{"id":1041,"date":"2013-05-20T12:10:43","date_gmt":"2013-05-20T16:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=1041"},"modified":"2020-10-02T13:46:31","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T17:46:31","slug":"10-stages-of-language-learning-how-to-get-started-and-keep-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2013\/05\/20\/10-stages-of-language-learning-how-to-get-started-and-keep-going\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Stages of Language Learning: How to Get Started and Keep Going"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/05\/alexrawlings.jpeg\" aria-label=\"Alexrawlings\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"alexrawlings\"  alt=\"\" width=\"131\" height=\"131\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/05\/alexrawlings.jpeg\"><\/a>Meet Our Guest Author\u00a0<\/strong><em>I\u2019m Alex Rawlings, I\u2019m 21 years old and I study German and Russian at Oxford University. I\u2019ve always loved learning languages, and last year I was named <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-17107435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Britain\u2019s most multilingual student<\/a> in a competition after being tested for fluency in eleven different languages. It doesn\u2019t stop at eleven though, I have plans to learn plenty more! I have recently set up a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/RawLangsBlog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube channel<\/a> and am keeping a blog at\u00a0<\/em><em style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rawlangs.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.rawlangs.com<\/a><\/em><em>.<\/em><em>\u00a0In this article and accompanying video I hope to answer some of the questions that you might have about language learning and my own experiences of it. Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ten Language Interview with the UK&#039;s Most Multilingual Student\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CESVNaF8bfg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Learning languages<\/strong> \u2013 most of us have tried to, many of us want to, all of us need to, but why is it that it can so often seem like an impossible task? And why are some people better at it than others?<\/p>\n<p>There is one simple explanation \u2013 method. How far I\u2019ve managed to get with languages is not because I\u2019m gifted or was born with any special talent. Linguists have proved time and time again that that just isn\u2019t a thing. It\u2019s down to the fact that I\u2019ve been doing this for a long time, so I\u2019ve had plenty of trial and error to work out where I\u2019ve been going wrong and what I\u2019ve been doing right. I know now what I enjoy and what I find boring. I think that definitely by the time you\u2019re moving onto your fourth or fifth language, you should already have a pretty clear idea of how to motivate yourself and how you to get results.<\/p>\n<p>This article is about the journey of language learning: what to do, what to expect, and where you can hope it\u2019ll take you. Before we get started though, there are a few things I\u2019d like to set out first. I\u2019ve written more extensively about some of the reasons for these on my blog (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rawlangs.com\">www.rawlangs.com<\/a>), but this is the mind-set I think you need to get started:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Language learning never stops. Learning is an eternal process: no matter how far we come, there will always be more to know.<\/li>\n<li>Forget about fluency for a bit. For our purposes, fluency is the ability to form sentences independently and spontaneously, and once we\u2019re doing that, we\u2019re speaking the language. You can concentrate on \u2018perfecting\u2019 it later.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t worry about any letters or any numbers, and don\u2019t use these to measure your \u2018fluency\u2019. Qualifications and certificates are a whole different kettle of fish, and are not that relevant at this stage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now let\u2019s get going. The world of languages awaits.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 1: Pick a language<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We know we\u2019re in this for the long haul, so let\u2019s not make this decision lightly. We need to work out why we want to learn a language, and how we\u2019re going to use it. Have we got friends and family that speak it? Will it help us in our working lives? Did we go on holiday and fall in love with somewhere (or someone), or are planning to make a trip there? Whatever the reasons, we need to have them. Don\u2019t <em>just<\/em> learn a language because you started it at school. This is your chance to break free, make your own choices and discover your own worlds. Put to rest those painful memories of being cooped up in classrooms on Friday afternoons learning <em>\u00eatre<\/em> and <em>avoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 2: Set goals<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You never leave the house and just drive for a few hours if you\u2019re hoping to get somewhere in particular. Likewise, we can\u2019t go on our language adventure without some idea of where we\u2019d like it to take us. Have a sit down and work out at what point you will be satisfied with what you have achieved. Will you be happy with a smattering of phrases and handful of verbs? Do you want to just cover most of the grammar and see what happens next? Or will you not rest until you\u2019re watching the news, running a business, and writing a novel in your new second tongue? This is also a good opportunity to decide how much time you\u2019re going to be able to dedicate to studying, and how often. The ideal that I aim for is an hour a day, 3-4 days a week, but I break that up between around 15 minutes in the morning, half an hour in the afternoon, and another 15 minutes in the evening to keep things fresh and interesting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 3: Make a start<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Start listening to the language. Find podcasts, watch YouTube videos, listen to music, take advantage of the vast wealth of free language resources available on the internet these days. This is your \u2018try before you buy\u2019 period, and use it to get used to the sound of the language: the rhythm, the pronunciation, and the intonation. Learn some basic phrases like how to greet someone and ask how they are. This will give you a great head start before you really get going. Make a real effort to try and learn those first few phrases and that should give you the confidence to go on to learn more. This is also a perfect time to make sure that you like the language, and if not, to go back and choose another.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 4: Get a course<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re wading into serious territory now. There are plenty of inexpensive, well-written courses available on Amazon and at the bookstore. If you don\u2019t want to spend money, your local library will probably have a surprisingly good selection. Strike a balance between picking out the bits that you find the most relevant for your language goals, but also trust in the course\u2019s ability to guide you through it all. \u00a0Personally I don\u2019t focus too much on vocab at this stage \u2013 that becomes a lot easier once you\u2019ve got a better grasp of how the language works. Try and keep to your work schedule, but take things easy. Languages are fun, remember! It\u2019s really important to take breaks to let everything sink in as well. Make sure you\u2019ve looked over everything as many times as possible before you move on to the next units. My acid test is to make sure I can completely understand the dialogues just by listening to them, and that I can form my own sentences with the new vocabulary I\u2019ve learnt. But don\u2019t forget: you\u2019re not performing magic, you\u2019re learning, and that needs patience!