Learning Spanish

[LouisvilleFan]

I'm going to Chile in less than two months for a five week Spanish Immersion and Hispanic Ministry training program called Escuela del Maestro that will be partially taught by the Bishop of Valparaiso, among other professors. So I've been brushing up on my Espanol with some podcasts, some that are focused on teaching Spanish, and I listen to some that are just about sports or whatever in Spanish. What I haven't had much luck finding so far is Catholic podcasts in Spanish. Half the Catholic Church is Spanish-speaking... I keep thinking there should be something out there. And how about Christian/Catholic music in Spanish? Or even good (not Top 40) secular music in Spanish?

Muchos gracias to anyone with some ideas!

[Maximilianus]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1681943' date='Oct 20 2008, 02:00 PM']I'm going to Chile in less than two months for a five week Spanish Immersion and Hispanic Ministry training program called Escuela del Maestro that will be partially taught by the Bishop of Valparaiso, among other professors. So I've been brushing up on my Espanol with some podcasts, some that are focused on teaching Spanish, and I listen to some that are just about sports or whatever in Spanish. What I haven't had much luck finding so far is Catholic podcasts in Spanish. Half the Catholic Church is Spanish-speaking... I keep thinking there should be something out there. And how about Christian/Catholic music in Spanish? Or even good (not Top 40) secular music in Spanish?

Muchos gracias to anyone with some ideas![/quote]

[url="http://www.podcast.catholic.net/"]http://www.podcast.catholic.net/[/url]
The rest of the site has good resources.

Can't help you with the secular music part, I'm out of touch with Latin American pop culture especially the non caribbean music scene in any genre.

Edited October 20, 2008 by Maximilianus

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Maximilianus' post='1682024' date='Oct 20 2008, 05:57 PM'][url="http://www.podcast.catholic.net/"]http://www.podcast.catholic.net/[/url]
The rest of the site has good resources.

Can't help you with the secular music part, I'm out of touch with Latin American pop culture especially the non caribbean music scene in any genre.[/quote]

Sweet... or Dulce! (I doubt that's said anywhere in Latin America to express enthusiasm ).

I know the feeling... I'm out of touch with American pop culture. The podcast titled "Querubines" looks to be all about Catholic music, so maybe I'll find some good stuff there.

[melporcristo]

[quote name='morostheos' post='1681859' date='Oct 20 2008, 08:41 AM']A cool website I found that looks like it will be good for practicing foreign language is [url="http://www.busuu.com"]http://www.busuu.com[/url]

It's an online, international language learning community.

Mel, are there no Spanish masses near where you are? I know there are some not terribly far from you...[/quote]

well - I moved; I'm in northern potatoland where I probably help kick up the 1% of Mexicans/Hispanics in the area.

Yea I practice with my mom when we talk on the phone, but GREAT idea - I should totally practice by reading! It just doesn't beat living in a Latin American country though ...

[tinytherese]

Why is it that in a very much of the U.S. we are not taught any foreign language until middle school or high school? At that point it's MUCH harder to learn another language. According to research the brain can learn one much smoother until the age of twelve. Spanish classes began in eighth grade where I am from, so at that point a lot of people (including me) struggled. I couldn't go transfer to my dream university because it required everyone pursuing a BA to take at least six hours of intermediate spanish. Fortunately, I'll be able to go there for my MA, which doesn't have that requirement.

Some schools are now teaching children foreign language classes, which I wish my generation could have had. Also, when I attend eucharistic adoration at my home parish, it opens with a Latin hymnn that the people all sing. I'm surrounded by people my grandparents' age who know it and I don't because I was born after vatican 2.

Lately, I've been thinking about going into biblical studies but dang all of the languages needed to learn when studying it! Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Classic Greek, and then to know two romance languages for researching. All of this just to get into graduate school! I really don't have as much of a problem with learning the first three languages listed as that is necessary for studying scripture in a scholastic manner but the romance languages! Urg!

[melporcristo]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1681943' date='Oct 20 2008, 12:00 PM']I'm going to Chile in less than two months for a five week Spanish Immersion and Hispanic Ministry training program called Escuela del Maestro that will be partially taught by the Bishop of Valparaiso, among other professors. So I've been brushing up on my Espanol with some podcasts, some that are focused on teaching Spanish, and I listen to some that are just about sports or whatever in Spanish. What I haven't had much luck finding so far is Catholic podcasts in Spanish. Half the Catholic Church is Spanish-speaking... I keep thinking there should be something out there. And how about Christian/Catholic music in Spanish? Or even good (not Top 40) secular music in Spanish?

