Opinion Editorial: Language Learning (And Comics As a Gold Mine)

By: Omar A., Grade 11

This is going to be very different from what I typically write, however I think it yields an interesting topic. 

People who want to learn languages of countries other than their own native language or where they happen to live often have a clear reason — or catalyst — for wanting to do that. One of the most popular reasons is because of the desire for cultural connection. That is a more fancy way of saying “I wanna watch television shows in their native languages without having to use subtitles.” Of course, the reasons for watching those television shows in the first place are different. Some yearn to connect with their own culture, and those use the media of that country to attach them to their native culture. Some just like to watch what said country typically outputs — think dramas from Korea or anime from Japan. A person doesn’t have to be Japanese, for example, to watch anime. 

But I believe that there is a line, a certain place where the fan gives up their casual interest and tries to aim for the moon. A certain line where they decide that they want to engage with the material farther than ever before. This could lead them to try and communicate with others — physically or online — and talk about their shared interest; could also lead them to have a certain fascination or respect for a certain type of show or culture that helped bring that show. A show made by Egyptians, for example, would contain a different type of humor and cultural jokes that wouldn’t resonate with some non-Egyptian guy. (Trust me, I’m Egyptian). Yet that non-Egyptian guy could grow a fascination or love with it — a desire to explore further. 

And finally, to get to my point, that desire could be fulfilled with…language learning. The easiest thing at first: I will work hard and steady and tackle down a foreign language I might not know a lick of. A commendable effort at first. And you might be able to stay pretty good and consistent…but that depends on the difficulty. At some point, a learner falls into a pit, where after they learn a couple of words, a handful of grammar, and a chunk of cultural knowledge, they eagerly try to use a book or show to test their newfound knowledge and see that…they don’t understand anything. They haven’t even scratched the surface. Burn-out begins. Frustration and annoyance at lack of skill. This stage is an immensely easy one to give up on — and it is a common occurrence. I fell into it before with my own skill insecurity. I stopped caring about the language, even when I was taking courses in school at the same time. 

Yet, fret not for there is an easy cure: learning with what you like. Of course, I believe that to learn any language, you need to immerse yourself in it. Word of caution though: you can’t just learn a language heading straight into it; you need to have the basics, or the foundation. Because, imagine if you have a sentence that says “Those People Talking Were Loquacious.” If you don’t understand anything in English, then you wouldn’t be able to decipher anything from that sentence. However if you know “People,” “Talking,” for example, then you could understand that you would need to look up "Loquacious." You would need to have the basics to know what you need to improve on or understand, if that makes sense. 

But, let's say your motivated studying helped out and you can get yourself around navigating a sentence. That’s great. Now here’s the problem with jumping into television shows or novels. Television shows are made to keep people’s attention hooked. Thus, they have to talk at a fluent person's speed or even faster sometimes…depending on the emotional intention of the scene. 

Novels, on the other hand, are the ultimate self-esteem destroyers in my opinion, particularly for beginners, simply because novels are built on…words. They are entirely words. Therefore there will be a lot of words — or, even worse, literary sentences and euphemisms that no beginner should be prioritizing or heeding too much attention to. 

But you said we need immersion! What are you gonna recommend we do then? Read comics or something?! Pfft! 

Yeah, that’s exactly what I recommend. If anything, it is the ultimate mix of both. Sure, you could say that I am somewhat biased because I love comics, but I think people just don’t give it a fair shot. It allows someone to read at their own pace comfortably, which was the detriment I said with shows. It also doesn’t feature the amount of words that are typically present on one singular novel page, which could leave a beginner sitting still in one chapter for a while. Comics don’t have that many words on one page, and sometimes none. But, more importantly, comics try to replicate natural speech to some extent, because it is all dialogue. Those help make sentences not that long nor that complex, which could be pushed through much easier even if not everything is understood. 

Of course, I am sure that there are many more reasons for why comics are really good for learning, much more scientific or precise things that I am really not at liberty to talk about. And, not learning a language shouldn’t prevent you from reading comics in your own language, but that's just a thought. 

However, one concern that I could think about is that comics could not be easily procured for a certain language if that country doesn’t have a comic industry like the West and for that, I guess it is a good point, however I believe the impact of comics has been very widespread, so there are more resources than ever in many languages to read them. At worst, a lot of them would be made unofficially by passionate fans that want to make comics more accessible, which could be found here and there online. 

Lastly, my rant is not law; if you really wanna read novels or watch dramas in the language you are learning, all power to you. However, I just wanted to show my perspective and the way I think about it, considering that I have seen many other language learners quit from these self-esteem killers, being complex and native material. 

At the very minimum, you shouldn’t be dependent on Duolingo…or boring textbooks and academic ways of learning. (Kidding…except on that Duolingo part. Try to find a native way to learn a language.) And if you can, try not to quit learning, even if you have little time on hand. Build yourself up step by step, even if it is slow and short.