The Pillars Of Language Learning

Are you building them correctly

Learning a new language seems easier with access to the internet and multiple apps available online. It is easy to study vocabulary through digital flashcards or using Anki-deck for words revision. Through the podcasts, we get to have the listening practice while commuting. If you are anything like me, I bet you like to practice writing too, for this purpose I prefer the traditional medium of using a pen and paper. I try to get native speakers or fellow learners to help me with speech practice. I am pretty sure by now you must understand the pillars of learning a new language.

Yes, you’re correct, speaking, listening, writing, and reading. These are the most important part of learning a new language. Most of us skip reading and writing since their target is only speaking the language. But if you are targeting to learn languages like Korean, Mandarin or Japanese it would be a bad idea to skip the reading and writing section. Here, I would like to give my take on the four part pillar of learning a language.

Let’s talk about speaking: We all want to be able to have a fluid conversation in our target language but we tend to shy way for it. Worrying about our pronunciation or weird accent that might subtle the native or fellow speakers of that language. However that should’nt be the case try to learn simple sentences as beginners. Use social media to reach to other learners, it could be motivational and it might work in your favor to learn with a group of people. If you are an introvert record yourself and try to match the right pronunciation and practice slowly to get the words right. I try to speak a new language on the first day of learning itself by using some basic sentences like self-introduction, sentence formation, grammar is something that I start off in the 3rd week of learning. The first couple of weeks are targeted to acquiring frequently used vocabulary and sentence pattern. I also use shadowing as one the methods to get myself speaking. I also watch a lot of interviews of my favourite artists as I try to copy their accent, this also helps me to improve my accent along with pronunciation.

Listening is a window to becoming a great speaker: Listening is amazing because it is the first thing we do as learners. We learn the sounds taught to us by our teachers online or offline. To be a great speaker you must be a great listener. Listening is the first step towards learning a language as it is the first gateway to our language learning journey. It could through songs, podcasts, interviews, audio books, conversation practice videos online or actually talking to someone. Listening should be one of the key elements in your learning schedule it would be helpful when learning to improve your pronunciation, accent, being able to grasp the communication between speakers, and ultimately being able to understand the spoken language without worrying about the different accents. At first you might not be able to understand anything but keep listening to something related to your targeted language, I try to listen to podcasts and daily news on YouTube for at least 15 mins a day. On free days I try to watch different shows with subtitles and I listen to a lot of music I start-off by creating a playlist on Spotify in my target language. Use different methods as per your needs enjoy listening especially the music that might become your favourite genre.

Reading explore a whole new world: Reading in the target language is essential because it could become an opportunity to explore a new world. By a new world I mean new sorts of literature. If your into reading this could be the most fun thing for you, I tend to read loudly as it helps me acquire an accent. I had so much fun learning Japanese through manga, I began with children's book, slowly made progress towards reading manga and I am currently getting into short stories. These methods helped me learn Kanji faster and without stressing out too much about learning Kanji seperatly. I learned a lot about the Japanese writing system, it also improved my Kana skills, acquiring a good level of vocabulary, along with a good grasp on the grammar structure. Reading is great but to get started with reading we must know how to read the letters for that we must know the writing system. Read in your target language start easy with children's book to building a little base and acquiring a basic level confidence. I also recommend to read a translated version of your favorite book.

Writing your own story: Writing is something I never skip as a beginner, my first week of learning is packed with speaking and writing as I consider them extremely important avenues of language learning. If you are targeting Asian languages to learn, I highly recommend you to learn the writing system. Many places might not have a translated sign in your native language. Yes, one can use translation apps but what’s the point of learning a whole new language but not being able to read and write using that language. The reason I study writing is that it allows me to introduce myself to the new style of writing, how different scripts work, grasp attention to grammar, etc. The beauty of letters can be better understood when we are able to read and write them. That’s one of the reasons why I love the Japanese writing system and how it incorporates three different writing systems together to form the written language, also enjoy learning and writing different Indian scripts. I am not saying that you should become an expert in writing in your target language but try to be able to write a little bit so that you can master all the pillars of learning a language.

The Secret Ingredient: Yes, the secret formula to acquire and learn a new thing quick is mindset. Your attitude and approach towards your goals sets you up for success so don’t take your ambition lightly. Learning anything new takes a lot of time and patience, remind yourself about your goals and have a good mindset towards your goals. Keep learning and you’ll be a language champion as per your needs and requirements.

These are my four pillars for acquiring a new language, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Let me know what is your target language and how are you learning it. Keeping Learning and remember the most important thing while learning a new language is to enjoy that language. BE OPEN TO MAKING MISTAKES AND LEARNING FROM THEM.

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