Weaving it in: Retention in the Day-to-Day

Now that you’ve seen through many lenses of how to learn language and enhance your current language learning routine, we can take a look at ways to enjoy language learning as an everyday part of life as opposed to a one-time experience. The upkeep of language doesn’t have to feel like a chore, and we hope that the topics we covered may have sparked some inspiration for you. Below, we will explore some methods and suggestions for integrating the language skills into your everyday routine. However, when thinking of how you’ll piece things together, keep in mind that the process is not one-size-fits-all and you should stay true to your language learning goals!

As we go from language learners to “language do-ers”, treating your L2 as a well-integrated part of your regular routine becomes very important to language maintenance. There’s nothing like the feeling of reaching a goal (like finally being able to understand a certain podcast or show, or finally being able to maintain a conversation) but the reality of language is that if you don’t use it often it will start to fade away over time. So how do we keep a steady flame once we’ve attained our initial goals?

Bardovi-Harlig and Bunghardt (2020) discuss attrition, the point at which a language learner’s attained proficiency falls due to lack of contact or practice with the second language . In particular, the output skills of speaking and writing tend to fall victim to attrition. There is a variety of both technology-related and traditional methods to decrease the odds of attrition over time and maintain language skills. One of the important factors to keep in mind is that focusing on meaningful communication as opposed to arbitrary study is most effective. This may look like engaging in a phone call with a friend who speaks your L2 as opposed to sitting down and studying flash cards of grammar or vocabulary out of context. Even if the strategies for retention don’t look too different from learning strategies, there is a level of intentionality and proactiveness that is particularly important for long-term retention to be effective.

Bardovi-Harlig and Bunghardt also refer to a study by Ludwig et al. (2009) that discusses what aspects should be present in retention plans in order to bring about the most effectiveness. These are:

A Focus on Implicit Knowledge. When we are seeking to retain language (as opposed to when we first learn it) we may benefit most from activities that make use of our existing implicit knowledge. This happens through re-exposure to language in context, either in-person or within a virtual world. It’s best to re-activate what we already know through reading, listening, or jumping into a simple conversation as opposed to explicitly re-learning information.

Emphasis on Learner Production. A focus on production allows for the continued development of your ability to “language” spontaneously. Productive skills (speaking/signing and writing) are at greater risk of attrition than receptive skills (listening/viewing and reading), so it can be valuable to keep in touch with productive skills specifically. But even if you can’t focus on production often, staying exposed to input in the form of listening, viewing, and reading will keep the language active in your mind and prepare you for when you do have the opportunity to speak or write.

Opportunities to Learn New Language in Small Doses. Even though retention focuses most on keeping what you have previously learned alive, you can still be learning new things too! Continuing to read, listen, or interact at i+1 reduces potential boredom, strengthens the linguistic system, and keeps language learning fun. Just keep the new material bite-sized and the process enjoyable so that it doesn’t feel like a burden to just maintain the language.

Often, maintaining a language might look like simply replacing an everyday task that you do in your L1 with doing it in your L2. Perhaps you start listening to a podcast in your L2 in the car as opposed to your L1, or you play video games in your L2. This can be easier to do and access in some skills than others, such as listening or reading. Integrating productive skills can be a little more difficult and less accessible but, again, a bit of intentionality will go a long way. Think of things like texting a friend in your L2, continuing to journal, or even creating a video journal. Not only will you get to practice frequently, but you’ll have a record of your progress for times when you feel like you don’t have as much traction.

To look at what retention may look like in one case, please enjoy Dr. Keli Yerian’s story about her experience with study abroad and weaving French back into her life:

References

Bardovi-Harlig, K., & Burghardt, B. (2020). Preventing attrition and promoting retention. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 19, 66-81. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1269456

Ludwig, J., Fu, D., Bardovi-Harlig, K., Stringer, D. (2009). Serious games for second language retention. In Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC 2009) (pp. 1-10). Find in Google Scholar