SELF-STUDYING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Studying a language outside of a class can be a struggle; here are a few tips that can help.

Where to Start

Different language classes have different focuses, so some might start with learning through cultural elements while others start with survival phrases. Depending on what your reason is for learning the language, one may be better than the other. But generally, it's best to start by learning the alphabet and pronunciation rules first, so that you can practice reading and speaking right from the beginning. From there, you can start learning basic sentence structure (ex.---subject--object--verb, subject--adjective, etc.).

Maintenance

In order to maintain any information, you need to rehearse and make life applications. This can include thinking in the foreign language, keeping a language journal, reading a novel/book in the target language, writing practice sentences, labeling items, setting your phone to your target language (avoid using muscle memory!), and, if possible, communicating with native speakers or other more advanced learners. I have a post on this blog that talks about how I memorize content using the Curve of Forgetting. If there are no native speakers of the language available to you, there are applications where you can practice and ask questions to native speakers online like HelloTalk and ITalki.

Important Tips

• Actually study vocab. Initially, I would skip a lot of it, and would later struggle to be able to use grammar points in practice because of it. Memrise and Quizlet are both good for this, and are on this blog's resources page.

• Write practice sentences for the grammar lessons you're learning and get them corrected. The only way you'll know if you've really grasped a concept is to put it into practice.

• Try to translate the practice sentences in your lessons without looking. That way you can practice and have an answer key right there.

• Listen to content in your target language using podcasts, music, YouTube videos, TV shows, etc. in order to improve your listening ability, learn more natural phrasing, and hear how native speakers talk (especially intonation. (Be aware that speaking can be much more dramatic on TV and other media formats)).

• If you're learning a language with a non-romanized alphabet, don't use romanization unless you HAVE to. Some languages have more than one alphabet or are incredibly complex to write, but for the ones that aren't, learn the actual alphabet. It'll help with pronunciation.

• Consistency is key. Try to set a schedule for working on new lessons + reviewing old ones, and maybe even set a goal to hit a set level by a certain date.

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