The end of this April marks four years since I commited myself to learning the Chamorro language. I cannot believe that it has already been so long! It has certainly been a crazy journey full of ups and downs, and if I had to do it again I would still choose to learn Chamorro. To celebrate this language “milestone”, in this post I talk about the four main learning practices that are crucial to helping me learn the language, as a primarily self-study Chamorro language learner who started at level 0.
| Contents |
|---|
| #1 Use Repetition and Structure #2 Listen and Read When There are No Speakers #3 Create Lessons From What You Read or Hear #4 Peer-Led Study Groups Can Help Us Go The Distance |
#1 Use Repetition and Structure
Over the years, I’ve realized that using repetition and structure really taps into how our brains learn and retain new information. To apply this to language learning, it helps to be mindful of two things:
#1 For those of us learning Chamorro as our second language, we will need to repeat things many, many, many times to really learn it. We will need so much repetition that it will likely be bewildering to native speakers because they won’t understand why we can’t just “get it” the first time.
From a learner perspective, the amount of repetition we need may also feel irritating to us. It’s frustrating to realize that we can’t remember words or syntax after seeing it or using it once (or a dozen times!), or that we can’t get the pronunciation right on our first or even hundredth try.
But we need this repetition, so try not to be frustrated at yourself if you repeat things many times, for months or even years – your brain needs it!
#2 Emphasizing pattern recognition is an easy way to bring structure to our Chamorro language learning without bogging us down with syntax. Our brains are actually naturally adept at recognizing patterns and using them, which is how we learned our first language. So the more we can tap into this natural ability, the easier it will be for us to learn a language.
To tap into this, we can focus on repeating known and absorbable units of language that allow us to clearly see the pattern.
When we learn a sentence or phrase, we can repeat it many times in different contexts. In our own personal study time, we can practice this pattern with small variations to help us apply it to different situations. Here’s an example of what this can look like with the sentence pattern Tåya’ tumungu’…
| Chamoru | English |
|---|---|
| Tåya’ tumungo’ sumodda’ i amot. | Nobody knows how to find the medicine. |
| Tåya’ tumungo’ tumife’ i amot. | Nobody knows how to pick the medicine. |
| Tåya’ tumungo’ fuma’tinas i amot. | Nobody knows how to make the medicine. |
This gives our brains a chance to recognize the pattern and absorb incremental differences in a manageable way, while the slight variation gives us the repetition we need with just enough difference to keep it interesting.
#2 Listen and Read When There are No Speakers
One of the first pieces of advice that is given to any Chamorro language learner is this: “Find a speaker in your family who can help you learn the language.” But what do we do if there are no speakers we can turn to, or if we must spend large gaps of time without speakers?
I’ve realized that the answer is straight-forward: Massive input. We need to listen to as much content from native speakers as we can. We also need to read as much as we can from native or highly fluent speakers with reliable Chamorro.
If we already have the sounds of Chamorro in our heads, reading in Chamorro will help us grow our knowledge and skills to the next level. There’s actually a wealth of free content online that is written in Chamorro to get us started.
By reading in Chamorro, we can learn from many speakers whom we will never have the chance to meet. We can learn new vocabulary and speech patterns and we can experience different topics in Chamorro, which helps us learn how to talk about those different topics.
Listening to native speakers also gives us the ear training we need in order to understand spoken Chamorro. We can practice listening and make sure we understand what’s being said. We can also do other activities like shadowing to help us speak more fluidly and try out different ways of speaking.
Priorizing input in Chamorro is also important for a balanced learning approach, especially if we are learning from grammar books or in Western-style teaching settings. If we rely too heavily on grammar exercises and our own output, our abilities will be poorly developed. (and I’m speaking more directly for those of us who didn’t grow up with the language)
Structure and repetition makes the language accessible to us as learners, but natural language input actually gives us the language. Think about structure and repetition like language delivered to our brains in bite-sized pieces, while natural language exposure is where we get to see those bite-sized pieces in their fullest context of real language use. As a self-study learner, I’ve needed both. I cannot learn Chamorro well with one and not the other.
