What kind of French will Kevin be speaking? Will he be making formal speeches, giving lectures, media interviews and conferences in French? Or will it be something more casual, like ordering a meal in a restaurant, making small talk around a table on conversing in a store? Will he be using the language professionally? Of course, it is proper French, and some people do speak that way, but authentic unscripted French can be very different.Īt this point, we have to talk about social register. Nearly all the French one finds in methods is really written French even if it tries to reproduce the spoken language. My thinking is that not enough emphasis is being put on authentic spoken unscripted material. Kevin, like most language learners, probably has a whole shelf of books, methods, software, cassettes, CDs, DVDs in addition to many websites on French. This is a very important distinction because the spoken language is very different from the written form. We are talking about speaking the language and not so much about writing. How is this possible? The first thing to keep in mind is what we are trying to accomplish.

Then, when you do go to the country, you will hit the ground running. I believe that with the Internet and today’s technology, one can become very good at actually speaking French. So, how much spoken French can one learn outside of the immersion environment? And how should one go about it? But, if you are truly interested in learning, nothing beats immersion as a learning environment.įor many of us, however, immersion is not an option for the time being. That said, I would emphasize that just being in a country is no guarantee that you will just absorb the language without an effort. And, above all, you associate the language with actual events and gestures, A visit to the supermarket, a meal in a restaurant, a ride on the public transit system or just a simple walk on the street are all instant lessons in the real use of French. Immersion means the language comes alive. Yes, one can cover the walls of the house with posters and listen to French music and movies all day, but, frankly, there’s no comparison. There is no way that any sort of homemade solution can come close to recreating the real thing. In other words, can one create some kind of immersive environment at home and derive the same benefits that one would get by spending time in a French-speaking country like France or Quebec? Many of the thoughts you wrote in your column are exactly what I am experiencing.”

A reader, Kevin, writes: ‘My question to you is this: Can one learn to speak fluently in French without having to actually live there amongst French natives if one “immerses” oneself in these self help books, CDs, etc and use a tutor once a week? I know this is not an easy question to answer but after reading your blogs I felt compelled to ask you this question.

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