Faster Foreign Language Learning

When you’re just starting to learn a foreign language, the thought of trying to build the kind of vocabulary you need for real fluency can be overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start. The good news is that when you’re learning for first few hundred words, there’s nothing wrong with starting slowing.
Be Picky
Linguist [...]

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Grammar is important, but until you have a decent-sized vocabulary, it’s all but useless. After all, grammar only works when you have words to apply it to. That means when you’re just starting to learn a foreign language, vocabulary building is the thing to focus on. Of course, those first few hundred words are also [...]

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Lots of people—even those who love learning foreign languages—claim they hate studying grammar. They associate grammar study with tedious gap-fill exercises, boring rote memorization and the frustration of getting it “wrong” again and again.
While you will, at some point need focused work on grammar, there’s no reason grammar drills should take up the bulk [...]

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If you’re interested in foreign language learning, at some point you’ve probably wondered how to learn a foreign language faster. We all know high school classes and even some professional language courses can drag on for several years and still leave just barely able to communicate in your chosen language.
And yet, with the right [...]

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The abundance of languages on this planet makes for great fun, but it doesn’t make it particularly easy to decide what language to learn.
It’s not a choice most of us make lightly, either. While it’s relatively easy to become conversant in a language, really learning a language to fluency usually does take a investment [...]

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The short answer is “yes,” but it’s not what most people mean when they say “gift for languages.” Individuals considered gifted IQ-wise, may also have an exceptional ability to learn a foreign language quickly.
There’s also some evidence of language savant syndrome in which an individual has lower than average cognitive function in many areas, [...]

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If you’re female and stay long-term in another country, I can almost guarantee you that at some point, someone is going to leave you in charge of one or more toddlers.

I once had the pleasure of spending several hours looking after four little ones all under age four when I spoke about ten words of [...]

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