VLLC Case Studies

Tony Liang ...... Chinese student

26/2/2016

Ni hao! I have been learning Mandarin with VLLC in a Certificate II in Foreign Language Studies since December and, thus far, it has proven to be extremely enjoyable and enriching. My motivation for learning Mandarin is two-fold. First, living and working in China is something that is definitely on my radar - I don't think there are many places more exciting and flowing with opportunities at the moment than China! Secondly, I believe Mandarin, being a language rich with history (like all languages!), begs to be explored further.
I'm excited at where VLLC will take me; I've wanted to learn properly for a while now and I've finally taken that step.

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Come si dice.......

23/2/2016

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While I can get nerdy about grammar, I find that the use of expression in the Italian language is at the centre of my tutorials. And with the practicality of maintaining correct grammar and conveying this lingua bella eloquently and easily, both will merge naturally one day. N.B. By the way, feeling there are a lot more verb conjunctions in Italian than in German… just saying…

Right now I just have to focus on getting it out and allowing it to flow. More than anything, learning Italian has been a reality check regarding my practical application. I have learnt that rather than digressing, or, shall I say regressing into English, it is more often than not simply speaking the Italian I do know.

The picture – sound association with the Italian on-line lesson supports my brain’s tenacity. Using the picture on-line and sometimes visualising my own allow me to form a deeper connection with the language and culture. Collating these pictures into a story of my own is fundamentally important for me, as I value story telling as a tool for both connection and learning.

Creating scenarios for the characters in the online program facilitate in this learning experience, because while feminine plurals and past participle grammatical points are as difficult as they are, they seem to fall more naturally into place when you can create and visualise the whole big picture. Per esempio: “Paola e sua sorella sono arrivate dall’ Italia.”,

Learning Italian has also helped me discern and distil my “Musts” in life. As Rilke said, in his masterpiece “Letters to a young poet”; ‘Ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: Must I write? And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this earnest question with a strong and simple, “I must”, then build your life according to this necessity.”
Must I learn Italian? Yes, affirmative. Next time around when I am with dear family and friends in Italy I want to not only breathe in Italian but burst out into conversation with them. No longer the mouse scampering around to pick up crumbs here and there but to sit at the abundant feast come un gatto orgoglioso!
La vita e' bella!

Alvina is learning Italian at VLLC and is going to share her language learning journey.

Next blog:
Where the 'Must' began, in the Italian Alps, pregnant and trying to order coffee, cake and soup...

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Tony Liang ...... Chinese student

Come si dice.......

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Tony Liang ...... Chinese student

Come si dice.......

Our Stories

Archives

Categories

About VLLC

﻿Lang﻿uages﻿

﻿Courses﻿

Blog

Contact Us

Languages

Courses