We should be informed about what's going on around us in language acquisition, right? -->Do you wish you had been able to attend a program like this one?
Providence Journal Sunday, August 20, 2011
Trilingual afterschool program is a first in R.I.
By Linda Borg, Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE –– The Federal Hill House Association will offer the state’s first early-learning trilingual immersion program, offering English, Spanish and Mandarin to children in an afterschool program.
The program, called Speak to Succeed, will hold an open house and enrollment reception on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the agency’s center on Courtland Street in Providence. Speak to Succeed is for children 18 months to 5 years of age.
The program is sponsored by Federal Hill House, which offers cradle-to-grave social services, in partnership with Global Language Project, a nonprofit that addresses equality in education through foreign-language learning.
“Today’s parents are looking for learning programs that not only work well but offer great value,” said Nina Pande, executive director of Federal Hill House. “Our program does both. Studies clearly show that early-childhood education is among the best investments around. As Rhode Island’s first early-learning center to offer a trilingual immersion program, FHHA wants to deliver on the promise of multilingual learning through careful, systematic curriculum creation, a rigorous teacher selection, evaluation and training process … and engaging, interactive classroom activities that transcend rote learning.”
“For the last three years, we have seen success in our programs throughout New York City,” said Angela Jackson, founder and executive director of Global Language Project. This is “the first time we have the opportunity to expand into another state and bring to Providence’s students a language curriculum that will prepare them to reap the benefits afforded by our ever-growing global economy.”
Language immersion is a proven method of teaching another language, Pande said. Immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool, “immersing” the student in the language. In-class activities, such as math or science, and those outside the class, including meals and everyday tasks, are conducted in the target language. Culture and traditions are also covered.
Studies show that children who learn a second language at early ages enjoy huge benefits, including increased mental flexibility, creativity, problem-solving and retention. They also display better performance on standardized tests, increased self-esteem and a deeper cultural awareness, according to Pande.
Research shows that babies, toddlers and preschool children can develop great fluency in foreign languages.
The curriculum emphasizes traditional and experiential learning and was created by leading educational professionals.
For information, e-mail info@globallanguageproject.org.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sebastian Madsen "unplugged" Lass die Liebe regieren
Ich überlege mich, ob dieses Lied etwas für uns zum OKTOBERFEST wäre:
• Der Text ist lernenswert; nicht schwer.
• Die Musik ist unkompliziert (wer spielt Gitarre?).
. Aber können wir dabei etwas Spaß haben???
Songtext:
Lass die Liebe regieren v. Madsen
Weil du erinnerst,
weil du vergisst,
weil du verzeihen kannst
und bist wie du bist.
Weil du vermisst
und weil du fehlst*, --because you are missed (absent)
weil du zuhörst und erzählst,
weil dein Herz laut schlägt
und die Welt sich immer weiter dreht.
Weil du fällst und immer wieder aufstehst,
merkst du, dass es dich gibt.
(CHOR)
Weil du liebst,
weil du lebst,
weil du gibst und vergibst.
Weil du liebst,
weil du lebst,
weil du glühst* und vergehst**, *glow **slip away
wirst du geliebt
lass es passieren,
lass die liebe regieren.
Weil du weißt, woher du kommst,
was du gegeben hast und genommen,
weil purer Hass auf dauer traurig macht
und das Leben viel mehr zu bieten hat
Weil wir mit uns kämpfen
und weil wir uns brauchen
weil wir uns helfen und an uns glauben
weil es wahre Freundschaft gibt.
(CHOR x 2 )
--dass es dich nur einmal gibst
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Madsen Konzert in Boston 14. Okt. 2011
Wer will mit?
The Goethe-Institut is sponsoring this MADSEN tour in the USA: 14.10. Boston, MA / 18.10. Washington, DC / 21.10. New York, NY / 25.10. Pittsburgh, PA / 28.10. Athens, GA / 01.11. Dallas, TX / 04.11. Tucson, AZ / 08.11. Long Beach, CA / 10.11. San Francisco, CA / 11.11. Berkeley, CA / 14.11. Eugene, OR / 17.11. Colorado Springs, CO / 18.11. Denver, CO
Und wer ist Madsen?
Lass die Liebe regieren
Warum nicht jetzt? (Why not now?)
Verlasse mich! (Leave me!)
Lach doch mal (Just laugh once)
(mit Luftschlangen!)
Lass uns reden (Let's talk)
Bin ich verliebt? (Am I in Love?) JAZZY
Vielleicht = Maybe
Wir könnten Nachtbaden gehen (We could go skinny dipping) Sie SCHREIEN! (They scream/sing this song)
Du bist wie du bist (You are who you are)
eigenartig = quirky
PERFEKTION!
So was wie dich habe ich nicht gesehen
Nicht zu gross, nicht zu schlecht, falsche und nicht zu echt:
DU BIST PERFEKT! Makellos! Besser als gut.
Einfach gross! Ich waere gern wir du.
Du bist die Perfektion!
Nicht zu alt, nicht zu jung, nicht zu schlau, nicht zu dumm.
Du bist besser als gut!
--> Soll unser Deutschklub zum Konzert hin?
--> Könnten wir dabei etwas Deutsch lernen?
--> Welche Lieder gefallen Dir? Euch?
23. Aug: MEHR über Madsen und das Konzert in Boston:
1. WHO IS MADSEN?
Madsen is one of Germany's most popular bands. They have been nominated as best live act and appeal in particular to high school students. Their lyrics are easily accessible (and clean!) and they truly rock on stage. And even though they are considered big stars in Germany the band members (three brothers and their best buddy) are completely down to earth - and can't wait to chat with your students after their concerts.
2. LIVE-STREAM CONCERT on 11-11-11 at 8pm West Coast time (5pm here)
Can't make it to a Madsen show? On November 11, there will be a live stream concert in San Francisco which you can enjoy from the comfort of your living rooms. Register for free with U-Stream. The code is:
http://www.ustram.tv/channel/madsen---live-stream-11-11-11
3. MADSEN IN THE CLASSROOM
To get ready for what promises to be the highlight of the school year check out www.goethe.de/todoaleman or www.goethe.de/stepintogerman . On Step into German you'll find videos of the songs Madsen will perform, along with the German lyrics as well as their English translations. You'll be surprised how much you already understand.
4. THE CONTEST
We're also really excited to announce the contest "Catch the Madsen Fever" which was only made possible by the generous support of the band. One of the top prizes besides language courses in Germany and iPads will be a trip to Germany where the winners can hang out with Madsen at one of next summer's coolest open-air festivals.
5. THE HOSTS
All the concerts on this tour will be hosted by a school. The past few months the Goethe-Institut has been working closely with German teachers from around the US and it's been a terrific cooperation. We owe you a big THANK YOU for being such wonderful partners.
6. GEAR
In a couple of weeks our Madsen posters, buttons and postcards will be ready send out. We anticipate filling every seat in every auditorium; the California shows are already sold out, and in Boston, teachers are limited to a quarter to half of their requested tickets.
7. The EVENT
These concerts are meant to be an incredible experience that German students will remember for the rest of their lives. You are invited. BE THERE!
Der Pantoffelheld
The Slipper Hero
--> Lustig?
--> Aber nicht viel Deutsch darin!
--> OK. Die Deutsche Sprache kommt von UNS. Wie geht denn diese Geschichte?
--> Lustig?
--> Aber nicht viel Deutsch darin!
--> OK. Die Deutsche Sprache kommt von UNS. Wie geht denn diese Geschichte?
Jugendslang
How do these top recent contenders in the Youth Word of the Year (Jugendliche Wort des Jahres) competition reflect German culture?
Source: This Week in Germany
BONUS: N1 = Nice one
10. gechillt "Wir haben nur gechillt." (We just chilled out.)
9. die Gammelfleischparty ("old/rotten meat party" = a type of party for old codgers)
8. Bildschirmbräune ("Computer screen tan" - the tan-less skin color of geeks)
7. unterhopft sein ("to be overdue for some hops)
6. hartzen (Hartz IV are entitlement programs for unemployed; used as verb: laze around)
5. bam ("cool")
4. der Bankster (banking; investment speculator-type)
3. der Pisaopfer (PISA study from 2000 indicated German schools have gaps; here, to one of those educationally left behind)
2. egosurfen (to check how you are represented -- or representing yourself -- on social media)
1. der Spießer (mediocre Fred; average Joe; boring -- the way youth generally characterizes parents, who set boundaries; it originally refered to the "reliable" way garden dwarves "pitch in" where needed.)
--> How does English slang compare?
Source: This Week in Germany
BONUS: N1 = Nice one
10. gechillt "Wir haben nur gechillt." (We just chilled out.)
9. die Gammelfleischparty ("old/rotten meat party" = a type of party for old codgers)
8. Bildschirmbräune ("Computer screen tan" - the tan-less skin color of geeks)
7. unterhopft sein ("to be overdue for some hops)
6. hartzen (Hartz IV are entitlement programs for unemployed; used as verb: laze around)
5. bam ("cool")
4. der Bankster (banking; investment speculator-type)
3. der Pisaopfer (PISA study from 2000 indicated German schools have gaps; here, to one of those educationally left behind)
2. egosurfen (to check how you are represented -- or representing yourself -- on social media)
1. der Spießer (mediocre Fred; average Joe; boring -- the way youth generally characterizes parents, who set boundaries; it originally refered to the "reliable" way garden dwarves "pitch in" where needed.)
