Language confidence

Language. We all have it, we all do it. We transmit our ideas through space and time, from one mind to another, through the magical processes of spoken and written word.

As infants we learned our first languages from a basis of nothing, and we learned fast. This is a fascinating process, and for adult language learners it is a process worth emulating, but it is important to remember two things.

1. We are not starting from nothing. For a start, we have ideas, understanding, the ability to make sounds and A LOT of vocabulary in common with Spanish.
2. Language has just one function, and it is exciting and motivating: we use language to communicate.

The Spanglish Fantastico project is a practical study in language learning. The premise is that:

• using a mixture of the languages maximises the exposure beginners can get to Spanish that they can understand;
• that sentences that are partially in Spanish are better learning opportunities than sentences that are wholly en inglés;
• that meaningful communication is engaging, and that the partial use of inglés gives learners access to a wider range of meaningful communication.

The aims of this project are to find out if using mixed code is an effective way to promote fast acquisition of Spanish, and to find out if the use of Spanglish to teach Spanish helps less confident learners to use Spanish to communicate in speech and writing. If the evidence supports Spanglish as an effective teaching and learning tool, the next goal is to promote this as a pedagogical method for teachers who are in a position to deliver it. Everyone is welcome to participate in this project whether you are a learner, a tutor, a mentor, or a linguistics academic.

The services on offer include:

• Personal, private lessons
• Full video course, 100 Days of Spanish
• Daily vocabulary lessons from the Daily Word Builder with Dan Hall