#11 – On learning new languages
Five tips to help you learn a new language
“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini
I recently came across this quote by the Italian filmmaker Fellini, and it had me thinking about languages and how language introduces a new dimension to our lives.
In addition to discovering a different vision of life, as Fellini says here, I think we also discover new aspects of ourselves when we immerse ourselves in a new language.
When I am speaking a different language, I feel like I am tapping into a kind of depth within myself that I wouldn’t encounter otherwise or as often.
A different aspect of my personhood emerges when I am speaking in a language other than Mongolian, which is my first language. It’s not contradictory to who I am; it’s just different. For me, experiencing this is just as thrilling as the external rewards of being able to connect with other fellow humans.
While I am not a language expert by any means, I have gone through the experience of learning three languages (English, Turkish and Spanish, each to varying levels of fluency) other than my native language, so I have learned a few tips and tricks along the way. In this letter, I’d like to share these with you and, by doing so, also remind myself of them since one of my long-term goals is to learn French.
Tip one: Make your ‘why’ very clear
The first phase I go through whenever I decide to learn a new language is the ‘honeymoon’ period, where I imagine myself speaking this language fluently, and I am floating away in a wonderland thinking of a more sophisticated version of life.
Then I actually start learning the language, and I find that the words sound like they’re from another planet, the grammar rules are as rigid as a block of ice, and the pronunciations seem to break my tongue. Then, I think, “Oh wait, this is actually what this language is.”
But there is one thing that helps me to keep plugging away, and that is remembering why I decided to learn this language in the first place. Is the goal studying in or travelling to countries where this language is spoken? Is it for career advancement? Or is it just for the pure and sacred joy of reading works in their original language? Whatever it may be, answering the question of “Why am I learning this language?” honestly and earnestly and having that answer at the top of your mind is very helpful when the going gets tough.
Tip two: Have a system of accountability
After the honeymoon phase passes and the dust settles (sooner or later, it does), another thing that can help us to keep putting one foot in front of the other is having an accountability system.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as sending a WhatsApp message to a friend every Sunday evening or going to a language class that gets together a few times a month. Having these things in place and having your system known to the people in your life can help you to keep going when the road gets more arduous.
Tip three: Link the learning process with a subject/activity you already love
Another thing that helps is linking the learning process with something you already love. Then the strength of your love for that thing becomes the force that propels you forward.
In my case, I love reading literature. Of all the things that I did to learn English, the most helpful was reading 19th-century British novels. I remember reading Jane Eyre for the first time and finding myself absolutely enamoured with the language. Even though I was not understanding it completely on my first read, I understood it just enough to keep going. And I kept going—reading more English books, listening to English music, and plastering English words all over my bedroom. It didn’t feel like hard work, it felt like something I wanted to do and even beckoned to do.
But, if you don’t enjoy literature, you can always watch movies and TV shows. Adding subtitles to your favourite TV shows is one of the easiest ways to incorporate the new language into your day-to-day life. Many popular TV shows such as Friends and The Office are available in different languages. Additionally, Netflix’s original content has subtitles in more than 20 languages to choose from.
Tip four: Connect with other learners and native speakers
For most of us, learning a new language to a level of fluency is a multi-year endeavour, and there are plenty of joys and challenges along the way.
What can be helpful on this long journey is connecting with other learners who are also learning the same language. Especially if these learners share the same first language as you, there is no one better to have as your companion. You can offer each other encouragement and support when you need it, and that becomes the fuel that can keep you going!
It also goes without saying that connecting with native speakers can be super helpful! Most people are happy to offer feedback or guidance about their languages.
Tip five: Have fun!
Even if the idea of learning a new language can be thrilling, the process of actually learning it can be a long and boring process. But it doesn’t have to be!
If we approach it creatively, it can also be fun! I’d suggest introducing as much fun to the process as possible. Write in multi-colored pens! Wear fun shirts with new words! Put stickers on your notebooks! Do crossword puzzles with new words! Listen to songs in the language you’re learning! Whatever ‘making it fun’ might mean to you, incorporate that into your learning process and you might just find that your progress will accelerate by leaps and bounds.
If one of your new year’s goals is to learn a new language, I wish you well on your journey. May it add joy, depth and adventure to your life!
PS: A fun fact — the language with the most letters is Khmer, also known as Cambodian. Its alphabet has a whopping 74 letters!
Thank you for reading! If you’ve not already subscribed to this once-in-two-weeks newsletter, please feel free to do so :)
Hi Saran, I am Mongolian like you and funny fact I have same first name is you. I speak few languages at different levels (Russian, French, Japanese, English,Italian and Turkish) I like reading literature like you.
A new language is a new window to different cultures and people that you cannot understand truly without speaking it. To learn a language, you have to love it : it can be the country that you want to discover, a writer who introduces you to the language, it can be the cuisine etc.
For me every language was introduced by a writer especially women writers. I began English by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Italian by Elena Ferrante’s “ Mia Amica Geniale “, French by Balzac “ La comédie Humaine”, Japanese by Natsume Soseki “ Wagahai was neko de aru “ and Turkish by Elif Shafak of course.