Language Learning Part I: Vocabulary Expansion

Well, we’ll see if I can get back on the wagon with some more regular posts. Life is, ummm, interesting these days.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my progress with the Dutch language (“Nederlands”) recently. My motivation to learn and practice trailed off for two main reasons – the first being the fact that I was subjected to three other languages this summer and the second is that the Dutch speak English too well! To give myself some credit, though, I have come a long way from a year ago.

The first significant improvement is certainly in the field of vocabulary. This fall, I tried telling myself that my infatuation with Oprah and Dr. Phil was so I could read the subtitles and “learn” that way. I suppose it helped, since I find myself recognizing a lot of vocabulary on the street and in newspapers. Nonetheless, I figured out sometime in November that Oprah and Dr. Phil were my new friends, not my new language teachers. I had to let them down easy – now I only see them once a week or so. But the vocabulary words are still with me!