You Say You Want a Language Pledge?

I took this picture of the university - The Russian State University for the Humanities - during the summer study abroad program. University courses will certainly advance my language skills. However, how do I maximize my language growth both inside and outside of the classroom? The answer: a language pledge.

“We, __________ and __________, agree to use Russian as our only form of written and verbal communication while in Russia. We understand that any violation of this pledge will result in a 5-ruble fine.”

With the current exchange rate, 5 rubles comes out to approximately $0.16. That doesn’t sound like much. However, if we continue to violate the pledge, our wallets will certainly take a hit. Thus, there is a monetary – in addition to the personal – incentive to follow the pledge. The money collected throughout the year would be donated to a Russian charity.

The language pledge is an essential component of linguistic immersion. Language proficiency can only be achieved through complete immersion in the language. The pledge itself is simplistic, consisting of only 33 words (not counting our names). I myself surfed the web in search of language pledges to model our pledge after. All language pledges seem to consist of three sentences or less. The simplicity of the wording, however, leaves so many unanswered questions. This includes: Does the pledge apply to email and skype? How do I keep up with current events when my current language skills do not allow me to read about a complex issue in Russian, or to read a Russian newspaper in its entirety? Does listening to English-language music, or watching a movie in English, count as violations of the pledge? Can I read any books in English? Is the pledge applicable when I travel outside of the country? What happens if there is an emergency situation?

– Skype and email: I know that I will rely on skype and email to keep in contact with family and friends back home. They will have to be exceptions to the rules established in the pledge. I will simply have to keep skype and email to a minimum.

– Current events/Music/Movies/Books: As you know, reading about current events, listening to music, watching a movie or reading a book do not necessarily constitute “forms of communication.” Nevertheless, if I am constantly surrounded by English in newspapers, music, movies and books, I will not maximize my language growth. To solve this problem, I loaded my Ipod with Russian and classical music. I will not bring any movies to Russia. If I wish to watch a movie, I can go to a movie theater or watch a classic Russian movie. Books will be kept to a minimum – I will bring no more than 5 English-language books to Moscow. In terms of current events, I will slowly transition from online news sources to Russian newspapers as my language skills progress. This will not only improve my language skills, but allow me to learn about various topics and issues from the Russian perspective.

– Travel outside of the country: Traveling during breaks will be secluded to areas within Russia itself or within Eastern Europe. The pledge will remain in effect.

– Emergency situations: Safety is the number one priority. English will be permitted during emergencies.

As you can see, I still need to figure out some of the details of the pledge before I sign it. I feel that the pledge should apply to speaking, reading, writing and even listening with few predetermined exceptions (ex: email and skype). I am determined to make a good-faith effort to abide by the pledge while I am abroad. I will let you know when the pledge is complete!

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