15 August 2009
Television
TVE and Euronews
The two satellite channels that I view regularly are TVE channel 795 on Sky [see here for update on this channel] and Euronews channel 508 on Sky. Euronews is normally set up in English. If you want Spanish (or French) you need to go into the menu section of your digibox and select it from the languages offered. I think this is possible for the Eurosport channel as well but I haven’t tried yet. My normal routine is to watch the weather and news on TVE for 10 minutes or so at breakfast time. On Saturday mornings there is a news program for the deaf and this is great for language learning. You get to hear everyday Spanish spoken at normal speed with simultaneous text on the bottom of the screen. Sometimes the quality of the signal drops on TVE and that is when I switch to Euronews as a back-up (although it does tend to be a bit dry and political). Some politicians are good to practice on, when they deliver speeches they tend to talk slowly, repeat things several times and be rather predictable. I particularly recommend Sr Zapatero for those qualities.
BBC
It is possible at certain times of the year to get repeats of old Language courses on BBC. They tend to be shown around midnight in blocks of one or two hours, often on consecutive nights. I managed to record the Sueños series a few months ago and it is very good for learning about different places where Spanish is spoken. A lot of the material has subtitles with the speech and I find that very helpful.
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Bill Ferguson |
Spanish Teaching Resources Getting good quality teaching and resources
The information I am going to share is an honest account of what I have tried over the past year and my opinions are just that, opinions. I will share my likes and dislikes, what works for me and what doesn't. This is a personal experience, I am not an expert but if you share my ambition of learning to communicate in a third, foreign language, then maybe we can help each other along the way.
According to Friedrich Nietzsche: "One who speaks a foreign language just a little takes more pleasure in it than one who speaks it well. Enjoyment belongs to those who know things halfway."
I think he is right. Its hard to define halfway but I think the fun starts when you know enough of a language to be able to make yourself understood, given sufficient time to think. At this stage you are not merely tolerated but treated as an honoured guest in a foreign country. People see you bravely struggling to speak and understand, and give you credit for trying. They are nearly always kind and supportive.
Go beyond this to fluency and its like a toddler growing up, you are no longer cute and vulnerable. You are competing for resources, in the adolescence of language acquisition unless you have a definite role you are treated with suspicion. Maybe that is the stage to consider moving on to another new language ...
Getting good quality teaching and resources is vital to success: encouraged by an influential book by Harry Ferber I now view language acquisition as a military campaign, I need to use my resources efficiently to overcome all resistance, I need to capture vocabulary and not let it escape. I need to wear down the opposition by attacking daily and not allowing it time to regroup. I need to learn the predictable tricks that the new language will play on me and be ready for them (this means learning grammar). Like any military campaign good quality intelligence is vital. Learning a Third Language My current ambition is to be able to communicate comfortably in English, French and Spanish. I began to study Spanish in 2008. I have been a student of French, on and off, for about 30 years and up to last year ....read more Strategic Planning When I started to think about taking on a third language I realised I had two main worries: firstly I didn't want to lose my second language ...read more Fear of Losing French As I see it there is a simple choice ....read more |
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