Yesterday, my university was honored by the visit of a delegation from 愛知 (Aichi)--the Aichi University of Education (AUE). The purpose of the presentation was to promote the long-standing partnership between Ball State and AUE and the exchange student program. Given the opportunity to study in a foreign country, is it worth it? Is immersion necessary for fluency? Well, let's look at these two different questions.
First, the linguistic inquiry: is immersion necessary? Sources say "no"--according to a recent TEDx talk by Chris Lonsdale.
I am skeptical. Lonsdale's claims are directly related to one's own definition of fluency and what it means to "know" a language. After years of study of a variety of languages, I still feel a tinge of guilt when I say that I can speak Mandarin. My ability is very limited to personal interactions and everyday use. I feel that in a professional environment, I am quite useless. Not to mention the fact that I am functionally illiterate in Chinese--I can read signs, some menus, some forms...but I cannot write much beyond "一个人". Of course, I am quite able to chitchat with any Mandarin speaker with some confidence. So, would you describe me as fluent? I see fluency as a perfectionistic goal--rather than the actual spectrum of language abilities that non-native and native speakers alike could be placed. I long liked to have my students compare their own native Chinese to writers like Li Bai; just as an English-speaker may be compared to Shakespeare. Unrealistic? Maybe...So, this concept of fluency will need to be examined more closely.
As for the other question: Is study abroad, particularly for second language acquisition, worth it? Abso-freakin'-lutely! As someone who has completed two undergrad study abroad programs and worked in three different countries after graduation...well, maybe I am a bit bias. Sure, I can self-study Greek at home with books and audio files--but nothing compared to that moment when I met a group of Greek business travellers who departed with a smiling collective "καλοωρατηι (Kalo-vrathi) !" Why are you studying the language? If your purpose is communicative, then it would simply be illogical not to study abroad. If you hope to teach the language and culture to others, then you need to experience firsthand because, otherwise, you are simply teaching second-hand information. So, any of you young, free, independant students out there--take the leap to travel to the land of your second language...and Enjoy!
さよなら！
