Mouth Muscles and Language Learning

In my last article, I cited the stages of mastering a new language. Today I will unveil some practical tips to train the muscles in your mouth for speedy language acquisition.

Tips for training the mouth muscles

Repetition

Whenever you come across any word, you need to repeat that word three times. Studies have shown that whichever word you repeat often, it is difficult to forget it. By repeating the words, the muscles in your mouth are being twisted and stretched. The first time the muscles in your mouth encounter new words, it shrinks and tightens, ready to withdraw from pronouncing or to continue. Let me give an illustration here.

For example, when you meet a new situation that frightens you, you either fight or withdraw. This is not different from what happens to the muscles in our mouths. It is very important that we keep repeating the words that we are learning. One pertinent question I want you to ask yourself when you feel there is no need to repeat words more than three times is, how do children learn languages without books? They learn by repeating what they hear from their environment. If we can learn like little children, language attainment is not going to be challenging and intimidating.

Reading out

To train the muscles in your mouth, you need to read out. Form the habit of reading an article each day and reading it out loud. Don’t read silently. Reading silently trains your mind, but reading out trains your mouth. Remember that when you are talking to people, you don’t use your mind to talk to them rather, you use your mouth. No one knows what is in your mind until your mouth says it out loud. It is only when you say what is in your mind that people can understand you. Reading out is an exercise for your mouth. If you park your car for months without driving it, the parts will start rusting. Whatever you don’t use, you lose. Therefore, read out always.

Recording

When you read the first time, you don’t need to record. The second time is when you can record what you are reading. Many people feel shy to listen to their voices. I can tell you from my 8 years of experience teaching English that listening to your recording is a powerful way to improve your language learning journey. When you listen to what you have recorded, correct your mistakes and record again. Don’t delete the first recording because you will use it to measure your progress. Record as many times as you wish until you get the best.

I hope these tips will spur you to action. Keep reading and keep learning.