language maintenance over the summer?

Thu Apr 3 21:48:27 UTC 2008

It's a good idea.? Most European countries with a high level of proficient English speakers subtitle the programs originally in English.? (Scandinavian countries, The Netherlands, and I think the Flemish speaking part of Belgium).? I actually learned some Swedish this way by watching "Dallas" in Sweden. The others in Europe stick to dubbing - cheaper, but much less effective for the reinforcement?of comprehending a fast and maybe even difficult audio passage.?

There are also some dual page books out there (one side English, the other Russian).? You can find them at most decent bookstores or order on line through Amazon.com or some other place.?

William Vernola

-----Original Message-----
From: Emily Saunders <emilka at MAC.COM>
To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
Sent: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 2:16 am
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] language maintenance over the summer?

The best method I've found for language maintenance is to pick activities that are language-related and that are entertaining in and of themselves.?
?
1) Music is one of the main things that comes to mind. I'd advise students to get ahold of cds or downloaded copies of Russian groups that match their musical tastes. And if they're not sure what those are, listen to some Russian radio online. There are many stations, but my husband and I regularly stream http//:www.radiovbc.ru which is a pop station out of Vladivostok. There is no way that 1st year students will understand all of the between songs commentary, but as a background to have around it'll keep them listening to the music and intonation of the language and here and there they'll pick up a few words they recognize. Kino is a bit dated, but is one of the easier Russian rock groups for beginning students to understand the lyrics of -- Tsoi tends to sing at a measured pace with long-ish gaps between words.?
?
2) Movies are another -- and I have personally found that watching a movie WITH subtitles does much to improve ones comprehension of the target language. Since we typically read a bit faster than actors pronounce their lines, you get the advantage of anticipation of what is going to be said and so the brain can occasionally fill in the gap with an aha! that's what they said. I got that word! A very satisfying feeling. Also Ironia Sud'by is available on Netflix and is one of the easier movies to understand for beginning students. I figure I got about a third of it when I was a beginning 2nd year student. Plus it's just a classic!?
?
3) Read Russian translations of English language books that you already know or are reasonably familiar with. Some of the first books I read from cover to cover in Russian were Agatha Christie novels. Because they were translations the syntax tended to mirror the original English which made for easier reading, and because they were mysteries, I wanted to get to the end and find out whodunit. Also once when I was traveling in Bulgaria, I left my one and only piece of English reading material on a train. I searched around, but failed to locate a market with foreign literature, but desperately wanted something to read. I do not speak Bulgarian, but I found a copy of one of my favorite books (from childhood, actually) - Anne of Green Gables in Bulgarian. Because I knew the contents of the book so well already, I was able to make sense of a lot of the Bulgarian with the help of my knowledge of Russian plus a pocket dictionary. The point being that translations may seem like not real reading, but they can provide a certain degree of effective practice in the target language.?
?
My two (three?) cents, for what they're worth!?
?
Regards,?
?
Emily Saunders?
?
On Apr 2, 2008, at 8:24 AM, Anne Fisher wrote:?
?
> Dear Seelangers,?
>?
> My first-year Russian students are already asking how they can > maintain their language over the summer. I'd like to suggest > something for them to read, but obviously they will need texts > specially prepared for beginning students of a foreign language.?
>?
> I'd like to find material with an accompanying glossary, or material > that is extremely simple, so that students don't have to work > intensively with their own dictionaries. Does anyone have any > suggestions??
>?
> Thank you,?
>?
> Annie?
>?
> ____________________?
>?
> "Reading is inescapably a social act."?
> - From John Clifford's introduction to a collection of articles on > Louise Rosenblatt's seminal Literature as Exploration.?
> ____________________?
>?
> Anne O. Fisher?
> Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian?
> Williams College?
> Department of German and Russian?
> 995 Main Street, Weston Hall?
> Williamstown, MA 01267?
> anne.fisher AT williams.edu?
> office: 413.597.4723?
> fax: 413.597.3028?
> _____________________?
>?
>?
>?
>?
>?
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