Angela Larocca is a York University student specialising in French and Italian.  This fall, she will start in the Faculty of Education at York with the aim of teaching French at the middle-school level.

Here are a few of her thoughts on the challenges of learning French as a second language:

Being a student who does not speak French outside of the classroom can create problems.  I think that those who study a second language can face difficulties.  We are always ready to practice rules, hoping to know when to apply them.  But we underestimate exactly how much time it will take us to learn a second language.

I have noticed that we must practice both oral and written French to be able to acquire a language.  But how?  We can listen to the radio and watch television to train your ear, but is that enough?  In my opinion, no! I think that it is absolutely necessary to be completely immersed in the language and culture to master the French language.  To find yourself surrounded by people who are constantly speaking French and being unable to rely on English both help a lot in your ability to speak French spontaneously.  

However, even if this approach helps master the oral language, does it help with your written French?  First of all, there is a world of difference between written and spoken French.  In general, French people tend to shorten their expressions by cutting certain words out of phrases. Still, all these changes are not obvious in written French because grammar rules do not permit this kind of informality.  A student could become troubled by the differences that can become an obstacle in language-learning.

In my opinion, the solution to all these hurdles can be boiled down to one thing: time.  Students need time to practice their oral and written French.  Even if you go abroad to master French, you still need time to absorb and improve your knowledge of the French language.