Becoming Fully Bi-lingual As a Grown-Up: how “loco” is that?!?
I put “loco” (“crazy”) in the headline, because many English speakers
– at least in California! – understand it... but I don’t personally speak
much Spanish. My Big Jump with language was Italian -> English.Gifting oneself a new language – well, how’s that for this blog’s theme, hubris? But with a hefty side-dish of humbleness because it was a long journey that required lots of patience and dedication!
Jumping from one’s own native tongue to a different language – as a personal choice, not as a child – is definitely not “a walk in the park”… Far from that, it’s an immense undertaking! But for me it was a fascinating journey, and in fact a Grand Adventure!
Do I dream in English, my adoptive language, or in my native Italian? Mostly in English, but it didn’t just happen overnight – no pun intended! The language of my dreams gradually shifted over the years of entirely using English in daily life.
Well, “entirely” except for swearing! Swearing is perhaps best done in one’s native tongue, because swear words in another language, even a new primary language, will always be “symbols” with an arbitrary semantic interpretation – whereas cursing in one’s childhood language feels like the “real” thing!
I heard stories from some acquaintances who teach ESL (English as a Second Language) about many bad students in their classes. That makes my jaw drop! Personally, I was immensely motivated from a young age to become bilingual. Why? Well, read on….
How Does One Do It?
So, just how did I manage to become bilingual?To be precise, how does one do it, before YouTube videos, Zoom remote courses and language apps!
By some miracle, some of those notebooks have survived to this day! Yep, that page is from 10 y.o me...
I have gotten much better in my drawing skills since then, lol… But it surely was a lot of work to just learn a few new words!
Moving right along, after that Montessori after-school in 5th grade, I have 3 years of English classes in junior high. But that was just a class out of many, merely a few hours/week. No immersive experience; not a whole lot learned. I do remember the teacher’s knack for hitting his (wedding?) ring hard on the desk, to get the class’ attention, though!
By the end of junior high, age 13, I couldn’t really claim any more expertise that “just a little English”. Ditto after school instruction in the first 2 years of high school. I definitely did not become bilingual in my childhood!
I had a friendly English teacher in the 2nd year of high school. I borrowed from her audio materials and an accompanying book. Fundamental as it sounds, listening to native speakers was just not being done during school hours.
“Where am I??”
A kid conveniently happening to be around, replies, “You’re in our garden.”
After more very basic small talk, (remember that this is UNIT 1 of the beginner English book!), the confused motorcyclist finally asks: “And where’s my motorbike?!?”
“It’s in our house.”
“In your house?!?”
“Yes, look!”
“Oh dear! I’m very sorry!”
Funny how some tidbits from the past stick to memory, isn’t it?
Then a fourth character comes in and opens the fridge: “Oh dear! Where did the dog food go?!?”
That book was basic – it was a new start from the beginning for me – but it was DAMN FUNNY! That’s how language learning ought to be! It makes a world of difference…
From that point on, my learning accelerates. One final year – as usual not terribly useful – of English in high school, focusing on technology language (I learn how to pronounce “electron”!), heavily supplemented by my self-teaching from those books borrowed from that friendly teacher. I keep visiting her, to borrow more books & audio materials. Well, and also because I have a secret crush on her daughter!
In addition, I join cultural clubs with an English theme, and in particular one where they offer classes – taught by a young British expat, whom I eventually become friends with. A funny guy, as every language teacher ought to be! I still remember him telling us a story of someone asking him, probably in a pub in Italy, if he spoke English; his retort: “I’m from England – and in England everybody speaks English!”
some “simplified” books for new speakers, and a humorous illustrated
pronunciation guide.
I still remember some hilarious vignettes from that last book, and here is one I managed to locate: to illustrate the difference between the long and short /i/ sounds, to our rescue come Jean and gin!
Around that time, I also start reading various other English-language magazines, and collecting a glossy encyclopedia in installments: “All about English.” You get the idea: a good variety of sources.
By that time, I’m 16 1/2. It’s time for my first trip abroad by myself. The first thought is, of course, to go to England… but it’s a bit far from Italy, and my finances are tight, so it’s Malta instead!
