Posts Tagged ‘language’

The Benefits of a One on One Spanish Teacher

Thursday, July 4th, 2013

There are several benefits to getting yourself a one on one Spanish teacher. Since I have run the gauntlet of just about every study Spanish option there is, I am going to share with you my experiences and you can decide for yourself which road to go down.

It cannot be denied that a personal language teacher is going to set you back more cash than enrolling in classes or self-study. However, the benefits to you most certainly offset the extra investment. With your own Spanish teacher there is nowhere to hide. They will notice if you have not completed your homework, you cannot avoid speaking in class and you cannot get away with pretending you understand something when you do not. You are the entire focus of the class and that means that you are going to be working hard.

It also means that you are going to be reaping the benefits. The individual attention that a private Spanish teacher gives you is a chance to accelerate your learning. You can dictate the content of the class and you can be taught in a diagnostic manner. That fancy word means that the teacher can identify your language weaknesses and teach specifically to iron them out for you.

When you join a language class it is most often the case that they follow a curriculum. Week one of a basic program might be introductions and greetings, week two you could be learning how to share personal information so on and so forth. Now what quite often happens in a class setting is that there are some classes where you actually gain almost nothing from the class. When you already know and understand the content of a class it can be frustrating and kill your motivation.

My personal problem with Spanish is that I am very fluent and have excellent listening and vocabulary skills, but I need my grammar reinforced. I will openly admit, that my grammar is below par. Because my abilities in regard to different parts of Spanish are unbalanced, I can’t count the amount of group classes I have been in where I have spent most of the time doodling in my notebook completely withdrawn from the class. On the other hand, there have also been times when I have dominated the class too much and not given others the chance to learn effectively – I try very hard not to be like that because I know it is annoying.

So for me the only really satisfying answer is to have a private Spanish tutor. If you and your private Spanish teacher communicate effectively about what your expectations are then you will never have classes where you feel like you are not learning much. Each class will be demanding and help you to develop your Spanish ability in the most efficient manner.

There is also the self study option, which I have attempted to employ with limited success. If you are disciplined then self study can work well for you. Since procrastinating is one of my chief skills in life, self study is not really a valid option for me. On the Internet there are millions of wonderful Spanish language learning resources and many of them are free. If you take advantage of them they will really help to boost your grammar and vocabulary. There are also Spanish language programs you can download and listening exercises too. The Internet is a vast and invaluable resource in learning a language. Here comes the but…BUT…in my experience you will not be able to significantly develop your listening skills and speaking ability unless you have a Spanish speaker helping you out. A private Spanish teacher will correct your pronunciation and intonation and help you to become fluent in a way that no amount of self study can.

There are many benefits to having a one on one Spanish teacher. While they are more expensive in the short term, you will see your Spanish skills develop at a much faster rate than just about any other method.

Where does the Spanish language come from?

Monday, June 24th, 2013

Languages are living and malleable: that is, they are constantly evolving and changing. Spanish is no exception and what we know as Spanish today is the result of the blending of several linguistic elements.

Spanish is typically classed as a Romance language that is, one that has evolved from Latin. It also belongs to the Indo-European language family alongside most European languages.

There is no one single Spanish, in fact a variety of Spanish dialects are used in Spain alone. When you consider that there are around 400 million Spanish speakers worldwide there is a lot of scope for linguistic variation. However, what we widely consider to be modern Spanish is also known as Castilian.

Modern Spanish is considered to have evolved from a Petri dish located in Hispania on the Iberian Peninsula around the middle ages, but the process began about 2000 years ago. The area of the Iberian Peninsula that became known as Hispania fell under Roman rule around 20 B.C. Gradually the Latin of the ruling class mingled with the indigenous languages of the Celts and Iberians found in the area and this produced a language that is known to linguists as Vulgar Latin.

Following this, several invading forces such as the Barbarians from Germany and the Arabic Moors added their own influence to the melting pot that was beginning to form the Spanish we recognize today.

The Moors had a profound effect on the evolution of Spanish and is responsible for giving the language words such as aloha (pillow), aceite (oil), naranja (orange) and barrio (neighborhood). Interestingly, some linguists argue that the word hola may have come from “Allah”. It is estimated that around 3000 Spanish words today are derived from Moorish Arabic.

