I Don’t Speak a Word of Slovenian – Or Do I?

Daily Newspapers as a Versatile Resource for the Very First Slovenian Lesson

Abstract

Learners attending beginner courses with no prior knowledge of Slovenian are often convinced that they will not understand a single word of this language. Therefore, we begin with a comprehension-based approach that emphasises the semantic dimension of language before moving on to a more detailed discussion of its structural aspects. Using examples that have been tried and tested in practice, we demonstrate how it is possible to design an introduction to a foreign language that may seem unusual to most course participants but, in our experience, motivates learners and sparks their curiosity. With the help of authentic texts, learners are introduced to strategies they can apply throughout their language-learning development – strategies that foster autonomous learning as a continuous and empowering process in foreign language acquisition.