I’ve been trying to learn French. It’s a painful process for me. It takes me back to high school when I struggled to pay attention to my Spanish teacher. Every painstaking minute of listening to her speak Spanish with a southern accent was like torture to me. I did okay in the class, but I really don’t know how. Seriously, I can only remember the word for shoes (zapatos) and the noise that a rooster makes (Qui-quiri-quí!). I have not needed to call upon this knowledge yet, but when the time comes—a rooster runs off with my shoes when I’m vacationing in Spain?—I’ll be ready.
I dutifully take my weekly French course in the hopes that I will make myself understood amongst the natives. To shortcut the process, and to try to alleviate some of the pain, I have been using an electronic language program. It’s really like a game. They use pictures and a “patented immersion technique” that teaches you the language without verb conversion charts and nasty lists of vocab. Can you tell that I have bought into their marketing spiel? I’m a believer.
Basically, the computer “says” a word and you click on the picture. By hearing it and then matching the phrase or word to the picture, you are supposed to remember it better. It’s a left/right brain thing, I think. All I know is that I like it.
The only bizarre thing is that they use pictures of a horse (le cheval) about ten thousand times to illustrate verbs and small phrases. Brad and I have been laughing about that stupid horse because I’m sure the creators had some bet on how many times they could include the horse in the software package. Basically, we can do or say anything that a horse can. You say you need to know the verb for write? Sorry a horse can’t write so we don’t know that verb. So far, the horse has run, jumped, and eaten a carrot. In my daily interactions with the natives, I try to forget that I need to know how to ask for another size shirt, and I simply keep to safe, horse-like activities.
