Love of language the first step

Learning a new language is difficult and students often lose interest. Four years of Spanish has taught me that the key to speaking a foreign language lies outside the classroom.

Colleges generally require two years of a foreign language in high school, which encourages most students to enroll in a class to study some language. Taking the course is a step in the right direction, but if a student doesn’t genuinely wish to speak another language, he or she will never learn it.

I have been learning Spanish since third grade, but I have only spoken it for a year. Vocabulary is the first component foreign language students study. Mine is limited, but even when it’s combined with convoluted syntax beyond my wildest nightmares, I speak Spanish. Grammar and vocabulary are important, but it’s easy to memorize definitions without ever having a conversation in the language.

Practicing outside of class is the only way to truly become proficient in a language, and the earlier a student starts the better. Living in Alaska can make this difficult. While students in many states may have native-speaking friends to practice with regularly, the chance of this being the case in many parts of Alaska is slim. The solution is to jump at every opportunity to speak the language, no matter the time or place. Whether it’s speaking to your instructor in Spanish, making friends with a French exchange student or sitting with a German tourist on a chairlift, no opportunity should be overlooked.

A conversation with a native speaker is a daunting task for all new language students. They need to be prepared to be laughed at, corrected and ignored at some point throughout their endeavors. However, they also can anticipate patience, praise and new friends. The truth is, some people will be positive and some will be negative. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience both ends of the spectrum.

The first time I attempted to have a conversation with a Spanish-speaking individual, I was told my accent was incomprehensible. The discussion quickly turned to English. In front of my Spanish class only months ago, I mistakenly said I liked to ski in infierno (Hell) as opposed to invierno (winter). Both times I climbed back on the proverbial horse.

I recently attempted another conversation with Spanish speaker. I was at a conference out of state and my roommate mentioned she spoke Spanish. I immediately started a conversation. The reaction I received was one of pure delight. She was astonished a girl from Alaska could have an entire conversation with her in Spanish. She was kind, patient and enthusiastic about helping me in every way possible. We quickly became friends and continued to speak the language for the remainder of the week. Since my return we have kept in touch, and all our correspondence is in Spanish, of course.

The moral of the story is this: You can speak a language without being perfect. Some people will not help you, while others will go out of their way to do so. Speaking in front of the class can be embarrassing, and before you are fluent you will undoubtedly be ridiculed. When everything is said and done, however, the only thing that matters is that you love the language. Everything else will follow.

Lexie Krell is a senior at Colony High School.