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How to Learn a Language

My experiences in successful language-learning

By Brandon ColePublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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I spent a good few years studying languages with absolutely no success. Eventually, I was forced to learn in a correct way, and I am here to share that way with all of y'all.

I was assigned to learn Spanish as a full-time volunteer missionary, and this is the process by which I learned it.

Step 1: Invest in a crash course

I spent eight weeks at the Missionary Training Center. There, a phrase is drilled into the mind of every missionary who has been assigned to learn another language: "Speak Your Language" (here, meaning your assigned language). For my group, it was "Hable su idioma." We were encouraged to speak as much of our target languages as possible. We even had "language fasts" during which we spoke absolutely none of our native language for determined periods of time (usually a full day). We learned grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. We were taught phrases to use for prayer and for lessons that we'd be teaching out in the field.

Step 2: Immerse yourself

I was assigned to preach in Mexico for two years. I was absolutely surrounded with Spanish, and the amount of English-speakers whom I encountered were less than 5% of everyone with whom I interacted. I realize that it is not possible for everybody to immerse himself/herself. After all, people have jobs, families for whom to provide, and they may not have the money to travel to foreign lands (I only did because I saved up for five years beforehand specifically for my mission). In such similar circumstances, I recommend immersing yourself as best as you can for as much time as you have to dedicate to your target language. Join a Facebook group that focuses on your target language; look for a PenPal with whom to exchange languages (such as on polyglotclub.com); make a friend at work, church, school, etc who speaks your target language. To be candid, you get out of it what you put into it.

Step 3: Study, study, study!

Once we left the MTC to go into the field, we were encouraged to dedicate 30-minutes up to an hour to language study. I took advantage by using the full hour every day. I divided my study time into three sections: grammar (30 minutes), vocabulary (20 minutes), and pronunciation (10 minutes). For grammar, I studied only one or two grammar rules per day. For vocabulary, I made a list of five to ten words that I copied from my English-Spanish dictionary; I memorized as much as I could during my study, and carried them on a post-it-note throughout the day. For pronunciation, I read aloud (even at the beginning stages when I had absolutely no idea what the heck I was reading). I had a language study journal; even though I had a couple of textbooks, I still took notes (because writing helps to cement what is being studied). Take your notes in your target language – Practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Step 4: Turn theory into experience

Everyday, I took what I had learned in my morning language study and I applied them to my conversations throughout the rest of the day. By practicing what I had studied, I was turning theory into experience, experience into knowledge, and knowledge into a tool that would become second-nature.

Step 5: Prepare to feel like an idiot

I can't tell you how many times I've felt like an idiot while learning a language. I remember one time I felt embarrassed, and then said, "Estoy muy embarazado." What this actually means is "I am very pregnant." I should have said, "Tengo pena" or "Estoy avergonzado." It was even worse because I was in a room full of dozens of people. I'm here to tell you that, without a doubt, you will absolutely say something so innocently idiotic. That's just part of the language-learning process, and every language-learner will have to accept it. Don't let this be a deterrent to your studies.

Step 6: Seek out and humbly accept corrections

In the circumstances where you feel idiotic (or perhaps you won't feel so, but you will sound like it), people will correct what you say. What they say may not even be grammatically correct, but it could still be regionally accepted and expected. Either way, write down your mistake and their correction. Then thank them. I personally found during my mission years that both children and the elderly are the most willing and the most likely to help you if and when you ask them for help with the language.

Step 7: Continue to study and to practice

Eventually, you will become confident, and perhaps even fluent in your target language. Though it may be more reasonable to cut down on your study time, do not eliminate it. Proficiency in a language is a perishable skill; like a muscle in your body, it must be exercised on a regular basis if you want it to remain strong. Find fellow speakers, buy books, listen to music, and watch movies that employ the language. There's always something new to learn.

I have employed these as much as I have been able to do so in other languages since my mission and have found success every time. I hope that you find these tips to be useful. Good luck in your studies!

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About the Creator

Brandon Cole

I'm a happily-married, active Latter-day Saint. I volunteer much of my time at church and at my local Masonic lodge (where I am a full-member). I am also a full-member of the Central Band of Cherokee. I love food, Bluegrass, and languages!

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