If only these language villages had existed when I was a teen! Actually, a few of them already existed — but unfortunately I hadn’t heard about them at the time. Such is life. Where, you ask, are they located? Well, in their own words, “Our culturally authentic sites for Finnish, French, German, Korean, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish are on Turtle River Lake, near Bemidji, Minn.”

But wait! There’s more! Before you ask what “culturally authentic” sites are, note that the list above is apparently out of date; see this page for info about Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.

OK, so what is this program? Again it’s best to quote their own description:

Deep in the North Woods of Minnesota, we create a place that is both culturally authentic and uniquely our own. In the Language Villages, everything from the music played to the dishes used in the dining hall reflect the culture each was designed to represent. Immerse yourself in the world of a native speaker, where you can truly learn to live a language, not just speak it.

I think this is two steps up from the program where I first learned German in 1965: the Yale Summer Language Institute. At that time we were totally immersed in German for 17 hours a week, leaving the noon hour on MWF when we were allowed to speak English to ask and answer questions about topics where the content was appropriate but we didn’t yet have enough language knowledge. I don’t know how Concordia handles that particular issue, but it’s apparently full time — and I mean literally full time, not just 20 hours a week. (Yes, 17 + 3 = 20. Pay attention now!)

Could I have done this in Minnesota instead of Connecticut in 1965? Well, yes, as it turns out. By a strange coincidence (“you may think it’s a coincidence, but it’s not”) the Concordia program had started in 1961… with German! Then…

A French program was added the following year, followed by Norwegian and Spanish in 1963 and Russian in 1966. New languages were added year after year, expanding the programs and cultural immersion experiences.

This all sounds terrific! Let’s close with a final quotation:

To truly understand the cultural context of another person’s thinking and doing, knowing their language, even just some of their language, opens doors for establishing interpersonal relationships and builds bridges that will lead to increased productivity and create a competitive edge. The experiential setting of a Concordia Language Villages language and cultural immersion program provides the ideal environment to encounter, discover and explore another culture. In a supportive setting and surrounded by a community of learners, real work gets done toward building cross-cultural competencies and language skills.

Categories: Life, Linguistics