Rosetta Stone?

[Timshel]

Okay, so I know this is a popular topic, but I'm new to the boards, so it's new to me. All schools require at least one language and some require two, which is sort of an issue for me. I took 3 years of French in high school and 1 class in college, and I've been to France a couple of times so I think with a little brushing up, I could definitely pass a competency exam. However, I'm still worried because A.) I don't know another language at all, which means I will have to learn a new one for schools that require two and B.) Even for the schools that only require one, my area of interest is ethnic American lit, and I primarily focus on latino/a and Caribbean lit, so I'm pretty sure they aren't going to accept French and instead want Spanish.

So, long story short, I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to learn Spanish. So now I'm wondering, what is my best option? Some say to take some language courses now, as an auditor (I teach at the university so I can't technically be a student, too), some say wait and take them at the school you get into, and some have suggested buying Rosetta stone and just learning it from that to take the proficiency exam, especially since buying Rosetta Stone costs about as much as it costs to take a college course anyway.

So, I'm looking for advice here. What are others doing or have done? Or, in my unique situation, is there one option that is better for me?

[runonsentence]

Well, first I'd recommend you take a closer look at the language requirements; some schools may require two languages, but won't require that you be equally proficient in both. My program doesn't require two, but makes it an option (that is, one can either demonstrate in-depth knowledge in one language or basic knowledge in two).

Also, unless you're going into comparative lit, they may not mind that you fulfill your language requirement in French. You're right that it would be much more useful to have Spanish proficiency (unless you're studying Haitian literature), but unless you're doing comparative work and consulting original Spanish texts, I doubt programs will mind what language you know. For people not doing comparative work, the language requirement is often an antiquated requirement that schools are hesitant to phase out because no one else has. (Most students in my program take the French reading course to pass their requirement for no other reason than the prof is easier than the ones teaching other languages.)

BUT, assuming you do need to learn Spanish: I'd contact your advisor (or wait until you can speak with her/him face-to-face) before spending money. It may be that there's an easy option for completing your requirement (like the reading courses we have to take at my university—the exam is an open-dictionary translation of an original work pertaining to your field at the end of the term. That's it).

And as far as Rosetta Stone goes, I've been using Rosetta Stone for Farsi recently; my experience has been, while it's effective at getting you to speak and listen quickly, it's not going to teach you grammar as thoroughly or vocabulary as extensively as classroom Spanish would, and it may not be as effective at teaching reading. It's fantastic for immersion and conversation, but that's not what proficiency exams are usually testing you for.

[Timshel]

Thanks for the insight on Rosetta Stone. I was curious how helpful it would be with that kind of testing. I know some of the websites say "in a language related to your field of study," so that is why I was worried that they wouldn't let me get away with French. I do not plan to do anything comparative, so it sounds to me like I should just wait until (if) I get in somewhere, and then talk to my advisor about what I should do next. I'm totally down for learning Spanish if necessary, but if I can avoid that hurdle, I would like to.

[ThePoorHangedFool]

My program doesn't require two, but makes it an option (that is, one can either demonstrate in-depth knowledge in one language or basic knowledge in two).

Also keep in mind that for some programs, if you choose the track in which you only study one language, they require fluency by the end of it all. Literally---go look at some of the programs you're thinking about and see which ones, if any, have this stated on their website (and possibly peruse a few extras too, so I don't look stupid in the event that none of your potential programs state fluency as their standard). : ) Alternatively, you have to be careful with the two-language option; "basic proficiency" is about as vague a standard as there is, so you might think about contacting the right faculty or staff at the school(s) in question and ask what exactly they expect from students learning two languages. I'd imagine that you wouldn't need to be familiar with some of the more/most difficult verb tenses, nor would you *likely* be asked to write extensive essays, etc., except with the professors' expectations of decent amounts of mistakes.

But what do I know? For some schools, maybe as long as you can read it quite well and speak it sufficiently enough so that you don't sound like you're just babbling or drunk, writing isn't even an issue. If you do start asking directly at any point (don't feel obligated, of course), the answers you receive would be more than welcome in this forum. : )

That being said, Spanish is arguably THE easiest language to learn; your apparent current knowledge of French will help you (though people who don't pick up new languages easily disagree). I personally find French more difficult, but a remarkable amount of Spanish will look uncannily familiar to you if you do end up taking it.

As far as Rosetta Stone goes, I agree with runonsentence about its less-than-stellar grammar lessons. However--and again, this would be especially easy for Spanish--if you get Rosetta Stone and supplement it with a textbook or guide of some sort that specifically focuses on grammar, you'll find that you're learning both how to write and read, but more importantly (and the best advantage in having RS, I think) you're learning how to speak. How to speak WELL, actually; my German courses, at least, are extremely particular regarding pronunciation and articulation (I say this as someone who has always been better at languages than every other subject in school aside from English/Literature).

Edited July 29, 2011 by ThePoorHangedFool

[Two Espressos]

I have the French Rosetta Stone levels 1-3. I've taken two semesters of French so far, so I started out on the third level. It's still pretty simplistic at that level. Honestly, I think Rosetta Stone is very overrated.

However, it does have one strength, one thing that I admire: it has voice-recognition technology, which allows you to improve your accent.

That's a great feature, but I still don't think Rosetta Stone is worth the hefty price tag.

