Have you considered picking up a new language to prepare for a future trip abroad? Perhaps you’re hoping to avoid the stereotype of the clueless American tourist by studying some French before you jet off to the City of Lights. Are you at a loss on what to do next? Do you find that the Duo LingoTM app or the BerlitzTM DVDs don’t quite fit your preferred language study method? It’s a common problem, and I’ve met enough people like you to be motivated to offer six suggestions for overcoming it. We’ll keep things simple and assume you want to learn French, but these six suggestions apply to any language you study.
Don’t worry about it!
Dr. Stephen Krashen, one of the world’s foremost experts on second language (L2) acquisition, claims it is easiest to learn a new language in a relaxed setting. When a child is learning his or her L1, he or she faces no pressure from anyone other than the child’s natural curiosity about the world around them. The first language (L1) is acquired naturally and at the child’s speed, without pressure or time constraints. One of the basic tenets of “the natural approach,” a teaching method created by prominent linguists Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, is that learning a second language should be as natural as learning a first.
To summarize the natural method, one should not study a foreign language under duress or try to memorize many vocabulary items in a short period, as if competing in a timed quiz for a prize. Learn a second language at your own pace and in “bite-sized chunks,” but do it regularly. The effectiveness of a “once-a-week-gotta-get-it-done” cram session is vastly outweighed by the efficacy of learning a little bit every day, progressively augmenting what you’ve already acquired. Learn as much as you can in your natural environment, preferably with material that you find very interesting. Don’t sweat out if you make a mistake; that’s not the point!
Second, don’t be overly grammar-conscious.
Dr. Krashen argues that learning a new language is primarily an unconscious process that doesn’t necessitate a lot of conscious grammatical rules or boring drills. Osmosis is the best way to learn a new language. This is, after all, how we were initially instructed in English. We weren’t drilled on grammar or given a list of terms to learn when we were little. We picked up the language via exposure and necessity. Our parents taught us to talk by pointing to things and saying things like, “Look at the cute kitty.” The meaning of “kitty” is conveyed to the child. “Contextual learning,” or learning through real-world exposure, is vastly superior to rote memorization (how children acquire their L1).
Being in the company of native speakers facilitates this process. Fortunately, exposure to the L2 does not need a physical presence in the nation where it is spoken. One can, for instance, dine in a French restaurant and place an order in French or participate in a French-speaking club populated by native speakers and expats from France.
Although rote memorization of grammar and vocabulary is often necessary for adult language learners, it shouldn’t be the primary way. For example, I know a wise senior citizen who wished to brush up on her French language skills in preparation for a lengthy stay in rural France. She dedicated herself wholly to studying grammar books and practice exercises and showed remarkable proficiency in reading French. Despite her diligent yet “bookish” study of French, she ultimately learned very little of the language and had trouble understanding it even when it was spoken to her exceptionally slowly. In other words, the “old school” teaching grammar exclusively from textbooks will almost certainly improve only reading and writing skills while doing little to improve spoken communication.
Practice the L2 all the time.
Compared to 30 years ago, this is much simpler to perform from the comfort of one’s own home. You can learn French by watching movies with English subtitles, listening to French news programs like France 24, browsing French YouTube videos, finding a French pen pal on services like MyLanguageExchange.com, or working with a qualified French coach.
Many students of French lament that they eventually reach a stage where they can read the language competently, but the sounds of the spoken language blend until they can no longer tell individual words apart. In cases like these, it might be beneficial to watch French-language films with English subtitles turned on. Subtitles are a massive help in deciphering the dialogue and gaining an understanding of the story. (Not all translations are perfect, but most come very near to capturing the original speaker’s tone and inflection.)
In addition, there is a wealth of literature available in French. There is a wealth of beginner-level resources online, such as children’s stories, for anyone looking to learn French.
Get your hands on as much French as possible. In the United States, for instance, it is not uncommon for product packaging to include instructions and safety disclaimers in multiple languages. Examine the English and French versions of the manuals. A person’s vocabulary can grow tremendously by doing this. If you learn French well enough, use it to follow the directions!
Fourthly, have a conversation with yourself in French.
The more you have internal conversations in French, bizarre as it may sound, the more quickly you will pick up the language. (You won’t always have easy access to a French speaker who speaks the language as their first tongue.) One effective method of learning new words is to practice thinking or talking to oneself in the target language. Thinking about your workday in French regularly exposes you to new vocabulary and idioms. Instead of saying, “Gee, I need to get that spreadsheet finished by tomorrow” in English, you might think something like this. If you try to solve the problem in French, you’ll eventually search the French term for spreadsheet, and presto! You’ve just learned a new word to add to your growing collection of vocabulary. Remember that when you reach a certain level of proficiency in French, usually when you least expect it, the joy of joys, you are quite likely to experience your first dream in French if you keep thinking and talking to yourself in French.
5. Total commitment.
Maintaining regularity and perseverance is essential. Without it, you might as well not bother learning a second language at all. Every day, try to practice and immerse yourself in your target language. Adult students who consistently tell themselves they didn’t have time to study French this week due to work, school, or home obligations aren’t committed enough to their studies and are likely to plateau. Is one even that hectic, anyway? No time because of work? Why not use your time in the car daily to listen to French music or watch a French language DVD?
Sixth, enjoy yourself
In closing, remember to enjoy yourself. When learning is fun, people retain more information; when it’s a chore, they forget what they’ve learned faster. A few ideas are: Learn some basic French jokes, watch a silly French comedy like Le Diner de Cons, or play Trivia Crack TM with the French language option. Seeing your development as a second language learner is a satisfying feeling. Don’t give up if you hit a stumbling block; even native speakers experience lulls in their progress now and then. If you keep at it, you can break through to the next level of proficiency and beyond.
Best wishes!
To help anyone learn a new language, I, a retired French teacher and current tutor, have compiled a list of six invaluable pieces of advice. My writing is based on my own experience as well as extensive study.
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