by Reed Daigle

Created on: June 04, 2008   Last Updated: December 21, 2009

Watch your attitudes

Some of the most important things to remember when learning a foreign language are not necessarily techniques. Just as important are attitudes, such as enthusiasm, boldness, humility, honesty, persistence, and patience. When asked to give tips on language learning, we are quick to mention techniques such as immersion, learning grammar, reading, and always carrying a notebook. These are, of course, indispensable. However, without some necessary attitudes, they will amount to mere tedium, and frustrate the learning process.

Enthusiasm is a good place to start. If you are interested in the language you are learning, then it will be much easier to approach the difficult task of studying that language. As with any subject, it is far easier to learn something you are interested in. Necessity is, of course, another strong catalyst to language learning, but enthusiasm can spur one on even faster than necessity.

When learning a language, boldness is very important, especially if you have the opportunity to live in a foreign country. Speaking practice is essential to gaining fluency, so you must be bold in social situations. A shy person can learn a language, but those who are more outgoing will have a much easier and faster progression in the language.

In being bold, however, you should not forget about humility. If you are in a foreign country, and struggling to use a new language in everyday situations, you will be embarrassed, at least once. Be humble and accept that you aren't perfect and that you may at times feel like a child. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to live in France and Japan. And I'm grateful to have made a fool of myself on more than one occasion in both countries. An added benefit to embarrassing situations is realizing what it's like to be a foreigner. This gives a better understanding and appreciation of the experience of foreigners in one's own country.

Honesty is closely related to humility in language learning. It is not weakness, but strength to admit we make mistakes. You must continually make an honest assessment of where you are with the language in question. If you can't admit that you are at a lower level than you'd like to be, then you will struggle unnecessarily. You can learn a language faster by studying at the appropriate level. This is something I am currently learning and having to apply to my study of Japanese.

I have lived in Japan for nearly two years now, and have found that I still have to review

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