--> How does English slang compare?
Bierbrauer vs. Piraten
German Heritage, American Style Aug 17, 2011 -- GERMANY.INFO
Milwaukee Brewers' Shaun Marcum pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. (© picture-alliance/landov)
Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted a German Heritage Day on August 14 at Miller Park and swept the Pirates while wearing commemorative German-language jerseys. The "Bierbrauer" grabbed a 2-1 win in 10 innings over the "Piraten".
The Brewers added the German Heritage Day in 2011 to honor Milwaukee's many German influences. In 1839, more than 1,000 Old Lutherans from Germany settled in Milwaukee, as well as in Buffalo and St. Louis. German immigration continued to increase Milwaukee's population over the next decades and sometime during the 1850s, Milwaukee became somewhat synonymous with beer. There were over two dozen breweries in Milwaukee in 1856 and most of them were German-owned and operated. At one point, Milwaukee was home to four of the largest breweries in the world - Miller, Pabst, Blatz, and Schlitz - and for many years Milwaukee produced more beer than any other city in the world.
Milwaukee-based and German-founded Miller Brewing Co., now the joint venture MillerCoors, is still a key employer in Milwaukee and Miller Park is home to the Brewers. The Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller, a German who immigrated to America and Milwaukee in 1854. Miller, having worked at a brewery in Hohenzollern in Germany, purchased the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee in 1855 and then incorporated the business in 1888 as the Frederick Miller Brewing Co.
German heritage carries on in many of Milwaukee's neighborhoods, restaurants, schools, breweries and even their sports teams. German heritage, however, is celebrated not only in Wisconsin, but across the entire country. Throughout the US, some 43 million Americans claim German ancestry.
Milwaukee Brewers' Shaun Marcum pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. (© picture-alliance/landov)
Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted a German Heritage Day on August 14 at Miller Park and swept the Pirates while wearing commemorative German-language jerseys. The "Bierbrauer" grabbed a 2-1 win in 10 innings over the "Piraten".
The Brewers added the German Heritage Day in 2011 to honor Milwaukee's many German influences. In 1839, more than 1,000 Old Lutherans from Germany settled in Milwaukee, as well as in Buffalo and St. Louis. German immigration continued to increase Milwaukee's population over the next decades and sometime during the 1850s, Milwaukee became somewhat synonymous with beer. There were over two dozen breweries in Milwaukee in 1856 and most of them were German-owned and operated. At one point, Milwaukee was home to four of the largest breweries in the world - Miller, Pabst, Blatz, and Schlitz - and for many years Milwaukee produced more beer than any other city in the world.
Milwaukee-based and German-founded Miller Brewing Co., now the joint venture MillerCoors, is still a key employer in Milwaukee and Miller Park is home to the Brewers. The Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller, a German who immigrated to America and Milwaukee in 1854. Miller, having worked at a brewery in Hohenzollern in Germany, purchased the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee in 1855 and then incorporated the business in 1888 as the Frederick Miller Brewing Co.
German heritage carries on in many of Milwaukee's neighborhoods, restaurants, schools, breweries and even their sports teams. German heritage, however, is celebrated not only in Wisconsin, but across the entire country. Throughout the US, some 43 million Americans claim German ancestry.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Torpedo Boyz "Ich bin Ausländer, leider (zum Glück)"
Ich gehe irgendwann nach Japan zurück
--> Was kannst Du verstehen?
--> Ich arbeite...bestellen Sie 'was, bitte!
--> Was kannst Du verstehen?
--> Ich arbeite...bestellen Sie 'was, bitte!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
10,000 L2 Hours = Magic Key to Learning
Literacy, Languages and Leadership
by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton
How long does it really take to learn a second language?
The short answer is, it depends.
Most language teachers will tell you that what you put in, is what you get out of language studies. Companies that sell language learning products or software may claim that their method or materials will guarantee fluency in a certain period of time. Usually, that time frame just happens to correspond to their particular program. Language experts tend to be skeptical of claims that a certain method can guarantee fluency in a short period of time – and with good reason.
The reality is that language acquisition is a complex process that involves communication, grammar, structure, comprehension and language production along with reading, writing, speaking and listening, just to name a few of the simpler aspects of language learning.
John Archibald and a team of researchers at the U. of Calgary conducted a study in 2007 that examined a number of questions relating to second language learning. The found that students who learn other subjects in a foreign language are likely to gain fluency and competence faster. The method, known as content-based language teaching (CBLT), involves teaching subject matter content such as math, geography and other subjects in a foreign language.
“Students in time-intensive content-based language teaching (CBLT) programs, such as French immersion, are typically able to master complex content material effectively, despite less than native-like proficiency in the language of instruction.
In programs where students have limited second-language (L2) proficiency and less time is devoted to L2 learning, the concrete and highly-contextualized content.” (Archibald et al, 2007)
Their work also found that the age at which a person begins to learn L2 matters. Children who grow up learning more than one language at home essentially have two mother tongues (Archibald et al., 2007 and Swain, 1972).
For those that don’t have the privilege of learning L2(+) from a young age at home, there are other factors.
The age of the learner
Language learning follows different patterns depending on when you start. Citing a study conducted by Birdsong (1999), Archibald and his team found that: “If L2 acquisition begins at age 5, it follows a different pattern than when L2 acquisition begins at age 25 or at age 15.” (Archibald et al., 2007, p. 3).
Notice that the researchers are careful not to judge if one’s ability to learn L2 becomes better or worse at a certain age. It simply follows a different mental and cognitive pattern.
Immersion
It also makes a difference if you’re learning a minority language or a majority language (Archibald et al, 2007; Cummins and Swain, 1986). For example, if you live in an English-speaking country and you are learning Italian, you are learning a minority language. But if you are an Italian living in England who is learning English, you are learning the language spoken by the majority. If you’re submersed in a language, the learning process is different because you’re being exposed to the language more for more hours per day, on a consistent basis.
Language learning in school
A key finding of the research by the U. of Calgary team found that students who take L2 classes at school are unlikely to receive sufficient exposure to the language to gain deep fluency:
“Learning L2 for 95 hours per year for six years will not lead to functional bilingualism and fluency. Expectations must be realistic.” (Archibald et al., 2007, p. 3)
Language learning in terms of hours – Apply the “10,000-hour rule”
Though the researchers don’t say how they arrived at the number of 95 hours per year, we can figure it out. Let’s look:
4 hours per week of L2 classes x 12 weeks per semester x 2 semesters per school year
= 96 hours per year.
If a student begins learning L2 in grade six and continues on through grade 12, that constitutes 6 years of language learning.
96 hours per year for 6 years = 576 hours of language instruction
In his book, Outliers, author Malcom Gladwell highlights a study originally published in the Harvard Business Review by Ericsson et al. The general premise has become known as the “10,000 hours to become an expert rule”. In the book Gladwell explains the research behind the notion that true expertise is achieved after an individual has invested 10,000 hours in learning or practicing a skill. This may be a sport, a musical instrument or the study of something.
There are many ways to define “fluency”.
If, for the sake of argument, we consider fluency to be the same as being an “expert” in speaking a language, then a learner may well invest 10,000 hours in their L2 studies to attain fluency.
People will shake their heads when they hear that. No one wants to believe it really requires that much work.
Let’s look at some different scenarios:
Scenario #1: One 2-hour adult education l2 course over 8 weeks = 24 hours total.
Scenario #2: One year of L2 learning in school = 4 hours per week x 12 weeks x 2 semesters = 96 hours total.
Scenario #3: 1 year of consistent, dedicated L2 self-study (or homework) at 1 hour per day = 65 hours total.
Scenario #4: One year of total immersion in the new language (Assuming that in a 24-hour day, we allow 8 hours for sleeping per day) = 16 hours per day x 365 days = 5840 hours total.
If we use Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule, here’s how long it would take to achieve “expert ability” in a foreign language:
Scenario #1 – Adult education classes – 416 courses of 24 hours per course. If you did 2 courses per year, you’d need 208 years to become fluent.
Scenario #2 – Foreign language studies at school – 96 hours of classes per year = 104 years to achieve fluency.
Scenario #3 – Dedicated self-study – An hour a day, every single day of the year = 365 hours per year = 27 years
Scenario #4 – Total immersion – Approximately 2 years
Let’s be clear. This is one very simplified way of looking at L2 learning. I openly admit that this way of looking at the question may be a bit reductionist. I said at the beginning of this post that L2 learning is a complex activity. This way of looking at how long it takes to become fluent doesn’t take into account individual differences or abilities, and nor does it address the effectiveness of different language teaching methods. It is simply one way to answer the question, “How long does it take to learn a new language?”
Some argue that immersion is the “best” way to learn a language. Others argue that there is no one “best” way. It may not be about the methods used, but simply the amount of hours spent learning. Learning can be done in formal, non-formal and informal contexts. Language learning doesn’t always take place in the classroom. Trained teachers can offer strategies and guidance that the self-directed learner may not have.
The bottom line is that mastering a foreign language takes time, dedication and hard work, regardless of whether it is done in a classroom or in an immersion setting.
However, the benefits of learning how to speak a second language are certainly worth the effort. The challenges of learning another language are immense. Yet millions have achieved some degree of fluency in at least one other language. Those who achieve true fluency do so because they put in dedicated, consistent effort over a long period of time. Claiming otherwise is tantamount to fraud.
