Learning a Foreign Language        

by Someone who loves languages, words, and linguistics.   

Related: Ten Ways I plan to learn Spanish                  

Learning a language is not an easy thing to do.  It requires effort and enthusiasm. How much you take away from a language study depends on how much caring is put into the process.

All languages have their idiosyncrasies with grammar, spelling and pronunciation. It would seem that learning English as a second language would be much harder than learning another language from English (consider the words “enough” and “thigh”).     

Some languages are easier, the “romance” languages based on Latin have the same alphabet and the words are similar, most of the time they can be traced to a Latin “root” word. Having learned French and Italian in high school, it is my intention to learn Spanish for future career options, and I feel I already have a head start. Spanish is very predominant in the United States, especially where I live. I feel what I absorb from friends, coworkers, signs and publications will be as much of a help as the conjugation and grammatical work that is learned in a school setting.

Note that all languages have regional dialects and most classes are aimed at giving the “modern standard” version of the language. You may pick up regional phrases and slang, similar to the English language spoken in different states in America. Also speaking English to certain teens who are prone to slang will make a person wonder exactly what language is being spoken.

One guaranteed way to learn a language is to spend time, or live, in a foreign country. Without the benefit of a classroom you will have to learn certain rudimentary phrases in order to ask directions, get a meal (in a restaurant or a supermarket), or, at the very least ask if there is anyone available who speaks English. What you get out of learning any language is what you put into it.

A lot of languages have a different alphabet and different characters, and learning is like starting from scratch. You would learn the alphabet, the sounds that different letters make and then starting off with very basic sentences. I had the pleasure of doing this in a government setting, where you spend five days a week and six class periods learning one specific language exclusively. It is very detail oriented and you really have to put your heart and soul into the study. You will also have quite a few classmates to converse with and practice. You can become as fluent as you want to be with some of the extracurricular activities I will go into later.

Most languages are learned in a classroom setting, from the required high-school class period to one or two college classes a week. Usually an instructor will start off by translating everyone's name into the language and you learn “my name is...” “his name is...”, “what is your name?” In some languages objects have genders and you will learn which objects are considered male or female and how to refer to them. Vocabulary words are introduced as well as sentences, and then conjugation and complex tenses.

Rocket Languages will teach you how to speak like a native, so you can read, write, speak and understand the language as though you have lived there all your life. They offer a free 6 Day Course in Spanish, German or French.

• Spanish
• French
• German

There are CDs, books and audio materials available geared towards learning a language. I have never used these, some are specifically for people planning to take a trip or spending time in that particular area.  I feel there is great benefit from learning with other people, an instructor, classmates, or people you may know who are fluent in the language you are learning. Speaking the language and interacting with others is essential in becoming proficient in the language you choose.

Studying a language in depth, conjugating verbs, conversing at any level, also, in my opinion gives you a greater understanding of English. I feel that everybody should know at least one other language besides English. In other countries most people are bilingual or multi-lingual.

There are ways to augment the language you are learning. Check out the audio that is available in addition to classroom learning, if for no other reason, just to compare. Read signs, book titles, see how much of a book you can understand from what you have learned so far. Another great thing to have is an English-Italian/Italian-English dictionary. Half of the dictionary helps you find the Italian equivalent of English words and the other half helps you look up words in Italian that you may not know in English. Italian is used here as an example you can get this book in just about any language you are learning.

Basically, learning a language is not easy, but also not as hard as some of the mathematics that is out there. I believe if your heart is in it, and you have a love of words, a desire to be fluent in another language, a motivation such as a move out of the country, a visit to another country, or a career option, you will succeed. One last thing to remember, a foreign language is a “use it or lose it” deal. The languages I studied in high-school are now down to several words, phrases and sentences; I would definitely need refresher courses. The longer, and more extensively you use a language the more proficient you will become.