Learn a Language

To Learn a Language is no longer ‘Just a Hobby’ or ‘Just another Subject’ in academic curriculum as was the norm a few decades ago. Learning a Language, to be specific, learning a Foreign Language in today’s world is more than just a leisure activity. All over the globe, business establishments are expanding their commercial ventures overseas. For effective communication, it has become a necessity to acquire the knowledge of the native language or the one which is understood the most or the International Language – English.

• Why Learn a Language?
• Best Way to Learn a Language
• How to Learn a Language Fast?
  
  • Quick Tips to learn a language fast

Certain languages are most used than the others in matters which matter the most i.e. foreign trade, international diplomacy, cultural exchange, multimedia and so on. Such a universal language exists in the form of English, no surprise that it is known as ‘Global Lingua Franca’, which means ‘The Language of the Globe’. It is not that other languages are less important, it just happens to be - that the English language has survived and thrived amidst the influence of the western world. With a backing like this, the English language became a norm of the common mode of communication in almost all the matters. When a norm becomes widely used and accepted all over, it takes a position from which it cannot be dethroned. Having said that China, Japan and other countries have risen to great positions and languages spoken in these countries have also gained a vast popularity. There are many reasons as to why someone wants to learn a new or foreign language. Those reasons could include economic reasons, employment, travel, personal growth and many others. One can learn any language and all by himself if he has the resources and the commitment. Learning another language is not as difficult as it was in the past; at that time there were lesser resources to provide access to other languages apart from one’s native language. Today, the world has more to offer than it ever did before. The IT Revolution has brought Language resources to everyone’s home in all sorts of ways. One can choose a myriad way of learning a language all by himself. Professional assistant is also easily available.

Why Learn a Language?

The answer to Why learn another language has been mentioned in the below passage.

