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My Late-Life Language Learning, Part 4: I Learn to Speak – But Not ’Til I Forced Myself To Do It! Posted by on Oct 9, 2013 in Archived Posts

In Part 3, we got down to the brass tacks of learning a language, and I discussed how I began by taking introductory courses. For self-learners, there are perfectly good online resources out there that can teach you what I learned in my classes. What I still had enormous trouble doing at that stage, though…

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My Late-Life Language Learning, Part 3: Shifting Gears – Acquiring a New Language Gets Serious Posted by on Sep 18, 2013 in Archived Posts

I’ve put myself on display as what the mathematicians call an “existence proof” that an old guy can learn a new language, even when it’s tough. That was Part 1. I’ve owned up to my own personal main motivators, three of them that drove me to start actually doing something about language learning. I mentioned…

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My Late-Life Language Learning Part 2: It All Began Because I Started Losing at Gin Posted by on Aug 14, 2013 in Archived Posts

Self-proclaimed “old, retired guy” Dick Mills is sharing his adventures learning French in this series titled “My Late-Life Language Learning”. In case you missed it, here is Part One. What does it take to motivate someone to take on the challenge of learning a new language?  There must be as many answers as there are…

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My Late-Life Language Learning, Part 1: Over-70s Can Learn a Language Too! Posted by on Jul 24, 2013 in Archived Posts

At over 70-years-old, Richard G. Mills has done a little bit of everything. For more than 30 years, Mills has been the Managing Principal and an owner of Consulting Services, a small consultancy that assists large corporations to strategically exploit information technology. Prior to founding Consulting Services, Mills’ joined Citibank as Vice President and de…

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Language Learning is Cultural Learning Posted by on Jan 9, 2017 in Archived Posts

Language learning is cultural learning, from the cradle to the foreign language classroom. It’s an often-repeated cliché in language learning that learning about foreign cultures is just as important as learning their languages. But what does that really mean for language learners? Already as infants each and every one of us finds ourselves navigating the…

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7 Tips for Hanging on to That Hard-Learned Second Language Posted by on Jul 23, 2014 in Archived Posts

Remember me?  I’m the “old guy” who’s been learning French and who shared on this blog some of my not-so-secrets of how old guys – and maybe not-so-old guys – can pick up a second language.  Well, now, sadly, I have transitioned to a new phase in language learning.  I am now an old guy…

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How to Screw Up in Paris: What Nobody Bothered to Tell Me About Living Abroad Posted by on Jan 15, 2014 in Archived Posts

If you’ve read my other blogs you know that I am an old guy who is trying to learn – really, really learn – a language other than my mother tongue.  It’s been an embarrassingly large number of years (yes, years) since I stuck that first tentative toe in the water of “French 101” at…

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