Studying foreign languages has been a global trend for many years. People embrace this practice for cultural diversity, careers, and other opportunities. Despite being popular courses, studying foreign languages is not as simple as it sounds. It demands a lot of sacrifices to excel. With over 7,000 unique languages, learning a new one takes time and effort. If you aspire to study a new language, we will look at how hard it is to learn and what makes it challenging.
Why is Learning a New Language a Complex Affair?
Learning a new language isn’t easy at all; rising from zero to fluent communication poses a big challenge, even for passionate linguists. It becomes more tricky to study a foreign language as an adult than as a kid. To avoid such struggles, World Kids School allows kids to learn foreign languages, such as Mandarin and Spanish, through immersion at a tender age. This helps to create a culturally diverse generation.
The ability to learn a language differs from person to person due to grammar, syntax, pronunciation, and accent, among others. When you look at grammar and syntax, it takes time to get used to new language rules. It’s worth noting that different languages have varying grammar rules, sentence structure, and word order, which can affect how long it takes to master the grammar. Pronunciation and accent are difficult to master completely and speak like native speakers. That’s why you find that even after years of practice, you can’t completely speak like the original native speakers due to accent.
Another challenge is that every language has its own unique vocabulary list and idioms. Mastering every one of these isn’t easy. For instance, to learn Japanese, there are over 150,000 words, including derivatives. According to Keio University, you are fluent if you know more than 2,000 commonly used words. Memorising these words will take you time. Similarly, idiomatic expressions are tricky, meaning a known word might have a different meaning when expressed as an idiom.
Mastering a language is one thing, but speaking fluently and confidently is another. Most people find themselves having confidence issues when speaking a new language due to anxiety. Especially when speaking in front of native speakers, it takes a huge effort to build confidence and overcome the psychological effects since you are afraid of making errors.
Dealing With Language Learning Complexity
Despite the complexity of learning a new language, it should never limit you from achieving your dream. There are different strategies to deal with this, and you can seek professional advice to assist you in mastering the language of your dream. The following ways can help you learn a foreign language effectively.
Immersion is one of the natural ways to acclimate to a new language. The process involves immersing yourself in the target environment. As you interact with the target group, absorb the words naturally and eventually learn the language. Usually, the process is how kids learn their first language, making it an ideal way to master language like a native speaker.
Another way to learn how to master a foreign language is to develop consistency. When you make it a habit to practise for a duration of time per day, it becomes easy to master the language easily. For instance, practising for 20 minutes daily following a defined pattern is better than spending five hours twice a week.
The other way to master a new language is to practise regularly. The essence of practice is to develop an easy way of memorising. When practising, start low with simple phrases and go higher as you gain experience. There are various ways to practise a new language, such as writing down phrases on paper, memorising, and speaking to native speakers. Memorisation and other techniques used when studying a new language can significantly boost your IQ due to increased brain activity and critical thinking.
Endnote
Learning a new language is daunting but achievable. With proper dedication, strategy and approach, learning even the most complex language becomes easy. While each person has varying mastering abilities, dedication is key when looking to become an expert in foreign languages.
