Language games: When Jacking Up Your Language Skills Is All Fun and Games
If you’re just about getting straight to the game suggestions then follow this link.
That will shoot you right to the bottom where the language game examples start.
But before throwing a few of those gems at you there are some things to be said about learning style and why language games could be a good idea for shuffling the motivation bag and keeping your fluency goals sharp.
Let’s play.
Let’s play
Contents
Your Style of Learning
If you’re anything like me, learning a new language starts to feel trivial, even boring, when you encounter the same repetitions, the same practice of conjugation, the same narrative, basically, anything that has the same style over and over again. It just doesn’t feel as sexy and exciting anymore.
So, how about playing a game with a new language? You know, just once in a while to keep the flirt going.
Well yes, of course, we will go down this road but remember, learning a new language does take deliberate practice there’s just no way around it.
Now that we got that tiny detail out of the way…
You probably already know about different learning styles that can work as a ‘novel’ way of sparking your early days love affair with the language you’re set to become fluent in.
Maybe you’ve also heard that if you use a style that specifically fits you best, it’s all going to ‘click’ for you a lot easier.
For your sizzling desire to learn better, Beelinguapp provides a combination of visual and auditory learning which in linguistic terms are called ‘assisted learning’. If you’re someone who thrives in either or both of these learning realms I’d suggest you give it a try.
Anyway, where were we? Right, learning styles.
Typically students, (or just regular language nerds such as yourself), can be put into three categories of learners. According to that theory, we all have different learning styles.
Typically students
The Visual
A visual or spatial learning style rests upon the idea that you like taking in information by well…looking at things.
So, having anything graphic and visual to both obtain and explain new knowledge and concepts is how you like to roll with this style.
This is typical if you’re prone to think in pictures and usually always prefer a visual expression when learning as opposed to learning through speech or listening to accents and pronunciation.
For example, you’d probably burn through a pile of flashcards faster than anyone else to increase your vocabulary. You likely also prefer reading to most other alternatives and if there are pictures to further explain the texts, then even better.
The Auditory
An auditory learning style, (as the word reveals), applies when you prefer listening to and hearing the sounds and pronunciation when learning a language.
If you’re someone who prefers this style then you’d probably nail an accent after just hearing it and you’d be able to understand new vocabulary better from listening to someone speak.
If this is your style you may like using music, listening to a lecture in a classroom, engaging in conversation or using audiobooks.
The Kinesthetic
This last one often refers to a more practical “hands-on” learning style. Basically, if you place learning within a physical context then you’re learning kinesthetically.
If this is your preference then you’d probably want to link a physical activity or task to whatever new language you’re learning.
For example, you might be labeling everyday items or use physical props to make a connection for using a new language.
It could be cooking using your target language, assembling a puzzle or even using flashcards if you can physically arrange and move them around.
If you’re curious to know where you fit in each of these styles you can use this learning style checker to get an idea.
So What Are You Gonna Do About Whatever Preference You Have For Learning?
Well, there’s another side to learning styles. Notice how I emphasized the word ‘preference’ for each one above?
That’s because while you may prefer one of these styles over another—a lot suggest that this is all just in your own head.
If you ask a psychologist, Daniel Willingham, there’s pretty much none of these single styles that are going to help you learn better or faster. It’s only about preference. If you want to dig deeper into why that is, he talks about it here.
Whether or not you believe that specific styles fit better for each individual the point seems to be that 1. You’re likely always learning with a combination of some or all of them and 2. It depends on which skill you’re learning.
One of Willingham’s examples is that if you want to learn a french accent this has to be done so auditorily. You can’t learn this by writing or reading or even seeing an image. You have to hear it. Bien Sûr!
To get better at speaking, you must be “hands-on”. But still, even draw on context from the physical world as well as listening and visual features.
Well if we go by the idea that getting closer to fluency is constantly shifting combinations. Depending on which subskill you tackle, then that’s where a good old, (or new), language game could come in handy.
A Game of Languages
A Game of Languages
So, why use a game to improve your language? And does it even work?
For starters, there’s a whole ton of other skills and different contexts you can draw on when playing games to see any language you’re learning from a different side. Plus, it certainly does a lot to fire up the excitement for testing out your abilities in a new language.
This means we’re in the realm of so-called ‘game-based learning’. It’s something that has become quite popular for research and studies since now most people surround themselves with amazing technology, (like Beelinguapp).
In short, game-based learning is a trial and error approach to learning that uses repetition, failure, and accomplishment to drive the player(s) to the end goal. It’s the exact opposite of your classic passive rote textbook grind.
And research backs that aside from improved attention when learning this way; there are ties to real-world performance and cognitive flexibility. Meaning you get better at juggling multiple language sub skills at once.
I’ve played games that taught me tons of new vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and just plain useful sentences – and so have many others. I’d say look at language games as just one tool in your belt.
Language Games for You to Bob, Twist and Pull Your Way to Fluency
Twist and Pull Your Way to Fluency
The Beelinguapp-Challenger Game.
Players required: 2+ | Level: Beginner to advanced
Languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Swedish.
How to play: Aim to translate more and also more accurately than your opponents.
Step 1: Each player gets a piece of paper and a pen.
Step 2: Pick a game leader to manage the app. Select a story in Beelinguapp. Change the split-screen so you only have the target language visible.
Here’s an example for Spanish.
Step 3: Play the first sentence once. The leader hits pause.
Step 4: Set a timer for 30 seconds. Players write their best translation.
Score: ½ pt for minor accuracy, 1 pt for accurate words, 3 bonus pts for entire correct sentence.
Most Words In [‘Target Language’]
This fun little game that takes the approach of the 80/20 rule to learning a new language. Aim to get as many of the 100 most commonly used words as possible in 10 minutes.
Guess The Movie Line
Match quotes to the original in English. Take the top 100 movie quotes, translate them, shuffle them in a bowl, and guess the original English line in 30 seconds.
Language Charades/Pictionary
Act out or draw vocabulary from your target language. 1 point for a correct guess, -1 point if you accidentally use your native language!
6 Popular Games Morphed Into a Different Language
Popular Games
Last Man Standing: Describe items in your proximity in the target language.
Scrabble: Use point values for the specific language you are learning.
Jenga: Write a word on each block that must be translated before placing it.
Chess: Conjugate a verb on each square you move to.
Risk/Monopoly: Practice pronouncing your basic actions and translating mission cards.
To Play or Not to Play…
To Play or Not to Play
Get going with Beelinguapp and turn your favorite game into a sharp and shiny language game, ready to add in your fluency tool belt.
Elliniká