People of Opinion

I’m not a linguist by profession and neither do I claim to be an expert or that I have all the information ready in front of me. My language learning desire is what motivates me in approaching and exploring new languages. It is a path I have chosen enticed by the thrill of language discovery, starting with a passion of acquiring new words, memorizing local phrases, reading short sentences or stories and triggering cute laughter of the audience by my newbie pronunciation of the foreign tongues. At the end of the day, it is the practice that creates the desired outcome.
Simone Weil , a French philosopher was self-driven and at the age by 12 was proficient in Ancient Greek and after reading the Bhagavad Gita learned Sanskrit. What was her driving force that drove her to deeply immerse herself in language learning? The tendency of the initial observer is to classify her as a genius and claim that the average person can never be able to succeed in the same matter and I do understand their skepticism. Nonetheless, there are a couple of observations that I think can explain this deep desire on language learning.

1. Language learning requires a curious mind. Simone Weil was a curious mind with an ability to perceive the word differently and it is not the purpose of this article to indulge further and analyze her principles or theories. The part that I like to extract and focus is curiosity. It is the curiosity that drives kids to learn new languages as their brains are wired to process all that information while having fun and enjoying being a kid. It is the same process that I applied at 12 years old where I binged in Italian TV shows and films and found myself speaking the language of Michelangelo, in the region of Apulia in Southern Italy with no formal language class preparation. This outcome is not unusual across the Albanian population which to this day in large numbers speaks Italian.
2. Language learning can be improved by establishing a good habit. By creating a good habit as Charles Duhigg emphasizes with his book “The Power of Habit“, and disciplining myself in practicing a targeted language I’m building the excellence needed to language proficiency.
   “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant. Malcolm Gladwell as well in his book “Outliers” brings the 10000-Hour Rule that if a person practiced 10000 hours in a specific task it can lead to achievement and in the topic of languages this translates to fluency.
3. Language learning requires patience. Patience is a virtue. One way to explain it is that the greatest things in life require time. It takes time for a tree to grow and display its beauty and the same way by exhibiting patience we value our learning and are capable to map out our plan and execute it successfully with good habits. Our dedication and commitment joined with patience will drive us to grow and display our language skills to others.
4. Accept that in language learning you will make mistakes. Did you just state “Je mange du poisson” or “Je mange du poison”, your French professor might ask and then chuckle for a minute or two. You might not have realized and your pronunciation indicated that you are eating poison and not fish and that can be any of us speaking French. Expect to make mistakes and they are the best way to learn and improve. Although you can use the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), there is a need to practice a conversation and making mistakes is part of the journey. Invite a friend and practice conversations in the new language or even hire a tutor and explain to him/her your vision and desire to become proficient.

There are 7097 languages spoken today, as per Ethnologue, and foreign language acquisition has been a topic of interest and my hobby for some time. Sir Richard Francis Burton, the English translator of the “Arabian Nights” learned and spoke 29 different languages; Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti spoke more than 30 languages and there are many other polyglots which can inspire and motivate us to consider learning a new language and with the vast resources available in the internet this is much closer to our reach.
Babbel, a language learning website based in Germany is a great tool to experience and practice learning a foreign language, if you can afford a subscription. I do enjoy using the application, when I have at least half an hour to concentrate where I learn new words, review existing ones, complete conversations, improve my comprehension and practice pronounciation. Nonetheless, there are many other resources as Duolingo which are free, and can teach you even constructed languages as High Valyrian (spoken at Game of Thrones series), Klingon (spoken at Star Trek series). On the downside, I’m limited on my ability to jump from one section to the next which Babbel allows.
Another great application that you can use is LingQ by Steve Kaufmann which helps with foreign language acquisition with reading content and looking up words or phrases and reviewing your saved words. This requires a paid subscription to use it to its full capabilities which can be an investment if you decide to go this route.
Memrise which uses science, fun and community is a great site for reviewing words and learning them. It is a pleasant site and there is a subscription to go pro.
Last but not least, Anki is a software that will assist you in remembering words or phrases using flashcards and it is free. You can create your own Anki decks or you can download existing ones from the community and practice and memorize the words and phrases.