IMMERSION
Strategies for Survival

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What is immersion?
...and how is it different from ordinary "language courses"?

    Learning a language through immersion does not merely amount to taking courses that are more numerous and intensive than in a traditional curriculum. It is therefore imperative, in order to derive the full benefits of this experience, that you understand its nature and become aware of certain strategies that will help you withstand the inevitable pressure, even if your linguistic proficiency is already high.

Understanding the conditions of immersion 

    Immersion plunges you completely in an environment where a language other than yours is used exclusively, in class, in organized activities, as well as in every circumstance of daily life. Unlike a regular language course, where the first language (L1) is frequently used to supply explanations (especially metalinguistic ones) and serves as a "crutch" in case of excessive difficulty, immersion demands that you to get by with whatever communicative resources you happen to have at your disposal in the second language (L2), even if they are quite limited. Metalinguistic discourse in the L2 being severely constrained by the learners's low proficiency level, one has to call upon the full range of existing communicative strategies in order to overcome any and all obstacles that arise. This "sink or swim" situation fosters a much faster pace of progress by forcing you to exploit your capabilities and resourcefulness fully, without ever allowing you to resort complaisantly to your L1 when your ability to react and adapt are being strained to the extreme.
    Consequently, you cannot expect to function in the same way as in your L1, and it is important, in order to succeed in an immersion situation, to refrain from trying to "be yourself" in the L2. You will need to find, to invent a modus operandi (culturally, communicatively, behaviorally, linguistically) that will more or less differ from your "native" mode, and that will be adapted to your new environment. In other words, you have to learn to become another person or, more exactly, to grow a second persona specific to the L2 that will be added to your L1 persona without replacing it. Linguistic development per se is only part of this transformation, and you will encounter (great) difficulties if you attempt to keep functioning in your normal mode, but in another language: ideally, you are going to learn how to be differently—not just speak, but move, laugh, eat, play, joke, get mad, think differently.

  • Read here the research paper by Spielmann and Radnofsky that defined the L2 persona, "”Learning Language Under Tension: New Directions from a Qualitative Study.” The Modern Language Journal, 85, ii, (2001), p. 259-278. 
  • Read here the document on "Immersion Stress," based on findings from that same research project, from the Middlebury College Center for Counseling & Human Relations
Immersion is communicative, not merely linguistic

     A commonly used term , "linguistic immersion," might lead us to believe that mastering a language in the strictest sense (i.e., vocabulary and "grammar") is the main factor in successful learning. However, the linguistic dimention is subordinated to the larger realm ofcommunication, which includes among other features:

  • orally, suprasegmental features, such as rhythm and intonation
  • proxemics (use of space), kinesics (use of movement), facial expressions (to indicate affective and cognitive states)
  • communicative schemata (for instance, greeting someone, making a purchase in a store) where the linguistic component may be negligible or absent
  • Types of communicative situations expressing social conventions that may be highly formalized or ritualized (for instance in France, 'prendre l'apéro'; in the U.S.A., «to go on a date»).

Learning to communicate mostly implies mastering these features, which may apparently come very close to the ones you know, but which are actually very different. In fact, the most vexing problems usually come from communicative features from different cultures that share a number of common points: American and French people both smile and kiss one another in the course of normal social interaction, but neither smiling nor kissing have the exact same value and function in both cultures.

Immersion is collective and interactive
     Learning in immersion means being surrounded by other people with whom you interact (an even wider notion than communicating). Although language learning may appear individual, it is only fully realized in a collective setting. The most common mistake by beginners is separating individual linguistic learning from interaction. The presence of other people is an important factor in individual learning, as evidenced for example when one is confronted with an unknown word: alone, one quickly runs out of resources and is stumped (unless perhaps a dictionary is handy...); on the other hand, a group of people is much more likely to succeed, not only by joining forces and knowledge, but also by brainstorming and other types of interaction that allow a collective to solve a puzzle beyond the ken of an isolated individual.

Some key strategies...
Allow yourself to be submerged so as to be able to "float"

     Most people who drown would have survived if they had just allowed themselves to float rather than struggle. Do not "resist" immersion by making too many efforts, let yourself go with the flow. Do not forget that human beings are naturally predisposed to communicative, linguistic and cultural learning. You are much better off not struggling, and in particular...

  • Focus primarily on communicating, not on "producing language." It is always possible—and sometimes even preferable!—to communicate efficiently with a modicum of words.
  • Envision communication in terms of "tasks" to be accomplished. Concentrate first on function, then on form, not the other way around. If you manage to accomplish the function, you can worry about perfecting your form later...
  • Approach communication globally. Try to understand oral and written messages in their full context, and holistically, rather than attempting to grasp isolated elements such as words: some messages can be interpreted without knowing what most of the words mean. Once you have gained a general sense of what the message means, you can always, if you care to—and if you have the leisure!—linger on each of its components... but don't put the cart before the horses.
  • Make mistakes, take risks, then correct yourself. Taking calculated risks is one of the most decisive factors in developing first- and second-language proficiency; pay attention when someone corrects you, or when a native speaker echoes what you have said (or written) in correct form. However, if you hesitate to express yourself (orally or in writing) out of fear of making grammatical or lexical errors, you miss a number of opportunities to practice, to be corrected, and thus to improve --- and above all to feel progressively more at ease in your second language.
Learn to function in the target language exclusively

     By continuing to rely on your native tongue, you hinder your progress while believing that you are progressing faster. Therefore, you need to start functioning entirely in the target language as soon as possible. In other words...

  • Do not attempt to do in one language exactly what you do in another. Those people who are perfectly bilingual and bi-cultural have at their disposal two distinct modes of functionning. The tone of their voice, their communicative habits, even their personality may change according to the specificity of each language as well as to cultural schemata that vary from one society to another.
  • Force yourself to resist translating anything and to express yourself with the linguistic material at your disposal. If your L2 competence is still very limited, it is tempting to resort to translation in hopes of getting across complex thoughts or performing complex communicative tasks that require mastery of linguistic structures beyond your reach. On the contrary, you must limit yourself to going «from L2 to L2» by means of
    --- synonyms or quasi-synonyms
    --- antonyms
    --- definition or circumlocution
    --- examples
    --- simple, non-idiomatic structures
  • Use interaction. If you use a vague term, or fail to complete a sentence, your interlocutor might just respond with the precise term you need, or finish your sentence. Listening very attentively to the replies or feedback you get when you speak or write will enable you to enrich you repertoire considerably.
  • Take advantage of the tools at your disposal. Monolingual dictionaries and authentic documents are information treasuries that you should exploit to the fullest.
  • Find models that you can imitate. Switching over to another language and culture means—initially—playing a part. Pay attention to the models you can observe, orally and in writing. Reuse expressions that you have read and/or heard, imitate native intonational melodies, gestures, as if you were to take on the role of a native speaker.
Over-communicate!

     Only regular communicative practice will make you feel at ease in your new language. Force yourself to communicate orally and in writing much more than you would normally do. Seize all opportunities to apply what you have learned, to try out new phrases, to listen to and read French, even in unfamiliar circumstances. In the beginning, and until you have reached an advanced competency level, the intensity of your contact with the target language is absolutely decisive.

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