• To Develop Intelligence: Knowing a new language makes you more intelligent. As per scientific research - Young children develop the theory of mind earlier if they know two languages and bilingualism in elderly people can delay the onset of dementia. Amongst adolescents, the brain develops better. An Australian and an Indian speak their native languages and even think differently. The knowledge of a new language changes the way a person thinks because whilst speaking he is subconsciously thinking like the inhabitant of a foreign land. 
• To Study Abroad: Studying abroad either in school, college or university, one needs a good knowledge of the local language. Sometimes, we might have to admit kids to foreign schools owing to our job commitment in that particular country. A pre-knowledge of that country’s language reduces the communication gap thereby harbouring friendliness. You won’t be studying all the time or stay in the campus all the time. You’ll have to venture out and interact with the locals for your various needs. Awareness of the native language reduces inhibitions, eliminates misunderstanding and enables effective communication.
• To get Offshore Employment: Working in a foreign country demands the knowledge of the native language. Candidates who can conversate in the native language get more preference than others. If your work involves regular contact with speakers of foreign languages, being able to talk to them in their own languages will help you to communicate with them. It may also help you to make sales and to negotiate and secure contracts. Knowledge of foreign languages may also increase your chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips.
• To Conduct Business in Foreign Land: Many English-speaking business people don't bother to learn other languages because they believe that most of the people they do business with foreign countries can speak English, and if they don't speak English, interpreters can be used. The lack of foreign language knowledge puts the English speakers at a disadvantage. In meetings, for example, the people on the other side can discuss things amongst themselves in their own language without the English speakers. Understanding and using interpreters slow everything down. In any socialising after the meetings, the locals will probably feel more comfortable using their own language rather than English.
• To Travel or Settle Abroad: Travelling to a foreign country has become a norm for many of us, be it for business or leisure. If you are settling in a foreign country, it becomes all the more necessary. Learning the local language will help you to communicate and integrate with the local community. Doing so will demonstrate your interest in and commitment to the new country.
• To Communicate Secretly: To talk in a code language has helped a great deal in communication security during the world war. The same can be applied in any sort of environment where it is deemed fit. While conversing in an unfamiliar language, amongst our relatives, friends, peers or colleagues, one can talk freely in public without fear of anyone eavesdropping, and/or you can keep any written material secret.
• To Assist and or Conduct a Research: Researchers who are interested in researching a particular language, need to have a proper knowledge of the native tongue. Some of the information about subjects you're interested in is published mainly in a foreign language. Learning that language will give you access to the material and enable you to communicate with fellow students and researchers in the field.
• To Preserve and Promote a Language: Many languages are becoming endangered as they are no longer being used or have limited use due to various factors. If you speak an endangered language, or your parents or grandparents do/did, learning that language and passing it on to your children could help to revitalise or revive it. One can also get the local media to highlight the issue by making them aware of the scenario.
• To gain Knowledge about a Culture: Language is more than just a speech; it is also an insight into the local culture and traditions, they provide opportunities to learn new ways of life and new ideas. When you learn a language you also acquire the knowledge of the customs and traditions. For example - Language contains words which convey greetings, excitement, sorrow, pain, joy etc.  These words are used on certain occasions and knowing this alone provides you with the extra knowledge which you didn’t expect.
• Learning Enhances further Learning: The more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn new languages. Patterns start to emerge, and processes start to become very familiar. While there may be differences in how the language works and behaves, there is usually a fundamental base that all languages share.
• To keep up with your Family and Relatives: Various people have settled in foreign lands but they still speak in their native tongue amongst themselves. But their kids, born and brought up there, may need to learn the native tongue to keep up with their families and relatives. If they don’t, they will be at a disadvantage because urgent and or important matters are discussed in the native language.
• To Impress: Knowing more than 1 or 2 languages is also an asset, which can be used to flaunt your skills or impress anyone, be it your teacher, girlfriend, your community etc. Even the mention of the same in the resume does impress the employer.
• To Pass Time, Productively: Apart from reading or surfing the internet, one can utilise his/her free time to learn a new language. While travelling or waiting for any purpose we have a certain amount of free time which can be used to pass the time without getting bored. You can read a translation or watch a subtitled movie or anything which enhances your lingual skills.
• To have Fun: Learning a new language can be fun if you enjoy it. You can surprise any foreign stranger whilst travelling or on any occasion when you interact them and they least anticipated it. You can also make new friends from foreign countries when you chat with them in their native language. You can participate in any local quiz or games where lingual skills are required.

Best Way to Learn a Language

The best way to learn a language is the one which is Institutionalized i.e. education imparted in a Formal Manner in an Institute. It can be regular or through correspondence. The programs offered by institutes are very comprehensive and therefore, a great way to learn for those who have the time and flexibility to complete the courses. The institution-based learning is the best because we are prone to indiscipline and laziness. When we are accountable for our work we tend to be more disciplined and active as compared to a situation where we are not accountable to anyone. But then not all of us need rules to mend ourselves, all we need is conviction and determination. In the hope of further assisting you in ‘How to learn a Language’, below are some fine points.

