Learn Spanish with Twitter
Improve Spanish Language Skills with Premier Social Networking Site
Jul 11, 2009
Twitter, the famous micro-blogging website, is becoming more than just a social and marketing platform. For those who are savvy enough to tweak it, Twitter can provide an educational experience as well. Specifically, Twitter can help beginner, intermediate and advanced language students learn to speak Spanish.
Twitter for Beginning Spanish Language Students
@learnspanish is a free Twitter Spanish course for beginner students developed by The Radio Lingua Network. The lessons are sent out 5 times a day in 140 character lessons. Each lesson links back to a free audio program so the learner can hear the correct pronunciation of the words and phrases introduced.
The @learnspanish lessons are currently focusing on travel-related language. The format is best suited toward students who are not in a hurry to pick up the language or who simply want to review on a regular basis.
However, what @learnspanish does well is to introduce a basic phrase, such as Hay un problema… (There is a problem) along with alternate endings, such as con la ducha (with the shower), con la television (with the TV), and con el aire acondicionado (with the air conditioning). This helps to expand learning.
@learn10spanish takes a different approach to teaching Spanish. Each day, this Twitter site offers ten new vocabulary words. This power learning method is good for language students wanting to increase their vocabulary on a consistent basis. The drawback is that there is no audio component to hear correct pronunciations.
Twitter for Intermediate and Advanced Spanish Speakers
Spanish language students who have an intermediate or advanced command of the language can learn new vocabulary, phrases, and idioms in a variety of contexts by following native Spanish speakers on Twitter. Conversations will necessarily be short, and some abbreviations may be confusing at first, but the opportunity to ask questions and get clarifications about expressions are a plus.
One challenge with following native Spanish speakers is that they may come from a variety of countries that have differences in spellings and in language use. An intermediate student might consider limiting interactions to speakers from just one country, for example Mexico or Spain, for greater consistency. But advanced students need only check the profile of the people they follow to know where they come from. This will enable Spanish language students to broaden their knowledge base of world-wide Spanish.
Note that communicating via Twitter is not the same as communicating via a chat room. It’s more like being at a party where there are lots of conversations going on all at once. Following too many people may be counterproductive for the Spanish language student. Instead, consider setting up a separate Twitter channel to follow a few select Spanish speakers. That way the communication can be more focused.
Spanish Speaking Twitters to Follow
NASA is now sending out bilingual Spanish/English Twitters. U.S. astronaut Jose Hernandez, who at the time of this writing is in training to fly aboard the space shuttle Discovery, has begun sending out tweets in both languages. He can be followed at @astro_jose . Consider this to be a one-way deal. It won’t be a conversation, but could make for interesting reading.
Enrique Dans is a Professor at IE Business School in Madrid and a popular blogger. He has over 7,000 followers, and only follows few back. However, this might provide an entrée into finding others who would be willing to follow back. He is @edans
Sonia Blanco is a Professor of Journalism at Universidad de Málaga in Spain. She can be followed at @sblanco.
Blogger J.S. Zollicker twitters bilingually from Mexico City. He is @zolliker.
Twitter is emerging as a powerful platform worldwide for a variety communication purposes. More and more people are figuring out how to use the website for educational purposes. Learning Spanish through Twitter can be both fun and enlightening.
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