How to Start Learning a New Language
Starting second language acquisition the right way
Welcome, aspiring polyglot! This is the new substack hosting free content to enhance and, hopefully, accelerate your language acquisition journey.
Often the greatest barrier is the barrier to entry, lacking in a place to start. While this will not be a comprehensive step by step guide (any gooroo selling you that is just taking advantage of you), it will be a resource to those who are working towards acquiring that second, third, or fourth language.
Benefits of learning a second language
Many people know there are benefits to learning a second language, but few know specifically what those benefits are. To mention just a few of these benefits, bilinguals often benefit from increased neuroplasticity, cognitive control, cognitive reserve, and memory, especially as they age.
If that isn’t reason to begin the journey, perhaps the prospect of unlocking entire sections of the world may be. Irrespective of why, here is how:
Picking a language
This is basic, but it is also where most people get hung up and why they, eventually, give up. Picking a language to learn to speak can be likened to picking a language to learn for programming. The best way to choose which coding language to learn is to pick a project or something to create, understand which language will facilitate that creation, then practice, and mess up, until the mistakes stop appearing.
Coincidentally, this is also the best way to choose which language to acquire. Pick a project, a country, a culture, understand which language facilitates integration into that culture, country, or project, and then practice, and mess up, until the mistakes stop happening.
Pick a deadline. Without a deadline progress is likely to be inconsistent, without consistency progress will halt entirely. Short term goals, vocabulary goals, writing ability, reading comprehension, these metrics are relatively easy to track; and they enable consistency as proof of concept is step one in building the confidence necessary to acquire a second, third, fourth, or fifth language.
Facilitate an immersion environment
Immersion is by far one of the most effective ways to learn a language, but it is often impossible for many. See what the research says, here. With this in mind, how might an immersion environment be achieved without actually living in an area that would make it possible?
Step 1: Place sticky notes around the house.
Learn to see words and know what they mean, then add verbs and adjectives that compliment those words. “Sit” in the “chair”, “open” the “door”, etc.
Step 2: Listen to music in the target language. Luckily, there’s a thread for this here
Step 3: Read and write. This may sound obvious, or boring, but reading and writing are not only beneficial for language expansion in a mother tongue, they are beneficial for advancing in a target language.
Without introducing outside stimulus it is easy to get stuck in old ways. The average English speaker uses 800-1000 unique words per day, but there are ~100,000 words in the English language. Though the 800-1000 unique words being used is standard across just about every language, this is precisely why reading is so important.
Authors tend to use a thesaurus as they write, this gives the reader an opportunity to expand their vocabulary and escape the rigidity, and frustration, of fluctuating between the same words day in and day out. Combine reading with writing sentences out using the new words and progress will come.
Step 4: Speak. This is likely the most important piece of the equation. It is also the most difficult to facilitate.
Meeting people learning the same language or native speakers is a great option. However, it is not particularly an easy task. Duolingo is another option, they actually have a rather useful tool for practicing speaking and it is a free resource. A last resort that will always work is practicing in the mirror. It may seem goofy, but it works.
Conclusion
There is no comprehensive guide, no tips or tricks to carry anyone across the finish line. Language acquisition requires time, effort, and consistency. That said, it is something that anyone of any age is more than capable of accomplishing. For the reader, I will be here to help with that journey.
For more content find me on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to seeing everyone’s progress in the months and years to come.
Disclaimer: I am not a teacher and have no professional educational experience. I am a polyglot with 2 C2s, 1 C1, and 2 B2s. Nothing here is guaranteed and all outcomes will be the result of the effort put forth by the individual.