Malta, a small island smack in the center of the Mediterranean, is a
place soaked up in history… not to mention sunshine… and, conveniently
for me, English-speaking and close to Italy!
How come they speak English? Well, Malta was a British colony. Given its position, halfway between Italy and Libya – not to mention centrally placed in just about every direction in the Mediterranean, it was of strategic important during WW II… and even back to the days of the crusades (perhaps you heard about the “Knights of Malta”.)
If you watched the show “Game of Thrones”, do you do remember the
scene where the future “mother of dragons” is first introduced, on a balcony, then stepping into a hot tub in her glorious nakedness? Well, that was shot in Malta!
Immersion is THE way to learn a language and, no surprises here, that’s what Malta is for me. Three mesmerizing weeks in a summer school there, hosted by a local family. In spite of previous books, audio materials, school classes, Playboy, etc, my English is still weak enough to get placed at a Lower Intermediate level, upon initial assessment. Oh well… But those 3 weeks in Malta are a “quantum leap” from book-learning to actually speaking the language!
School excursions of course include the amazing beaches, as well as the equally amazing Neolithic ruins, visits to Medieval castles, and even horseback riding. Dealing with being on a horse for the first time ever, in addition to not really knowing the vocabulary (climb onto the what-do-you-call-it, and then pull on the what-do-you-call-it!) is a bit too much, but fortunately the horse is more interested in grazing than in doing anything too wild…
British humor (excuse me, humour) still applies. I remember when we were learning how to express agreement and disagreement. Many topics elicit a variety of opinions from the class… but one topic has no controversy whatsoever: “Maltese People Are the Best Drivers in the World”. The unanimous response: “Rubbish!” (for American speakers, “Bullshit!”)
After Malta, the momentum is large and unstoppable… but it still continues to be a long, sometimes arduous, journey. I start attending an advanced English class at a private school. I read magazines, newspapers and books in English. I join some English film clubs (ah, the pre-YouTube days!)
At the end of my second-to-last year in high school, a math teacher
of mine introduces me to a professor he knows at the local university
(at my Italian home town.) The professor had gotten his PhD at New York
University, and is going there for the summer.
Voila’, I seize the opportunity and with his help arrange a volunteer internship at NYU that summer, while he’s there as well. He finds me a research group in Nuclear Fusion research that needs some help. The power of networking! (In the building shown in the photo.)
Nuclear Fusion has still not really gotten anywhere of substance, but for my English it was a chain-reaction of improvement! Within a couple of months of language immersion in NYC, I really start becoming truly bilingual.
Gradually, I shift to think directly in English – as opposed to think in my native language and then translate.
In college, I take a number of writing and pronunciation classes.
Two years later, I transfer to UC Berkeley and also move into a long-term relationship with a native speaker, which is very helpful. She has an eyesight impairment, and I find myself reading aloud to her a lot – especially erotica – which is good to fine-tune my pronunciation, not to mention my kinky side!
Gradually, I come to think primarily in English. And, as I mentioned, I transition to typically dream in English. If I dream about an Italian person, it has a bigger likelihood of being in Italian. On rare occasions, I dream in French; on even rarer, and always exciting, occasions I manage to sneak in a little Portuguese, Spanish or perhaps other languages. [2022 update: occasionally, German, too, after 2 years of studying it during the Covid pandemic!]
But studying those languages, after my experience with English, proved to be something of a cold shower! Dry, strait-laced textbooks and sometimes dull teachers – a big letdown after the amazing adventure of learning English imbued with humor. Thank goodness for the BBC and the British approach to teaching language! Ironically, some of the best French learning aids I’ve come across were produced by the BBC!
On a similar note, all the Italian-for-beginners textbooks I could get my hands on, at a time when I had a girlfriend who wanted to learn Italian, were equally dull.
I have gotten much better in my drawing skills since then, lol… But it surely was a lot of work to just learn a few new words!
Oh, Dear!
