Hi Lifelong Learners, To today we are sharing pro tips for learning a language with 2 key
principles and 4 core actions Firstly why is a second language just so valuable?
Your brain is stronger, you develop multi tasking, improved memory, more ability to
spot things that are irrelevant or deceptive, improved decision making and you boost your
creativity.
You delay the onset of dementia, your first language is improved, you have expanded career
options and you connect with more people.
It is a great thing to do!
Two principles that MUST remember when learning are language are: Firstly make mistakes.
Perfection is not the goal.
You will learn by mistakes.
People who feel that must understand every word in the sentence to communicate or are
unwilling to guess or subsitute a word in a new situation will not learn effectively.
You must be bold and willing to make mistakes.
The second principle is that weekly or even bi-weekly lessons are not as effective
as short regular sessions.
You only need 30 mins a day to learn a new language, this can be 3x10 mins sessions or
in one block.
Short regular sessions are far more effective than long iregular sessions.
First action.
Focus on the building blocks of the langauge.
This will unlock the whole language for you and give you a firm foundation.
In Mandirin for example there are 4 tones.
You must learn these early in the process.
In even in non-tonal languages like Indonesia there are still key sounds to learn like the
letter A which is pronunouned "A" rather than A so the word Anda is pronuned Anda rather
than and-a.Then second Action it to not learn all words but the words but the words that
are common and relevant for you.
People commonly suggest newspapers or magazines to "discover" these words but i recommend
Google!
There are approx.
170,000 words in English but the most common 1000 words represents 85% all words spoken
in daily language.
Consider this, with just 10 verbs, 10 nouns and 10 adjectives you have 1000 phrases.
And a super important point to remember is that with vocab DO NOT EVER try to connect a new words with
a word in your native lanuage but connect them with images.
Your mind stores items as images rather than words.
If you just connect the word with your native language word then you will need to travel
always through your native language when you are speaking.
The third action is passive learning.
Lots of learning can be completed as part of your daily life.
This can be as simple as watching a foriegn movie with English subtitles or listening
to the radio or music in the new language.
The key is not to understand what is being spoken but to be become familiar with the
flow, the sound of the language and common words.
For Passive learning I recommend: 1) Watching TV and Movies with subtitles - there's
lots of content available freely online 2) Having the Radio on during the day, just in
the back ground.
Listen.
You will start to hear words and phrases.
3) Labeling everything your house.
Your TV, your bathroom, your refridgeration 4) and my personal faviourte - change the
default language on your phone or laptop.
The final action combines all the learns from the previous 3.
You must speak the language!
Find a friend, a mentor, a language parent.
A native speaker who can regularly spend time with you.
It can be difficult in the 'real world' to find a native speaker but with skype you can connect
with people from anywhere!
To begin it is best to consistently follow the 1st 3 actions for 2-4 weeks.
At that state you will have enough language to dive into this and have basic conversations.
Share in the comments what language you would like to learn and why.
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Thanks for watching.