By Allison Jones
jones@newsroom.byu.edu
English becomes a second language for student residents living in the Foreign Language Housing Complex.
Designed to provide students with hands-on learning experience, the Foreign Language House offers practical language usage in everyday living situations.
Learning a foreign language is not easy, said Kyla Miller, 21, a junior from Mesa, Ariz. studying music.
'At the complex, I studied and spoke in Spanish on a day-to-day basis,' she said. 'I became more fluent and gained a greater appreciation for the language.'
Miller said she became more confident by practicing the language daily.
Residents become immersed in the language and the culture while living at the complex, said Neil Whitaker, 25, a senior majoring in computer science from South Jordan, Salt Lake County.
'I wanted to improve my language skills. I knew living in an atmosphere where I'd be speaking and listening to French each day would refine my abilities,' he said.
French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Russian, are all options to students in Foreign Language Housing.
Students in each apartment study the same language. Residents sign a contract agreeing to speak only in the designated language within their living quarters.
Whitaker said communicating in a foreign language was difficult at first.
'Talking was frustrating in the beginning because everyone was on a different speaking level,' he said.
Whitaker said once he became comfortable with the language, he was were joking, singing and carrying on long conversations in French.
A native speaker, or resident facilitator, lives in each apartment to help students learn and understand the languages.
While living in Foreign Language Housing, students are exposed to several different cultures.
Activities are designed to help students learn about other countries and their traditions, said Sarah Beer, 23, a senior from Chicago, majoring in French.
Residents cook and eat together five nights a week, participate in service projects and attend church services together. Activities teach students how to communicate in real life situations.
'As I interacted each day with others who spoke the language, my comprehension went way up,' Beer said.
Because there is such a diverse mix of cultures represented in the complex, the people living there are very accepting of others, Beer said.
Students living in Foreign Language Housing are committed to learning and speaking a foreign language.
Whitaker said the people in the complex have a true passion for cultures and are serious about learning and mastering languages.
'The people there want to be there, and that makes a big difference as far as the level of commitment to speaking the language,' Whitaker said.