Instead of asking “How long does it take to become fluent in another language?”, perhaps a better question is
“How do I get my 10,000 hours of study and practice to become fluent in a new language?”
The answer for most people, in practical terms of every day life, may well like in some combination of formal or non-formal classes, self-study, practice with others in informal contexts and immersion experiences through travel or living abroad.
References, see HERE
___________________
--> I actually disagree with several main points in this article, and will address them in brief here.
1. I feel that (with time) EVERYONE who speaks can acquire an L2; whereas not everyone can become and expert violinist, or basketball player.
2. Studying L2 from charts, graphs, lists, etc. is hard work. Acquiring it through stories takes concentration during class. Is that hard work? I hope you'll agree with me that it's fun! (We all learn faster that way.)
3. When a student works hard to comprehend real L2 during class, there's a quality of learning that resembles an hour of immersion. This skews the number of countable (or quality) hours for a single year of classes.
4. Dr. Eaton doesn't recognize various levels of fluency. For instance, I think of my beginning class as being fluent in telling the date after just a few hours of lessons. With the passage of time, additional fluencies are developed, each entwining with the others.
5. Some L2 learners don't hesitate to practice. Others are reluctant to use L2. Personality plays a role here.
--> But the article helps explain why our Burgau Exchangers have already reached fluency (in French AND in English): They have put in the time. Amazingly enough, these thousands of hours of L2 (and L3) learning helps inspire in them other avenues of learning. There seems to be no net loss of education time despite shorting the number of hours spent learning other subjects. L2 learning seems to be a magic key, opening the mind to caring about learning in general,or perhaps about enjoying learning.
--> Realism is a good thing, right? So, what we do in secondary school is get you started on a wonderful path of L2 learning, and introduce you to this magic. Admittedly, we'd prefer to start this path at the ELEMENTARY LEVEL, as they do elsewhere around the world, so that you could acquire at least 1,000 hours with us.
--> OK. How can you too claim this magic key? (How can your hours of L2 learning add into the THOUSANDS?!!)
by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton
How long does it really take to learn a second language?
The short answer is, it depends.
Most language teachers will tell you that what you put in, is what you get out of language studies. Companies that sell language learning products or software may claim that their method or materials will guarantee fluency in a certain period of time. Usually, that time frame just happens to correspond to their particular program. Language experts tend to be skeptical of claims that a certain method can guarantee fluency in a short period of time – and with good reason.
The reality is that language acquisition is a complex process that involves communication, grammar, structure, comprehension and language production along with reading, writing, speaking and listening, just to name a few of the simpler aspects of language learning.
John Archibald and a team of researchers at the U. of Calgary conducted a study in 2007 that examined a number of questions relating to second language learning. The found that students who learn other subjects in a foreign language are likely to gain fluency and competence faster. The method, known as content-based language teaching (CBLT), involves teaching subject matter content such as math, geography and other subjects in a foreign language.
“Students in time-intensive content-based language teaching (CBLT) programs, such as French immersion, are typically able to master complex content material effectively, despite less than native-like proficiency in the language of instruction.
In programs where students have limited second-language (L2) proficiency and less time is devoted to L2 learning, the concrete and highly-contextualized content.” (Archibald et al, 2007)
Their work also found that the age at which a person begins to learn L2 matters. Children who grow up learning more than one language at home essentially have two mother tongues (Archibald et al., 2007 and Swain, 1972).
For those that don’t have the privilege of learning L2(+) from a young age at home, there are other factors.
The age of the learner
Language learning follows different patterns depending on when you start. Citing a study conducted by Birdsong (1999), Archibald and his team found that: “If L2 acquisition begins at age 5, it follows a different pattern than when L2 acquisition begins at age 25 or at age 15.” (Archibald et al., 2007, p. 3).
Notice that the researchers are careful not to judge if one’s ability to learn L2 becomes better or worse at a certain age. It simply follows a different mental and cognitive pattern.
Immersion
It also makes a difference if you’re learning a minority language or a majority language (Archibald et al, 2007; Cummins and Swain, 1986). For example, if you live in an English-speaking country and you are learning Italian, you are learning a minority language. But if you are an Italian living in England who is learning English, you are learning the language spoken by the majority. If you’re submersed in a language, the learning process is different because you’re being exposed to the language more for more hours per day, on a consistent basis.
Language learning in school
A key finding of the research by the U. of Calgary team found that students who take L2 classes at school are unlikely to receive sufficient exposure to the language to gain deep fluency:
“Learning L2 for 95 hours per year for six years will not lead to functional bilingualism and fluency. Expectations must be realistic.” (Archibald et al., 2007, p. 3)
Language learning in terms of hours – Apply the “10,000-hour rule”
Though the researchers don’t say how they arrived at the number of 95 hours per year, we can figure it out. Let’s look:
4 hours per week of L2 classes x 12 weeks per semester x 2 semesters per school year
= 96 hours per year.
If a student begins learning L2 in grade six and continues on through grade 12, that constitutes 6 years of language learning.
96 hours per year for 6 years = 576 hours of language instruction
In his book, Outliers, author Malcom Gladwell highlights a study originally published in the Harvard Business Review by Ericsson et al. The general premise has become known as the “10,000 hours to become an expert rule”. In the book Gladwell explains the research behind the notion that true expertise is achieved after an individual has invested 10,000 hours in learning or practicing a skill. This may be a sport, a musical instrument or the study of something.
There are many ways to define “fluency”.
If, for the sake of argument, we consider fluency to be the same as being an “expert” in speaking a language, then a learner may well invest 10,000 hours in their L2 studies to attain fluency.
People will shake their heads when they hear that. No one wants to believe it really requires that much work.
Let’s look at some different scenarios:
Scenario #1: One 2-hour adult education l2 course over 8 weeks = 24 hours total.
Scenario #2: One year of L2 learning in school = 4 hours per week x 12 weeks x 2 semesters = 96 hours total.
Scenario #3: 1 year of consistent, dedicated L2 self-study (or homework) at 1 hour per day = 65 hours total.
Scenario #4: One year of total immersion in the new language (Assuming that in a 24-hour day, we allow 8 hours for sleeping per day) = 16 hours per day x 365 days = 5840 hours total.
If we use Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule, here’s how long it would take to achieve “expert ability” in a foreign language:
Scenario #1 – Adult education classes – 416 courses of 24 hours per course. If you did 2 courses per year, you’d need 208 years to become fluent.
Scenario #2 – Foreign language studies at school – 96 hours of classes per year = 104 years to achieve fluency.
Scenario #3 – Dedicated self-study – An hour a day, every single day of the year = 365 hours per year = 27 years
Scenario #4 – Total immersion – Approximately 2 years
Let’s be clear. This is one very simplified way of looking at L2 learning. I openly admit that this way of looking at the question may be a bit reductionist. I said at the beginning of this post that L2 learning is a complex activity. This way of looking at how long it takes to become fluent doesn’t take into account individual differences or abilities, and nor does it address the effectiveness of different language teaching methods. It is simply one way to answer the question, “How long does it take to learn a new language?”
Some argue that immersion is the “best” way to learn a language. Others argue that there is no one “best” way. It may not be about the methods used, but simply the amount of hours spent learning. Learning can be done in formal, non-formal and informal contexts. Language learning doesn’t always take place in the classroom. Trained teachers can offer strategies and guidance that the self-directed learner may not have.
The bottom line is that mastering a foreign language takes time, dedication and hard work, regardless of whether it is done in a classroom or in an immersion setting.
However, the benefits of learning how to speak a second language are certainly worth the effort. The challenges of learning another language are immense. Yet millions have achieved some degree of fluency in at least one other language. Those who achieve true fluency do so because they put in dedicated, consistent effort over a long period of time. Claiming otherwise is tantamount to fraud.
Instead of asking “How long does it take to become fluent in another language?”, perhaps a better question is
“How do I get my 10,000 hours of study and practice to become fluent in a new language?”
The answer for most people, in practical terms of every day life, may well like in some combination of formal or non-formal classes, self-study, practice with others in informal contexts and immersion experiences through travel or living abroad.
References, see HERE
___________________
--> I actually disagree with several main points in this article, and will address them in brief here.
1. I feel that (with time) EVERYONE who speaks can acquire an L2; whereas not everyone can become and expert violinist, or basketball player.
2. Studying L2 from charts, graphs, lists, etc. is hard work. Acquiring it through stories takes concentration during class. Is that hard work? I hope you'll agree with me that it's fun! (We all learn faster that way.)
3. When a student works hard to comprehend real L2 during class, there's a quality of learning that resembles an hour of immersion. This skews the number of countable (or quality) hours for a single year of classes.
4. Dr. Eaton doesn't recognize various levels of fluency. For instance, I think of my beginning class as being fluent in telling the date after just a few hours of lessons. With the passage of time, additional fluencies are developed, each entwining with the others.
5. Some L2 learners don't hesitate to practice. Others are reluctant to use L2. Personality plays a role here.
--> But the article helps explain why our Burgau Exchangers have already reached fluency (in French AND in English): They have put in the time. Amazingly enough, these thousands of hours of L2 (and L3) learning helps inspire in them other avenues of learning. There seems to be no net loss of education time despite shorting the number of hours spent learning other subjects. L2 learning seems to be a magic key, opening the mind to caring about learning in general,or perhaps about enjoying learning.
