The First Step In Your Expatriation Adventure

<

span

I've also wondered if those
class="cap">The         Americans who move to any country
very first thing you should     in which English isn't the
consider once you've made your        predominate language are
mind up as to where you are going     concerned with the linguistic
to live overseas might surprise       issue. The answer is, apparently
you. The many letters we receive      not. I talked recently with a
from potential expats always          retired Foreign Service Officer
begin with the theme of cost of       who not only served in the
living. While important, most who     Foreign Service but also who was
contact us in our adopted home of     raised in a family where her
Guanajuato, Mexico, never get         parents were Foreign Service
past this economic issue. It is       employees. The story she told was
as though the economic issue is       the same with slight variations
the most important point in the       on the same main, monolingual
whole expatriation adventure. We      theme—language is at the bottom
answer their pleas with the           of the list when moving
statement that if you downsize        overseas!

your American lifestyles, live as

The expatriation phenomenon in
close to "going native" as is         Mexico is predominantly composed
humanly possible and comfortable      of baby-boomers who are rapidly
for you, then you will do fine        finding out retirement in the
economically.                         U.S. is going to be all but
However, in Mexico, we rarely, if     impossible unless you are in Bill
ever, hear from those who are         Gates' will. A smaller segment of
concerned with what we regard as      the American expats in Mexico are
the First Step—the language—when      those who work here or who have
moving to a country where your        mobile enough jobs and can have a
native tongue is not the              great adventure in another land
predominate language.

while making a living via the

Internet. It's what I do. I send      moguls spew in their advertising
stories to publishers in America      that you don't have to know
and my books surf the email waves     Spanish to live in such-and-such
to those who want to buy my           city. They will make the claims
manuscripts. But, most of the         that bilingualism is so great in
Americans and some of the             the city to which they are trying
Canadians are "retirees" who, for     to get you to come and buy a
the most part, never learn            house, that you won't ever need
Spanish.

to utter a word in Spanish. While

Through the years of our expat     in some cities this is true and
adventure, we've discovered those     is true because of American
American retirees who move to         Cultural Imperialism, this sort
Mexico fall into two classes when     of screed presents an image of
it comes to the linguistic issue.     Mexico that is not a reality.
There are those who have              Many Americans are truly
absolutely no intention of ever       perplexed when they come here and
learning Spanish. I know this to      don't find English predominately
be true because I've been told        spoken in places the real estate
this to my face. I've heard this      gurus have targeted as places
story over and over again from        where cheap housing and
bilingual Americans who are truly     affordable living can be
puzzled that their fellow             found.

Americans do not want to learn

Another class of Americans who
Spanish. When they ask their          move to Mexico to retire actually
fellow Americans why they don't       gives the linguistic issue more
learn Spanish, they get the same      than a passing thought. They take
answer I've gotten—refusal.

Spanish classes at the local

The reasons for this are           adult education schools before
varied. Some retirees respond to      moving to Mexico. Eventually they
the slick-shtick the real estate      expatriate to Mexico and take

even more classroom instruction,      Spanish as an expat. You not only
only to find they've shelled out      can live anywhere but also will
a fortune in classes and cannot       have the linguistic skills to ask
communicate much more than            Mexicans who to avoid renting or
"Where's the bathroom?" and "Can      buying from in a particular city.
you make change?" Frustration         I am convinced that's why my wife
sets in and the American retiree      and I have repeatedly had the
arrives at the horrible               rare opportunity of
conclusion that he or she can't       fellowshipping with Mexicans in
learn Spanish.

the privacy of their homes. This

This is an all-too-often scene     is something most expats I know
in cities like San Miguel de          have never experienced. And,
Allende. The expats with whom         think about it: How can you have
I've spoken and those who post in     any sort of social communion with
the online forums express a           someone with whom you cannot
genuine remorse, for lack of a        communicate?

better term, for their continued

The Failure Factor

monolingualism.

The failure factor in learning

This essay is targeting that       a second language is that most
group of Americans, or any            regard learning a new language as
monolingual expat, who still has      an academic endeavor. They think
some semblance of hope that he or     this is going to be like learning
she can one day communicate in        Algebra. The approach offered by
Spanish and not have to be forced     educated academics is enough to
to live in an Americanized            send any normal person screaming
Mexican City that is now as           from the classroom. This approach
expensive (if not more) as the        to second language acquisition is
hometown he or she left.

not second language acquisition

That is, by the way, one of at all. It is the learning
the great advantages of learning something about the target

language. It will equip you to        the target language and the cold,
read and translate into your          mindless memorization of
native tongue some piece of           out-of-context vocabulary words
Spanish text. But, will it assist     aid you in this quest? When your
you in speaking and comprehending     friend, spouse, or life-long
the language you want to acquire?     companion keels over from a heart
Not likely.

attack, how will having learned

The question that must be          in the pluscuamperfecto de
asked when making the decision to     subjuntivo of any verb in the
have a go at the target language      Spanish language help you to
of the country you are planning       rapidly explain to the emergency
moving to and for whatever            room physician the medical
reasons, is do you want to be         history of your loved one?

able to sit down with a local and

In my view, based on my
chat while having dinner? Do you      research, if what you want is to
want to be able to engage not         be able to communicate in the
only in rudimentary social            target language, don't begin with
intercourse but do you want to be     a class in which you are issued a
able to go to a Mexican doctor or     textbook, workbook, a list of
dentist and not have to hire a        grammar rules and vocabulary you
translator to come along with         have to memorize. Rather, begin
you? In other words, do you want      with something called
to be assimilated into the            "Comprehensible Input."

culture?

