A common question is “how long will it take me to learn X”? ..The answer is always “as long as it takes”.
Each and every learner is different depending on study time, efficiency of study, motivation, surrounding environment, prior learning of related languages, prior learning of any language, and a list of any other number of variables.
The only way to know for sure is to keep a log and use it as a reflective tool. It’s not going to predict how long it will take you to learn, but it will show you how you have learned. But that’s not all it’s good for, it’s kind of a follow-up to the Power of the Schedule article that looks at how to make the most of your time, keeping a log on the other hand, allows you to keep a history of how your learning techniques develop and adapt to situations. Click here to read more.. »
Planning your time and using it effectively, this is how we learn a language successfully. It’s not exactly that complicated but it is something that a lot of people neglect. To use the exercise analogy, it’s better to do a little a lot than a lot a little.
Meaning… 15 mins a day for a total of 105 minutes per week is probably going to be a lot more effective than 105 minutes one day a week. Personally, I like 20-25 minute blocks of study as I find this optimal for me. My wife finds 40 minute blocks suit her learning a lot better. Each to their own… experiment with what works best for you and above all else, just be consistent. Even 5 minutes a day reviewing vocabulary is better than nothing! Click here to read more.. »
Just some thoughts on learning a foreign language through another learned language.
If English is your L1, many people only attempt to learn another language through English. And that’s fair enough, but it might not be the most practical if you have other tools at your disposal. Professor Arguelles strongly suggests people that dream of being a polyglot learn French and German. With English, French and German at your disposal there is a wealth of material available for the language learner. The same could also be true for Japanese and Chinese, and to a lesser extent, Korean. Click here to read more.. »
Here’s an activity that incorporates three skills in one: listening, writing and speaking… with some reading thrown in if you twist it a little bit.
The steps are pretty simple, it’s simple to incorporate and easy to control. Click here to read more.. »
First in the series of looking at study materials is going to be LingQ.
LingQ is the brainchild of Steve Kaufmann (who you can find on my Blogroll over there <—- …and down a bit). Steve speaks a number of languages very well and the site is very much a mirror of his own preferred learning style, by self-admission.
In short, if you can’t be bothered reading what I say about LingQ… visit, sign-up (it’s free), and try it out. It’s not going to be a waste of time… so enjoy the offerings in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese… and soon to come it looks like Korean. Click here to read more.. »
