I’ve developed this “language maintenance” challenge for languages I’ve neglected in my own studies but still wish to practice. It consists of a variety of activities, designed to not be intrusive in daily life but keep you thinking about your TL. It’s also designed to broad and fit a wide variety of situations including heritage languages, intermediate-level languages, languages that you’ve finished a course and don’t know what’s next, or languages that you’ve otherwise put on the back-burner. Hopefully, someone out there will find it useful! If you need help finding a resource to complete one of these activities, let me know! If you make any posts relating to this, please use #upkeepchallenge so I can see it :D
Write down all of the reasons why you want to learn your target language, or why you want to make sure you maintain it. Think about them, then stick this list into your notebook.
Write out an introduction. If you met a native speaker right now, what would you say? Your name, your interests, where you’re from?
Listen to a video. Try to follow what’s going on, but mostly let it wash over you, listen to the sounds. You can go through my sample playlists for a starting point.
Go into wherever you keep your resources, whether a folder on your computer, a tag on Tumblr or a physical textbook. Open to a random page and try to translate the first sentence you see in your target language. Try to do it on your own without resources, before checking with a dictionary or grammar book. How did you do?
Pick a random verb and write out by hand all of the conjugations you know of for that verb. In other words, write the same sentence over and over again but with different conjugations. Ex: eu sou Americana, tu és Americano, ele é americano, nós somos Americanos… etc. I have some mini-printables for this!
Watch a show/youtube video meant for children in your target language.
Make a vocabulary list for your major/favorite subject/job.
Create a set of flashcards that you can carry around with you. This can be done either digitally (tinycards or quizlet apps on your phone) or physically (cut down index cards to size.) Include vocab from a variety of sources if you can.
Put together a playlist of ONLY 20 songs. Evaluate them and rank them. It might take several listens (that’s the point!)
Look for magazines in your target language. Read (or skim) at least one.
Learn some filler words or sounds and practice speaking with them in a natural cadence/rhythm.
Go back to your playlist (Day 9) and learn the entire lyrics to one of your favorite songs. Practice until you can sing it acapella.
Whip out your set of flashcards (Day 8) and set a goal for the number of cards memorized by the end of the day. For example, “I’m going to have at least ¾ths of my cards in the ‘know’ pile by 10pm tonight.”
Have a full conversation with yourself in the mirror today. Imagine you just met yourself in a cafe or a class and just make small talk. Use your introduction from earlier (Day 2)!
Listen to radio in your target language as you do some chores.
Look for a discord group, forum, or other community of people who are learning/speaking your target language. Post at least one thing. Even if you’re shy, ask a question or just introduce yourself then bounce!
Watch a movie in your target language.
Do a little research about into the folklore of the culture of your language. Pick one creature/location/story and try to see if you can find any info about it in your target language. An easy way to do this is to find the wikipedia page in your native language and then click on the equivalent article in your target language (it’s on the left side).
Find a passage in your target language that interests you, then record yourself saying it. Evaluate it yourself or post it on langblr or /r/JudgeMyAccent for feedback. What are the elements you got down? What can you improve on?
Use IPA to sharpen your pronunciation. If necessary, record yourself speaking first to pinpoint what sounds off. Focus on sounds that aren’t found in your native language. Practice in front of a mirror and exaggerate them.
What is your favorite aspect of the culture of your target language (ex: food, dance, traditions, festivals)? Find a youtube video or mini-documentary about it. And try to find it in your target language!
Pick something in your room and talk about it. Be as specific as possible in describing it and how you feel about it. Use a dictionary without shame.
Find a poem you like and copy it into your notebook.
Write up a quiz complete with answer key. Think carefully about the things you think are important for you do know from your target language. Use your textbook or online resources as a guide, but try to make up your own questions too. These can range from conjugating verbs to translating sentences to matching vocab to short answer questions.
Translate the poem (Day 23) and try to keep as much of the poetic language as possible.
What do you have strong opinions about? Politics? Media? Relationship drama? Outline an essay about this topic, complete with thesis and supporting points. Use a dictionary without shame. The goal here is to think deeply in your target language, not criticize your grammar!
Watch one Oscar-nominated or otherwise critically acclaimed movie in your target language. You can go through my letterboxd lists for a place to start.
Take the quiz that you wrote (Day 24). Grade yourself with brutal honesty to identify the areas you are weak in.
What did you find is your biggest difficulty so far? Today is the day to work on that! Pull up your textbook, look back on your notes, or ask some native speakers online. There’s no shame in asking questions! Act as if you are studying for a test and you just have to understand this one particular point. No more putting it off!
Make a post with everything you’ve learn this month (include all your new vocabulary and grammar points). Reflect on and celebrate your progress! What media did you consume? What resources did you use? What was the most helpful? What were your challenges?
Take a break!