What most try to do when

How will spending a fortune in     taking classes in a second
classes in the target language        language is to develop the
help you achieve your                 ability to speak to be understood
assimilation goal? How will           and to understand the reply. This
attending classes that will teach     happens "… when a language
you all the verb declensions of       learner comprehends words and

sentences in a communicative          into our brains to learn language
context. These kinds of               and this hardwiring is not ripped
utterances are called                 out of our heads what we become
"comprehensible input." (Language     adults. It's still there, so why
Instructor Manual (LIM)               not use it to become proficient
Comprehensible Input;                 in a second language?

http://ling.ucsd.edu)

" Incidentally, there is no

I think we could all agree         evidence that the "biological
than no human popped out of his       wiring" for language acquisition
or her mother's womb quoting          changes as the infant develops
Chaucer. Each of us, no matter        into childhood and then
what our native tongue, heard         adulthood." (James Asher,
thousands of repetitions of our       Ph.D.)

caretaker's commands, pleadings,

How-To Begin

questions, descriptions, and so

First of all, understand the
on before one day trying              difference in learning speech and
ourselves to reproduce the speech     learning language. One is the
we heard repeatedly from our          "biological wiring" for language
parents.

acquisition at work; the other is

What we were exposed to was an     an academic effort in which
environment in which lots and         something "about" the language is
lots of words and sentences were      learned.

first heard in a meaningful

Secondly, understand that none
context. We were not born a           of us came into the world
linguistic blank slate. At birth,     producing in any language that we
we had a linguistic outline           didn't first hear. Production in
preinstalled of what language         our native tongue came after
should be and hearing our parents     hearing lots and lots of speech
and loved ones speak to us filled     in the target language spoken in
in the outline. It is hardwired       meaningful contexts. Listening

came before speaking in our Hardly!

native language.

What is meant within the

"Never do we observe infants       Comprehensible Input Theory is to
in any culture or in any              be exposed to massive amounts of
historical period showing             level-appropriate audio
language acquisition starting         communication in the target
with production followed by           language.

comprehension." (James J. Asher,

You would not play tapes and
Ph.D.)

CD's of Shakespeare to teach your

Just as when we were infants,      infant spoken fluency in your
when we try to become fluent in a     native tongue. If you were to
second language, we have to           watch a Mexican soap opera as a
resort to the same method that        beginner you would most likely
afforded us success in our native     understand nothing.

language: Listening First;

You must seek input in which
Production in the language the speech is understandable at
second.

the level you find yourself and

I am convinced, based on the       work up from that point. The
science as well the personal          speed at which the speech is
experiences of my wife and me,        delivered is also paramount.
that if you engage in this            Trust me when I tell you that
process, speech, and that which       what you will get out of a
we all are seeking, fluency, come     traditionally taught Spanish
as the result of Comprehensible       class will not equip you to
Input. And, refining                  understand street Spanish. I
speech—learning grammar—comes         still have problems when
much later than that.

listening to native speakers who

Thirdly, if you are a rank are excited or angry.

beginner, will listening to

There are resources available
Univision TV be of any use? to get you started in the

Comprehensible Input approach to These are actually recorded
second language acquisition.

workshops that you can view in

Resources:

the privacy of your own home.

The Learnables – Affordable

Immersion Plus Spanish

and Successful Foreign Language

One of the most misunderstood
Courses

parts of becoming fluent in any

The results of The Learnables®     language is the need of training
research are published in a           your ear in the target language.
variety of applied linguistic         What I mean is, if you cannot
journals. A description of the        hear the euphony or music of the
research also appears in two          language, you will rarely, if
books: Comprehension and Problem      ever, be able to understand what
Solving as Strategies for             someone is saying to you in the
Language Training, Mouton: The        target
Hague, 1975 (authors H. Winitz        language.

and J. Reeds) and The                 nd>About the
Comprehension Approach to Foreign     AuthorLanguage Instruction, Rowley:         id="authorbio"
Mass., 1981 (editor H.                class="membersnoticewhite">Links
Winitz)

to these resources can be found

Spanish I and Spanish II by Fluency Fast Classes (16 DVD href="http://www.mexican-living-g
set)

uanajuato.com/immersion.html">Cli

Based on the more than 40 cking
years of neuro-linguistic science Here