--> Realism is a good thing, right? So, what we do in secondary school is get you started on a wonderful path of L2 learning, and introduce you to this magic. Admittedly, we'd prefer to start this path at the ELEMENTARY LEVEL, as they do elsewhere around the world, so that you could acquire at least 1,000 hours with us.
--> OK. How can you too claim this magic key? (How can your hours of L2 learning add into the THOUSANDS?!!)
DILBERT: über Deutsche Techniker
Hier spricht Dilbert vielleicht über NOCH einen Grund DEUTSCH zu lernen.
--> Oder?
--> Oder?
Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Check out this scenery! Jr. Eurovision Armenia
Das Bühnenbild wird DREIMAL gewechselt!
Das Lied hießt MAMA, und der Sänger, Vladimir Arzumanyan ('98) hat gewonnen.
--> Und was hälst du von der Musik?
Das Lied hießt MAMA, und der Sänger, Vladimir Arzumanyan ('98) hat gewonnen.
--> Und was hälst du von der Musik?
Moldova Eurovision: So Lucky -- mit Einrad!
--in Weiss!
Das Lied bekam den 12. Platz.
Wie lustig.
Hier spielt SunStroke Project & Olia Tira RUN AWAY, Eurovision 2010. Dieses Lied hat den zehnten Platz verdient. --> Hat diese Gruppe mehr Talent als Lena?
Letzte Woche auf Block Island traf ich viele aus Moldova. Ich wollte mehr über dieses Land lernen. Jetzt weiss ich: Moldova hat eine lebendige Musikszene. Aber was noch?
Das Lied bekam den 12. Platz.
Wie lustig.
Hier spielt SunStroke Project & Olia Tira RUN AWAY, Eurovision 2010. Dieses Lied hat den zehnten Platz verdient. --> Hat diese Gruppe mehr Talent als Lena?
Letzte Woche auf Block Island traf ich viele aus Moldova. Ich wollte mehr über dieses Land lernen. Jetzt weiss ich: Moldova hat eine lebendige Musikszene. Aber was noch?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Gruppenarbeit? Arbeit zu Zweit?
So schreibt Chinesischlehrerin, Terry Waltz:
Why isn’t pairwork Comprehensible Input?
Posted on February 18, 2011 by Terry Waltz
On a prominent foreign language teachers’ List, the question was raised:
Why are conversations with partners not Comprehensible Input (CI)? If one student asks “What is your favorite class and why?” and the other student answers intelligibly, then why is this less optimal CI than storytelling?
Well, of course it is. Sort of. But McDonald’s is food, too — barely. Pairwork is the junk food of the language class. It provides poor-quality input. There are other legitimate reasons to use it at times, but providing optimal, maximized input isn’t one of them.
First, let’s think about what CI should ideally be:
1. Comprehensible (totally understood by the student);
2. Unpredictable (so that comprehension makes more impact);
3. yet Structured to provide what’s needed (to guarantee that curriculum is covered)
4. Compelling (or at least interesting) to get students to be engaged in thinking about what the language means rather than focusing on the form.
5. Accurate (it should be the best available model of the language being taught, both in grammar and usage, as well as accent, intonation, and so on.)
Let’s think about a couple of possibilities.
1. Two students read each other questions and answer them. (Gets points for #1, 3, 5)
The two students are reading the questions from a list or book, so we know the grammar and usage are (should be) correct. So the issue of formal accuracy is taken care of. What’s missing is the optimization of the model input — students do not always have the best accents to emulate, and reading out loud is not a natural language task so the output will be a bit stilted at best anyway. Interesting? I suppose if you’re one of those straight-A students, or if you’re paired up with your best friend, you might find it moderately interesting to ask a whole list of “do you like” questions of your friend, one after the other. Unpredictable? Hardly. It’s fairly obvious to everyone what’s coming next; by the time they get to middle school, kids have a pretty good idea how textbooks work.
Input grade: 60% (barely passing)
2. Two students ask each other questions (no list or textbook used). (#1, 3, 5).
Same idea as (1) above, except points will almost always be lost for accuracy unless the students have already acquired the patterns being practiced — in which case, why are they practicing them in a language class? (I am assuming that these Q&A are intended for pattern practice, because I simply cannot think of another reason why students in a typical lower-level language class would ask a bunch of questions of each other.)
Overall grade: 40% (fail)
3. Teacher asks questions based on a list or textbook (#1, 3, 5)
Although the teacher asking the questions at least guarantees (we hope) a good accent and accurate delivery in a more animated way, this still lacks unpredictability. And that’s assuming the teacher isn’t going in alphabetical order calling on kids! And the most animated teacher can’t make “#4. Welche Klasse findet Marie interessant?” interesting.
Grade: 60% (barely passing)
4. Teacher asks questions based on a developing story created by the class. (#1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
This method hits on all the optimal characteristics of comprehensible input. It’s accurate, it hits the structures being emphasized, it’s interesting because it’s talking about content the class has decided on, not something imposed on them, it’s unpredictable because the story hasn’t been completed yet — what could be less predictable than that? It’s structured because the teacher knows what structure or items she is emphasizing, and takes care to repeat them using techniques that get in a lot of reps without getting repetitious.
Input grade: 98% (teacher got tired, it was seventh period, and there was a fire drill in the middle of class. Just kidding…)
--> Anything here to agree on?
Why isn’t pairwork Comprehensible Input?
Posted on February 18, 2011 by Terry Waltz
On a prominent foreign language teachers’ List, the question was raised:
Why are conversations with partners not Comprehensible Input (CI)? If one student asks “What is your favorite class and why?” and the other student answers intelligibly, then why is this less optimal CI than storytelling?
Well, of course it is. Sort of. But McDonald’s is food, too — barely. Pairwork is the junk food of the language class. It provides poor-quality input. There are other legitimate reasons to use it at times, but providing optimal, maximized input isn’t one of them.
First, let’s think about what CI should ideally be:
1. Comprehensible (totally understood by the student);
2. Unpredictable (so that comprehension makes more impact);
3. yet Structured to provide what’s needed (to guarantee that curriculum is covered)
4. Compelling (or at least interesting) to get students to be engaged in thinking about what the language means rather than focusing on the form.
5. Accurate (it should be the best available model of the language being taught, both in grammar and usage, as well as accent, intonation, and so on.)
Let’s think about a couple of possibilities.
1. Two students read each other questions and answer them. (Gets points for #1, 3, 5)
The two students are reading the questions from a list or book, so we know the grammar and usage are (should be) correct. So the issue of formal accuracy is taken care of. What’s missing is the optimization of the model input — students do not always have the best accents to emulate, and reading out loud is not a natural language task so the output will be a bit stilted at best anyway. Interesting? I suppose if you’re one of those straight-A students, or if you’re paired up with your best friend, you might find it moderately interesting to ask a whole list of “do you like” questions of your friend, one after the other. Unpredictable? Hardly. It’s fairly obvious to everyone what’s coming next; by the time they get to middle school, kids have a pretty good idea how textbooks work.
Input grade: 60% (barely passing)
2. Two students ask each other questions (no list or textbook used). (#1, 3, 5).
Same idea as (1) above, except points will almost always be lost for accuracy unless the students have already acquired the patterns being practiced — in which case, why are they practicing them in a language class? (I am assuming that these Q&A are intended for pattern practice, because I simply cannot think of another reason why students in a typical lower-level language class would ask a bunch of questions of each other.)
Overall grade: 40% (fail)
3. Teacher asks questions based on a list or textbook (#1, 3, 5)
Although the teacher asking the questions at least guarantees (we hope) a good accent and accurate delivery in a more animated way, this still lacks unpredictability. And that’s assuming the teacher isn’t going in alphabetical order calling on kids! And the most animated teacher can’t make “#4. Welche Klasse findet Marie interessant?” interesting.
Grade: 60% (barely passing)
4. Teacher asks questions based on a developing story created by the class. (#1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
This method hits on all the optimal characteristics of comprehensible input. It’s accurate, it hits the structures being emphasized, it’s interesting because it’s talking about content the class has decided on, not something imposed on them, it’s unpredictable because the story hasn’t been completed yet — what could be less predictable than that? It’s structured because the teacher knows what structure or items she is emphasizing, and takes care to repeat them using techniques that get in a lot of reps without getting repetitious.
Input grade: 98% (teacher got tired, it was seventh period, and there was a fire drill in the middle of class. Just kidding…)
--> Anything here to agree on?
In Spain -- A surge in GERMAN ACADEMIES
NPR: Listen HERE
TRANSCRIPT HERE:
Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
It's a tough economy in Europe, as well as here. And we're going to turn now to Spain, where tough economic times has sparked a run on language classes. Spaniards are looking for work elsewhere in Europe. And it's not just English that helps them to land a job. As Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid, German language academies are seeing a surge in enrollment.
LAUREN FRAYER: It's summertime in Spain. Locals sip sangria at a bar in downtown Madrid. But the chit-chat sounds a bit different this summer.
Unidentified Man #1: (German spoken)
FRAYER: These Spaniards are speaking German.
Mr. ARTURO NORIEGA: You have to pronounce, I think, with the throat. Rrrrr, rrrr, rrrr.
