To compare is to despair

A common frustration for our students here at Lingua Franca (and doubtless for language students across the globe), is their tendency to forget what they’ve learned from one week to the next or in some (usually comedic) instances, from one moment to the next.

Before you think we’re being critical of our learners, we, the staff, have experienced the exact same frustrations in the past, and continue to do so. Learning a language is an ongoing challenge, no matter your level, and I’m not sure we get any better at remembering new concepts right off the bat as we progress. Likely, we just get better at recognising the phenomenon as inherent in learning (or improving) a skill and we move on.

Before people get to that acceptance, though, they often lament not learning a second language as a child, when their brains were ‘like little sponges’.

From my experience, this is both true and untrue, and according to the reading I’ve done, the only real conclusion I’ve come to is simply that the debate rages on.

What seems to be accurate is that children are able to learn unconsciously, whereas for adults it takes a bit more effort. However, hour for hour, some say that adults are actually more successful at learning a language (and by that, we’re looking at all four competencies, not just speaking and listening) as they have a whole system of prior knowledge on which to hang the new concepts.

If you’re interested in this subject, I found this article particularly motivating.

However, we’re straying from the point a little, as if you’re still reading and comprehending this article, you most likely don’t need to ask your parents’ permission for a sleepover anymore. That ship has sailed.

What is to be gained from comparing yourself to a child, or anyone else for that matter?

What can be very useful, instead, is to notice those people around you who do something particularly well. For example, do you have someone in your class who has really mastered les numéros*, while you’re still trying to work out what four times twenty plus ten plus seven could possibly mean? If so, ask them how they did it. I’m sure they’ll be flattered and keen to share their knowledge.

Don’t forget, too, that it’s entirely possible someone else in your class is silently admiring your ability to 'just give it a go’, whereas they’re petrified of making a mistake, or the fact that you have a way or rephrasing an idea the teacher has presented in a way that makes it easier for the rest of the class to understand. We all have our skills and they come in myriad forms. This is one of the joys for us as teachers. We’re constantly astounded by the diversity of experience of our students.

When you ask your classmate for their secret, I can almost guarantee they’ll tell you it didn’t ‘just happen’ for them. I know people who have practised their numbers by reading number plates to themselves when stuck in traffic. I know someone else who took out a stack of index cards and cut them in half so they fit in the palm of her hand. She wrote the numeral on one side and the French word for it on the other, popped them in a little Tupperware container and slid that into her handbag. Then, whenever she found herself with five minutes to spare, she’d take out a little handful (pre-shuffled bien sûr*) to test herself. She did this most days for a few months and guess what? She’s still great at numbers many years later. She learned the concept, did a bit of leg work in writing out the cards and then kept the knowledge there by practising a little but often. Job done!

That’s the other advantage we have as adults in learning a language. Most of us (even those who railed against such notions when younger) now know from hard-earned experience that things like practice, dedication and commitment do indeed pay off. You don’t have to be crazy about it. We all seem to lead rather hectic lives and there are limits to how much time we can devote to our pursuits, but being inspired to forge on by those around us is surely a better way to go than wishing to be someone we’re not?

Louis XIV put it well when he said:

”Il est sans comparaison plus facile de faire ce qu'on est, que d'imiter ce qu'on n'est pas*”.

I mean, easy for him to say. His parents took nearly two decades to give birth to a son, so they called him Louis-Dieudonné, meaning "Gift of God" and allegedly he believed it.

We’re not all made to feel quite so special from birth, but still, the message remains. Stop comparing, focus on what you’re good at, and then piquez* ideas from others. So much easier.

*the numbers | *of course | *It is without doubt easier to be who we are, rather than imitate what we’re not | *pinch