3 myths about language learning
At EASY LANGUAGE SCHOOL we sincerely believe that anyone on this planet can learn another language, regardless of age, gender, employment or social status.
A large part of the battle in language learning is in the mind and a good place to start is to dispel the limiting beliefs that prevent most people from progressing. In this article we explore the 3 most common myths of language learning and offer some strategies to confront them.
MYTH 1 LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIRES A SPECIAL TALENT
Many people assume that multilinguals have a natural "gift" for languages. In other words, it is believed that there is something unique about their DNA that "allows" them to learn.
Despite the fact that people with linguistic talents exist, in reality very few lucky ones are born polyglots. They are about 7% of the entire human race. Yet millions of people learn to speak a foreign language. Do they all belong to 7%? Also, let's not forget that any child can learn any language anywhere in the world. So it is clear that we all have the magic gene to learn languages.
So if it's not genetics, what is the secret to successful learning? Good focus, good attitude and PRACTICE. As they say ¨practice makes perfect¨. If you are struggling with a new language, don't be misled by the idea that you are not cut out for this. The truth is that everyone struggles. People who speak foreign languages well simply have spent enough time learning. Keep going and you will achieve your goals too.
MYTH 2 CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGES BETTER THAN ADULTS
Everyone seems to take for granted that children are the best language learners. Challenge a 6 year old to learn Farsi in a few months and they will blow your mind, right? Absolutely not!
Let's see. When it comes to learning languages, children have a great advantage: they are blank slates. They don't have any pre-existing pronunciation habits that interfere with the new language. They are not going to try and make sense of foreign grammar by using incompatible native grammar.
Also, they are not afraid to look stupid. This is their biggest advantage over adults. To learn a foreign language, you need to spend a lot of time making mistakes and saying wrong things. For adults, this can be stressful. Since children don't mind embarrassment, they get all the practice they need. Meanwhile, adults hide behind books and apps so they can pretend they learn without risking their reputations.
But when adults can overcome their fear of looking bad, they can beat children with intelligence, discipline, and consistency. A six-year-old does not have the discipline to sit for several hours a day to train the language. Adults do.
That is why there are multi-lingual adults (like those on our team) who can reach high fluency in a new language in a matter of months, something that would take a child years to achieve.
MYTH 3 PRONUNCIATION IS AN ADDITIONAL SKILL THAT YOU SAVE FOR THE END
When we tell people that our courses include learning pronunciation, a common response we get is, "So it's for people who already know the language?" Somehow, many people believe they would learn to speak a language BEFORE learning to produce and recognize its sounds. In fact it shouldn't be so.
Pronunciation is the foundation of the language. We are not saying that you must have a perfect pronunciation, you don't have to. It is enough to have one that allows you to communicate without difficulty. We know that when people have a very strong foreign accent, understanding them can be difficult. Also, wrong pronunciation can interfere with the ability to speak fluently. Moreover, not knowing how to pronounce the sounds well often means that we don't really know what they sound like, so when others say something, we may not recognize these sounds and understand well what's being said. So while your pronunciation doesn't need to be perfect, the better it is, the better your communication will be, not just while speaking, but also while listening.
Unfortunately, the longer students neglect pronunciation, the more difficult it is to correct it. We memorize the wrong form of the word and re-learning it later will cost us much more than learning it right from the beginning. Clearly, if someone has come to speak a language but still has a pronunciation that causes misunderstandings, no need to despair. With great desire and perseverance, you will be able to re-learn the sounds and the melody of the language. We just say that the easiest way is to learn what the language sounds like as soon as possible, so if you are starting to study, do not leave the pronunciation for the future.