FRAYER: Arturo Noriega and his friends are among the millions of educated Spaniards unable to find good jobs at home. So they've set their sights on Europe's strongest economy - Germany.
More than one in five Spaniards is out of work. But Germany is forecast to have a shortage of two million skilled workers by the year 2020.
Noriega trained as an agricultural engineer, but has to make do working as a low-paid childcare supervisor in Madrid.
Mr. NORIEGA: The job that I can have in Germany would be much better paid -very good pay - than here.
FRAYER: Back in February, Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Madrid and issued an invitation to Spanish professionals to go to Germany. Since then, German classes have seen a 20 percent spike in enrollment.
Mr. ALEJANDRO GARCIA (Teacher): I have all the work that I want.
FRAYER: German teacher Alejandro Garcia spends all day at this sidewalk cafe, giving private lessons. He's flooded with requests.
Mr. GARCIA: All the people is like, I want to learn German, I want to learn German, I need to learn German.
FRAYER: One by one, Garcia helps them fill out applications for jobs in Germany.
This isn't the first wave of Spaniards heading north. Thousands left in the 1960s and '70s. At the time, a popular movie in Spain was "Vente A Alemania, Pepe" "Come to Germany, Pepe" - about a lovable village idiot who goes to Germany chasing money and beautiful blondes.
(Soundbite of movie, "Vente A Alemania, Pepe")
Unidentified Man #2 (Actor): (Foreign language spoken)
(Soundbite of laughing)
FRAYER: In the end, Pepe decides Germans work too hard and eat strange food. The film is dated, but its theme - stereotypes of North versus South - lingers with many Spaniards, like Arturo Noriega.
Mr. NORIEGA: I think the German people are very punctual, very strict in their jobs. You know, Spain also has very hard-working people, but it's a little bit more relaxed. It's more friendly.
FRAYER: Noriega and his peers are skilled workers with Master's degrees. That's a different profile from Pepe in the film.
Nick Byrne, director of the language center at the London School of Economics, says the Germans are not looking for blue collar guest workers like they did in the 1960s and '70s.
Mr. NICK BYRNE (London School of Economics): Very much more like manual things, more like waiters, cleaners and all of that. Whereas this side is very much more mid to upper market, managerial posts, people working in executive positions. So it's basically going to white collar from blue collar.
Mr. TIM KNÖGEL: (Foreign language spoken)
FRAYER: Back at the bar, an 18-year-old German is surrounded by Spaniards, all asking him questions about German grammar. Tim Knögel says he's happy to help, but he's quite enamored with all things Spanish.
Mr. KNÖGEL: Flamenco. (Soundbite of laughter)
And the Spanish girls are very nice. (Soundbite of laughter)
FRAYER: So while many Germans head to Spain for vacation this summer, some locals are hoping to migrate in the opposite direction. Once they master those German verbs, of course.
For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer in Madrid.
TRANSCRIPT HERE:
Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
It's a tough economy in Europe, as well as here. And we're going to turn now to Spain, where tough economic times has sparked a run on language classes. Spaniards are looking for work elsewhere in Europe. And it's not just English that helps them to land a job. As Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid, German language academies are seeing a surge in enrollment.
LAUREN FRAYER: It's summertime in Spain. Locals sip sangria at a bar in downtown Madrid. But the chit-chat sounds a bit different this summer.
Unidentified Man #1: (German spoken)
FRAYER: These Spaniards are speaking German.
Mr. ARTURO NORIEGA: You have to pronounce, I think, with the throat. Rrrrr, rrrr, rrrr.
FRAYER: Arturo Noriega and his friends are among the millions of educated Spaniards unable to find good jobs at home. So they've set their sights on Europe's strongest economy - Germany.
More than one in five Spaniards is out of work. But Germany is forecast to have a shortage of two million skilled workers by the year 2020.
Noriega trained as an agricultural engineer, but has to make do working as a low-paid childcare supervisor in Madrid.
Mr. NORIEGA: The job that I can have in Germany would be much better paid -very good pay - than here.
FRAYER: Back in February, Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Madrid and issued an invitation to Spanish professionals to go to Germany. Since then, German classes have seen a 20 percent spike in enrollment.
Mr. ALEJANDRO GARCIA (Teacher): I have all the work that I want.
FRAYER: German teacher Alejandro Garcia spends all day at this sidewalk cafe, giving private lessons. He's flooded with requests.
Mr. GARCIA: All the people is like, I want to learn German, I want to learn German, I need to learn German.
FRAYER: One by one, Garcia helps them fill out applications for jobs in Germany.
This isn't the first wave of Spaniards heading north. Thousands left in the 1960s and '70s. At the time, a popular movie in Spain was "Vente A Alemania, Pepe" "Come to Germany, Pepe" - about a lovable village idiot who goes to Germany chasing money and beautiful blondes.
(Soundbite of movie, "Vente A Alemania, Pepe")
Unidentified Man #2 (Actor): (Foreign language spoken)
(Soundbite of laughing)
FRAYER: In the end, Pepe decides Germans work too hard and eat strange food. The film is dated, but its theme - stereotypes of North versus South - lingers with many Spaniards, like Arturo Noriega.
Mr. NORIEGA: I think the German people are very punctual, very strict in their jobs. You know, Spain also has very hard-working people, but it's a little bit more relaxed. It's more friendly.
FRAYER: Noriega and his peers are skilled workers with Master's degrees. That's a different profile from Pepe in the film.
Nick Byrne, director of the language center at the London School of Economics, says the Germans are not looking for blue collar guest workers like they did in the 1960s and '70s.
Mr. NICK BYRNE (London School of Economics): Very much more like manual things, more like waiters, cleaners and all of that. Whereas this side is very much more mid to upper market, managerial posts, people working in executive positions. So it's basically going to white collar from blue collar.
Mr. TIM KNÖGEL: (Foreign language spoken)
FRAYER: Back at the bar, an 18-year-old German is surrounded by Spaniards, all asking him questions about German grammar. Tim Knögel says he's happy to help, but he's quite enamored with all things Spanish.
Mr. KNÖGEL: Flamenco. (Soundbite of laughter)
And the Spanish girls are very nice. (Soundbite of laughter)
FRAYER: So while many Germans head to Spain for vacation this summer, some locals are hoping to migrate in the opposite direction. Once they master those German verbs, of course.
For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer in Madrid.
Ein Porzellan Einhörnchen -- in 3 Minuten
Schaut euch das Video an. Es gibt ein paar Fragen danach. Kannst Du sie auf Deutsch antworten?
Fragen, dank Frau Stewart (lingtlanguage.com)
1. Wer ist in der ersten Szene?
2. In der zweiten Szene, wie kommen die Jungen in das Haus ein?
3. Was sehen sie auf dem Tisch?
4. In der vierten Szene kommen die Nazis in das Haus. Sie finden den Jungen. Warum sagt ihnen (to them) der Jungen, "Es tut mir leid"?
5. Am Ende, wie auch am Anfang, ist es Jahre später. Ein Mann bringt der Frau ein Einhörnchen (little Unicorn) aus Porzellan. Warum?
6. Wie ist es, dass das Einhörnchen jetzt wieder GANZ ist? Der Offizier hatte es voher KAPUTT gemacht.
Fragen, dank Frau Stewart (lingtlanguage.com)
1. Wer ist in der ersten Szene?
2. In der zweiten Szene, wie kommen die Jungen in das Haus ein?
3. Was sehen sie auf dem Tisch?
4. In der vierten Szene kommen die Nazis in das Haus. Sie finden den Jungen. Warum sagt ihnen (to them) der Jungen, "Es tut mir leid"?
5. Am Ende, wie auch am Anfang, ist es Jahre später. Ein Mann bringt der Frau ein Einhörnchen (little Unicorn) aus Porzellan. Warum?
6. Wie ist es, dass das Einhörnchen jetzt wieder GANZ ist? Der Offizier hatte es voher KAPUTT gemacht.
Komm mit Wortschatz!
Flashkarten bauen?
Here, thanks to German teacher, Linda Havas, is a great way to review vocabulary from our Textbook:
KOMM MIT 1:
KOMM MIT 2:
--> Zum Downloaden ?! Jawohl!
Here, thanks to German teacher, Linda Havas, is a great way to review vocabulary from our Textbook:
KOMM MIT 1:
KOMM MIT 2:
--> Zum Downloaden ?! Jawohl!
IU urges Congress to restore foreign language cuts
Associated Press Aug. 6, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University is working to find alternative ways to fund foreign language instruction after a $1.7 million decrease in federal funds, even as its president urges Congress to restore funding for such programs.
Congress has cut $50 million from the Department of Education's HEA-Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs that support foreign culture and language training.
IU has one of the highest concentrations of Title VI programs in the country. President Michael McRobbie says the programs have helped train foreign language scholars, military personnel and public service leaders for generations. He says restoring Title VI funding to 2010 levels is essential to continuing that work.
McRobbie is one of more than 80 college and university presidents who signed a letter urging Congress to restore the funds.
The presidents argue that foreign languages and culture education are important to national security and say that cutting the funds would weaken the expertise and knowledge needed to meet U.S. economic, global and security challenges.
IU offers courses in more than 80 foreign languages. Its programs gathered steam during World War II. In 1942, then-President Herman B Wells called for IU to teach Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Finnish languages as part of a program designed to meet the needs of the Army during wartime.
Alumni who've benefited from the Title VI programs include former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia James Collins.
