Learning a New Language – In the Easiest Way
Since the pandemic period was really long, university courses and language schools are closed, and language students must discover alternative ways to practice and improve. A growing number of applied linguists have advocated regular TV viewing to acquire English in recent years.
According to studies, watching foreign language television programming motivates pupils to learn the language. Baseball players, ice hockey players, and football managers have all indicated that television was a crucial resource for their language development in professional sports. Surprisingly, television has played only a little impact in language learning classrooms.
Firstly, let us understand why people are prioritizing learning Spanish over other languages.
There are about 400 million Spanish speakers on the planet today. After English, Spanish is another widely spoken language in the United States, having more than 33 million speakers. In the United States, ‘Hispanics’ constitute the largest minority, with the majority of them speaking Spanish.
Learning Spanish makes it easier to communicate with others who speak the language. One can either start learning Spanish with radio or TV. Latin American nations are also among our most important trading partners. Being able to communicate in Spanish adds a lot to a person’s résumé. Furthermore, bilinguals are more competitive in employment.
Speakers can make a difference in the sphere of education, whether they are Spanish teachers or teachers of other disciplines. The language skills will aid in more effective communication with English Language Learners.
Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country allows one to immerse themselves in the culture. Their ability to comprehend Spanish allows them to gain vital insights that monolinguals are unable to obtain.
Our memories tend to deteriorate as we get older. Learning a foreign language actually aids memory retention.
Understanding the real language spoken by daily people is one of the most difficult aspects of learning a foreign language. When traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, for example, the transition from educational materials to authentic language can be jarring.
Learning Spanish from the TV:
Nothing beats viewing Spanish novelas (novels in English) to keep students engaged and coming back for more while studying Spanish. Learners will find everything in novelas, from wicked plots to scheming gold-diggers.
Learners will be able to find something to pique their attention and leave them wanting more of their favorite characters with programs like Teresa and La Reina Del Sur. Whether students like rags to riches stories or prefer evil characters who come out on top, the selections available will not disappoint them.
Learners have a lot of options when it comes to what they want to watch. Teresa is a popular tale that will provide learners with a diverse presentation of the Spanish language. This novela first aired in the United States in 2010 and is now available to watch in its entirety on Univision.com and Netflix. The novela tells the story of Teresa, a Mexican woman who was born into poverty and pursued her dream of becoming wealthy. Teresa’s persona is revealed in the title song, “Esa hembra es Mala,” which translates to “This woman is evil.”
Using this novela to learn Spanish from TV will allow students to gain a more in-depth understanding of the distinctions in how the language is spoken from one region to the next, as well as from one socioeconomic class to the next. Viewers get a glimpse into the lives of both the exceedingly wealthy and the very poor. It also provides a range of social environments in which to learn, such as school encounters, weddings, workplace chats, and friendly conversations. This one-hour presentation will provide a fun-to-learn schoolbook of Spanish knowledge.
Try Watching Inactively
Begin inactive watching Spanish television. Turn it on while doing anything else just to hear the sound and peek every now and then. Make sure the Spanish audio and English subtitles are turned on and are loud enough.
Repeat It
Being a newbie learner, it’s better to concentrate on one movie or series at a time and watch it repeatedly. This will assist learners in naturally memorizing words, phrases, and dialogues.
Note Down Whatever is Heard
This is a fantastic way to enhance learners’ oral comprehension and spelling skills.
Repeat Dialogues and Record Them
Language shadowing is one of the most effective ways to learn Spanish while watching television. Play a video and say the words out loud. Also, don’t forget to work on Spanish spelling.
Watch Spanish News
Watching the news in Spanish is a great method to pick up new words. It’s possible that watching the news is easier than reading or listening to it since the graphics aid comprehension.
Final words
Now that we’ve seen how amusing and enjoyable learning Spanish through television can be, all that’s left to do is choose a new favorite show, pop some popcorn, and get started. Playing games and reading novels can also help to learn new terms and improve Spanish language skills.
