Cambridge Modern and Medieval Languages (MML) Students and Applicants

can anyone tell me what happens for fluent/native speakers in the first year- if the use of language lessons are too easy?

Reply 184

technotrousers

Hi, does anyone know anything about doing Dutch at Cambridge? I'm thinking about it to go with Spanish for potential entry in 2009...

Reply 185

OP

Dutch is good! Anyone is allowed to study Dutch in year 2 onwards (instead of taking a third scheduled paper), and of course it can be studied in its own right together with another language right from the word go in year 1. This year, I believe there is ONE first year student of Dutch! Good for him, all that attention! I was tempted to do Dutch next year (the main dutch lady person is REALLY nice), but decided against learning another language from scratch. So yeah. I relaise this has made no sense...but oh well!

Butterfly girl - in my friend's Italian language class, half of them are natives or half-Italian and speak Italian fluently, but they are just like any other student. At the end of the day, there is much more to the "Use of" exam than just being able to speak French/German etc.

Reply 186

Duck and Cover

Butterfly girl - in my friend's Italian language class, half of them are natives or half-Italian and speak Italian fluently, but they are just like any other student. At the end of the day, there is much more to the "Use of" exam than just being able to speak French/German etc.

ah ok- so you learn the why & wherefore of language in an academic/intellectual way rather than just the mundane explanatory lessons you get at school?

if you yourself are a language student- are a large proportion of language students fluent speakers? are the use of language lessons the type of lesson which are hard for students of all levels (like literature lessons often are) rather than the type of lessons aimed at bringing people up to the necessary level where those already at that level feel they are reiterating & not progressing?

Reply 187

OP

Yeah, for a lot of it it's expanding on what you already know, just basically becoming more proficient, learning more intricacies for example. In my classes personally, no one is a fluent speaker, but everyone's at a similar level (we get setted at the beginning of the year after doing a little test). And because they're always 100% in the foreigh language, speaking it just becomes so much more natural.

The Use of classes differ STRONGLY between 1) different classes for the same language and 2) different languages. Use of German this year has been amazing, whereas use of French as left much to be desired... :p:

...but that's my personal opinion! (I haven't exactly been the most diligent student for French this year so that probably explains it!!)

Reply 188

Duck and Cover

Yeah, for a lot of it it's expanding on what you already know, just basically becoming more proficient, learning more intricacies for example. In my classes personally, no one is a fluent speaker, but everyone's at a similar level (we get setted at the beginning of the year after doing a little test). And because they're always 100% in the foreigh language, speaking it just becomes so much more natural.

The Use of classes differ STRONGLY between 1) different classes for the same language and 2) different languages. Use of German this year has been amazing, whereas use of French as left much to be desired... :p:

...but that's my personal opinion! (I haven't exactly been the most diligent student for French this year so that probably explains it!!)

so fluent/proficient/native speakers will likely be in one class while those less so will probably be in another?

and its all taught in the language??? how do they do that- is there a rule you cant speak english in the class? that would be so great- i think its the only way to go as far as language learning & I know how good it is from going to a language school where thats the case

Reply 189

Happiness

1

For post a level languages you have to do a diagnostic test at the start of the year. They do that to put people of roughly the same level in language classes together. So, potentially you could be in a class with a fluent/native speaker if you are also of a good level.

As for ab initio, clearly nobody is a native but again you're put into groups according to ability so groups can advance at the right pace. What you'll find is that it levels out by about christmas so there's not really any difference.

Most of the language classes themselves are indeed in the target language. There's not exactly a rule that you can't speak English in class, but most teachers conduct the lesson in x language, so it would be rude not to respond and contribute to discussions in the same language. Of course, if you're stuck you can say what you want to say in English and get it translated or try to find a way around it.

As for Use Of classes, they do vary between language to language, and even within one language between teacher to teacher. Some teachers set more work than others or have higher standards. For example, a friend of mine has had loads of grammar learning work for use of classes (e.g. learning verbs + preposition), where as I have had a lot of textual analysis and things like that.

Reply 190

OP

Yeah, when I said 100% in the target language, I meant like..95 or something! In both French and German, for me, very little English is spoken, and even if someone doesn't know something, most people try and get round it by still talking in the foreign language (or if you're like me, just waiting until the teacher guesses.. :p:

)

Reply 191

Happiness

1

To be honest fluent speakers who study their own language irritate me a little. I'm sure you could come up with some valid reasons for it but at the end of the day the point of MML (or MFL as it would be called most places) is to study a foreign language...

I have use of French at 9am on a Thursday morning, to be honest at that hour I never feel like volunteering many contributions in French so stay pretty quiet until something is required of me. Waiting until the teacher guesses what it is you want to say is also a good strategy though...

Reply 192

OP

Woo, 9am Thursday...top of the lecture block...all those stairs...not much enthusiasm tbh!!

Reply 193