Jim Capshew, a professor in the department of the history and philosophy of science and a scholar of IU history, said Wells recognized that the funding generated by Cold War national security concerns could expand the depth of the university well into the future.
“Wells invested a lot in the humanities and arts, because all you needed was the personnel, the scholars and the students, and a good library,” he said. “You didn't need the big expensive laboratories and equipment you do in some of the sciences.”
That work earned Wells a 1969 nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Though he didn't get it, Capshew said, the nomination focused on his effort to expand international understanding through language instruction and other programs.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University is working to find alternative ways to fund foreign language instruction after a $1.7 million decrease in federal funds, even as its president urges Congress to restore funding for such programs.
Congress has cut $50 million from the Department of Education's HEA-Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs that support foreign culture and language training.
IU has one of the highest concentrations of Title VI programs in the country. President Michael McRobbie says the programs have helped train foreign language scholars, military personnel and public service leaders for generations. He says restoring Title VI funding to 2010 levels is essential to continuing that work.
McRobbie is one of more than 80 college and university presidents who signed a letter urging Congress to restore the funds.
The presidents argue that foreign languages and culture education are important to national security and say that cutting the funds would weaken the expertise and knowledge needed to meet U.S. economic, global and security challenges.
IU offers courses in more than 80 foreign languages. Its programs gathered steam during World War II. In 1942, then-President Herman B Wells called for IU to teach Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Finnish languages as part of a program designed to meet the needs of the Army during wartime.
Alumni who've benefited from the Title VI programs include former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia James Collins.
Jim Capshew, a professor in the department of the history and philosophy of science and a scholar of IU history, said Wells recognized that the funding generated by Cold War national security concerns could expand the depth of the university well into the future.
“Wells invested a lot in the humanities and arts, because all you needed was the personnel, the scholars and the students, and a good library,” he said. “You didn't need the big expensive laboratories and equipment you do in some of the sciences.”
That work earned Wells a 1969 nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Though he didn't get it, Capshew said, the nomination focused on his effort to expand international understanding through language instruction and other programs.
Newsweek: Why It's Smart to be Bilingual Aug 7 2011
The brain’s real super-food may be learning new languages. by Casey Schwartz (Brown University graduate with master's degree in psychodynamic neuroscience from University College, London. She is working on a book about the brain world)
On a sweltering August morning, in a classroom overlooking New York’s Hudson River, a group of 3-year-olds are rolling sticky rice balls in chocolate sprinkles, as a teacher guides them completely in Mandarin.
This is just one toddler learning game at the total--immersion language summer camp run by the primary school Bilingual Buds, which offers a year-round curriculum in Mandarin as well as Spanish (at a New Jersey campus) for kids as young as 2.
Bilingualism, of course, can be a leg up for college admission and a résumé burnisher. But a growing body of research now offers a further rationale: the regular, high-level use of more than one language may actually improve early brain development.
According to several different studies, command of two or more languages bolsters the ability to focus in the face of distraction, decide between competing alternatives, and disregard irrelevant information. These essential skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as “executive function.” The research suggests they develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4.
While no one has yet identified the exact mechanism by which bilingualism boosts brain development, the advantage likely stems from the bilingual’s need to continually select the right language for a given situation. According to Ellen Bialystok, a professor at York University in Toronto and a leading researcher in the field, this constant selecting process is strenuous exercise for the brain and involves processes beyond those required for monolingual speech, resulting in an extra stash of mental acuity, or, in Bialy-stok’s terms, a “cognitive reserve.”
Bilingual education, commonplace in many countries, is a growing trend across the United States, with 440 elementary schools (up from virtually none in 1970) offering immersion study...
Some of the most valuable mental perks of bilingualism can’t be measured at all, of course. To speak more than one language is to inherit a global consciousness that opens the mind to more than one culture or way of life.
Bilinguals also appear to be better at learning new languages than monolinguals. London-based writer Clarisse Lehmann spent her early childhood in Switzerland speaking French. At 6, she learned English. Later she learned Spanish, German, and, during three years spent living in Tokyo, Japanese.
“There’s a witty humor in English that has a different sensibility in French,” she says. “And in Japanese, there’s no sarcasm. When I tried, it would be ‘We don’t understand what you’re trying to say.’?” ...
--> Wir wollen auch zweisprachig werden, nicht wahr?! Lernen wir denn ordentlich DEUTSCH!
On a sweltering August morning, in a classroom overlooking New York’s Hudson River, a group of 3-year-olds are rolling sticky rice balls in chocolate sprinkles, as a teacher guides them completely in Mandarin.
This is just one toddler learning game at the total--immersion language summer camp run by the primary school Bilingual Buds, which offers a year-round curriculum in Mandarin as well as Spanish (at a New Jersey campus) for kids as young as 2.
Bilingualism, of course, can be a leg up for college admission and a résumé burnisher. But a growing body of research now offers a further rationale: the regular, high-level use of more than one language may actually improve early brain development.
According to several different studies, command of two or more languages bolsters the ability to focus in the face of distraction, decide between competing alternatives, and disregard irrelevant information. These essential skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as “executive function.” The research suggests they develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4.
While no one has yet identified the exact mechanism by which bilingualism boosts brain development, the advantage likely stems from the bilingual’s need to continually select the right language for a given situation. According to Ellen Bialystok, a professor at York University in Toronto and a leading researcher in the field, this constant selecting process is strenuous exercise for the brain and involves processes beyond those required for monolingual speech, resulting in an extra stash of mental acuity, or, in Bialy-stok’s terms, a “cognitive reserve.”
Bilingual education, commonplace in many countries, is a growing trend across the United States, with 440 elementary schools (up from virtually none in 1970) offering immersion study...
Some of the most valuable mental perks of bilingualism can’t be measured at all, of course. To speak more than one language is to inherit a global consciousness that opens the mind to more than one culture or way of life.
Bilinguals also appear to be better at learning new languages than monolinguals. London-based writer Clarisse Lehmann spent her early childhood in Switzerland speaking French. At 6, she learned English. Later she learned Spanish, German, and, during three years spent living in Tokyo, Japanese.
“There’s a witty humor in English that has a different sensibility in French,” she says. “And in Japanese, there’s no sarcasm. When I tried, it would be ‘We don’t understand what you’re trying to say.’?” ...
--> Wir wollen auch zweisprachig werden, nicht wahr?! Lernen wir denn ordentlich DEUTSCH!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Lübeck! (The city of 7 Spires)
New York Times Overnighter By OMAR SACIRBEY Published: August 5, 2011
Lübeck’s Spires, a Quick Hop From Hamburg
A view of the city of Lübeck, Germany, with the spires of the Church of St. Mary, center, and St. Peter's Church.
WITH its soaring spires, ubiquitous crow-step gables and dozens of courtyards lined with centuries-old houses, it’s easy to see why Unesco placed a large swath of the northern German city of Lübeck on its list of World Heritage Sites.
An hour from Hamburg by rail or car, Lübeck, a city of 212,000, offers the overnight visitor a chance to revel in a dreamlike panoply of architectural history. Some 1,300 buildings — Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance and Classical — are situated within the city’s compact center on an island that is surrounded by the Trave River and a canal that leads to the Elbe River. Barely a mile long, the island can be traversed on foot in less than an hour. But don’t rush, because there is much to explore — from quiet side streets and busy thoroughfares to historic squares and medieval churches.
For all its history, there is nothing stuffy about Lübeck. Founded in the 12th century, the city exudes an independent air, likely a product of its maritime heritage as a major Baltic port and its centuries-long status as a free city-state governed not by royalty but by wealthy merchants who helped found the powerful economic alliance known as the Hanseatic League. These days, this egalitarian sensibility is abetted by three universities and a vibrant community of Turks and other immigrants. Music, theater and artistic options abound, as do restaurants offering regional and ethnic dishes, shops selling the city’s famed marzipan confections, and waterfront cafes where you can sip a beer while taking in the intriguing juxtaposition of ancient architecture, cargo ships and tour boats. Political fans can visit a museum about Willy Brandt, the former German chancellor, who was born in Lübeck, while those with a literary bent can explore museums devoted to Thomas Mann, another native son, and Günter Grass, who has lived in the region since the 1980s, and has been known to occasionally pop into Buthman’s Bierstube, which served its first drink in 1697, on Glockengiesserstrasse.
But the main attraction remains the architecture. A good place to start is the 15th-century Holsten Gate, which sits across the Trave and once guarded Lübeck’s western entryway. Today it is the city’s symbol, with its arched entrance, stout walls and two towers overlooking a wide green lawn. Inside, after perusing swords, armor and other artifacts, climb one of the spiral staircases and peer out the tiny windows for a view of ships and the town.
Then it’s on to the churches.
Lübeck is known as the City of Seven Spires for the Gothic churches that punctuate its skyline. The best known are the Church of St. Mary, Germany’s third-largest church (Schüsselbuden 13; st-marien-luebeck.de/kontakt.html) and the Lübeck Cathedral (Mühlendamm 2-6; domzuluebeck.de/en/index.php), with its nearly 400-foot spires. Their enormity is impressive, but it is their many details that are most captivating. At St. Mary’s, skeletons carved in stone lurk on the walls and columns, while two bells lie broken on the ground where they fell in 1942 after an Allied attack during World War II. The cathedral is no less enthralling, with 14th-century tombs, iron gates donated by riverboat captains hoping to improve their odds of salvation, and a gold crucifix from 1477 that includes the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the apostles.
