REAL CONVERSATIONS? BAH, HUMBUG!
I have become aware that nearly every language-teaching application on the market promises that, by becoming a member and paying dues, you will enjoy “real conversations.” It's a lovely phrase—marketable, confident—but it leaves me wondering: what exactly is a real conversation? Every Tuesday morning, I meet three men at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, at the coffee shop. We sit, drink our coffee, and converse. Real conversations? Two of them mostly read the newspapers. They have no hobbies, speak no foreign languages, and contribute little beyond a few grunted remarks. The third, a retired maths teacher and college graduate, adds some spark, bringing an anecdote, a curious fact, or a bit of perspective. Is this what the app developers mean by “real conversation”? I doubt it. The truth is, real conversations—those in which ideas are exchanged, facts are examined, opinions shared, even d...