LEX Language Project is a fun place where
you can enjoy many different languages together with family and
friends. The clubs are not classes; they do not have a structured
curriculum, or even students and teachers. Instead, they provide
an environment which nurtures language through relaxed encounters
with all the different kinds of people who are members of your club
and in the world around you.
Language is nurtured in people-to-people
connections. In addition to listening to LEX CDs, members get together
in community-based clubs at least once a week to share the sounds
of language we are internalizing from the CDs. We engage in activities
including playing games, dancing, singing, listening activities,
and speaking in various languages. We absorb new language at the
club meetings, while encouraging each other to speak in a fun and
supportive environment.
The LEX CDs help establish a natural setting
where you are surrounded by the various languages on a daily basis.
Everyone, from children to adults, can enjoy the contents of the
CDs: songs from around the world and stories created by LEX. All
members purchase a Starter Set of CDs: one of the mini-sets or the
7 Language Set or a larger set. Just as a baby in a multilingual
country begins to understand and speak several languages before
beginning to read, LEX Language Project members acquire more than
one language naturally through an immersion-style setting.
In order to create a multilingual environment,
we use language CDs recorded by native speakers which include stories
about everyday life. We create a natural immersion environment for
ourselves by listening to these CDs like background music while
doing other activities – at home, in the car, anytime and anywhere.
We also spend some time listening more intentionally and mimicking
along with the stories, catching the natural rhythm and melody of
the language. In the beginning, the CDs may sound like noise, unfamiliar
and incomprehensible. But, before you know it, they will become
beautiful music that you can sing along to. At first, like a baby,
you try to imitate the sounds on the CDs and those being spoken
around you. Gradually you will be able to say the words or phrases
that the people around you are saying. As you see how words and
phrases are used in context, their meaning becomes clearer.
The patterns of language (sounds and structure)
are imprinted inside you as you “collect” them through repeated
exposure to the CDs. Later, when you hear those same sounds spoken
by someone, you experience a “resonance” with the sounds stored
inside you. You begin to understand their meaning and soon are able
to use the expressions yourself in an easy and natural way.
We call the natural process of language development
“from the whole to the parts.” When babies babble in baby-talk,
they are mimicking a broad approximation of the sounds around them.
Later, they begin to speak, but may only pronounce some parts of
phrases while “babbling” through the rest. They are speaking the
rhythm and melody of the “whole” language. Eventually, they become
more and more precise in making sounds, clearly speaking the “parts,”
the individual words, until they are mature speakers. Children and
adults who are exposed to new languages in a similar way will go
through the same natural process.
The activity of “singing the sounds” is important
at LEX. This is a process of mimicking the CD and is similar to
humming or singing, or even the babbling of a baby. Emphasis is
placed on maintaining the rhythm, melody, and natural patterns of
a language. As we absorb the sounds through repeated listening,
mimicking, and interaction with other members, we will acquire more
and more language.
Language is received from the people around
you. LEX offers a place to share languages with friends, family,
and neighbors. LEX is a highly effective way to learn to speak languages
naturally and fluently. Additional benefits of LEX include the process
of mutual self-discovery as you make new friends, strengthen community
and family ties, and explore the world through language.
The 7 Language Set of 21 CDs has stories
and songs in seven languages: English, French, German, Japanese,
Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. The Mini Set (Hippo Goes
Overseas) is a subset of the 7 Language Set and contains stories
in the same seven languages. The Mini Set (Multilingual Friends
Around the World) contains a story also in seven languages: English,
French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
Optional CDs are available in Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi, Indonesian,
Italian, Malaysian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Swahili, Taiwanese,
Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Each club meets once a week. If you are a
member of one club, you can attend the meetings of any other club
in the area or around the world at no charge. Family and community
involvement in this program is essential to its success. Listening
to the CDs and participating in the club meetings are both equally
important in the natural process of language development. Only in
the richness of human relationships can real learning occur.