Not surprisingly, the acoustics are remarkable in both buildings. Most weeks, the city’s churches host organ recitals and choral concerts, while the cathedral serves as a venue for the annual Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, a seven-week event that began on July 9 this year. Then there are the unannounced concerts. For example, one afternoon, visitors at St. Mary’s were treated to “Shenandoah,” performed by teenagers from the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Some of Lübeck’s most enchanting buildings are found serendipitously, by exploring the city’s myriad alleys and courtyards. For instance, near the Lübeck Cathedral, a stroll down Hartengrube street leads to a medley of medieval homes and, at the end of the street on a grassy bank, a bench with a romantic view of the Trave River.
On the west side near the city’s puppet theater and museum, the curvy streets are too narrow for cars and emanate a fairytale feel, while a walk along the canals reveals the city’s maritime roots. Choose a waterside cafe where you can watch the swirl of people — laborers, business people, Muslim women wearing colorful head scarves and student types decked out in leather.
After exploring the city’s streetscape, get an overview of what you’ve seen seven floors up the steeple at St. Peter’s Church (Am Petrikirchhof 1; st-petri-luebeck.de). From there, you can look across the sea of red-tiled rooftops and out to the flatlands, marvel at the giant wind holes carved out of the upper walls of the 13th-century Rathaus, and gaze at the flying buttresses atop St. Mary’s Church.
Across the street from St. Mary’s, you’ll find a courtly white house that once belonged to the grandparents of the novelist Thomas Mann, one of three local Nobel Prize winners. Today the Buddenbrookhaus (Mengstrasse 4; buddenbrookhaus.de/), which recalls the name of Mann’s masterpiece, is a museum dedicated to the novelist and his writer brother Heinrich. A short walk away the Günter Grass Haus (Glockengiesserstrasse 21; die-luebecker-museen.de/de/43/home.html) is primarily devoted to the nonliterary pursuits of Lübeck’s other Nobel-winning novelist — sculpturing, painting and drawing, but still includes literary artifacts, like his first typewriter. The Willy Brandt Haus (Koenigstrasse 21; willy-brandt-luebeck.de) is around the corner and no less fascinating in its recollection of this pivotal 20th-century figure and Nobel winner, became a prominent anti-Nazi activist, and as chancellor from 1969 to 1974 helped Germany regain a place on the international stage.
Need a break from history? Stop at the Café Niederegger (Breitestrasse 89; niederegger.de) across the street from the Rathaus. It is the flagship store of the famed producer of Lübeck marzipan, which, like Gouda cheese, enjoys European Union protection as a geographic indication of origin. The shop sells marzipan in a dizzying array of shapes — eels, onions, carrots, rabbits — as well as marzipan liquor and marzipan coffee. In the adjoining cafe, in a room with tall windows that overlook the always-busy Breitestrasse, you can savor rich cakes (the Prince Heinrich, packed with marzipan, is the classic). Upstairs, a small museum is dedicated to marzipan.
While the city has many good restaurants, Schiffergesellschaft, or the Seamen’s Society (Breitestrasse 2; schiffergesellschaft.de), in a crow-step gable building from 1535, is quintessential Lübeck. In operation since 1868, the restaurant, with its original banquet tables and 200-year-old model ships dangling from the ceiling, features regional specialties like baked zander — a game fish found only in Europe — and medallions of roasted lamb, beef and pork served atop ratatouille and fried potatoes.
Afterward, stop at Im Alten Zolln, in a 16th-century customs house at the southern tip of the city (Mühlenstrasse 93-95; alter-zolln.de) whose beer selection includes a delicious dark ale the owners brew themselves.
You’ll find the biggest constellation of bars on Lübeck’s east side, especially along Hüxstrasse and Fleischhauerstrasse. CafeBar (Hüxstrasse 94; cafebar.tv) draws crowds with nightly D.J.’s spinning techno, lounge, hip-hop and R & B, and that late on a recent Tuesday night overflowed with revelers speaking English and Turkish mingled with German.
Before you head back to your hotel, allow yourself time for an aimless stroll through the streets illuminated by gas lamps. It’s yet another way to lose yourself in the time warp that is Lübeck.
IF YOU GO
Trains from Hamburg’s main train station depart for Lübeck’s main station throughout the day, and take about 40 minutes. One-way tickets range from 15 to 20 euros, or $21 to $28, at $1.41 to the euro. From Lübeck’s train station, most hotels are a short cab ride or bus ride away, and in some cases can also be reached by foot. If you’re driving from Hamburg, exit the city at A24 East and then head north on A1 for about 30 miles until you see exit signs for Lübeck Zentrum.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel An Der Marienkirche (Schuesselbuden 4; 49-451-799-410; hotel-an-der-Marienkirche.de) has 18 rooms in the heart of the city next to the historic St. Mary’s Church. Recently renovated, doubles start at 70 euros (about $98) per night off season, and 80 in peak season.
Hotel Jensen (An Der Obertrave 4-5; 49-451-702-490; hotel-jensen-luebeck.de) has 42 rooms in a 14th-century building on Lübeck’s western riverfront facing the Holsten Gate. Singles and doubles range from 75 to 115 euros, while family rooms and suites are between 125 and 219 euros.
Scandic Lübeck (Travemuender Allee 3; 49-451-370-60; scandichotels.com) is a short walk to the historic Burgtor, the north entrance to the city. The nearly 160 rooms range from 85 to 250 euros per night.
Lübeck’s Spires, a Quick Hop From Hamburg
A view of the city of Lübeck, Germany, with the spires of the Church of St. Mary, center, and St. Peter's Church.WITH its soaring spires, ubiquitous crow-step gables and dozens of courtyards lined with centuries-old houses, it’s easy to see why Unesco placed a large swath of the northern German city of Lübeck on its list of World Heritage Sites.
An hour from Hamburg by rail or car, Lübeck, a city of 212,000, offers the overnight visitor a chance to revel in a dreamlike panoply of architectural history. Some 1,300 buildings — Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance and Classical — are situated within the city’s compact center on an island that is surrounded by the Trave River and a canal that leads to the Elbe River. Barely a mile long, the island can be traversed on foot in less than an hour. But don’t rush, because there is much to explore — from quiet side streets and busy thoroughfares to historic squares and medieval churches.
For all its history, there is nothing stuffy about Lübeck. Founded in the 12th century, the city exudes an independent air, likely a product of its maritime heritage as a major Baltic port and its centuries-long status as a free city-state governed not by royalty but by wealthy merchants who helped found the powerful economic alliance known as the Hanseatic League. These days, this egalitarian sensibility is abetted by three universities and a vibrant community of Turks and other immigrants. Music, theater and artistic options abound, as do restaurants offering regional and ethnic dishes, shops selling the city’s famed marzipan confections, and waterfront cafes where you can sip a beer while taking in the intriguing juxtaposition of ancient architecture, cargo ships and tour boats. Political fans can visit a museum about Willy Brandt, the former German chancellor, who was born in Lübeck, while those with a literary bent can explore museums devoted to Thomas Mann, another native son, and Günter Grass, who has lived in the region since the 1980s, and has been known to occasionally pop into Buthman’s Bierstube, which served its first drink in 1697, on Glockengiesserstrasse.
But the main attraction remains the architecture. A good place to start is the 15th-century Holsten Gate, which sits across the Trave and once guarded Lübeck’s western entryway. Today it is the city’s symbol, with its arched entrance, stout walls and two towers overlooking a wide green lawn. Inside, after perusing swords, armor and other artifacts, climb one of the spiral staircases and peer out the tiny windows for a view of ships and the town.
Then it’s on to the churches.
Lübeck is known as the City of Seven Spires for the Gothic churches that punctuate its skyline. The best known are the Church of St. Mary, Germany’s third-largest church (Schüsselbuden 13; st-marien-luebeck.de/kontakt.html) and the Lübeck Cathedral (Mühlendamm 2-6; domzuluebeck.de/en/index.php), with its nearly 400-foot spires. Their enormity is impressive, but it is their many details that are most captivating. At St. Mary’s, skeletons carved in stone lurk on the walls and columns, while two bells lie broken on the ground where they fell in 1942 after an Allied attack during World War II. The cathedral is no less enthralling, with 14th-century tombs, iron gates donated by riverboat captains hoping to improve their odds of salvation, and a gold crucifix from 1477 that includes the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the apostles.
Not surprisingly, the acoustics are remarkable in both buildings. Most weeks, the city’s churches host organ recitals and choral concerts, while the cathedral serves as a venue for the annual Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, a seven-week event that began on July 9 this year. Then there are the unannounced concerts. For example, one afternoon, visitors at St. Mary’s were treated to “Shenandoah,” performed by teenagers from the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Some of Lübeck’s most enchanting buildings are found serendipitously, by exploring the city’s myriad alleys and courtyards. For instance, near the Lübeck Cathedral, a stroll down Hartengrube street leads to a medley of medieval homes and, at the end of the street on a grassy bank, a bench with a romantic view of the Trave River.
On the west side near the city’s puppet theater and museum, the curvy streets are too narrow for cars and emanate a fairytale feel, while a walk along the canals reveals the city’s maritime roots. Choose a waterside cafe where you can watch the swirl of people — laborers, business people, Muslim women wearing colorful head scarves and student types decked out in leather.
