Want to know a few of the easiest ways to speed up your language learning journey? If you are new to the language learning world or have been in it for a while, then you would know that you can never really learn a language in a short time. However there are few steps you could follow to aid in the process, making the process a little easier and less harsh.
STEP 1: GET FRIENDS
Learning a language requires a lot of listening and repetition and having someone to practice with and ask questions is already a big step. The difference between having a friend that knows the language and have a friend who is learning is big..but not that big. Think of it as this;
You —>Native Speaker —> Friend Learning the language —> Native Speakers
Say for instance;
YOU would have a question you would want to ask the NATIVE SPEAKER which he/she might not have been able to answer properly. This is where you then go to a FRIEND LEARNING THE LANGUAGE who would better explain and answer your question speaking in your own language. After getting a full understanding then you would go and practice with the other NATIVE SPEAKERS which would then be surprise by the knowledge you have acquired.
STEP 2: EXPOSURE
After finding your friends you would want to test out your skills. I understand that being scared to talk to other people(other than the friend or two you might already have) because of the amount of mistakes you are sure to make will linger, but you have to be strong and go against that feeling. Being exposed to the language you are learning makes you feel more comfortable speaking it even around friends. It took me several months of just listening and typing in mandarin to start speaking the language and by the time I was ready to speak, my first words weren’t just ‘ni hao’. Among the languages I am learning, Mandarin is the one I am more powerful in. I also saw that it was being said over the internet that mandarin is one of the hardest language a westerner could ever want to pick up, and that’s where I said “Challenge Accepted!”.
Because it is a tonal language learning to LISTEN is a must, NO RUSHING!! Rushing will just end up in;
- Confusion –Things said to sounding like one big word you can’t pronounce.
- A slow reply – If you’re being typed to (or even in voice chat), natives might get fed up because of the time you take to reply to a question or statement.
- Memory loss – Due to very little Practice time, the things you have already learnt are not being exercised so …if you don’t use it you lose it.
- The Blank Stare – I think this speaks for itself.
STEP 3: PRATICE makes perfect!
Practice! Practice! Practice! Even if you know you are bound to make mistakes and have a blank look sometimes its good to practice. This is the main reason why many audio books put emphasis on “say it out loud” so you can hear it even though you are the one saying it(whatever you are learning). One other method of practice, that even I always do, is repetition, in other words, speaking to yourself. People might think you’re crazy for talking to yourself but it works. This method gives you a lot to think about so you would have lots of questions to ask a native, and thus helping you to learn more. Having a book or notepad to jot down little note is also a big plus. Every little counts.
STEP 4: ONE STEP AT A TIME
Don’tRush!!
By now, you would have noticed that “DON’T RUSH!” is almost everywhere on this page…just trying to make a point
Speaking from experience, rushing would only result in a lot of knowledge wasted because you forgot what you have learnt. It would be like trying to stuff everything in your brain all at once just so you are able to speak like you know everything in a short time.
REMEMBER: Babies don’t learn to run before they walk.
STEP 5: RESOURCES
Good resources are never hard to find. In fact, all resources are good, it just depends on how you use them. Well…let’s admit, you have a few out there that are a waste of time but probably other would say different.
Here are a few resource I think are cool to use
Its also good to talk to native speakers on the social website and messengers that’s most popular in their country. For example, since I am also learning chinese, I downloaded the most popular chat tool used in the country and that’s qq chat.
If you have any comments or suggestions for resources please feel free to comment below and share with the community.
THANK YOU!!!
This post was written by Oshaine. Visit Oshaynie’s Youtube to see him practice his languages. More videos soon.
The post How to learn a language fast (5 easy steps) appeared first on Language Ninjas.