The transition from British English – which I learned in school and other programs in Italy, mostly in my teens – to American English is definitely a subplot in this story. Here’s a highlight: after mightily struggling to learn to drop the final “R” in the name “Arthur” (as pronounced by the Brits), I had to re-learn to love the formerly banished final R. Oh, dear! (Your call on that final R…)Moving right along, after that Montessori after-school in 5th grade, I have 3 years of English classes in junior high. But that was just a class out of many, merely a few hours/week. No immersive experience; not a whole lot learned. I do remember the teacher’s knack for hitting his (wedding?) ring hard on the desk, to get the class’ attention, though!
By the end of junior high, age 13, I couldn’t really claim any more expertise that “just a little English”. Ditto after school instruction in the first 2 years of high school. I definitely did not become bilingual in my childhood!
3… 2… Liftoff!
The hitherto (a great word that few people use!) sleepy journey of learning English vastly accelerated at the end of my 2nd year of high school. What happened?! Well, I had gotten into my impressionable young mind the dream of going to college in the U.S. – and more specifically UC Berkeley (in part, from a story I had read in a newspaper, about how amazing student life was there!)I had a friendly English teacher in the 2nd year of high school. I borrowed from her audio materials and an accompanying book. Fundamental as it sounds, listening to native speakers was just not being done during school hours.
Where’s My Motorbike?!?
I still remember the very first unit in that book! In the audio track, one could hear the sound of a terrible crash… and then a discombobulated guy asking:“Where am I??”
A kid conveniently happening to be around, replies, “You’re in our garden.”
After more very basic small talk, (remember that this is UNIT 1 of the beginner English book!), the confused motorcyclist finally asks: “And where’s my motorbike?!?”
“It’s in our house.”
“In your house?!?”
“Yes, look!”
“Oh dear! I’m very sorry!”
Funny how some tidbits from the past stick to memory, isn’t it?
Good, Better, the Best?
How to teach about comparisons? Here’s how my book did it: an ongoing group of characters in the book convene for dinner. One comments on the food, “it’s good.” Another one remarks that “it’s better than usual.” A third proclaims it to be “the best we have have had.”Then a fourth character comes in and opens the fridge: “Oh dear! Where did the dog food go?!?”
That book was basic – it was a new start from the beginning for me – but it was DAMN FUNNY! That’s how language learning ought to be! It makes a world of difference…
From that point on, my learning accelerates. One final year – as usual not terribly useful – of English in high school, focusing on technology language (I learn how to pronounce “electron”!), heavily supplemented by my self-teaching from those books borrowed from that friendly teacher. I keep visiting her, to borrow more books & audio materials. Well, and also because I have a secret crush on her daughter!
In addition, I join cultural clubs with an English theme, and in particular one where they offer classes – taught by a young British expat, whom I eventually become friends with. A funny guy, as every language teacher ought to be! I still remember him telling us a story of someone asking him, probably in a pub in Italy, if he spoke English; his retort: “I’m from England – and in England everybody speaks English!”
Jean Likes Gin. Is it Reciprocal Love??
In my Italian home town (a moderately large city), I manage to discover a surprisingly large bookstore with a specialty in English-language books. I buy some, including a grammar,
some “simplified” books for new speakers, and a humorous illustrated
pronunciation guide.I still remember some hilarious vignettes from that last book, and here is one I managed to locate: to illustrate the difference between the long and short /i/ sounds, to our rescue come Jean and gin!
Speaking of hilarious, one of the funnier mistakes I made learning English, was to tell a friend that there was a "parking nice" on his car! Well, after all, "nice" and "fine" are synonymous in other meanings!!
Playboy
Is it true that people buy Playboy “for the articles”? Well, for one, I did, lol. A convenient excuse to get the pictures, of course, but I make sure to always buy the America version (i.e. the original version) – of course to practice my English 😉Around that time, I also start reading various other English-language magazines, and collecting a glossy encyclopedia in installments: “All about English.” You get the idea: a good variety of sources.
By that time, I’m 16 1/2. It’s time for my first trip abroad by myself. The first thought is, of course, to go to England… but it’s a bit far from Italy, and my finances are tight, so it’s Malta instead!
Maltese People Are the Best Drivers in the World! (Or are they?)
