Language learning is simple

Here is a podcast of this text.

“I want to learn to speak English better. I do not like to hear myself pronounce English. I have trouble writing English. I cannot remember my new English vocabulary. I need to improve my English grammar. I have trouble expressing my ideas in English. When I am with native speakers I do not understand much of what they say.”

These are some of the comments that often I hear from our new learners at The Linguist. I had these feelings when I started studying languages. So what is to be done?

My answer is simple. Make the language your friend. In particular, make the words your friends. Let the words be the focus of your learning. Learn to like the words of English. Put all your effort into words, how they sound, how they come together with other words, and all the different meanings they can have. Be patient as you get to know these words. They will be your friends for a long time. Make sure you take the time to meet them often in your listening and reading.

Do not judge or criticize yourself. Do not push yourself. When you feel like listening, listen. Choose content that you like. It may be old familiar content or new content. It may be easy content or difficult content. Make sure you like it enough to listen. Listen many times if you feel like it. Listen only once if you feel like it. Then choose something else. Just follow your interests.

Listen as much as possible to content read by someone whose voice and intonation you like. Imitate the voice and the intonation. Stop the recorder from time to time and replay short sections and imitate the tone and accent. The more you like the content and the voice, the easier it will be to imitate.

Read when you feel like reading. Look at the words and phrases. Notice them. Focus on the ones you have trouble using. Save them. Learn to admire how these letters come together to convey so much meaning. Enjoy the powerful feeling of making sense out of the words of a strange language. Sense the joy of exploring another culture. Try to feel that you are a part of that culture.

When you feel really energetic, try to review lists of words and phrases that you have come across in your listening and reading. You should do this, not in the hope that you will remember them, but because know it will help you to get to know them, gradually. When you get tired of reviewing words, you just go back to listening and reading. Or you can take a rest.

Do not let anything frustrate you. The happier you are, the more positive you feel about the language, the more easily you will be able to imitate the sounds of the language. The less stress you feel, the more easily you will figure out the meaning directly, without translating into your language. The more time you spend listening and reading, the sooner you will be able to express yourself in English in all situations. And your pronunciation will improve. Language learning really is that simple.

I know that this is true because I have done this for nine languages. I am doing it know in order to learn Russian.