Tips For Learning Languages From a Self-Taught Learner

Aside from being an ESL teacher, I study foreign languages myself. I have been doing so for a decade, and this has provided me with many valuable tips.

Just monotonously writing down or reading lessons doesn’t work at all. Perhaps one would be able to memorize the theoretical side; however, when it comes to practicing it, they may fail. This is why, whenever it is possible, it is best to understand the rules depicted in a certain topic. Understanding a lesson will help the learner cement their newly acquired knowledge on the matter, and they’ll be more likely to preserve it.

Tips for learning a language on your own

Never project the rationale of your native language onto the target one

This is something that a lot of people do not take into consideration in the process of language learning. It is important to mention that this trait is oftentimes involuntary, as one understands that their target language may not function the same way as their native one does. It is especially relevant when the former and the latter belong to different groups (e.g., Italian and Japanese, Russian and Arabic). Nonetheless, the attempt to equate the two results in grammar and pronunciation mistakes. So, drawing the line between the two is highly crucial.

Being aware of “false friends”

“False friends” refers to a word that may be similar to one’s target language but does not have the same meaning, e.g., embarazada (this word means “pregnant,” though it does resemble “embarrassed”). This may be a minor point, but it is a valuable one, regardless. It will help the learner avoid making awkward mistakes in their speech.

Constant practice whenever it is possible

Using the target language as frequently as possible is a rather impactful point. Even if one lives in a place where it is rarely spoken, if ever (e.g., living in an area with little to no native speakers of Polish or Zulu), it should still be done. One can practice their target language by recording their speech, making up texts, talking to native speakers on social media, and translating some texts or lyrics. Anything goes, as long as one finds it more suitable for them individually. In case there are time constraints, even doing so for 15-20 minutes daily (or an hour a day on weekends) can positively affect their progress or, at the very least, preserve it.

Making up sentences to match topics

Even if a person understands the topic they’re studying, practicing what they learned is still important and helps them remember it. At first glance, it may seem that if, for example, the structure of questions is comprehensive, then one can move to the next lesson. This is a wildly inaccurate statement, as without backing up the newly learned material with their own example sentences, the topic is more likely to be forgotten. It is even more likely to happen if one has many more lessons coming up next. There is yet another advantage to making up sentences in such a situation: they may notice some minor mistakes they wouldn’t have noticed otherwise or find some minor aspects that they need to learn more thoroughly.

Expanding vocabulary

It is wonderful for a person to excel at grammar. However, having a limited vocabulary is just as much of a hindrance to being fluent as punctuation or grammar mistakes. Multiple words with similar meanings may have different connotations and can be used in various contexts. For example, just using “happy” everywhere may not be impactful enough, depending on a specific situation. A person who graduated with honors will undoubtedly be more than just “happy,” and a perfectionist will be more likely to feel content with their achievements.

Differentiating between words with similar meanings

This is related to the previous point. Simply knowing multiple words is insufficient. One should understand how and when they are used. For instance, “fine” and “fee” may refer to one paying money. However, it is crucial to tell the two apart from each other. Language learners should understand that some words are not interchangeable due to the contrasting contexts in which they are used. This applies to the aforementioned example as well, as using “fee” in reference to someone having to pay money for crossing the red light would be a mistake.

Written practice for languages with different writing systems

While languages like German and Italian may both have similar alphabets, ones akin to English and Korean do not. The striking differences between the writing systems are simply a precursor to placing a strong emphasis on written practice, especially if one lives in a location where this language is rarely spoken. This is because, for example, German-speaking learners of Italian do not have to worry about forgetting the writing system used in their target language. However, this does not apply to English-speaking learners of Korean, as their native language does not use Hangul. As a result, writing in the target language becomes an impactful criterion for the language learning process.

Recording their own speech

This action is more helpful than one might think. By doing so, one will have a better idea of what their speech sounds like and will be more likely to assess it thoroughly. Simply reading texts out loud or trying to answer written questions out loud is not enough. Without recording their own speech, one is more vulnerable to being biased to the way they speak. An audio file with the learner doing either of these actions, however, provides an irrefutable example of what they sound like. There is a pleasant bonus to doing this as well: it may help one track their progress as it takes place.

Revising certain topics

It is impossible to progress in a language without preserving the previously learned topics in one’s memory. This point is even more valid in the context of complicated and detailed topics, like subjunctive or the sequence of tenses. It may be a rather tedious aspect of language learning, but it is still quite crucial. By ignoring revisions, the learner will still have to resort to doing them. They’ll just have more topics to revise than they would have if they had done it sooner. Even if it seems that one remembers a topic well, returning to it may uncover some minor facts or rules that one may have forgotten.