Muchos gracias to anyone with some ideas![/quote]

awesome!!! i know jackie and my really good friends and missionary companion from Honduras went this summer.

You'll have an awesome time!

In Christ,
Melissa

[melporcristo]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1682036' date='Oct 20 2008, 03:19 PM']Sweet... or Dulce! (I doubt that's said anywhere in Latin America to express enthusiasm ).

I know the feeling... I'm out of touch with American pop culture. The podcast titled "Querubines" looks to be all about Catholic music, so maybe I'll find some good stuff there.[/quote]

sweet in Latin American culture would be chevere, que padre, que chido (mexico) ... i'm tryin to remember the one we used in Honduras ... oh yea ... que mazizo!

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='tinytherese' post='1683103' date='Oct 22 2008, 06:46 AM']Why is it that in a very much of the U.S. we are not taught any foreign language until middle school or high school? At that point it's MUCH harder to learn another language. According to research the brain can learn one much smoother until the age of twelve. Spanish classes began in eighth grade where I am from, so at that point a lot of people (including me) struggled. I couldn't go transfer to my dream university because it required everyone pursuing a BA to take at least six hours of intermediate spanish. Fortunately, I'll be able to go there for my MA, which doesn't have that requirement.

Some schools are now teaching children foreign language classes, which I wish my generation could have had. Also, when I attend eucharistic adoration at my home parish, it opens with a Latin hymnn that the people all sing. I'm surrounded by people my grandparents' age who know it and I don't because I was born after vatican 2.

Lately, I've been thinking about going into biblical studies but dang all of the languages needed to learn when studying it! Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Classic Greek, and then to know two romance languages for researching. All of this just to get into graduate school! I really don't have as much of a problem with learning the first three languages listed as that is necessary for studying scripture in a scholastic manner but the romance languages! Urg![/quote]

I know what you mean. I started French at primary school at the age of eleven and only got a chance to choose another (which I in fact didn't do) at 14. At that time a modern foreign language was required at GCSE (school exams at 16) level in the UK, that's no longer the case and school pupils can (and do) drop all languages at 14.

In the Netherlands I believe most schools begin English at eleven or twelve, around the same time as French, and German a year or so later (but this probably changes from school to school). From what I can understand few primary schools offer anything more than a few lessons of English for the top groups. There are schools (gymnasia) where Latin and Greek are also taught, and I am deeply jealous of those kids!

However, don't underestimate how different the task of learning English is to that of an Anglophone learning something else. English is a global language and there are so many opportunities for people to practise outside of the classroom. We just have to work harder

[Maximilianus]

[quote name='melporcristo' post='1683159' date='Oct 22 2008, 12:34 AM']sweet in Latin American culture would be chevere, que padre, que chido (mexico) ... i'm tryin to remember the one we used in Honduras ... oh yea ... que mazizo![/quote]


Seems like everytime I visit my fam in Puerto Rico there's a new set of slang. You can get away with saying chevere, cause it's pretty universal although dated in Latin America, but try to say "que padre" in PR and they'll think you watch too many teeny bop novelas. lol

[Paddington]

I need to practice too. Watching Noticiero seems to help.

[melporcristo]

[quote name='Maximilianus' post='1683350' date='Oct 22 2008, 02:16 AM']Seems like everytime I visit my fam in Puerto Rico there's a new set of slang. You can get away with saying chevere, cause it's pretty universal although dated in Latin America, but try to say "que padre" in PR and they'll think you watch too many teeny bop novelas. lol[/quote]

JMJ

yea, saying que padre in Mexico is kind of old skool. Right now, the cool thing is "que chido" which i never got at all. I always just said "guao" when something was cool ha ha. and thats just spanglish for wow.

[Fidei Defensor]

[quote name='melporcristo' post='1684056' date='Oct 22 2008, 10:29 PM']JMJ

yea, saying que padre in Mexico is kind of old skool. Right now, the cool thing is "que chido" which i never got at all. I always just said "guao" when something was cool ha ha. and thats just spanglish for wow.[/quote]
I use guay.