Motivation
31Mar
31 Mar 2020
How Can You Become Fluent in a Foreign Language?
Can I become fluent in a foreign language? If your answer to this question is no, then you are best to stop trying. If you don't believe that you can reach the destination in your journey, why start? On the other hand, if you believe you can become fluent in a foreign language, you are well on your way to achieving fluency.
Read more How Can You Become Fluent in a Foreign Language?17Mar
17 Mar 2020
How To Improve Your Speaking Skills
You are unlikely to learn to speak a new language perfectly, but perfection should not be your goal. Your main goal should be effective communication. I am not perfect in any of the languages that I speak, but I can communicate. And whenever I communicate in another language I'm satisfied. I also know from experience that my ability to speak and to pronounce well will only improve with time, [...]
Read more How To Improve Your Speaking Skills25Feb
25 Feb 2020
Constant Improvement in Language Learning
I have talked in the past about some of the major technical advances that have improved language learning, for example, mp3 technology. Fifty years ago I would listen to an open reel tape recorder in my room in Hong Kong when I was learning Mandarin Chinese and now my telephone has become a super […]
Read more Constant Improvement in Language Learning26Nov
26 Nov 2019
The Definition of a Polyglot
As people who speak multiple languages, polyglots like to use those languages; we like to see how we do. But there is an element of performance. Are you better than me? Am I better than you? For some people that’s fine. I think a lot of us are very happy, in fact, when we hear somebody speak better than we do.
Read more The Definition of a Polyglot12Sep
12 Sep 2019
Learning Several Languages at the Same Time – And Keeping Them
I want to talk about learning three languages at the same time or several languages at the same time. How do we keep them, how do we not forget them and what do we do when we do forget them? I finished my three months of Turkish. I went from zero to the level that […]
Read more Learning Several Languages at the Same Time – And Keeping Them10Sep
10 Sep 2019
Language Learning Is Not a Race
Today I’m going to talk about the pace — the amount of time, with what intensity we study languages and things that influence that. I’m going to start by confessing that I haven’t been doing much Arabic learning the last little while. First of all, the reason for that is I had a new floor […]
Read more Language Learning Is Not a Race03Sep
3 Sep 2019
Language Learning is Getting Easier All the Time
Today I want to talk about how language learning has become so much easier today and how it’s going to continue to become easier. First of all, LangFest was a great four or five days for me in Montreal. It’s such a wonderful bilingual city, multilingual city. The people at the conference, of course, there’s […]
Read more Language Learning is Getting Easier All the Time27Aug
27 Aug 2019
Why I Enjoy Learning Languages
Because learning languages is a big part of success, people who don’t enjoy learning languages are less likely to be successful. You can’t force yourself to do something that involves your emotions, involves a commitment to sort of imitating another language and culture and getting outside of the comfort of your language, one that you’re […]
Read more Why I Enjoy Learning Languages01Aug
1 Aug 2019
Let the Language Come to You
This morning I played hockey. I play Old Timers Hockey three times a week. Monday and Friday we have like a pickup situation. We have a blue team and a gold team. One of our members makes up a lineup and we go there and we find out whether we’re blue or gold. Ten on […]
Read more Let the Language Come to You11Jul
11 Jul 2019
The Language Learning Tripod: Attitude
Today I want to talk about what I’ve call the three keys of language learning. Let’s call them the tripod, the tripod of language learning. It’s ‘A’ – Attitude, ‘T’ – Time and ‘N’ – the ability to Notice. You could also call it attentiveness, but it’s the ability to notice, which is something we […]
Read more The Language Learning Tripod: Attitude