“Merci” in French means “thank you”, but here at French Pemberley, MERCI also stands as the acronym for our own unique method for second language acquisition. If you followed our old blog this will be familiar, but was definitely something I wanted to share again with our new friends here!
I previously introduced the MERCI method of second language acquisition …which outlines the five things I felt were important when learning any new language:
M-Master the vocabulary
E-Explore the culture
R-Remember the rules
C-Communicate often
I-Immerse in the Language
Lucky for us, the French language has many cognates,
about 1,700 to be exact!
The first step is Mastering the Vocabulary. My experience in foreign countries with regard to not being understood–my inability to communicate my message– did not come from a bad accent or poor pronunciation, but from a lack of knowing the right words I needed. Vocabulary is necessary for labeling, requesting, ordering food…communicating ANYTHING.
Mastering vocabulary takes effort and practice but it need not be cumbersome. If you approach foreign language learning like cramming for an exam, you will not be successful; not long term anyway. A little every day is better than a lot right before its needed. With my new motivation to learn French this year, I have a goal to put at least 30 min a day into my language learning, with 15 of this being vocabulary study. Now that I have started doing this, instead of studying for a few hours the day before class time or tests, my conversational abilities are already growing exponentially!
There are many ways to learn vocabulary…the way that works best for you will depend mainly upon what kind of learner you are (auditory, visual, hands-on, etc).
*study vocabulary in theme units (food, clothing, greetings, etc) practice writing them down and saying them aloud, like studying for a test
*label everything in your house with small sticky notes with the french label and also coordinating functional phrases. Practice these throughout the day. For example, the refrigerator may have the french word for refrigerator on it, but also a sticky that has (in French) “I’m hungry” or “I’m thirsty”.
*Commit to spending some time each day on a language program like Rosetta Stone or Real Language Right Away.
*Note cards; write out the vocabulary~~the French on one side, the English on the other and carry in your purse or bag to have on hand to study during down times, waiting times, etc.
*Purchase and Download at least one French word book on your e-reader (Nook, Kindle, etc)
* Purchase at least one familiar book/story (can be simple like the Runaway Bunny or more complex, like Harry Potter) in French and read it. If it is a familiar story, you will be able to glean much vocabulary in addition to building fluency.
I am a visual learner, and mnemonics are one way I have found helps me remember lots of new information. I purchased and tried out the 200 French words a day program that helps you not only learn the noun/label for a word via a picture but also the gender of the noun (French nouns are male or female) at the same time. I enjoy going through this program a few times a week…the funny graphics seem to work to help me remember not only the vocabulary but also to learn at the same time if it is male or female.
Everyone learns in different ways, what is important is not the “how” but the “when”. Everyone, even practically every non-French speaker, can tell you that hello is “Bonjour”. Why? because they’ve heard it off and on their whole lives. It has become familiar. To learn a foreign language, you must commit yourself to familiarizing yourself with as much of the vocabulary as you can, best done by spending a little time each day in this practice.
Do you have other tips for learning vocabulary? Please share them in the comments!
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