• Know the Basics: The best way and the effective way to learn a language is to be thorough with the basics. Starting from any point can be useless and ineffective. Know the spellings, how they are pronounced and when they are used. Largely, it is the essential grammar rather than fine grammar. Basics can be acquired from anywhere. Books, here are handier than any other medium. A Basics book should include simple and most commonly used words with basic grammar, one which has loa t of drawings and pictures is more appealing and interesting. It should have small chapters to encourage and maintain interest and it should contain grammar exercises whose answers are provided at the back of the book so that you can know your mistakes. Basic learning will require you to know about 800 to 1500 words. In the beginning, only essential vocabulary and basic grammar are necessary.
• Build up your Vocabulary: Vocabulary is the building-block of any language. Go for the most common vocabulary words. Get a list of the most common vocabulary words, in order of frequency. When you have mastered the common words, it’s time to take the next step. Get to know more words. Put a target on the words, like learn 1000 words in a month. Language learning can be fun, quick to recall and more effective with the innovative, multi-faceted 200 words a day. A dictionary which works both the ways – English to Punjabi and vice versa is the best one. If possible buy a medium/small-sized one as it is easy to carry around.
• Listen & Learn: Listening is the basic and foremost step to improve your Pronunciation. Listening materials can be songs, movies, radio, television, seminars, debates, public speeches etc. One should pay attention to how speakers pronounce various words and phrases and they should model their pronunciation on what they hear. Being a passive observer garners you a lot even if you are not listening attentively.
• Make it Challenging: Challenges spice up a mundane or predictive routine. Give yourself some enthusiasm, a competition to charge up the learning activity. Plan a time and set yourself a target. Read like 10 pages a day, speak for 10 minutes a day or write 200 words a day. You can involve your friends or anyone who is interested to get a competitor. It can be anything which stimulates learning.
• Put your Learning to Practice: Use what you have learned in any manner possible, it can be done while taking a bath, waiting for a bus, whilst commuting or any other daily activities. Practice speaking, reading and writing. The more you practice, the better you will get.

Tips to Practice

• Speaking: You can practice, what you have learned wherever and whenever you can. Any practice is good – whether one speaks to someone who is a native speaker or not. Speak short sentences, pause well initially and rehearse a few lines if you need to present yourself. Repetition is key to learning, so it’s important that you clear time at regular intervals to practice your new knowledge. Otherwise, you’ll lose most of what you’ve learned over time. Speak in Slow Motion and exaggerate every sound in every word you say. Pronounce each sound in each word as close to a native speaker's pronunciation as you can. Another ideal way to speak a new language is 'Theatre Method'. This method is employed in acting schools to get the desired pronunciation. What you have to do is - Hold a pen between your teeth, and while doing so, to read a text. This exercise makes you aware of how the mouth should move to enunciate a word perfectly. The pen in your mouth forces you to strain the muscles of your mouth, lips and tongue in order to try to make your words understandable. By doing so, you become conscious of which muscles must be put into play to produce the various sounds. After a couple of minutes of this, when you take the pen out of your mouth, you will see that you can suddenly pronounce the words much more precisely than before.
• Writing: Writing sentences is probably the best-written exercise you can do to improve your language skills. Write your own sentences. Even if you don’t know much many words or grammar, you can try to put together your own simple sentences, using the grammatical structures and vocabulary at hand. It's better to create your own sentences because to express yourself to a foreigner you will need to speak a complete sentence so that he can know the whole meaning.
• Slow and Steady: It takes time to absorb what you have learned and not all that you have learned will be remembered. Read very slowly, at least three times slower than normal so that it can be easily assimilated. When you are comfortable with a native accent and can hear the difference between pronunciations, start incorporating the correct sounds. But don’t rush into learning new alphabets and the vocabulary. We often become impatient after a while of hard work and we want fast results. We might overdo in such haste. But for a proper learning, you need to absorb all the information over the course of a few hours. Take time for recreation, have fun or do anything but learn the native language. In this manner, your mind subconsciously grapples with what it’s learned. Thus little steps, lead to steady leaps as well.
• Use your Criticism to your Advantage: To know a language you have to know your weak points as well. You might have your own personalised or funny accent but at least you have one. Unless you are not told where you lack, you will not improve. So speak with those who are well endowed in the local language. Your accent may sound funny to them but this humour points out your faults. They might advise on correct speech or you can ask them. Same can be done with writing and reading.
• Culture is root to Language: Just like a Language holds insight into Culture same is with Culture. Know the culture and you’ll know the language as well. Words and expressions often relate to local realities, habits and cultures. If used outside the realm, they will sound strange and irrelevant. The context in which words are used, also vary. To get the hang of language in a complete manner, observe the local traditions. Every word uttered in their practices and ceremonies provide you with a better understanding of the correct usage of words.
• Befriend a Native: Making friends is a good thing but for a learner befriending a native is an excellent approach to learn the complexities of a language. Moreover, the practical approach is remembered better than a theoretical lesson and the cost involved is almost nil, unless you are paying for such sessions. Even paid sessions are a good way to learn a language in the most effective way as you will get instant correction of your language.
• Study in a Foreign Country: Not exactly, a cheap one but nonetheless one of the best. The desired countries culture, sights and sounds place an ideal foundation for learning. This provides a hands-on-approach. Attend the ceremonies or other occasions, observe and interact when any communication takes place. Visit socialising point’s viz. cafés, bars, hotels, restaurants, parks, library and talk to people. One of the easiest ways to approach a stranger is to ask directions. This way you will get the chance to talk to people and maybe make the acquaintance of a few. Even if don't understand the answers, listen to their tone and pitch.
• Private Coaching or Personal Tutor: Get yourself a Tutor or Coach who will provide you with the essentials one one-to-one platform. Also, you can ask as much as you want though in a particular frame of time. Such a freedom may not be available in the formal environment and where one may hesitate to ask, fearing criticism or satire.

