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About Me
My name is Jennifer and I turned 26 years old in May 2008. I first became interested in studying foreign languages when I was 14 years old, and I hope to become fluent in several languages. Currently, I'm concentrating on four: French, German, Italian, and Spanish; but I do try to study some other languages when I have time: Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, and Russian. Eventually I want to study most of the Indo-European languages, as well as other languages outside of the Indo-European family, including some signed languages.
I graduated from Clio
High School in 2000 as valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. I received my Bachelor's
Degree from the University of Michigan-Flint
in 2004, where I double majored in French & Linguistics and French &
International Studies as well as minored in International & Global Studies.
I was a tutor for my university in Linguistics, French and German as well as
in the Writing Center
and I was also involved in the Linguistics Club and International Student Organization.
I studied Québécois French at Université
Laval in Québec City for 5 weeks in the summer of 2003. I was an
English Language Assistant in Annecy, France, from October 2006 until April
2007 and I just finished a second year of teaching as an English assistant in
Cluses. I have been PACSed
to my French boyfriend, David, since March 2007. We currently live near Annecy
with our cat, Canaille, but we'd like to move to Provence or Quebec. Eventually
I would like to do my PhD in French Linguistics or Pedagogy (I'm interested
in informal speech, slang and cultural vocabulary and why these useful subjects
are always missing from textbooks), but I don't know where yet. The rest of
my family remains in the United States - including my dog, Brandy. 
I recently completed my Master's degree in Linguistics with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. I was the Graduate Assistant for the Linguistics Department in 2005-2006 as well as an ESL instructor in the Intensive English Program. You can view my C.V. if you're interested in my accomplishments. And other than languages, I am also interested in Canadian and Australian studies, Jewish studies, world history, military history, geography, jazz & big band music, astronomy, Greek & Roman mythology, Egyptology, biology, and pathology. I've uploaded most of my travel photos to web albums, and you can read my blog if you'd like to learn more about my everyday life in France.
This website began as a collection of notes from my high school French class in 1998. I will be forever grateful to Madame Refice, my first French teacher, for giving me an understanding and appreciation of the French language that led me to create this website. I've been continually adding more languages and linguistic-related material over the years. The academic and teaching ESL pages were written by me during my undergraduate and graduate coursework. Half of the language tutorials were written by me, and I write them as I learn the language. I wouldn't consider myself completely fluent in any foreign language yet, although I am nearly fluent in French.The tutorials focus on the basic grammar and vocabulary points of each language, but I am trying to incorporate more authentic language, slang, and informal ways of speaking. I am the author of the following tutorials: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Swedish and Bosnian, Croatian & Serbian. The following tutorials were written by others: Portuguese, Icelandic, Faroese, Welsh, Ukrainian, Russian, Finnish, Indonesian, and Turkish.
I
want to thank Malin for helping with the Swedish page; Natasha and Emir for
helping with the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian page; Jan and Peter for correcting
the Dutch page; Daniel Roche for writing the Icelandic tutorial; Johan Petur
for writing the Faroese tutorial; Vremita Desectia for writing the Indonesian
tutorial; Olavo Germano de Sousa Neto for writing the Portuguese tutorial; Ivan
Karmin for writing the Ukrainian tutorial, Stephen VanZuylen for writing the
Russian tutorial, Josh Pirie for writing the Finnish tutorial, and Ömer
& Mehmet Sener for writing the Turkish tutorial.
I created this site to help others learn foreign languages, not to earn money. This site will always be free because I believe that education should be free. However, donations are very welcome since I am currently unemployed. If you are not comfortable using Paypal, please e-mail me at ielanguages [at] gmail.com for a mailing address in France or the US.
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If you are serious about becoming fluent in a foreign language, I highly recommend the Champs-Elyseés audiomagazines. They are designed for intermediate to advanced learners, and include audio recordings of the articles in the magazine as well as vocabulary lists and cultural notes. Study supplements are available too, with "audio flashcards" to enhance your comprehension. These audiomagazines are available in four languages:
French - Champs-Elysées | German - Schau ins Land | Spanish - Puerta del Sol | Italian - Acquerello Italiano
Remember always that nothing in this life deserves a tear. -
Hazem
If you want to be happy, be. - Tolstoy
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow it to the dark place
where it leads. - Jong
We see things not as they are but as we are. - Anais Nin
The great tragedy of life is not death, but what dies inside of us while we
live. - Norman Cousins
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