New York Today: Learning Your Next Language

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/nyregion/new-york-today-learning-your-next-language.html

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Good morning on this iffy Tuesday.

We’ve all heard people say: Learning a second language is easier for children than it is for adults.

But it’s not that simple.

One group is no better (or worse) at learning languages than the other, said Jun Liu, a professor of linguistics at Stony Brook University. For children, the language acquisition process is just more natural — they are better at picking up intonations and pronunciations, he said.

Knowing a second or third language as an adult is an advantage not only for the workplace, but also for simply living in New York City. (At least 192 languages are spoken in the New York metro area, according to 2015 census records.)

We set out to find how a person over the age of 18 can become proficient in a second language. What are the challenges they face? Are certain languages easier to learn than others? How does one practice if there is no one nearby with whom to practice?

We asked three educators who have taught second or foreign languages.

How can an adult learn another language and retain it?

All three experts told us the most important factor in picking up a language is motivation.

(No shortage of that in New York.)

It’s also about context, or a need to learn a language, said Rosa Pietanza, a clinical assistant professor at New York University.

For example, an avid sports fan might have an easier time picking up athletic vocabulary than phrases about a subject he or she rarely interacts with.

Are certain languages easier to learn than others?

A common assumption is that Romance languages — such as Spanish, Italian and French — are easier to learn than others. But that’s not necessarily the case; people may be more familiar with Romance languages only because that learning material has been made more available, Ms. Pietanza said, but that doesn’t mean these languages are “easier.”

It depends on what your first language is: It’s easier for an adult to learn another language that comes from the same language family as one’s first language, Mr. Liu explained.

How can adult learners practice a second language outside the classroom?

Find ways to immerse yourself in the language, said Elizabeth Zackheim, chief executive of ABC Languages, a language-learning center in Midtown.

“Next time you visit a country where the language is spoken, sign up for a course at a local language school or hire a tutor to work with you daily for a couple of hours,” Ms. Zackheim advised. “The most important thing is to get out there and use your language as much as possible and have fun with it.”

She added: “Success happens every day you show up for class or create a moment of connection in your foreign language. Speaking ‘correctly’ is nice, but you don’t have to be perfect to make a moment happen.”

If you’re considering learning another language, look no further than our backyard. A few options in New York: independent schools, like ABC Language in Midtown or Bell Language in Midwood, Brooklyn; and free courses, online learning platforms or conversation groups (in English and other languages) at various branches of the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Library systems.

Esto es lo que está sucediendo (here’s what else is happening):

The start of a semi-wet, semi-stormy streak. (Say that 10 times fast.)

Today will stay gray, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Same vibe for most of the week — highs should stay in the 80s, and lows in the 70s.

• The national arm of Indivisible, the liberal grass-roots network that sprang up following the election of President Trump, has endorsed Cynthia Nixon. [New York Times]

• Law enforcement authorities say a Connecticut man used dating apps to prey on women, including a nurse in Queens he met through Tinder who was murdered this month. [New York Times]

• In an attempt to address a local-news crisis, New Jersey lawmakers are putting up millions of dollars to pay for community journalism. [New York Times]

• A fleet of 200 bicycles has descended on the Fordham area of the Bronx as part of the city’s expanding dockless bike-share program. [New York Times]

• A 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton is New York City’s official parade car and has ferried astronauts, world leaders and presidents. [New York Times]

• A new 640 area code is being added to the same New Jersey area currently served by the area code 609. [NBC New York]

• In response to alarming racial disparities, New York City announced a new initiative last week to reduce maternal deaths and complications among women of color. [ProPublica]

• Uber is teaming up with Cargo, a start-up, to provide “mini-vending machines” for its passengers. [NBC New York]

• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “‘Precious and Few’”

• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.

• “A Midsummer Night’s Feast,” a celebration of food, art and film to kick off the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, at the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 6 p.m. [$15]

• “Millenniheirs,” a conversation with the branding studio ThoughtMatter about millennial consumer behavior, at Flatiron South Public Plaza in downtown Manhattan. 6 p.m. [Free]

• Strictly Tango hosts an evening dance workshop on Holley Plaza at Washington Square Park. 6 p.m. [Free]

• The Orchestra of St. Luke’s performs an all-Vivaldi concert at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. 7:30 p.m. [Free]

• ... And it’s opening night for the Shakespeare in the Park production of “Twelfth Night” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. 8 p.m. [Free]

• Yankees host Orioles, 7:05 p.m. (YES). Mets at Nationals, 7:05 p.m. (SNY).

• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until August 15.

• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.

Of the more than 100 World War I monuments in our city parks, nearly a dozen are doughboy statues.

“Doughboy” is slang for the “everyman” who fought on the front lines of the First World War.

The term “doughboys” appeared in The New York Times as early as the Civil War, and its meaning is open to interpretation: “Doughboy” could come from an image of a fighter covered in mud or dust resembling flour or dough, or it could be a reference to “adobe” (brick) huts that soldiers built and inhabited during war in the 1840s.

You can learn more about the World War I doughboys at “Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace: The Doughboys 1917-1918,” an outdoor photography exhibition on view at Madison Square Park for the next two weeks.

The traveling display, presented by the United States World War I Centennial Commission and the National World War I Museum and Memorial, explores the battlefields of France and Belgium through the lens of the photojournalist Michael St Maur Sheil. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of the war, which took place from 1914 to 1918.

You can visit the pop-up project for free at Worth Square, adjacent to Madison Square Park at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, until Aug. 12.

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