“A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in language.”
Background
In a world that continues to push itself–either voluntarily or involuntarily–toward an Anglophonic default society, language learning is becoming increasingly limited. Students are fed 3 to 5 options (i.e., Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) that are ‘worth the time’. These are marketed as languages that will provide a leg-up in a career, and there is some truth to that. They are the so-called power languages in the world and for good reason. Their number of native speakers correlates to their utility in the real world. And, apart from a handful of languages in South Asia, the 5 or so capitalist-approved language options found in the American school system will inevitably lead to use in a workplace or travel setting.
However, I would like to present the idea that any and every language deserves attention and respect for second-language learners. If we continue to feed the power languages with more and more L2 speakers, then language decay and death will continue in its current exponentiality. Any language outside the spectrum of power is in danger. Don’t shy away from learning these power languages. They are useful and make up amazing cultural communities around the world. But, also remember there are thousands of languages outside of this short list and each one offers an equally unique perspective and access to a community.
I’ve been learning languages since the 7th grade. I began my journey, like so many other Western Americans, with Spanish. I fell in love with the language-learning journey and picked up Japanese during high school. In college I learned a handful of other languages to varying degrees of fluency while studying linguistics and geography. Some of these include Polish, Russian, Finnish, Hebrew, Tok Pisin, and Estonian. After over 12 years of hobbyist philology and academic language learning, I’ve compiled a small collection of 4 tips and/or reminders for any hopeful or current language learners–and especially for those few brave souls who step outside the ready-made power language guides available at Barnes & Noble.
1. The Language
First and foremost, you have to choose the language you want to learn. Perhaps you already have chosen, or perhaps you’re still considering which to pick up and try. Either way, it’s important to remember that the language you choose must matter to you. If you want to do it right, learning a language is a huge commitment. Therefore, before setting sail on the journey–even before making the map–make sure you know your destination and why you’re setting sail in the first place.
The reason you’re learning a language should be personal. It’s vital to have a personal connection to the people, place, or culture of the target language. In no way does this mean you must have heritage or familial connections with the target language (although these are great reasons themselves). If these solid connections are absent, review whether you’ve cultivated a respect, love, or admiration for the target culture yourself. Do you love the country/region? Do you love the people? Do you love the culture? If you answer “yes” to all of these things (and, yes, it’s vital you answer “yes” to each of these questions) then you have both your reason and your destination.
If you have no idea what language to learn, or have yet to craft an interest in any culture/place outside of your own community, then go on a little side quest. Browse through Wikipedia language articles, look at world language maps, watch travel documentaries and vlogs, research your family heritage, find a conlang (constructed language) in your favorite fantasy novel… there are so many ways to find a language that interests you. And, whatever you do, never ever say “no” to learning a language simply because you’ve been taught it’s not lucrative or worthwhile. These ideas fuel monolingualism and will prevent you from an amazing experience. Every language on this planet is worth your time if you have a real love and desire to learn.
2. Studying
You’ve chosen the language and now it’s time to get down to the work. This is my favorite part. Everyone learns differently. If you’ve graduated high school, you probably have an idea of your learning style so please incorporate that style throughout your weekly study time. However, no matter how you learn, you need to study.
It’s been touted on language learning apps and by some online teachers (I won’t name names…) that the “best way to learn” is to simply speak the language–immerse yourself entirely in it. Speaking is immensely important, and immersion is inarguably the best tool for acquisition, that much is true. However, if you are over the age of 10, you will never learn your target language through speaking and listening alone. Adult language learners require study time. Grammar lessons, writing practice, vocabulary exercises, and nuanced language studying are essential if you are to learn a language with an accuracy that represents respect and devotion to your target language. In other words, if you really care about getting it right, you need to study.
As I said before, how you prefer to study and which methods are most effective for you will vary depending on learner. But, however you do it, ensure you are devoting around an hour of time 4-5 days per week at least. Use apps for vocabulary practice (Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Babble, etc.), purchase grammar books (Routledge, Teach Yourself, etc.), and find books and music in your target language. Mix these up while you study, and never do one thing for too long.
Most importantly, however, and a piece of advice often forgotten, curate your study to the language you’re learning. What are the most challenging aspects of the target language for you? If you’re learning Finnish, you’ll want to devote way more time to studying case endings/declension than if you were learning German. And, if you’re learning German, you might want to devote extra time to perfecting demonstrative pronouns and pronunciation–things Finnish-learners will have a much easier time with by comparison. A few more examples might include French-learners spending more time on verb conjugations, Arabic-learners on writing and grammatical gender, and Chinese-learners will undoubtedly spend longer than almost anyone else on reading and writing practice.
Research the most difficult aspects and spend a lot of your time on these elements. Once you do that, the rest will fall into place. And, don’t get discouraged. Once you master the harder parts, you will have a command over the language that will enable more free learning.
3. Speaking
“Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.”
There is nothing scarier than stringing together a sentence for the first time with a native speaker. Finally communicating outside of memorized phrases is both the most frightening and exciting sign of progress in language learning. I use the term ‘frightening’ because you will inevitably make a mistake in this process, especially if the conversation drifts outside of a few basic phrases.
The most important reminder in speaking a new language is to own each and every mistake. Don’t just proudly own them, write them down. Ponder on them. Get frustrated and competitive because of them. Enjoy and anticipate making mistakes while you speak. These mistakes will become your new motivation, your new study material, and new stories to share and reminisce upon during your journey.
Different cultures and speaking communities will respond differently to your mistakes. You’ve probably heard jokes of Parisians with no patience for incorrect French, or of overly excited Italians that will compliment you on even the worst Italian ever spoken. I’m no authority on whether these jokes hold true, but I am confident in warning you that you may encounter people, communities, or an entire language culture that does not take warmly to broken language. Or, even worse, cultures–mostly centered in Northern Europe–that will refuse to speak with you in the target language. Groups like the Dutch and Icelandic almost uniformly speak perfect English: Convincing these groups to be patient with your broken beginning speaking skills can be difficult. If this is the case, be brave and ask for what you want. “I’m actually working on improving my Flemish. Can you speak in Flemish with me from now on?” Anytime I have asked this of a native speaker–no matter their culture surrounding second-language speakers–they have responded positively and done what I asked. In fact, after asking this, they often begin offering tips and helpful advice when speaking.
Ultimately, this vital step boils down to courage. If you have cultivated the love required for learning a language, you can lean on this to get you through the challenge of speaking.
4. Loving
The most profound consequence of learning and using a language is love.
I did assert, and will continue to assert, that to properly begin the language-learning process you must cultivate a love and respect prior to studying and speaking. This preliminary love for the language is real and powerful, and it will be the substance that you rely on to push through the very difficult beginnings of learning a language.
However, eventually, this preliminary love will transform. It will become something so connective and sincere that the language develops into an aspect of you–an entirely new limb attached to your soul. When this happens, you will have a new home, a new culture, and a new perspective independent of your native one. They say learning a language broadens your horizon, and this is true. But, perhaps more importantly, learning a language expands your own person. You have more than just a new place or culture to visit on the horizon, but rather a new part of yourself to integrate into life in your home culture and another life in any number of cultures you choose to learn the language of. No matter what language you choose, you are making a powerful investment in yourself. I believe there is no better personal asset to develop than this one.
I am learning Ukrainian at the time of this blog post.
Go learn some new languages. You’re bound to discover more about where you fit in the world in the process. (Hint: the answer is everywhere.)
Hayden Hall(way) 
Leave a comment