NEVER SAY THIS TO A NEW STUDENT LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE:

copyright(c) 2019 Daneille Gray Snowden

2019

NEVER SAY THIS TO A NEW STUDENT LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE:

"Just don't be afraid to speak out and make mistakes!" I smile, (without agreeing) over and over again as one after another has said this to me and my family. There is some common denominators with those who have said this:
One - The language they are telling us to not be afraid to speak out and make mistakes is their 'mother-language'.
Two - They hardly know us and really haven't heard us in a typical setting of communicating with others.

I am not sure why people draw this conclusion, without truly knowing who the new learner of this new language is. It's kinda prejudging a person without really knowing or understanding them.

I can tell you when this is said; it only frustrates anyone who has been working extremely hard even more.  It doesn't help; although the object was to help.

I can definitely speak for myself when I say, I am not afraid to speak out my new vocabulary; even when I know...as it is coming out, it will be wrong. I speak out, even when just about every time I do so, I am corrected over and over again. Believe me, it can get a wee bit frustrating when this happens.

Whomever you are: a missionary or a xpat - living in a brand new country; away from friends, family and your home country's culture, and learning a new language, well...it is life altering for sure! There are tons of things coming at you from so many different directions; even as simultaneous, life events continue to happen back home where you come from.

Couple this with learning a new language; it is definitely challenging! Yet, being told that we are
AFRAID to speak out and make mistakes? My answer is: "No!" I am of the personality and age that I don't really care what others think of me. I have found no matter who you are, and what you can or cannot do; people will always have an opinion and even share it way too much with others. This is a fact of life; right or wrong; I have accepted this.

So, here I am fumbling here and there speaking pieces of a beautiful language. I wander if I will ever be able to speak continuous sentences and understand what people are saying to me.

I totally pretended to understand today, as a lady spoke her native tongue to me and have a one sided conversation basically, as she told me how to purchase  a particular item. I sit bewildered wondering will I ever be able to hear and speak this language fluently.
Also, in a unique position of being quite a bit older; making it a challenge to 'get' this language as quickly as my teen daughter has.

Are we afraid to speak out and make mistakes? Again no! Here's the thing, remembering the new words, and the conjugation of all the verbs, is the longest and most difficult of all. I am supposing that when we are not saying anything but needing to; people see one thing, yet another thing is happening. We are searching for the words to spurt out and they aren't coming to mind.

The harder I try; the words hide.

Words are powerful, words frankly are life and even death. Not being able to speak and understand them is such a unique place in our lives to be.
May I simply ask those who mean to encourage ones who are learning a new language:
Never assume, just encourage. They are brave for learning, many are really brave moving to a new country.
Affirm their hard work, and just offer to have conversations with them in their new tongue. That's it, never...I repeat; never tell them to not be afraid to speak out and make mistakes.