How To Learn A New Language

Nowadays, it has become more and more essential to learn new languages other than our native tongue. Commerce is expanding rapidly in many countries in the world and the need for communication is increasing. In an ideal situation, we would open a book, read it and then magically we would be able to communicate fluently in a foreign language. In reality, learning a new language is a time consuming, tiring but in the end very rewarding process.

Here are some tips on how to learn a new language.

DO’s:

• Identify the purpose of learning a new language. In order to progress and achieve your goal of learning a new language, you should organize your study and most of all dedicate enough time. Infants and children are more capable in language acquisition but adults need more time and effort.
• Study the grammar of the new language. First, you should start by learning some basic verbs and study how they are formed in various tenses and structures. As you become more familiar with these and as you feel that you are getting the hang of it, move on to more complex structures. Vocabulary is very important in learning a new language but it is useless if you don’t incorporate it in grammatically correct sentences.
• Learn more things about the culture. You wouldn’t want to be laughed at or be considered rude. For example, in Greece it is considered very impolite to raise your hand with the palm facing outwards. In English cultures the same gesture is used to show the number five.
• Use authentic material to enhance your learning. Try to find magazines, newspapers or even listen to music and watch movies in the target language. This would be very useful to learn new vocabulary and improve your listening skills.
• Focus on vocabulary. Start by learning small words and phrases. Then you can move on to more complicated vocabulary. A suggestion would be to create word lists so that you can remember vocabulary more easily. Another way would be to make flashcards for the words you learn because experts believe that sight helps memory in learning a new language.
• Pay attention to the intonation, stress and rhythm of the words you learn. Try to listen how native speakers pronounce them and imitate them. You wouldn’t want to sound funny. You could record yourself talking and try to correct your mistakes. Self-evaluation is of major importance in learning a new language.  Watch this video to see how funny it sounds when you mispronounce a word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qez0HC8fGJo

DON’TS

• Don’t give up after the first obstacle. The key elements to learning a new language are patience, persistence and hard work. Focus on the goal you have set.
• Don’t translate from your mother tongue into the target language. Each language is unique with its own rules and distinctive features, even though they might share some common characteristics.
• Don’t spend all your time and energy on theory. It is very important to study books and grammatical rules and syntax but don’t forget: practice makes better. Communicate with native speakers, experiment with the new language.
• Don’t try to express yourself in a complex way at first. You have to make baby steps in the beginning to master the basics of the new language and then you would be able to use more complicated structures, more attractive words. Start with small phrases which would be useful in everyday interaction, such as to book a ticket, buy clothes or ask for directions.
• Don’t forget to practice your pronunciation. The objective is to learn how to speak like a native speaker. Therefore, listen to music, watch TV and films in the target language. You could also ask a native speaker to record sentences and words for you to listen daily and practice.
• Don’t be embarrassed to use your knowledge. Try to use it in every occasion you encounter. Feel proud of yourself of learning a new language because it is a difficult task which demands effort and strength.

Last but not least, not all people learn a new language in the same way. If you worked as a teacher, you would notice that a student might learn better by reading whereas another one would learn better by listening to the teacher or by using his body in different linguistic activities. Howard Gardner, a professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University, in his book Frames of Mind. The Multiple Intelligences claims that a person has not one but more intelligences. His theory has assisted the process of language learning because anyone can find out which aspect of the language is intelligent in, and therefore find the best way to learn a new language. To take the test and find your own intelligences, visit the following link: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

And remember: to learn a new language may be hard and tiring but it’s not the destination that matters. It’s the journey to reach there. And this journey offers more experiences and achievements than any theoretical book.