Language Goals and Frustrations
I had lunch earlier this week with a college professor who is head of the Asian language department in a large university here in Vancouver. He told me that a majority of…
Why Learn Another Language?
There are many reasons we might decide to try to learn another language. We might need the language for study or work purposes, to communicate with family or friends or to connect with the culture of the country where the language is spoken.
I must admit, I am motivated initially just by the possibility of accessing a new culture, with all that that can bring me in terms of learning about another country, its people and its history.
How to Improve Your Listening Skills
Listening comprehension is the base skill, in my view. We have to understand in order to be able to have conversations with people. If we have good listening skills, speaking skills are…
How to Learn Any Language: 7 Tips for Staying on Task
We live in the golden age of language learning. The Internet brings us an unprecedented cornucopia of language learning resources, tools, communities, exchange websites and more. We can buy audiobooks, ebooks, access…
Who Should Correct Our Language Errors?
When we speak in a foreign language, there is a very high probability that we will make mistakes. We make more mistakes when we first start using the language, and gradually the…
Learning a Language Means Acquiring Words
People often say to me, “Steve, you’ve obviously got a talent for languages, that’s why you’ve learned so many. Good for you, but I could never do it.”
To which I say, to myself at least, why don’t you try doing it the way I do it? Maybe, rather than a question of talent, it’s a matter of the method that I use. What is my method? It’s really quite simple. It’s the relentless pursuit of words – words that I glean through content that is of interest to me. That’s basically what it boils down to.
Understanding Russia to help you learn Russian
Russian is fascinating. It’s a beautiful language. If you plan to learn Russian, in my experience it helps to understand Russia and Russian culture.