Personally, I think the best way to learn grammar, vocabulary, etc is to take a language class. I'd imagine that studying abroad in a foreign country would be really beneficial too, as far as learning the nuances of conversation. At least that's what I'm convincing myself, as I'm going to France next summer.

Edited July 30, 2011 by Two Espressos

[ThePoorHangedFool]

I think Two Espressos is absolutely right; however, both Rosetta Stone and traveling to study and/or live abroad (which I can't remember if you said was your purpose during the trips you've made to France) are each expensive in their own ways. Fast and somewhat temporary immersion is sometimes the most beneficial way to use time spent abroad actively improving one's skills with regards to speaking/writing/read a language, so if your periods in France were more along the lines of 1-3 week trips, you probably gained more from them than you realize quite yet.

If you've literally never taken Spanish and have no way to begin without a pretty step-by-step manual (this would also go for most languages that use the same alphabet as that of the English language), that's exactly what you need. Look on eBay or Amazon for textbooks meant for middle- or high-school introductory Spanish classes, which these days often come with DVDs or computer softwar as auxiliary lessons or as electronic resources (dictionary, etc.). Incidentally, my Spanish I book was actually called Paso a Paso (step by step), and I remember it being readable, understandable in its use of directions, and generally easy to use (I had already taken Spanish, however).

Edited July 30, 2011 by ThePoorHangedFool

[saffron]

It also wouldn't hurt to pick up a few children's books to supplement the grammar books. Once you can read children's books then move on to young adult fiction or short stories, etc. Reading really helps with vocabulary AND it will help you see how the language is actually used outside of a textbook language learning course.

[ZeeMore21]

Okay, so I know this is a popular topic, but I'm new to the boards, so it's new to me. All schools require at least one language and some require two, which is sort of an issue for me. I took 3 years of French in high school and 1 class in college, and I've been to France a couple of times so I think with a little brushing up, I could definitely pass a competency exam. However, I'm still worried because A.) I don't know another language at all, which means I will have to learn a new one for schools that require two and B.) Even for the schools that only require one, my area of interest is ethnic American lit, and I primarily focus on latino/a and Caribbean lit, so I'm pretty sure they aren't going to accept French and instead want Spanish.

So, long story short, I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to learn Spanish. So now I'm wondering, what is my best option? Some say to take some language courses now, as an auditor (I teach at the university so I can't technically be a student, too), some say wait and take them at the school you get into, and some have suggested buying Rosetta stone and just learning it from that to take the proficiency exam, especially since buying Rosetta Stone costs about as much as it costs to take a college course anyway.

So, I'm looking for advice here. What are others doing or have done? Or, in my unique situation, is there one option that is better for me?

I wouldn't regret taking French just yet...it depends on what islands you would be studying, since there is both Haiti and Martinique.

[Phil Sparrow]

Man, if you can take a free Spanish class where you work, DO IT. The dedication and forward-thinking will look good on your application, and it's always better to get a head start on language wor, astrying to fit a new language in while you're in the midst of PhD coursework is very difficult.

[runonsentence]

Thanks for the insight on Rosetta Stone. I was curious how helpful it would be with that kind of testing. I know some of the websites say "in a language related to your field of study," so that is why I was worried that they wouldn't let me get away with French. I do not plan to do anything comparative, so it sounds to me like I should just wait until (if) I get in somewhere, and then talk to my advisor about what I should do next. I'm totally down for learning Spanish if necessary, but if I can avoid that hurdle, I would like to.

Yes, unless it's super easy or free to take some Spanish before school, I'd wait before doing much. Again, not that my program is indicative of the field as a whole, but you may find that even if they wanted you to pass proficiency in Spanish, it would be super easy like my requirement. At my university we just take a reading class or two, and pass an open-dictionary translation exam. No fluency required.

[Timshel]

I wish I could take an introductory class here at my campus this year, just because I think it would be beneficial to learn Spanish regardless, but they will not let you teach undergrads if you are enrolled in undergrad courses. Boo.

[rainy_day]

I wouldn't regret the French just yet. To waht extent do you plan on working with theory? A lot of 20th century theory was originally written in French: Foucault, Derrida, Barthes, Bourdieu, Baudrillard, Cixous, Irigaray, Lourde, Lacan, etc.

[Timshel]

I wouldn't regret the French just yet. To waht extent do you plan on working with theory? A lot of 20th century theory was originally written in French: Foucault, Derrida, Barthes, Bourdieu, Baudrillard, Cixous, Irigaray, Lourde, Lacan, etc.

Well, my primary interest is pscyhoanalysis, specifically trauma studies, so Cixous, Irigaray, and Lacan will definitely work for the French, but I was told that no one hires someone to do "psychoanalysis," and I was told that I need to pick a period or an area, so I am planning on applying my interests of trauma studies to ethnic american lit, and most of my projects as of right now are latino/a, which is what makes me worried that they will want me to know Spanish. More specifically, I have been working with Dominican lit, which is definitely Spanish, although I am working with diasporic writing, not actual Dominican lit, if that makes sense.

[rainy_day]

In my dept, as others have suggested, it's almost more of a formality than anything, and they want you to pick a language that is related to your research, but that doesn't mean it has to be the#1best fit. Spanish may be ideal,but that doesn't mean French is irrelevant for you.