#3 Create Lessons From What You Read or Hear
One thing I’ve felt and what other learners have expressed is the desire to continue advancing in the language, but currently there are few good, structured resources to help us beyond the basics.
To fill this resource gap for myself, I create mini “lessons” based on anything new I hear or read. This requires that we are curious and are able to notice patterns in the language. So admittedly, this learning practice may be more for intermediate to advanced learners who already have a solid foundation in Chamorro, or people who have experience learning other languages to fluency.
To do this, I create lessons by first noting down anything that grabs my interest in what I’m reading or listening to. This can be new words, an interesting expression, or a particular phrase. Then I pick one of those new things and create an entire “lesson” based around that new concept to help myself practice it.
Here’s an example: In the story Gupot Nobena, I liked the sentence Guaha manaflíflitu månnok (there is someone frying chicken) and I wanted to practice this sentence form. First, I wrote down what I noticed about this sentence:
- Guaha is used with another verb
- The other verb is a transitive verb + indefinite man- prefix + reduplication
- A noun månnok is the object
- The “someone” is implied with the guaha + manaflíflitu; we don’t need the word taotao
From that, I create a sentence template for myself to follow, which looks like this:
| Guaha + [Indefinite Man- + Reduplication + Transitive Verb] + Noun |
And then I practice this pattern with different verbs. I emphasize repetition and pattern recognition in my practice by making five sentences with each verb and only changing one thing in each sentence. My practice sets look like this:
Practice Set 1
Verb = manaflíflitu
| Chamoru | English |
|---|---|
| Guaha manaflíflitu månnok. | There’s someone frying chicken. |
| Guaha manaflíflitu batåtas. | There’s someone frying potatoes. |
| Guaha manaflíflitu guihan. | There’s someone frying fish. |
| Guaha manaflíflitu empanåda. | There’s someone frying empanåda. |
| Guaha manaflíflitu lumpia. | There’s someone frying lumpia. |
Practice Set 2
Verb = manånånom
| Chamoru | English |
|---|---|
| Guaha manånånom donne’. | There’s someone planting peppers. |
| Guaha manånånom flores åtdao. | There’s someone planting sun flowers |
| Guaha manånånom tumåtes. | There’s someone planting tomatoes. |
| Guaha manånånom suni. | There’s someone planting taro. |
| Guaha manånånom dågu. | There’s someone planting yam. |
With this method, I can create a lesson out of pretty much any Chamorro content I’m reading or listening to. It also ensures that I’m really absorbing the content, by giving myself the repetition and structure my brain needs. Then it has a likelihood of becoming automatic when I’m talking or writing.
#4 Peer-Led Study Groups Can Help Us Go The Distance
Finally, one of the most important practices, in my experience, is to engage with a group of fellow language learners. If we can find a solid group of people who really want to learn, I’ve found it can make a huge difference for our learning.
Peer groups can give us a community where can use Chamorro when we might otherwise have nobody else. And if the vibes are good, then we can have a lot of fun and laugh at ourselves, even when we are stumbling around in the dark and getting things wrong. We might also be in groups with other learners or speakers who can correct us or explain colloquial speech, which goes a long, long way to helping us grow.
Learning a minority language definitely has its ups and downs, especially if you are the only person in your family who is learning, or if you are not physically around family or a community that uses the Chamorro language. Since many of us spend the majority of our lives in one of the dominant languages (for many of us it’s English) our Chamorro language advancement and maintenance gets tricky.
So for many of us, being in a community of other language learners and speakers is important. And a Chamorro language community can look different for everyone. It can be your immediate or extended family, the people you go to school with, or your community group.
For me, my learning community is comprised of individuals from all over the world who care about learning the Chamorro language. We interact and gather virtually, helping each other to learn Chamorro. I feel so thankful for them, and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them 🙂
Happy Learning!
And that’s it! I can’t believe it has been four years, and I am genuinely looking forward to what the next four years of Chamorro language learning and usage has in store for me.
For the rest of my self-study language learners out there, hopefully these practices can help you too. Happy learning, and keep going!
Lengguahi-ta 