In the 13th century King Alfonso X of Castile began to formalize the language when he had his scribes putting pen to paper to document history, astronomy, law and medicine. After the Moors were driven out of Spain during the reconquista the kingdom of Castile emerged as one of the dominant forces alongside Aragon and the two began to govern Spain together, but often as rivals. Throughout this period with Castile at the forefront of government their language, Castilian, became dominant throughout many regions of Spain.

In 1469 Castilian Princess Isabella married her cousin Prince Ferdinand of Aragon and effectively united the two kingdoms. By this time Castilian was virtually the language we recognize as Spanish today.

Shortly thereafter Isabella and Ferdinand began to build a world empire and Spanish spread to the New World and became one of the most widely spoken languages around the globe.

Today Spanish is spoken in more than 20 countries as an official language. But there are great variations in the way it is spoken regarding accent and slang. In Argentina for example the accent is very melodic and has great similarities to Italian intonation and cadence. This is due to the large proportion of Italian immigrants that came to Argentina in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Peru is often considered to have the most pure Spanish of all the Latin American countries. This is because Lima was the seat of the vice-royalty under the Spanish Empire and had a high proportion of nobility and a sizeable educated class resident there.

The Spanish that we know today is the result of around 2000 years of evolution and a number of influential ingredients thrown into the pot. It has grown to become one of the world’s most popular and romantic languages with a vast vocabulary and with many varied accents, slang and dialects.

Where Does the Spanish Language Come From?

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013

Languages are living and malleable: that is, they are constantly evolving and changing. Spanish is no exception and what we know as Spanish today is the result of the blending of several linguistic elements.

Spanish is typically classed as a Romance language that is, one that has evolved from Latin. It also belongs to the Indo-European language family alongside most European languages.

There is no one single Spanish, in fact a variety of Spanish dialects are used in Spain alone. When you consider that there are around 400 million Spanish speakers worldwide there is a lot of scope for linguistic variation. However, what we widely consider to be modern Spanish is also known as Castilian.

Modern Spanish is considered to have evolved from a Petri dish located in Hispania on the Iberian Peninsula around the middle ages, but the process began about 2000 years ago. The area of the Iberian Peninsula that became known as Hispania fell under Roman rule around 20 B.C. Gradually the Latin of the ruling class mingled with the indigenous languages of the Celts and Iberians found in the area and this produced a language that is known to linguists as Vulgar Latin.

Following this, several invading forces such as the Barbarians from Germany and the Arabic Moors added their own influence to the melting pot that was beginning to form the Spanish we recognize today.

The Moors had a profound effect on the evolution of Spanish and is responsible for giving the language words such as aloha (pillow), aceite (oil), naranja (orange) and barrio (neighborhood). Interestingly, some linguists argue that the word hola may have come from “Allah”. It is estimated that around 3000 Spanish words today are derived from Moorish Arabic.

In the 13th century King Alfonso X of Castile began to formalize the language when he had his scribes putting pen to paper to document history, astronomy, law and medicine. After the Moors were driven out of Spain during the reconquista the kingdom of Castile emerged as one of the dominant forces alongside Aragon and the two began to govern Spain together, but often as rivals. Throughout this period with Castile at the forefront of government their language, Castilian, became dominant throughout many regions of Spain.

In 1469 Castilian Princess Isabella married her cousin Prince Ferdinand of Aragon and effectively united the two kingdoms. By this time Castilian was virtually the language we recognize as Spanish today.

Shortly thereafter Isabella and Ferdinand began to build a world empire and Spanish spread to the New World and became one of the most widely spoken languages around the globe.

Today Spanish is spoken in more than 20 countries as an official language. But there are great variations in the way it is spoken regarding accent and slang. In Argentina for example the accent is very melodic and has great similarities to Italian intonation and cadence. This is due to the large proportion of Italian immigrants that came to Argentina in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Peru is often considered to have the most pure Spanish of all the Latin American countries. This is because Lima was the seat of the vice-royalty under the Spanish Empire and had a high proportion of nobility and a sizeable educated class resident there.

The Spanish that we know today is the result of around 2000 years of evolution and a number of influential ingredients thrown into the pot. It has grown to become one of the world’s most popular and romantic languages with a vast vocabulary and with many varied accents, slang and dialects.