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Language Study Abroad

Language study abroad is certainly a most exciting way to learn another language. Whether you enroll in a two-week immersion course in Mexico or combine academics and practice through university enrollment, communicating with other people in their native tongue is thrilling. On a more sophisticated level of language mastery, it would be fabulous to be able to speak elegant Castilian Spanish and also the Mediterranean lingua franca.

Most students interested in language study abroad hope to become fluent not only in the textbook language, but the idiomatic language spoken by people on the street. One of the primary tests of fluency is the ability to make jokes and be humorous. Humor depends on playing with language, and it takes a fine grasp of the nuances of words to be able to pull it off.

Language Study Abroad Is Efficient
Studying any subject in another country and getting college credit for it is fabulous educational travel. Studying Portuguese in the morning, socializing with a Brazilian family in the afternoons, and practicing Portuguese on ordinary Brazilians in clubs and restaurants at night is a dream realized. This kind of immersion in study abroad travel programs is one of the fastest--and certainly most pleasurable--ways to master conversational languages.

French is a difficult language for many Americans to master for several reasons. The tongue of a French speaker is held in a different position from the tongue of an American English speaker. The pronunciation of the famous French "r" is the ultimate test for an American. Another troublesome characteristic of French for Americans is carrying over the last "s" sound of one word to the beginning of the next word, if it starts with a vowel. All these difficulties are more readily overcome with language study abroad, which enables the student to speak and listen on a daily basis.

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