Was It Something I Said?

The Italian Immersion weekend (offered through UCLA Extension) did not live up to my expectations. To begin, it was not “full immersion” with instruction solely (or even primarily) in Italian. In some ways, this was a good thing. While total immersion may be an effective way to learn conversational aspects of a language, it is not always the quickest way. Explanations in English speed up the process of understanding what’s going on, and that’s very useful when time is limited, as it was here. On the other hand, too much tolerance of English removes the necessity of starting to speak immediately (and thus gaining both practice and confidence).

Some people in the class were complete beginners, but several had already started some kind of instruction (even if only on their own) and a few knew much more. I already had most of the vocabulary that was presented, and I already knew about verb conjugation, sentence structure, etc. What I really wanted was conversational practice. We did have speaking practice in every class. We conversed with other students in the room, or worked with other students to make presentations in front of the class. We also got some good explanations, both of the language and the culture, from the teacher. The class was enjoyable, and every review helps, but overall I just didn’t get enough of what I came for.

I have attended the first of two “Italian Immersion” weekends at UCLA Extension. We weren’t really immersed (but more on that later). The class was enjoyable. There wasn’t anything really new for me in terms of vocabulary or grammar, but anything that provides reinforcement is good. There were some interesting cultural tips.

As usual, most people have trouble with pronunciation. Some are better than others, and there are different issues, but the double consonant is one that plagues nearly everyone. In Italian, a double consonant must be pronounced to distinguish it from a single consonant. “Sette” should not sound exactly like “sete”. The meaning of the word is different, and an Italian speaker hearing the mispronounced word may be momentarily confused. In some cases, the change in meaning could be embarrassing. The irony is, that this teacher mispronounces many English words, sometimes confusing the English speakers who hear her. For example, at one point she kept saying “neat” (which made no sense in context) but I finally realized she meant “knit”. Whereas English speakers have trouble with double versus single consonants (a distinction we don’t normally make), Italian speakers have trouble with the wide variety of vowel sounds in English.

Normally the Geology professor gives a short quiz at the very end of each class session. This eliminates the need for written homework, and for taking roll. Last night, however, we had our first mid-term exam. It was given during the first portion of the class. Students finishing the test were told to be back at a particular time, when class would reconvene. Of course, a large number of students didn’t bother to return, thinking they were “safe”. Ha! There are so many reasons why leaving early is stupid, but my favorite this time is that the professor had us all (all who remained) sign a roll sheet at the end of the evening.