How come they speak English? Well, Malta was a British colony. Given its position, halfway between Italy and Libya – not to mention centrally placed in just about every direction in the Mediterranean, it was of strategic important during WW II… and even back to the days of the crusades (perhaps you heard about the “Knights of Malta”.)
 |
| That scene from "Game of Thrones" |
Immersion is THE way to learn a language and, no surprises here, that’s what Malta is for me. Three mesmerizing weeks in a summer school there, hosted by a local family. In spite of previous books, audio materials, school classes, Playboy, etc, my English is still weak enough to get placed at a Lower Intermediate level, upon initial assessment. Oh well… But those 3 weeks in Malta are a “quantum leap” from book-learning to actually speaking the language!
School excursions of course include the amazing beaches, as well as the equally amazing Neolithic ruins, visits to Medieval castles, and even horseback riding. Dealing with being on a horse for the first time ever, in addition to not really knowing the vocabulary (climb onto the what-do-you-call-it, and then pull on the what-do-you-call-it!) is a bit too much, but fortunately the horse is more interested in grazing than in doing anything too wild…
British humor (excuse me, humour) still applies. I remember when we were learning how to express agreement and disagreement. Many topics elicit a variety of opinions from the class… but one topic has no controversy whatsoever: “Maltese People Are the Best Drivers in the World”. The unanimous response: “Rubbish!” (for American speakers, “Bullshit!”)
After Malta, the momentum is large and unstoppable… but it still continues to be a long, sometimes arduous, journey. I start attending an advanced English class at a private school. I read magazines, newspapers and books in English. I join some English film clubs (ah, the pre-YouTube days!)
More details about that Grand Adventure in Malta in a separate blog entry.
New York, New York
Voila’, I seize the opportunity and with his help arrange a volunteer internship at NYU that summer, while he’s there as well. He finds me a research group in Nuclear Fusion research that needs some help. The power of networking! (In the building shown in the photo.)
Nuclear Fusion has still not really gotten anywhere of substance, but for my English it was a chain-reaction of improvement! Within a couple of months of language immersion in NYC, I really start becoming truly bilingual.
Gradually, I shift to think directly in English – as opposed to think in my native language and then translate.
The Final Push
Back in Italy at the end of the summer, it’s basically the continuation of the earlier language learning, from anything I can get my hands on. I apply to college at NYU. I get accepted, and move to the U.S. a year later – this time for good, it turns out.In college, I take a number of writing and pronunciation classes.
Two years later, I transfer to UC Berkeley and also move into a long-term relationship with a native speaker, which is very helpful. She has an eyesight impairment, and I find myself reading aloud to her a lot – especially erotica – which is good to fine-tune my pronunciation, not to mention my kinky side!
Gradually, I come to think primarily in English. And, as I mentioned, I transition to typically dream in English. If I dream about an Italian person, it has a bigger likelihood of being in Italian. On rare occasions, I dream in French; on even rarer, and always exciting, occasions I manage to sneak in a little Portuguese, Spanish or perhaps other languages. [2022 update: occasionally, German, too, after 2 years of studying it during the Covid pandemic!]
The Secret Sauce
All said and done, what’s my advice on learning a new language? In short:- immersion
- (duh!) motivation
- music and films
- patience and persistence
- good note-taking
- humor - don't forget!!
But studying those languages, after my experience with English, proved to be something of a cold shower! Dry, strait-laced textbooks and sometimes dull teachers – a big letdown after the amazing adventure of learning English imbued with humor. Thank goodness for the BBC and the British approach to teaching language! Ironically, some of the best French learning aids I’ve come across were produced by the BBC!
On a similar note, all the Italian-for-beginners textbooks I could get my hands on, at a time when I had a girlfriend who wanted to learn Italian, were equally dull.
[2022 update: as I recently return to studying Brazilian Portuguese, I savor all the luxuries we have nowadays – that we direly lacked not long ago! Remote Zoom classes, instructional YouTube videos, Google Translate, content management systems, language apps, dubbed/subtitled movies on Netflix, etc]
I still dearly love French and Portuguese [and German] – and eventually I found some better teachers and learning materials – but the experience of learning English had a very compelling, perhaps irreplaceable, element of humor! Oops, humour!
I still dearly love French and Portuguese [and German] – and eventually I found some better teachers and learning materials – but the experience of learning English had a very compelling, perhaps irreplaceable, element of humor! Oops, humour!
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