by Daniel Hill

Created on: May 06, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2011

Anyone can learn

Language learning is a natural human process, and I firmly believe that anyone is capable of it. It's not something that only academics can learn, because not everyone that speaks a language is necessarily an academic. It's not something that only children can learn either, as is the common belief. They're simply exposed to their native language on a daily basis. Whatever methods native speakers use to learn their own language obviously works quite well for them! As a foreign student, you may need to make a few adjustments, but using the materials and methods that native speakers use is an effective way to learn.

You've heard about some languages have "more exceptions than rules." This is why an attempt at a logical explanation for languages almost never works. Language is not logical, it just is. When speaking in English, you don't say "OK! I want to say this in the present progressive." You just know what you want to say, and you just say it. I doubt you will find a single native speaker of a language that has to work out all the grammatical rules before speaking every sentence. Most of them probably aren't even consciously aware of all the grammar going on behind the scenes. This is one of the natural elements of language that I'm talking about. The main idea of this article is that by making the language a part of your day, you too can learn, regardless of your age, your smarts, anything. Learning a new language can be every bit as easy, as fun, and as natural as learning your maternal language was. But first, you'll need to get equipped...

Tools of the trade

I once saw a phrase that said, "The best way to write Russian is in Russian." I think this is very good advice for writing in any language. If you're actually learning a language, I cannot stress enough how important learning their writing system first is. Even if you're English and learning a language that also uses the same alphabet, learn how they're pronounced and what they're called in your target language. Even in a language that uses ideographic characters, you can learn the meanings in English first too. Transliteration can't always capture the nuances of the language's native writing system, and will only lead to confusion later on. Learning the writing from the start not only gives you a good foundation, but is essential to mastering the language. It's the key that will unlock this whole new world to you.

You'll also need some material. This can be anything as long as it's

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