Why do so many people want to learn a foreign language but never quite succeed? This is a question I have asked myself (and about myself!) for some time now. Friends and acquaintances frequently ask for language learning advice because they know that acquiring other languages is one of my life passions, If only the advice could be condensed in a few words. To use a phrase I hear a lot these days - "It's complicated." But here are two suggestions that may rid you of the uptight feeling that often accompanies language study.
(1) Dispel the idea that the foreign language you produce always has to be perfectly correct.
Easier said than done, right? I fight with this notion all the time myself. Why? Because I am an adult and should know how to do things right. Because I am detail oriented. Because I don't want to appear uneducated. Because I always make A's... Because.... Well, you understand. Being correct feels so very good.
But is it realistic to think that in a foreign language you will produce perfect language? We spend years acquiring our native language and continue to improve it throughout our lives. Why should one course (or several courses for that matter) in Spanish enable a person to speak with unassailable vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation? Give yourself a break!
Rather than having to do mental gymnastics (a term coined by Stephen A Krashen) to focus on correctness, how about focusing on communicating meaning. Isn't that the major goal of communication?
When children are acquiring languages, they use language as a tool. We adults could well follow their example. And children correct their language by themselves as they continue to use it by comparing their version to the adult version. We adults will begin to speak and write more correctly as we hear and read more and more language spoken and written correctly. Just give yourself some time - lots of time!
(2) Slow and steady wins the race. It worked for the tortoise, and it may work for you in acquiring another language. The fast world we live in, where so much happens instantaneously, is now a cliché. We expect language learning results to be quick so we can get on to the next life project.
Smaller daily doses of a new language may work better than longer, intense study sessions. And don't leave daily language practice to chance. One of the reasons I enjoy duolingo.com, a popular online language learning site, is that the program allows you to set up daily reminders to make progress. At first, I allowed Duolingo to nag me with emails when I had not been on the site in 24 hours.
Soon, I had made Duolingo so much a part of my daily routine that I opted out of the reminders. Now I can proudly say that I have done language practice for 650 days straight. And I can say that I feel like I am moving forward with learning other languages.
It's time for a revolution in language learning. Let's tame our egos that make us always want to be perfect. Let's work on our daily self-discipline to take small steps to success. Let's put language acquisition in the category of enjoyable activities instead of drudgery.
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