Summary

Levi Borba outlines a cost-effective method for self-learning phonemic languages such as Spanish, Italian, Finnish, or Polish using online tools like Lingq, emphasizing the benefits of understanding the local language for expatriates.

Abstract

The article "How to Learn Phonemic Languages 100% by Yourself" by Levi Borba provides insights into the advantages of learning a country's native language when living abroad. Borba argues that for phonemic languages, where written letters consistently correspond to spoken sounds, self-study can be particularly effective and economical. He contrasts this with non-phonemic languages like French, where pronunciation can be unpredictable and might require more interactive learning methods. Borba shares his personal experience of learning Polish through self-study using Lingq, a cost-effective online platform, and highlights the flexibility and financial savings of this approach compared to traditional language schools.

How to Learn Phonemic Languages 100% by Yourself

When you plan to spend longer periods in another country, learning the local language brings a myriad of benefits.

Here I will tell you how to:

1st — Learn even difficult languages like Polish without spending a fortune in language schools! (I made that).

2nd — Use a method that is convenient for your schedule (But you still need self-motivation).

3rd — Understand why speaking French is much harder than reading or writing French.

This is one of the tips featured in my best-selling book: Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide.

Some benefits of learning the local Language

I. If English is not widespread there, learning the native idiom will help with eating, drinking, and hanging out in the same places as the locals. With better prices.

II. Service providers that are worldwide famous for ripping-off foreigners (mechanics and taxi drivers, for example) will think twice before scamming you.

III. It will be easier to socialize with locals, and also to understand if anyone says something about you in parallel.

IV. To understand and grasp the literature, music and local culture will help you to learn what to say or not. Learn what to do or not and the daily idiosyncrasies.

Those are only some pros of learning the idiom of your new country. In this hack, however, I want to teach you one thing that can make this learning easier and much cheaper.

If the language you want to study is phonemic, you don’t need to pay a language school!

What is a phonemic language?

Unless you are a language geek, probably it is the first time you hear the word phonemic.

Phonemic languages are those where the written letters match most of the sounds (phonemes) when we speak. Languages like Spanish, Italian, Finnish, or Polish are very phonemic. In those, you can trace almost every spoken sound to a letter that represents it.

Probably you can guess the least phonemic among the major western idioms. The one where the letter representing a sound often depends on the context and changes between different words. The language where to do an elementary school dictation sounds like a nightmare.

It is French.

Learning by yourself non-phonemic idioms like French can be complicated.

Unless you have plenty of possibilities to practice speaking and listening, chances are that your pronunciation will lag behind your writing and reading. That is because French is not phonemic. So in French letters have many ways to be pronounced (occasionally they are not pronounced at all). At this point, a professional teacher can help you to correct the way you speak and train your listening.

The Good News: Many major languages are very phonemic.

Contrarily to French, phonemic languages like Italian, Spanish or Polish can be learned at home without major damage to pronunciation. Polish is considered one of the hardest European languages, and I learned it studying only at home by using a tool called Lingq.

It took me three years to learn it. Approximately the same amount of time that I would spend in a language school with regular classes. The time is the same, but the difference is how much I paid.

A monthly subscription to Lingq costs around 10 euros. A language school would cost 12 times more than that. What I paid for one year to learn online, is the price of a month in a regular school.

The best part: I studied when it was more convenient, like during my lunchtime at work or in the metro going back home.

Wspaniałe![1]

[1] It means wonderful in Polish.

Author: Levi Borba, founder of Colligere Expat Consultancy, former RM specialist for the world´s greatest airline, writer of the books Moving Out, Living Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity and Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide. You can check some of his articles here.

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