Very often, people ask me when they should start speaking the language they
are learning. That's an important question, but one which is quite hard to
answer, and if you look online you'll quickly figure out that there is no
consensus among language experts about the right moment to choose to begin speaking
your target language. So should you start speaking right away or should you wait
until you're really ready? My answer in a few seconds.
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Now, back to our main topic. Many fellow language experts and polyglots have
shared their views on the subject. Let me start with the first school of thought, which
suggests speaking from the very beginning. Our friend Benny Lewis, the
famous Irish polyglot behind the Fluent in 3 Months blog, is one of several
notable experts in this camp. Benny's advice is to speak from day one
because learning languages is all about practice. In order to make progress you
need to practice as soon as possible. The advantages of this approach are that you
get to practice right away without focusing too much or too long on theory.
You learn by doing instead of with your nose in a book. And you avoid ever
developing a fear of speaking. On the other hand, there are some drawbacks.
Speaking very early can be challenging when you lack vocabulary and other basic
language skills. This approach is probably not suitable
for you if you're shy, introverted, or a bit of a perfectionist. And your first
experience can be disappointing if you stumble upon someone who is not helpful
or patient enough. The opposite school of thought recommends waiting until you
are and/or feel ready to speak. The idea is to delay speaking practice and dedicate
the early stages of your learning to acquiring enough vocabulary and improving
your other language skills. Most importantly, your listening skills.
It's the approach defended by the famous polyglot and linguist Steve Kaufmann, who, in a
nutshell says, "What's the hurry?" Steve prefers to spend a decent amount of time
listening and reading and starts speaking only when he can fully understand what
other people say and can craft a meaningful response. Of course this is
his personal preference. The Canadian linguist admits that
different learners can have different approaches and start speaking sooner
than he does. The pros of this approach are that you give yourself enough time
to get familiar with the language before trying to speak. And you avoid stress
if you are too introverted or shy to open your mouth with a limited language
knowledge. The cons are that: first, it's possible to wait too long to start
speaking and consequently develop an actual fear of speaking; second, you do
not get to put what you have learned into practice right away. Between these
two extremes there are of course more balanced points of view, like that of
another great polyglot and language expert, Luca Lampariello. Our friend Luca
basically says that there isn't one right answer to this question. In his
eyes, choosing the right time to start speaking depends on both subjective and
objective factors. An objective factor is, for instance, the distance between your
target language and native language. Subjective factors can include your
mindset, your personality, and your language experience and background.
My position on the issue is somewhere in between
Benny Lewis's and Luca Lampariello's. So when someone asks me when they should
start speaking their target language, I usually answer: as early as possible. But
it depends on you and your specific situation. Let me explain the two parts
of my answer. Having learned several languages, I have
been able to experiment with both strategies. Putting speaking practice
off too long has been counterproductive in my case, so whenever possible I try to
speak the language I'm learning as early on as possible. If the target language is
quite close to the ones I already master, after about a month I already try to
speak to myself. Then after one to three months of study, I try to start talking
to a language tutor. To me, focusing too much on theory is like trying to learn
to play tennis just by reading a manual and without stepping foot on a tennis
court. Quite impossible, right? In my experience, the famous saying, "No pain, no
gain," is actually true. The more I force myself out of my comfort zone the faster
I make progress. On the other hand, I would not force anyone to speak too early on
if they did not feel ready. This leads me to the second part of my answer, which
basically recommends different strategies for different learners. Let me
give you two examples. If you have already learned one or two languages, you
consider yourself an extrovert, and the language you're learning is relatively
close to the languages you already know, then I recommend beginning to speak your
target language very early on. If instead you are more introverted and shy, you
don't have a lot of language learning experience,
and you're learning a language which is quite distant from your native language,
then you might want to focus on listening and learning vocabulary first
to build up the confidence you need to speak. If this is your case I still
recommend talking to yourself as early as you can.
It feels weird at the beginning but it's a powerful strategy for preparing
yourself to face conversations with another person. I really hope my video
has helped you figure out when the right moment to start speaking your
target language is for you. Remember that there is no right or wrong answer, but
you have to do it sometime. Speaking a language is a skill you build through
practice so only through that practice can you learn and improve. Take care and
happy learning!
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