Language Learning Stories

by International Language Learning Department (compiler)

Complete Table of Contents

Summary

This book contains a collection of true-life anecdotes told by a number of language learners. Each story illustrates one or more important language learning principle and is linked to the relevant principle in the Language Learning Principles book. These stories are an interesting way to learn about second language acquisition from other people's experiences.

Welcome to the Language Learning story database

Stories by Judi Lynn Anderson

Have your cake and say it too

Collecting firewood

The games people play

Stories by Katharine Barnwell

Props can come in handy

Getting in trouble with a good accent

Word games

The honeymoon's over

Semantic change

Some things you'll never learn in in school

A helping hand

Captive audience

Slow start

Insisting on the hard way out

Street talk

Stories by Elaine Beekman

When you run out of vocabulary

Out the window or from the porch

Yes, we'll do it, but no windows

A convert to the culture

Stories by Karen Chadbourne

Take a trip

Playing the fool

A hint for the shy language learner

Story by Lon Diehl

He can't understand, anyway!

Stories by Louise Diehl

Where are you going?

Dressing for the occasion

A circuit for success

A day at the park

Stories by Steve Echerd

Dinner talk

How do you want that cut?

Turning up the volume

Etched into our neural circuits

Watching the soaps

To talk, or not to talk?

Let the shoes shine

Treasure hunts

Required visitation

Now I can speak to you

Language of choice (the only choice): Tzeltal

The more you speak it, the faster you learn it

What's wrong with our baskets?

Village piano music

Completely surrounded

Stories by Ilene Foote

I've got to be me

Beware of direct translations

Where did all my Spanish go?

Yes, English is my mother tongue (tied)

A cookie for a word

Stories by Lisbeth Fritzell

Monolingual--like it or not!

What time do we go home?

What are you really trying to say?

We'll talk to you, but we won't teach you

Thank you for the story

Filling in the bosses' list

Explaining what they've never seen

Try to say that with a swollen tongue!

You can't say it that way!

Why didn't I ever hear that word before?

Speaking in all the wrong languages

Brain pain

Stories by Laura Gittlen

Text glossing

What did you say?

Family devotions

Stories by George Huttar

Trading languages

Using Dutch to learn Dutch

The good of going to church

Let's go to the zoo!

Ndjuka only, please!

Involvement is a must

What can you tell me about ...

Going solo

Put a picture with that word

Imprinted with a bump

On-site memory

Stories by Mary Huttar

To market, to market!

Radio surfing

One strike, you're out!

Learning it, then saying it

I'm stuck!

The silver lining

A little of this, a little of that

Stories by Ted Jones

Department of Redundancy department

The basket maker

Some things you've just got to memorize

Keeping a stiff upper lip

Learning the wrong thing

The mush mouth factor

Learning by hearing and seeing

Stories by Mildred Larson

Tell us a story!

Telling tales

Am I fluent, or are you accommodating me?

Sorting it out by sight

Mail!

Time flies

Why does it keep coming out French?

Stories by Erin Lunsford

The words are right but everything's all wrong

Live dictionaries

'Cuz I said so!

You still don't know how to get there?

Living in cupboards

A traveler's phrase book for Russian

She's not giving up. We may as well help her.

Of bakeries and bread stores

Christmas Eve

The unwanted fountain of youth

By hook or by crook--getting language however you can

Was it something I said?

Run that by me again?

Story by Greg Lyons

The Listening approach

Stories by Melinda Lyons

What dialect do you speak?

Getting a head start

Feeling successful

Specialized vocabulary

Long names

Expectations

Classifying books

Take a trip

Stories by Inga McKendry

Grammatically correct, but not culturally correct

Language and culture

Stories by an unnamed author

Buying meat

Shopping around

My Moore grandmother

The peanut lady

Stories by Mary Morgan

Your tongue doesn't match your face!

No baby talk, please!

Which language should I learn first?

A thing or two I've learned ...

Now, which language did I just use?

Oops, I got derailed!

Do it yourself grammar

The Good Book

Stories by Jennifer Munger

Being asked to complain

Fitting In

Learning from the kids

War stories

Stories by Dave O'Bar

Solving the world's problems

Master of ceremonies

Puzzled

The old folk's home

Throw fire in the bucket

Project bachhaus

Seeing is learning

A time to speak, and a time to be silent

Stories by Carol Orwig

Critical mass

You that man!

I hate mistakes!

When words don't matter

There's always somebody better than you

She doesn't understand

Ship ahoy!

Graduation day

Lazy Lips

Benjamin

Hot and cold food

What's interfering?

Don't they sound funny?

You'll never say these words wrong again!

Brussels lace

Unholy motivation

Pink and blue, mountains and goats

Kipo

When is paper not paper?

Church in Ombessa

Sticks and stones

Maria la magnifica

Write me a letter

Ewondo kitchens

Language learning is child's play

The ice cream shop

Making dolls

Where there's a will, there's a way

Which way to the train station?

Your tortilla stinks

Snakes and skinned knees

One person, two personas?

Mama Anastasie

What happened to your Spanish?

I'm so glad you speak Italian

I feel stupid

An electrifying experience

The ferry to Finland

The Snoepwinkel

Figure it out!

Stories by Dave Persons

Basketball fiestas and town duty

Respect: How do you show it?

Is grunting better than Spanish?

The town drunks

Stories by Carolyn Rensch

No Spanish!

Speak to me, please

Watch out for that tone

Total immersion

Learning tone from text

Language on my mind

I don't want to insult you

I know those words, but what did you say?

Stories by Gary Simons

A banana by any other name

Stories by Wil Snyder

Break time

It's as simple as watching TV and reading

That's not quite how we say it

Stories by Nancy Sullivan

My first word

Soap operas

Pepper and green pepper

Buying bread and meat

Portuguese churches

A new mother

Counted cross-stitch

Hunting for ribbon

Towels with complications

Moms, maids, and children

How to excel

A conversation on a bus

Signing on the dotted line

Vocabulary building

Verb charts

Pablum or the pope?

I really don't speak Portuguese well!

While riding on a bus one day

Tenth time's a charm

There's got to be a word

Stories by Terry Sullivan

Take time for soccer

What's most important?

Portuguese newspapers

Stories by Jim Wheatley

Becoming like a child

Bits and pieces from Brazil

Nothing better than interaction

A tit for tat

A little kin goes a long way

A private place

Stories by Sandra Wimbish

Night fishing on Kao Bay

Hold this mike, and speak clearly

Choose well your friends and teachers

May I pick Your hair?

Slowly, and not too surely