subject: The best way to learn a language [print this page] So many people hold back from learning a second language in the mistaken belief that it is too difficult. They try, find the going tough and then give up believing that they do not have the talent for languages. Why bang your head against a brick wall?
If you are one of those people, it is time to take stock and review. Most of the difficulties experienced in language learning are not as a result of an inability to learn. The fact is you can learn a language and if you are reading this, you already have learned one - brilliantly! If you have had a bad experience, it is almost certainly because of the tools you have been using. You see there are good ways and bad ways. And the bad ways, unfortunately, are very, very bad.
Many people start a language with the first material that comes to hand or buy without real thought about its suitability. Would you play tennis with golf club? No. It is exactly the same with learning a language. With the right tools you can get the ball over the net. With the wrong tools, however, you are forever swiping thin air (and blaming yourself). And if you have been playing tennis with a golf club then it is little wonder you had a tough time.
Of course, knowing you are not uniquely poor at learning a language is one thing. Being able to sort through the huge assortment of language materials available is quite another. How do you find the right method with so many options available to you? Should you use CDs, software, audio devices, grammar drills, vocab lists, lessons, sing-along CDs, DVDs, MP3s, text books, talking toys, phrasebooks or something else? There is so much advice and marketing it is difficult to get to the truth. The good news, however, is that there is, if you know where to look, lots of clear, definitive and independent research telling us what works and what doesn't.
Independent Research has established the 5 Immutable Laws of Language Learning. If your product has them, you will learn a language much faster and easier. A new language website has produced a quick guide to what language products use which of the 5 language laws as well as explaining what the language laws are. This is a good place to start when selecting the right language tools. Abiding by these principles will ensure that you learn naturally the way your brain is hot wired to learn. Take a look and see what language products are best for you.
So remember, the most important first decision, when learning a language, is to use the right tools. Do the research, get the right tools and watch your language take off!
For further research on the best ways to learn a language we recommend "The Bilingual Edge" by Kendall King, Ph.D and Alison Mackey, Ph. D linguistic professors at Georgetown University.
