Top 5 Foreign Language Learning Myths

 

You might be wondering why a novelist would write about learning a foreign language.

I have a secret.  I am an English teacher, and have been for more than twenty years.

I have taught English as a Foreign Language since 1993.  The first country I taught English in was Hungary.  After that, I taught in Poland.  Then, Kuwait. And, for the past 13 years, I have been teaching English at The United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain (see below).

I didn’t start writing in earnest until 2005.  The novels I have just published on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, etc. I began in November of 2010. I have twelve years more experience as a foreign language teacher than as a novelist.

I also speak seven foreign languages (at different levels of fluency): Deutsch, Français, Español, Polskie, Magyar, العربية, and 日本語. In some of these languages, I can only manage a few simple words, basic greetings, numbers, and some food.  In others, I could hold a conversation.

So, I consider myself a bit of an expert at both language teaching and language learning. And, knowing another language is really powerful and good for you!

Here are the top 5 Myths of Language Learning:

 

Myth #1- Learning a foreign language is hard.

Truth:  Each foreign language is different.  Some languages are much harder to learn (more grammatically complex, more challenging phonemes (sounds), different writing systems, etc.) than others.  Also, your native language may help or hurt your ability to learn a foreign one.  If your native language doesn’t have a phoneme, it may be very hard for you to learn to make it. The “th” sound in English is notoriously hard for many people to learn. Finally, how you feel about the language, the people, the country, and the culture of foreign language makes a big difference. If you think French is beautiful, the people are exotic and sexy, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world, and French bread, cheese and wine are to die for, French will be easier than if you think the language sounds effeminate, the French are cowardly, Paris is expensive and crowded, and the food is overrated.

Myth #2- Learning a foreign language is easy.

Truth: See above.

Myth #3- Learning a foreign language takes years.

Truth: You can spend decades learning a foreign language and still not speak it as well as a native.

Myth #4-Learning a foreign language takes hours.

Truth: It depends on the language, of course, but survival language skills (basic phrases, some food, numbers, directions, etc.) can be learned in a very short period of time with the right motivation and teaching/learning.

Myth #5-There is an easy/best way to learn a foreign language.

Truth: There are many things you can do to learn a foreign language.  How well they work for you depends a lot on you, though. If you find it easier to remember things that you write down, do that.  If you remember things better with pictures, do that.  If you remember things better that you hear, do that. If you like lists, do that.  If you like flashcards, do that.  If you like listening to music, do that.

There are three keys to learning a foreign language:

• Exposure – the more you hear, speak, read, and write the foreign language, the faster you will learn it. (This is true only to a point.  You cannot readily learn a foreign language by reading a philosophy text in that language or by attending university lectures in it when you are at a beginning level.  You will only grasp a handful of basic words, feel overwhelmed and confused, and hate the experience.)
• Motivation – your reasons for learning the foreign language matter.
• Courage – you have to be willing to make mistakes and sound foolish to really learn.

In my next post, I will share some things that have worked for me.

-S.