Strategies to Learn a New Language Effectively

Learning a new language can be painful and pleasurable. Whether you are trying to learn a new language for work, travel, relationship, or for fun, this article is for you. Making your language learning process effective and flexible is what you will be learning through this article.

Thanks to the technological advances of the modern era, one is no longer limited to the traditional teacher-classroom context where language is taught according to a single methodology. Today, we have the freedom to learn a new language online or offline thanks to technology. The need for a teacher might not be necessary for us to learn a new language, today. We even have a wide variety of choice when it comes to the modality of learning the new language. One could select the platform or the application for language learning as well as schedule their learning sessions accordingly.

Language learning theories never cease to advance, yet the language learning process is still “difficult” and confusing to many learners. Some would even go for the belief: “I’m not a languages person”.

Some would love to learn a new language fast. For instance, they would love to start to speak a new language fluently in two months. Others might have a different milestone, say mastering speaking and writing in a new language in one year. Regardless of the plan, course, teacher, platform, application, and all sorts of material and preparation one could think of before getting started with new language learning, you should first consider the following main questions and points:

How do I feel about this language?

It is quite important to ask ourselves which types of feelings we have for the language we are starting to learn. Do you feel excited to start learning it? Are you procrastinating to start learning it?

What we feel towards the new language can affect our reception of the very language. If I feel anxiety every time I start my language lessons, I should stop and understand what I am feeling at the moment of studying and the roots of my feelings if they persist.

It is important that one feel comfortable enough with the new language so that they do not block the flow of language learning through unncessary efforts of resistance. Any anxiety, dread, panic, or fear that gets in the way of language learning might distract the learner from the learning process and divide their attention, which could slow down the learning process.

I remembber when I first started to learn Italian, all I felt was fascination with the language, its sounds, and its morphology. I always had pleasant feelings before attending the Italian class that I used to have twice per week. For my brain, it was some sort of pleasure that I was expecting. The positive feeelings I associated with the Italian language helped me learn it fast and enjoy the learning process.

There is always a reason for “negative” feelings towards anything. If you feel discouraged to attend your language course, it is better that you listen to your gut and understand your innermost feelings about the language you are learning.

What do I think about the language I want to learn?

What you think about the language you are interested in learning can shape the results of your learning journey. It is advisable that you ask yourself: “What do I think about this language?” I might want to learn a certain language because I find it interesting and I think that it has similarities in terms of structure to my native language. Others might want to learn a language just for the sake of its usefulness in professional contexts. Associating learning a certain language with getting promoted at work could also be an incentive to feel good enough about the language.

Our thoughts and how we represent the very language in our minds can lead to particular feelings. In order to lay the ground for our neural pathways, it is recommended that we think pleasant thoughts and feel pleasant emotions about the language we are learning.

Imagery is quite useful

Imagery is a method that helps the mind visualize the language in a certain picture. It’s up to you which picture you draw in your mind; what matters is that you represent the new language in the best form. For instance, you could see a language, in your mind, as a red rose or as your preferred pet. I find this method fun to use when approaching a new language as it adds a sense of lightness and comfort to the learning process. It is absolutely more helpful than picturing the language as a scary monster, unless you love certain monsters that are loved by your mind :)

Self-image is of paramount importance

Do you see yourself speaking the language you desire to learn one day? If yes, how do you imagine yourself speaking or writing it? Even if it might be premature, there is no harm in imagining yourself as a fluent speaker of the language you would love to learn. For instance, imagining yourself as a confident foreign French speaker in a context where you are speaking fluently and engaging with French native speakers would tell your mind that it is possible for the acquisition to happen and for the proficiency goal to be reached.

For the mind, there is no difference between imagination and reality. So, imagine yourself in the best way possible when it comes to your mental self-representation in relation to the language you are interested in mastering.

Imitate and mimic

Imitation has proven to be very useful for the language acquisition purpose. Try imitating the speakers as you practice listening to audio or video conversations. While this can be inappropriate and uncomfortable when you are in a live social context, no one can stop you from doing it when you are in a context where it is possible for you to practice speech imitation as you listen to and watch your favourite audios and videos. I used speech and accent imitation all the time to acquire Italian. It helped me feel a deep connection with the language. You can imitate and mimic actors when watching a movie in the language you are learning. All it needs is some sense of humor and taking it easy. You don’t have to catch and understand every single word during listening. The fact that you start internalizing the sounds and the feel of the very language will help you a lot when it comes to the understanding of the vocabulary from the context.

Find a language partner

There are a lot of online applications and websites dedicated to language learners. Although it is not always easy to find the “perfect” language partner with whom you can practice and a certain language, it is still possible. Connecting with another language learner who is a native speaker of the language you are learning is ideal, as it allows both of you to exchange teaching-learning sessions according to your linguistic needs.

When practicing with a language partner, I advise you to practice speaking and/or writing as much as possible. That is to say, the more feedback and corrections you get from the language partner, the better your linguistic skills are likely to get. One effective way to making the most out of this strategy is to say/write what you think could be correct in the language you are learning, then ask your language partner: “Is what I wrote/said correct/native-like?” If they could provide you with the correct version of what you said/wrote, it’s even better. Do not strive to write/say only what you know to be 100% correct.

I advise you to go for the linguistic structures you would love to master and to make mistakes. It helps internalize the linguistic structures more easily than just observing someone else speaking their native language.

Language learning and self-esteem

Learning a new language and not practicing it is like having a driving license but not driving because you think you are still not good enough at it. I studied Italian for 5 years in Tunisia and when I came to Italy in 2015, I felt that I needed to learn even more and hone my linguistic skills so that I am able to fully express myself. But, I discovered that it was not the best approach that works for me.

I decided to speak the language with what I have and make mistakes. However, my degree of “perfectionism” was a bit high at that time, so I always chose only the structures I was sure were correct. After some months, I was kind of tired of this learning avoidance strategy. I used that strategy in order to avoid failure, criticism, rejection, and feeling bad in general. Then, I told myself: “What if I start speaking Italian with more mistakes, hesitations, and imperfections and still feel no shame about it? My Self responded: “mhmm sounds good, a bit challenging for me, but OK, let’s experiment with it”.

Since then, I sarted to speak more often in Italian and articulating longer sentences without having to focus on every single word I say. I kind of ignored my mental grammatical check. Even if sometimes I noticed some unfriendly reactions from some native speakers regarding some grammatical mistakes I made, I smiled to them and I repeated the same mistakes and highlighted: “I might not be saying what I want to say in the best way, but Italian is my fourth language, and I am trying my best to express myself to you in your language, so sometimes it’s not easy, you know :)”, as I consolidated my statement with a confident smile. While, perhaps, this might look like a subtle way to justify my linguistic “imperfections” in the very language, it also worked as a way to put the “critic” or the “bully” in their place.

It is OK to make it clear for a native speaker that you know you are a good enough language learner, you are not perfect, you are OK with not being perfect, and that although you might make mistakes you will not stop speaking the very foreign language. That’s how high self-esteem can help enhance our language learning skills and shape our linguistic attitude. Persistence is crucial for foreign language acquisition.

Do not think that people should always give you validation when you make mistakes. Therefore, do not measure your linguistic abilities solely by the opinions of others and their validation. It is your responsibility to embrace yourself in the process of language learning.

I hope you have learnt something from this article :) I would love to learn from your experiences with foreign language learning. What foreign language are you learning? What are the main challenges you have encountered?

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