There are times when at least one of the languages we can speak goes “numb”, i.e. we no longer use it so frequently. During this time it slides to the back of our mind and we slowly lose our fluency in this language.
This may happen for many reasons, for shorter or longer periods of time, e.g. in our free-time, when maybe we interact with our family and friends in a different language than the one we work in. As well as when we go on vacation and we communicate mostly in English or in our native language. Or when we face times of physical isolation like the during the coronavirus-pandemic, when we communicate less than usual and mostly in writing via chat, therefore the usage of any language decreases significantly. In my case, it is enough to spend a long weekend with my partner and on Monday my colleagues start wondering why I’m suddenly butchering the language I spoke so fluently on Friday.
If you prefer to listen to this article instead of reading it, I recorded it for you at the end of this page.
As strange as this may sound, this is a perfectly normal phenomenon for multilinguals, as the mind uses every occasion to take a break from switching between several languages. Depending on several factors like the length of the break, the individual language level etc., some of the languages we can speak are sent to the back of our mind to get a rest. They may be still asleep when we suddenly need them, reason why they are represented by the embarrassing stammering and the what-was-that-called-moments while they change out of their pyjamas and get active again.
You know what I mean, right? Aaaahm…Salut! No, not French, I need English now… aaahhhm… Hallo! Nope, that’s German, let me try again. Hello! Hurray, that’s it! Welcome back, my sweet English!
So let’s see how we can avoid some of these uncomfortable situations and wake up the sleepy language(s) faster. The basic principle is to “surround” ourselves with the language we want to train. Here are some things we can do:
LISTEN
We can turn on a radio or a TV channel broadcasting in the language we want to keep alive. Or a podcast or a YouTube video, whatever suits us best. We don’t have to listen to it actively, but simply let it play in the background. This simple method trains our ears to recognise typical sounds and the melody of the target language. Thus it makes it easier for us to learn and improve our pronunciation in this language and, especially in a beginner’s stage, to recognise syllables and words, which is a key-stage in language learning. Advanced speakers have the chance to learn new words and phrases and also improve their pronunciation.
Estimated related effort: minimum, as this method targets mainly passive listening (no active effort required).
READ
Let’s read for at least a few minutes a day in the language we want to improve. It doesn’t have to be a serious book, it doesn’t even have to be a book. We can choose whatever reading material suits our current language level and that allows us to read it for at least a few minutes a day without a lot of effort. This means that the text we’re reading challenges us a bit, that it contains a few words and phrases that we would need to look up in the dictionary. Whenever we run into those, let’s try to remember the context in which they were used, so that the next time we need them we can remember them by thinking about the text where we initially read them. It helps also if we use them out loud in a sentence of our own that imitates the original context in which they were used in the text. For beginners, I suggest finding a reading material that contains pictures as well, so these can help us get a better idea of the topic. A children’s book is always a good idea.
When we’re tired or we don’t feel like looking up words or decipher their meaning without a dictionary, we can then choose a text that overlaps with our current language level and that may be read effortlessly. Bottom line is to read for a few minutes a day and not postpone this activity until we’re in the mood for it. Reading an easy text is much better than reading nothing at all.
Estimated related effort: minimum for a text matching our current language knowledge; medium for reading a slightly challenging one, that requires the use of a dictionary and memorising a new word or phrase.
THINK
We can formulate our thoughts in a sleepy language of our choice at least once during the day. We can do this spontaneously or in a planned manner that helps us train a certain type of vocabulary – e.g. exercising words related to clothing items while choosing our outfit for the next day. So basically we talk to ourselves in this language silently or out loud. If we choose to use our voice during this exercise, we train also our pronunciation in this language. For expanding our vocabulary, we could try to describe the word(s) that we don’t know or do not remember or come up with a synonym. This way we exercise alternate ways of formulating our ideas. And we should also look up the words that failed us, so that they are available to us the next time we need them.
Estimated related effort: medium, as firstly we need to consciously switch to the target language and maintain it for the planned duration. And secondly to come up with synonyms or alternative formulations to the words we cannot remember and to look them up in the dictionary.
Try out at least two of these methods for a week and write a comment sharing your experience with them. Which one did you find most useful? What method does not suit you and why? Don’t forget, language learning is an individual process, therefore we need to see what fits us best via trial and error.
This is the first article in a series meant both for language learners and for educators. If you are teaching a language or in a language that your students need help with or you are casually supporting someone improve their language knowledge, pass these methods on to them and gather their feedback. I am surely glad to hear about it.
New methods for you to try out coming up soon, so stick around for the second article of this series!
Yours confidently,
Corina