the time children have been exposed to that kind of addictive excitement, anything short of it is "boring."

When my son was 16, he used to watch "The A-Team" on TV and get wired. One night, coming home and finding him hyper, I asked, "And do you really /like/ the state you're in now?" To his credit, he actually stopped and examined his state. The answer: "not really." I offered a change: we would all stop watching TV during the school year to see what happens. At the end of the year, his grades had risen dramatically, and he was quieter and more himself inside. He volunteered, "I only wish we had stopped watching TV sooner." So we disconnected the boob tube forever and only used it for rented movies.
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linqvist
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Quote linqvist Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 12:03pm
I have studied French for 2 years in high school and for 4 years at an Ivy League school, and I spent 1 complete year doing studying abroad in Paris.  I can read classic French texts and write proficiently now.  However, I didn't know how to buy a TGV ticket, order un coq au vin in a restaurant or make or requests when I lived there.  So, I was in no way could engage in a normal conversation with another French speaker. 
 
With the recent discovery of FSI and this forum, the drills of FSI have tremendously aided me in acquiring speaking skills.   My responses to the drills are getting faster with each subsequent lessons.
 
The only thing I have not tried is recording my speech which jordansmith has pointed out is another useful method.
 
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manny
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Quote manny Replybullet Posted: 26 July 2007 at 11:38pm
 
Originally posted by linqvist

 With the recent discovery of FSI and this forum, the drills of FSI have tremendously aided me in acquiring speaking skills. ...
 
Q: Which version of FSI are you using?
 
The written, download (from here) or online http://www.loquella.com/learn-french/.
 
This forum and http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/ have saved me endless grief, hours, money and tremendously improved my foreign language skills.
 
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