Ever heard that you should be language
learning like a child ?
"Kids are like a language sponge" is a belief
continued in the media. The mantra goes like this: Little
kids are like a language sponge, they pick up any word and phrase you throw at
them and will learn a language very easily.
And the myth goes on to claim that adults have
missed the boat. They are starting way too late to ever reach any
respectable level of expertise in a foreign language, and they'll definitely
never sound like a native speaker.
Why? Because science.
This myth is about as widespread as it is
infuriating. For examples, see the headlines on this
article about babies and sound ,
or this inevitable product selling you on an
invented cut-off age of seven years .
Adult
Learners Can Learn A Foreign Language Quickly And Easily
In this article, I won't dwell on the volumes
of research that have been done on human brains, language acquisition, speech
therapy, ageing, and so forth.In a very tiny nutshell: Learning anything is
harder when you're an adult, and the best evidence for any critical period is
in the area of accent development (27 page ref to knock yourself out with at this
URL ).
There's a great selection of research on the
topic, and for a primer check out the sources listed in Becoming
Fluent: How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language . The
book is an awesome collection of helpful information, and was a fabulous
resource for me as I was writing this article.
For today, I'd ask you to forget about
anything you've ever heard about the childlike brain. Open your mind, and
let's explore some realistic ways of making language learning work for you - at
any age.
1.
Analyse and Repeat Patterns
Adults can learn languages in a deliberate
way. The structure of practicing new sentences is one of these keys -
analyse, understand, apply, repeat.
There is no need to cram your way
through grammar books as you learn a new language. It's totally
possible to speak when you haven't even touched on any grammar yet. I did
it in Icelandic last week, and I have helped my own German students to do this
from the start.
But the key to using grammar to your advantage
is in using it to answer your questions. Next time you hear someone say a
sentence in your target language, repeat it and try saying something different
with the same structure. If you're talking to a native, get them to give
you more examples with that structure. If you're learning by yourself,
consult a grammar book or text book.
What you are doing now is learning a pattern
or chunk of language (like a child), and at the same time satisfying your
curiosity by discovering the rule behind it (like an adult).
2.
Set Goals and Track Your Progress
Goals! Projects! Missions! Whatever
you call them, they are the lifeblood of sticking with where you are at as a
language learner. Since you are a busy person, being accountable for your
own time is one of the best ways of feeling both accomplished and efficient.
Tracking
your progress is not only a good
way of structuring how you learn. It will also help you combat the dangers
of motivation loss. The longer you stick with what you've already studied,
the easier it will be to keep going. In other words: It's easier to break
a 2-day streak than to break a 2-month streak.
Tracking can work in many different
ways. It can be as simple as keeping up with habit streaks on apps ( Duolingo , Memrise , or just type "habit"
into any App Store). Or it can be a flexible and thorough system like
the Language
Habit Toolkit. .
The Language Habit Toolkit is a set of
resources designed to help adult learners set meaningful goals, get motivated
and stay a lot more organized than most other learners will ever be. Learn
more here.
3.
Move On From Setbacks
I like to tell my learners that even the
brightest student won't remember a new word immediately, and instead needs to
encounter it up to 15 times before it truly sticks. Anyone who has
experienced that cold sweaty feeling of forgetting words mid-conversation Knows
what a language setback feels like.
But there is no reason to give up at that
point. Remember progress tracking? The small wall you are hitting
today is a result of the long way that you have come so far. You would
never have dreamed of that wall back at the beginning.
Moving on from setbacks is largely a challenge
to your mindset. Remember that language learning is not a straightforward
line. In fact, it doesn't even have an end point. You just go along
the path every single day and become a little better with each step.
For a bit of positive thinking "in a
bottle", my pre-made set of affirmations will
be a great resource to check out. Remember that growth
mindset - at any age, you're just getting
started.
4.
Know And Respond To Your Learning Style
It's impossible to predict your success based
on superficial facts: Your age or your native language are practically useless
in helping you figure out how to learn German vocabulary faster. Neither
will your
star sign , for that matter.
However, the more you understand your own
preferences and habits, the easier it becomes for you to learn a language
successfully.
Being aware of your social learning style can
go a long way to helping you create a language learning routine that you'll
enjoy for a long time. For example, the difference between extroverts and
introverts shows in how they practice, read and speak languages.
Knowing the time of day when you're at your
best, or recognising signs that you are tired and need to rest, are other
important factors.
And don't forget the ongoing debate about
learning styles. Even if the classic "visual-auditory-kinetic"
styles are no longer supported in research, it's worth finding out how you best
process new information. As Edutopia puts it:
It is
critical to not classify students as being specific types of learners nor as
having an innate or fixed type of intelligence.
Find a style that you
enjoy, that doesn't zap your energy, and that helps you set habits. And
if that means speaking comes on day 100, so be it.
On that note..
5.
Build Great Habits
If you want to get a better handle about how
to build winning habits, start with how you make habits stick in other areas of
your life. For example, some people stay fit by scheduling regular workout
times, while others need accountability and love tracking their runs
online. I recommend you start digging into this with help from Episode
32 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast ,
in which we discussed habits, styles and tendencies based on the work of writer
Gretchen Rubin.
Conclusion
So this article actually started out over
three years ago, when I was first blogging about the many myths in language
learning. I've always been bothered by this kid-language-sponge idea
because it does nothing to help adult learners progress.
If you have the opportunity to expose your
kids to other languages, go for it. They will do awesome.
But more importantly, do not ever
believe that you are over the hill .
Here's how I finished my article in 2013.
Start
thinking about this one from the other point of view: If little kids can do it,
then anyone can.
I still believe the exact same thing.
What are your biggest
problems as an adult language learner?
Leave me a comment below or get in touch - I'd
love to hear more about what you think of the research behind this and the
study methods I listed.
If you're feeling all fired up to get started
and make progress with a new language right now, download the FREE Guide to the
Best Resources in Language Learning by registering below.
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