Talk about a trip down memory lane--this morning I discovered my old textbooks from my very first Spanish courses in college. As I thumbed through the colorful pages filled to the brim with words, structures, stories and pictures, I realized what a journey I've taken in learning the language and becoming immersed in it. The process of learning a language is interesting because it's so fluid and can be approached in such a variety of ways. For example, textbooks are helpful because they present vocabulary, expressions, and explain grammatical structures so that a student can better understand why the language behaves as it does. On the other hand, being immersed in a culture and learning the language through active listening and talking is essential. One can capture a language in leaps and bounds through living it, and many aspects of grammar and expressions are absorbed unconsciously as the ear becomes more attuned to what sounds "correct" and "not quite right". In reviewing my texts this morning it became clear that while my abilities reached unforeseen levels while living abroad, texts and formal classes set the stage for more advanced language learning and provide a physical, conceptual reference that can serve a student of language for the rest of their life.
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