Learning X̱aad kíl using Spaced repetition
This method can be adapted to any language learning course, by using a teaching method called the "Spaced repetition" method. Seems simple enough...
Pick 50 X̱aad kíl phrases. Pick one’s that you can repeat or from a selection of audio clips spoken by a Haida elder. These will be used as "building blocks" to learning more phrases.
First you listen to a X̱aad kíl phrase spoken slowly and spoken at normal speed, then you are asked to repeat it.
Next, you’re asked to remember it and say the words out loud at time intervals that start out very short and then increase. Example: First you hear a word and then you will be asked to say it 15 seconds later, then you will be asked to say it 45 seconds later, then 1.5 minutes after that, and so on. The time intervals grow quickly until they are measured in days and then weeks.
With Each new lesson, introduce four or five new phrases, and also review the old material from the previous lesson.
When you are studying X̱aad kíl, it can take two or three days to advance to the next lesson.
At the end of the lessons you will have learned 50 new phrases.
With these newly learned X̱aad kíl phrases, you will be able to have a really, really simple conversation in the language you are learning.
Tips for learning X̱aad Kíl
Memorize one X̱aad kíl phrase or word and use it until you are comfortable with it, then memorize another word or phrase, and so on. Have some fun with it.
- in your own language, share what words or phrases you learned in X̱aad Kíl with your friends, family, co-workers
- Look for interesting Web sites in X̱aad Kíl that you can read and listen to.
- Listen to a cultural radio show or CD.
- Reinforce topics learned, such as food names or rooms of the house, by taping post-it notes to identify familiar objects.
- Write your grocery list in X̱aad Kíl .
- List in X̱aad Kíl the foods you ate that evening, day or week.
- Go to a restaurant that features food and culture related to X̱aad Kíl, and talk about the different foods as you eat.
- Encourage friends and relatives to support your language learning with gifts of music or books.
- Adopt a friend/grandparent in the neighborhood who could read and speak with you in X̱aad Kíl.
- Have a bilingual picture dictionary at hand.
- Greet and introduce yourself to people you meet in X̱aad kíl
- Practice the X̱aad Kíl alphabet or How to Count, etc., once a week or more
- Consider training the family pet in X̱aad kíl
- Watch a YouTube video in X̱aad Kíl.
- Take part in story classes in X̱aad Kíl at the local cultural resource centre.
- Make real-life connections by pointing out words and concepts in X̱aad kíl that you see in the news, internet, etc.
- Play card or dice games in X̱aad Kíl
- Use flash cards to review and practise vocabulary; make a game out of it
- Encourage journaling or writing a diary in X̱aad Kíl.
- Sing songs and rhymes in X̱aad Kíl, emphasizing similarities and differences in sounds
- Learn how to present songs / skits / dances in X̱aad Kíl at community celebrations.
- As a family or youth group, visit cultural sites in the community.
- Participate in and/or attend social, educational, community, artistic and cultural events, such as museum exhibits, plays, concerts or dance performances.
Make it a point to use these phrases in your everyday communication. If you are unsure of pronounciation and if you cannot find speakers, the recordings on this website and others found in the Resources page, can help. The important part is, if you don’t know a Haida speaker, this website can assist you to fix that part now instead of later when you see an Haida speaker. The audio clips and lessons in this website can only take you so far. You need to put yourself in places where the language is everywhere or create that place.
(Please note that if you are to use this Glossary/Dictionary in an official capacity please consult the Haida Elders – How’aa !)