How to Learn a Language Fast?

Quick Tips to learn a language fast: To say that there is one fastest way to learn a language, would be a false claim unless you have a high IQ. A combination of two or more techniques (auido-visual) is essential to have a fast grasp on the language. There are certain small steps and tricks which are helpful in learning a language fast.

• Learn about 10 to 20 Words a Day (10 if you're a beginner, 20 when you're medium and as many as you can you're a high). Keep saying these same words, so that you won't get the chance to forget them.
• Learn whole Sentences, which might be used on a day-to-day basis. The most common words are questions, prepositions, basic verbs and adjectives. For example: why, what, on, over, in, by, in front, behind, I love, I want etc. It has a two-fold benefit. One, you will never get stuck speaking the language and the more you learn the better. Keep practicing it, even though you are all alone
• Work on Pronunciation of a sentence. You might make mistakes initially but after 5-6 times, you'll be able to speaking the sentence very fast. If you have trouble with pronunciation, try speaking with an accent. Use your local accent while pronouncing a foreign language. Most of the words are the same in a language as they have been derived from ancient Latin and ancient Greek. It is the accent which is different.
• Don't try to Speak very Fast and very good at first. Break down longer sentences into two or three separate ones. Omit words that are a bit superfluous. See if you can get the same meaning across using simpler verbs, whose forms you already know, or by using simpler tenses. Your goal here is to practice saying the same thing in a much easier way. The main thing is to make yourself understood and if you master conveying complex ideas in a simple and clear manner you will be able to get your message across.
• Watch Movies, Plays, Television shows or movies in the language you want to learn, with subtitles. That way you'll gradually tune your ears to how natives speak in ordinary situations. Eventually,y you'll begin to recognize sentence patterns and individual words.
• Indulge in Conversation with anyone at any time, if possible.
• Read Children’s Books and books about the country whose language you want to learn.

Flashcard Methodology: It is scientifically proved that - Second languages are learned, while, native languages are acquired. It means that no formal training was provided when you learned your native language whereas you received a formal training to learn second languages. In the case of the native language, the brain acquired the rules of the mentioned through sights and sounds. Taking this into consideration, Flashcards are used to foster quicker learning. A flashcard is simply a small card with words, numbers or pictures that is flashed to a class by the teacher. To make learning easy images are used along with words as images are more easily recalled. This methodology attempts to clone the acquired learning of native language. Flashcards offer a low stress encouraging the environment which helps in subconscious learning.

Mnemonic: A Mnemonic is any learning technique that aids memory. Mnemonics are often verbal, example a very short poem or a special which stimulates memory. Mnemonics can be visual, kinesthetic or auditory as well.  It is used to associate words with certain experiences or emotions. When charged with an emotional component then your memory is reinforced. For example, If you wanted to remember the French word "chou", which means "cabbage" in English. "Chou" is pronounced like "shoe" in English, so you could imagine yourself putting on cabbages on your feet instead of shoes. Then, when you need to remember "cabbage", your brain will think "cabbage -> shoes -> chou". One can create personal mnemonics which are generally more memorable as they contain your experience. If you are good at making associations and study hard you can learn your first 1500 words in about a week.