After exploring the city’s streetscape, get an overview of what you’ve seen seven floors up the steeple at St. Peter’s Church (Am Petrikirchhof 1; st-petri-luebeck.de). From there, you can look across the sea of red-tiled rooftops and out to the flatlands, marvel at the giant wind holes carved out of the upper walls of the 13th-century Rathaus, and gaze at the flying buttresses atop St. Mary’s Church.
Across the street from St. Mary’s, you’ll find a courtly white house that once belonged to the grandparents of the novelist Thomas Mann, one of three local Nobel Prize winners. Today the Buddenbrookhaus (Mengstrasse 4; buddenbrookhaus.de/), which recalls the name of Mann’s masterpiece, is a museum dedicated to the novelist and his writer brother Heinrich. A short walk away the Günter Grass Haus (Glockengiesserstrasse 21; die-luebecker-museen.de/de/43/home.html) is primarily devoted to the nonliterary pursuits of Lübeck’s other Nobel-winning novelist — sculpturing, painting and drawing, but still includes literary artifacts, like his first typewriter. The Willy Brandt Haus (Koenigstrasse 21; willy-brandt-luebeck.de) is around the corner and no less fascinating in its recollection of this pivotal 20th-century figure and Nobel winner, became a prominent anti-Nazi activist, and as chancellor from 1969 to 1974 helped Germany regain a place on the international stage.
Need a break from history? Stop at the Café Niederegger (Breitestrasse 89; niederegger.de) across the street from the Rathaus. It is the flagship store of the famed producer of Lübeck marzipan, which, like Gouda cheese, enjoys European Union protection as a geographic indication of origin. The shop sells marzipan in a dizzying array of shapes — eels, onions, carrots, rabbits — as well as marzipan liquor and marzipan coffee. In the adjoining cafe, in a room with tall windows that overlook the always-busy Breitestrasse, you can savor rich cakes (the Prince Heinrich, packed with marzipan, is the classic). Upstairs, a small museum is dedicated to marzipan.
While the city has many good restaurants, Schiffergesellschaft, or the Seamen’s Society (Breitestrasse 2; schiffergesellschaft.de), in a crow-step gable building from 1535, is quintessential Lübeck. In operation since 1868, the restaurant, with its original banquet tables and 200-year-old model ships dangling from the ceiling, features regional specialties like baked zander — a game fish found only in Europe — and medallions of roasted lamb, beef and pork served atop ratatouille and fried potatoes.
Afterward, stop at Im Alten Zolln, in a 16th-century customs house at the southern tip of the city (Mühlenstrasse 93-95; alter-zolln.de) whose beer selection includes a delicious dark ale the owners brew themselves.
You’ll find the biggest constellation of bars on Lübeck’s east side, especially along Hüxstrasse and Fleischhauerstrasse. CafeBar (Hüxstrasse 94; cafebar.tv) draws crowds with nightly D.J.’s spinning techno, lounge, hip-hop and R & B, and that late on a recent Tuesday night overflowed with revelers speaking English and Turkish mingled with German.
Before you head back to your hotel, allow yourself time for an aimless stroll through the streets illuminated by gas lamps. It’s yet another way to lose yourself in the time warp that is Lübeck.
IF YOU GO
Trains from Hamburg’s main train station depart for Lübeck’s main station throughout the day, and take about 40 minutes. One-way tickets range from 15 to 20 euros, or $21 to $28, at $1.41 to the euro. From Lübeck’s train station, most hotels are a short cab ride or bus ride away, and in some cases can also be reached by foot. If you’re driving from Hamburg, exit the city at A24 East and then head north on A1 for about 30 miles until you see exit signs for Lübeck Zentrum.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel An Der Marienkirche (Schuesselbuden 4; 49-451-799-410; hotel-an-der-Marienkirche.de) has 18 rooms in the heart of the city next to the historic St. Mary’s Church. Recently renovated, doubles start at 70 euros (about $98) per night off season, and 80 in peak season.
Hotel Jensen (An Der Obertrave 4-5; 49-451-702-490; hotel-jensen-luebeck.de) has 42 rooms in a 14th-century building on Lübeck’s western riverfront facing the Holsten Gate. Singles and doubles range from 75 to 115 euros, while family rooms and suites are between 125 and 219 euros.
Scandic Lübeck (Travemuender Allee 3; 49-451-370-60; scandichotels.com) is a short walk to the historic Burgtor, the north entrance to the city. The nearly 160 rooms range from 85 to 250 euros per night.
FEUERWERK (nicht von Katy Perry)
AlexKanal wieder!
Katy Perry BONUS:
Mein Jugentraum (My Teenage Dream) mit Derya und Alex
BONUS 2:
Ich liebe, wie du lügst (nicht von Eminem mit Rihanna)
Katy Perry BONUS:
Mein Jugentraum (My Teenage Dream) mit Derya und Alex
BONUS 2:
Ich liebe, wie du lügst (nicht von Eminem mit Rihanna)
Wo in Deutschland gibt es eine gute Achterbahn?
ROLLERCOASTER = Achterbahn
Europa-Park:
1. Silver Star
2. Bluefire
(mit Jan und Julia)
Holiday Park
1. GeForce 1
Heide Park Soltau
1. Krake
-- und hier ist Alex! (vom Alex Kanal)
2. Colossos (aus Holz = wooden)
Hier fangen wir an. Es gibt mehr!
(That, for now, is the beginning.)
-->Welche Achterbahnen sind Dir am liebsten? Warum?
Europa-Park:
1. Silver Star
2. Bluefire
(mit Jan und Julia)
Holiday Park
1. GeForce 1
Heide Park Soltau
1. Krake
-- und hier ist Alex! (vom Alex Kanal)
2. Colossos (aus Holz = wooden)
Hier fangen wir an. Es gibt mehr!
(That, for now, is the beginning.)
-->Welche Achterbahnen sind Dir am liebsten? Warum?
Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz
Ja, das ist das Wort, das über unserem Schrank aufgeklebt ist.
(Now you know where I got that long word over our closet!)
--> Why use 10 words (English) when you can say it all in just ONE (German)?!
--> So, do as the Germans do: invent some lovely words. Please consider sharing your best ones here.
(Now you know where I got that long word over our closet!)
--> Why use 10 words (English) when you can say it all in just ONE (German)?!
--> So, do as the Germans do: invent some lovely words. Please consider sharing your best ones here.
Tanz mit: Tanzbrunnen FACEBOOK von den Wise Guys
Trainieren auch wir mit Nana und Felix?
Michaela und Julie waren dabei!
WISE GUYS mit dem WDR Rundfunk-Orchestra
RADIO
Ja. Ferenc, der BASS, singt HAUPTSTIMMIG auch manchmal. Hier: SEEMANN
Daan wieder: ERZÄHL MIR DIE GESCHICHTE (Tell Me the Story)
Daan will irgendwo anders als im FLUGZEUG!
Singen die Wise Guys manchmal auf Englisch? Ja, hier singt Nils ein Lied von Frank Sinatra (und neulich auch von Robbie Williams gesungen)
Und Sari, der doch selbst mindest so cool ist, wie Brad Pitt
(Diesmal singen die Guys ohne das Orchestra)
JETZT IST SOMMER! Und so endet das Konzert...
Ja. Ferenc, der BASS, singt HAUPTSTIMMIG auch manchmal. Hier: SEEMANN
Daan wieder: ERZÄHL MIR DIE GESCHICHTE (Tell Me the Story)
Daan will irgendwo anders als im FLUGZEUG!
Singen die Wise Guys manchmal auf Englisch? Ja, hier singt Nils ein Lied von Frank Sinatra (und neulich auch von Robbie Williams gesungen)
Und Sari, der doch selbst mindest so cool ist, wie Brad Pitt
(Diesmal singen die Guys ohne das Orchestra)
JETZT IST SOMMER! Und so endet das Konzert...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Du Doof -- Wise Guys
Im Konzert: -- Gefunden!
Lustig, Eddi und Sari.
Und unmöglich auch selbst zu singen? HIER: Von Schülern.
Normalerweise will ich hier im Blog "sehr nett" sein. Aber der Wortschatz find ich interessant, und auch den Schlag (the Beat)!
--> Kennst Du auch so jemand, der "teure Kleidung mit Styl" verwechselt?
--> "Seelig sind die geistig Armen... Kann der Himmel denn so viele Seelige verkraften?"
--> Es gibt auch in Museen und Theater, aber selten.
--> Was ist hier mit dem Hauptbahnhof gemeint?
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Angry Family (Series of German lessons)
Once you watch one, you might enjoy finding others.
--> What did you learn?
Wortschatz Wiederholung (Vocab Review)
die Tür
das Schild
das Bett
der Schreibtisch
alles
Was auch immer!
---
VERBEN:
glauben
finden
---
OPINIONS:
fantastisch
so (...orange..)
zu (...orange..)
natürlich
bequem
hassen
toll
blöd
--> What did you learn?
Wortschatz Wiederholung (Vocab Review)
die Tür
das Schild
das Bett
der Schreibtisch
alles
Was auch immer!
---
VERBEN:
glauben
finden
---
OPINIONS:
fantastisch
so (...orange..)
zu (...orange..)
natürlich
bequem
hassen
toll
blöd
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