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 5: Extra material<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve reached this stage when you\u2019re starting to feel confident with what you\u2019ve learnt so far. You\u2019re getting a clear idea of the basic structures, you\u2019ve got a decent vocabulary of 100-150 words, and it\u2019s time to start supplementing your course with some independent learning. Find kids\u2019 TV shows on YouTube, read children\u2019s stories online, get hold of anything that can provide you with clear and basic vocabulary for you to learn as well. It might also be time to make more of a push for vocabulary now, so you can talk about more topics and put to use your knowledge of grammar.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 6: Navigate your first mid-language crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately this happens. I get these when I\u2019ve started to get a good knowledge of the present, past and future tenses, a decent vocabulary, and can have basic conversations with a native speaker. At this point you might become complacent and get bored with the language. You might think that you\u2019ve done enough to get by in the situations that you\u2019ll need it for. But don\u2019t be fooled. You\u2019re only half way there. Think about making some changes to your schedule, tackling some new topics, remind yourself of the goals you set out in Stage 2 and work out what you\u2019ll have to do to get there. In an ideal world, you\u2019d also move onto Stage 7.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 7: Visit the country<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Obviously this can be easier or harder for you depending on where you live and your financial situation, but it is an essential pilgrimage for every serious language learner. It\u2019s also your reward: see how your new language skills make everything easier from taxi journeys to restaurants, from bizarre transport announcements to chance acquaintances. Be prepared to hear words and phrases that your course never told you about (but don\u2019t be angry at it! It really did have your best interests at heart.) Learn the limits of what you\u2019ve achieved so far, and use that as your inspiration to go on to learn more. Sure, you can buy a metro ticket and ask for directions to the post office, but can you talk to locals like you could back home? You\u2019ve got a foot in the door of your new culture, but are you really in the club?<\/p>\n<p>If a foreign trip is really out of the question, check out some of the numerous free language exchange websites. You\u2019ll find someone to exchange emails with, maybe have a few chats with on Skype, and that\u2019ll be invaluable for making sure you\u2019re not going wrong with your learning!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 8: The confidence plateau<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is similar to Stage 6, but it\u2019s reached at a much more advanced point in our studies. Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve finished your course and you now feel like you can speak the language fairly well. You can even talk about exciting topics such as the environment. This is the point where many people might just put their feet up and decide that they can leave making further progress to simple osmosis. But now is not a time to stall. We need to be much cleverer about how we approach our learning, and remember that we are nowhere near finished. Remember, language learning never stops: there\u2019s always more to learn. It\u2019s now all down to the crucial next two stages. These are what will take us that extra mile.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 9: Immerse yourself in film, TV and news<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We can stop watching just the kids\u2019 stuff now and start becoming proper grown-ups in our new language. Watch soaps, watch chat shows, watch the news. If you don\u2019t have a satellite connection, there is still plenty available online. Pay attention to how the language used varies in those different contexts. Take advantage of the range of different topics that are discussed, and think of other words that you\u2019d find useful to know. Keep a good dictionary and a notepad next to you and write down, say, 10-20 new words each time, and crucially, the context in which you heard them. Go away and learn these, then come back and do it again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage 10: Read literature, do translations and writing exercises<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are so close to the pinnacle now. You\u2019ve got a big vocabulary, sturdy grammar and a good familiarity with the culture (particularly through Stages 7 and 9). This is your motivation to keep going. Start reading literature. If possible, pick a book you\u2019ve already read in translation in English and that you know well (and really like). Don\u2019t start looking up every unfamiliar word unless you\u2019ve got a death wish, just look up those that are vital for understanding what\u2019s going on, so you enjoy reading it. Again, write them down and learn them as in Stage 9. Many e-books are free, and e-readers can often be installed with dictionaries that will tell you what words mean as you go along. Reading isn\u2019t for everyone though, and it also isn\u2019t everything. Have a go at translating newspaper articles, speeches and things on Wikipedia both into and out of your target language. Play around with nuances of meaning and different registers. Go online onto one of the huge language learning community sites and find someone to check it all over for you. Equally, set yourself writing exercises: try keeping a short diary in your new language, write opinion pieces, obituaries, anything that\u2019ll get you using advanced vocabulary. Initially this stage is hard \u00ad\u2013 you\u2019ll find you need words that you\u2019d never hear or use in speech normally. But this is also the most rewarding part. By now you can proudly and deservedly take your seat, and conduct the rest of your studies from the warmth and comfort of the inside of the language club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"256\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/05\/alexrawlings.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/05\/alexrawlings.jpeg 256w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/05\/alexrawlings-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><p>Meet Our Guest Author\u00a0I\u2019m Alex Rawlings, I\u2019m 21 years old and I study German and Russian at Oxford University. I\u2019ve always loved learning languages, and last year I was named Britain\u2019s most multilingual student in a competition after being tested for fluency in eleven different languages. It doesn\u2019t stop at eleven though, I have plans&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2013\/05\/20\/10-stages-of-language-learning-how-to-get-started-and-keep-going\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[542801],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1041","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-posts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1041"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8261,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041\/revisions\/8261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}