Being A Babbel
It may be wise to strike a conversation with someone who speaks many different languages fluently with an understanding of a dozen more. If you constantly hear him using his skills, switching from language to language with ease of a chameleon. Would you even know he’s Irish?
If you tell that someone your struggle in picking up your second language, he may have an advice to serve you well in becoming bilingual.
Ask Yourself Why
You have to satisfy the question of why you are doing it. It may be obvious but not having a good reason enough in learning another language, you may less likely stay at it and be motivated in most times. It is even part of a long-term commitment.
If you are out to impress someone with French expressions, it may not be enough to tide you over learning the grammar once you can say greetings and how are you in French.
Deciding to converse someone in French in the hopes of getting to know that person better is a different story. The interest grows both for the person and the language you are learning.
You will end up steadfast to learn as much as you can in the language, with its vocabulary and expressions and for the language itself.
The Power Of Two
Finding a partner in crime, so to speak, may spell a great difference. There is strength in numbers even in language learning. Be it a sibling, a partner or a friend it makes things lots easier especially for practice.
You may look at the other person for motivation or pressure. Pushing each other and making a go of it is available at frequent times. It’s a competition that is well received and well intended.
One tries a bit harder as there’s another pair of eyes looking at your shoulders. As they say, challenges are halved but successes are doubled when you are in it to win it.
Doing The Monologue
Talking with yourself is the next best step. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
If you’re not able to use it all the time, though it might sound really weird, but speaking to yourself in a language either in your mind or aloud is a great way to practice.
Keeping new words and phrases fresh in your mind and building up your confidence for the next time you speak with someone is a good habit to acquire.
Key To Relevance
You are less likely to get lost in the literature if you make conversations a goal from the start. It will keep the learning process relevant to you if you get to practice it with a lot of different people.
Learning a language is for you to be able to use it. You are not just going to speak to yourself, in your mind or in your memory.
It is in the creative side of really being able to put the language to use. You’re learning the language and putting it to action into a more useful, general, everyday setting that you gain a deeper appreciation be it through writing songs, generally wanting to talk with people, or using it when you travel overseas. You make it possible to go to the Arabic restaurant down the curb and order in its language.
Getting into a kid’s mind in terms of learning is a good starting point too. There is a myth that children do learn better than adults but it hasn’t been proven scientifically. A child’s lack of self-consciousness is even referred to as the key to learning faster. It is the kid’s desire to look at things in a playful way and the willingness to commit mistakes.
Mistakes are the best teachers. That’s how we learn as kids but when we grew up we are ashamed of making the slightest errors. Once that embarrassment is taken of one’s shoulders, learning is more fun and most likely to continue.
One has to be fine with admitting that not everything has been known yet in the second language and finding that it’s alright.
Acceptance is key and letting go of inhibitions are critical steps in growing both in the language and as a learner.