Who's line is it, anyways...

           Right now I am both a language learner and a language teacher, an interesting and excellent diametrical opposition. It is interesting because it forces me to examine how my students study the language in order to tailor the class to their needs and develop new techniques to help them. It also means I look at many different aspects of language education as well as the various students in order to solve each problem. Being both a teacher and student it makes me a better student and teacher in ways that one role independently could not. I can teach my students tricks that I use, and the anomalies that I discover in class improve my own studies. I get to discover which difficulties exist because of the language barriers and which ones are personal problems.

        So I thought I would share a few things I have learned... but instead of the specifics of the Japanese language - which has already been categorized and catalogued by so many other wonderful sources - I want to share some tricks to keep in mind when learning any language. 

First, do not assume that the new language is the same as any other (only with different vocabulary). Treating multiple languages the same is like treating masses of people the same; if you  are looking for a shortcut or need to deal with an urgent problem quickly then it might just work. However, in the grand scheme of things it will just breed confusion and misunderstanding. Take the time to get to know the language on its own terms. So you cannot speak it fluently yet and this is not the easy way out... but you will be fluent soon enough (so long as you keep at it) so calm down. Taste the sounds of the language and learn to identify each building block (whatever you do, do not box the new language into the sound or grammar restrictions of your old language). Before binge-studying vocabulary you should really be trying to answer this question: What is the flavor of your new language?

If you actually want to know another language then one thing you just have to come to terms with is the time commitment. There is a certain number of hours (although it will slightly vary by person and situation) which you will merely have to commit to hard core studying. There is no way around this. There are thousands of ways to study - from immersion conversations in a coffee shop to repetitious writing of vocab. Choose your poison and come to terms with the time sacrifice.

Prioritize what parts of the language are most important for you and your current position (business, entertainment, travel, friends) and work towards that. Do not try to conquer everything at once. Set realistic goals. Put in the work to achieve those goals, and celebrate when you reach them.

Use good study materials (I just posted another article about my favorite materials if that would be helpful).

Do not isolate a language from its culture. The two concepts are inextricably linked (not jut for socio-linguists). You cant really feel the language unless you somewhat understand the people who speak it, and you cannot understand the people unless you have walked (at least) the metaphorical mile in their shoes.

Be eager to try out you new language skills and be willing to make mistakes - even in front of a native speaker. So what if you are not perfect. So long as you did not (falsely) tell your friends you are fluent then making mistakes should not be embarrassing. In languages, any chance to practice is an opportunity to improve and be corrected - both of which are good things. Be willing to try. If my students are any evidence, a willingness to try is more important in language learning than natural cleverness or sheer time spent immersed in the language.
 Just try.
*** If you did lie to your friends about being bi/tri/multilingual then you should probably go confess now before it gets out of hand...

So go out and study.
Be reminded of the beauty of God’s creation, because learning a new language is wondrous and inspiring. It is like having a secret password, like solving a riddle or getting a joke, like putting on glasses for the first time and realizing what you couldn't see before.
Learning a new language opens your eyes.

Mt Fuji is in this picture. Can you find it?