When the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out at the end of February 2022, I realized with a shock that my childhood obsession with all things Russian was totally misplaced. After all, the people, the music, and even the exotic place names were actually Ukrainian, not Russian!
And on top of that, the language that I heard was totally different, too, even if the letters looked almost the same (they are pronounced differently, and Ukrainian has some characters that Russian doesn’t!).
So, I have decided, at the ripe old age of 45, to learn a new language, with an alphabet that looks nothing like this one, even on Mondays!
Someone on Twitter suggested that I downloaded the Duolingo application for my phone. At first, I wondered about how much I would need to pay, but then I remembered that the lessons were free. After all, I started learning Italian through Duolingo, when I still thought I would be going to Italy, but that was on my computer, not my phone. I never knew there WAS an app! (Now I do! It’s available wherever you download apps, for free!)
And I also found out that the phone application looks like a game, with levels and little rewards and “lives” that you lose every time you make a mistake (and then have to wait a long time to regenerate, unless you pay – that’s where the money is made!).
It’s been almost a month, now, and I find myself building basic, short sentences during the day. Strangely enough, I am still busy with the lessons that deal with pronunciation, so no themes, yet!
There are three levels of teaching – Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert – and lots and lots and lots of lessons and repetition of words and phrases until you can almost recite them in your sleep. I suspect that is what makes Duolingo such an effective language teaching tool.
Although there are many adults using Duolingo for various reasons, there are large portions of the app and system that are devoted to and built around scholastic use. I can easily see how a language teacher could build his/her lessons around the Duolingo themes and then challenge the learners to play the “game” during the evening and so get the words fixed into their minds, with proper pronunciation guidance as well! Plus the application gives the teacher feedback on what the students have learned and it helps the teacher, too!
So…
The only problem that I have with Duolingo so far is that Continental Portuguese (the one in Europe) is not covered by their course offerings. They do have Brazilian Portuguese, though.
Anyway, so now you know what I am up to. One of these days, I shall be able to understand the Ukrainian President without having to read the subtitles.
Slava Ukraini!
Hey Tessa, I’ve just read some of your works and I must say, Thank You … refreshing, light, and in this case, informative. I’ve gone and downloaded the app and at the age of 69, will try to learn another language … not because I would ever leave our beautiful neglected country, but to keep my brain active and thereby current.
I enjoy your musing immensly ma’am 👌🌹