Image Streaming: Image Streaming is a technique developed by Win Winger. The technique is claimed to increase IQ. It is also useful in enhancing language skills.

In this Technique:

• You close your eyes and describe out loud, whatever your mind comes up with full details.
• You have to speak to a person, mike or any object whom you consider as a potential listener, whilst describing the images
• What you see should be spontaneous and not something you wish to visualise.
• You might, initially force up images, however, you will start getting spontaneous images.
• Describe as rapidly as you can, to get more and more detail in.
• The more you describe, the more the images will become rich and vivid.
• Be alert to this happening, and describe the new impressions when they come.
• As you progress further these images will stand for something in your life.

The recollection of the symbolic meaning or metaphor of the images is what improves your memory, intellectual performance and creativity. This technique should be practised for a duration of 10 to 30 minutes.

Word Building: All Words have roots. It is from these roots that variations of words are created. 1 root word is equal to 5 or more other words. While reading try to see other words from the root word. If you are well versed with root words you stand a bright chance of learning a language faster than others. Most of the European languages have Latin influence and many of the scientific or academic words are the same in all languages.

Enjoy what you Learn: When learning is a burden, it becomes boring. Don’t develop a hatred for a language, it will only frustrate you. If you are weak in a certain language don’t fret or fume. Whenever you are trying to understand, remember, speak and write the language, you are learning and improving in your sub conscious, even though you will not realise it. Take it easy and enjoy it.

Make a Regular Commitment for Learning: Leaning at a stretch for a day or two will not make you a good learner. To learn a new language fast, spending 2-3 hours a day on a weekly basis is the correct way. But these weekly sessions should be uninterrupted to maintain the flow of understanding. However, as you get better, you can increase the hours.

Language Institutes: Various short term courses in the form of certificates and diplomas are provided by language institutes. Similarly, most of the universities and colleges in the world do offer such courses. These have experienced faculty who are apt at providing the required knowledge of a language within a short span of time. Language Exchange Programs conducted by these institutes also offer an additional opportunity to lean their favoured language.  A variety of teaching techniques are utilised which are suited to various learning styles.

Online Learning Services: There are various online learning services which provide you with a fast way to learn a language. Linguaphone Group is one such firm. Its program can be accessed via the Internet from your home, at your local Direct English or Linguaphone Centre, in the office during your lunch-hour, in your hotel or even whilst travelling. They produce language courses in CD, MP4 and MP3 downloadable formats. The Linguaphone Group also has an extensive global network of over 200 English learning training centres for children and adults, operating under the internationally recognised brands of Linguaphone, Direct English and Pingu’s English.

Learn Language Software: Rosetta Stone is one such software which assists one in learning a new language from the comfort of your home. Byki Deluxe 4™, KidSpeak™, Declan Software Foreign Language Software, Tell me more etc. are some of the language software’s which can assist in the faster learning of certain languages.

Free Language Websites: There are many language based websites which promote language learning through their free to access websites which have different types of resources in the form of software, text material, audio etc.  With the help of these learn a language for free websites, one can learn languages free. But these might not be the fastest way to learn a new language for everyone as we all have different sets of mind levels. These websites give you an informal Refresher Course before you actually start learning a foreign language. And this, then automatically fastens the process of learning a new language because one is somewhat, if not enough, familiar with the language.

Some of the Learn a Language for Free Websites

• Byki
• Word2Word
• Elanguageschool
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages

Self Learning through Paid Material: Not everyone is adept at learning from free resources. Some are not willing enough or serious unless they have paid for it while others prefer a labelled and assorted learning material. Self Tutorial material is available in the format of CDs, DVDs. If one is not Tech Savvy, one can always buy self learning tutorials and books which are available in most big bookshops.