Learn Languages On Your Own - Part 1: Why?

I love learning languages, for many reasons, and it has become an enjoyable hobby of mine. I'm not a linguistic genius or anything, but like most people in Sweden I learned English and German in school, and since then I've been trying to learn various languages on my own, so I do have some experience in the matter.

I've had varied success in my efforts, but I've certainly learned a great deal about the process of learning a language. I thought that I'd try to share some of what I've learned with you.

This article is in three parts. This first part is mostly about why you should learn languages, why you might want to learn on your own, which language to choose and if it's even possible to learn a language as an adult. The next part is more about the how than the why, so if you've already decided to learn a language you can skip ahead to it if you want. The third part consists of various tips and tricks that I've picked up during my language studies.

Is it Possible?    

    "It's too hard"

       Setting your standards

    "It takes too much time"

    "It is too expensive"

Why Learn Languages?

    Do we always need a reason?

    The advantages

Why Learn On Your Own?

What Language Should You Learn?

Closing Comments

Obviously I think that it is very possible for people to learn more languages, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. But unfortunately not everyone thinks that it is possible for them. I know many who want to learn languages, but won't even try because they don't think that they can. They usually have a limited number of arguments for why they won't do it, and I'll give some responses to those arguments here.

"It's too hard"

I think that it's a strange argument to say that it's too hard to learn a language. They have all learned at least one language before, so why should it suddenly be impossible now?

Many would say that that's a lousy argument. They say that learning a language as an adult is much, much harder than learning it as a child, during your "formative years."

And sure, it is true that the adult brain has a bit more difficulty adapting to a new language, but I honestly think that the difference between learning a language as an adult and as a child is often exaggerated. I think that the conception that we can only learn languages as a child stems from the fact that most people only learn languages when they are young, so that's what we expect.

But adults do learn a lot of things easily, for instance when training for a new job, and learning a new a language isn't all that different from many of those skills we train as adults. Children aren't the only ones who can learn new things; if you really do want to learn a language you shouldn't let that old platitude be an excuse for not even trying. There are plenty of adults who learn languages and you shouldn't assume that they are any better than you.

Setting your standards

Even though adults can learn languages, it can still feel difficult. You shouldn't feel that it is too difficult though; most people who feel that it is all too much have generally set their standards unreasonably high. Setting high standards can be good for your learning, but they shouldn't be set so high that you get discouraged.

Before any discussion about how hard it is to learn a language we must define some terms. Most importantly we must agree on what it means to have "learned a language."

Anyone who has ever done a moderately hard crossword puzzle will know that you can speak a language your entire life and still have to go get a dictionary when a somewhat unusual word pops up. We will never learn a language perfectly; we will never learn every rule and every word, and we will certainly never learn every variation and every alternative meaning. There will never come a point when you can say "I have nothing more to learn in this language" - not even about your own language. So obviously we must set our standards lower than perfection.

Even disregarding a quest for total perfection, setting your standards too high can be very disheartening. If you, for example, start learning Russian and buy an untranslated copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace and expect to be able to read it soon, you'll probably be very disappointed. Too high expectations will lead you to feeling that you've failed, and maybe make you think that you can't do it.

But of course you shouldn't feel that you've failed. People who start learning to play the piano won't be playing Chopin perfectly within the week, and you won't be a language-virtuoso after a few days either. But just like the piano-player will be able to have a lot of fun with their playing long before they reach that level of proficiency, so will you have a lot of use out of and fun with your language skills long before you would want to call yourself really good at it.

Even though we might not get that good that fast, it's important to note that success will come. It is only if we expect too much success that we become discouraged. If you don't expect miracles, but instead look at the little victories, you are bound to notice that things progress nicely.

Take me, for instance. My command of the English language is by no means perfect. I am certain that you can find several mistakes in every text that I write, but my skills seem to be good enough for my purposes.

I've been writing and posting stuff online in English on and off for several years, and I have never had any serious complaints the way I use the language in my posts. Not even several years ago when my English was in worse shape than it is now. So it is certainly possible to get a good grasp of a language, even if perfection isn't possible in any language.

And an additional note is important too. I mentioned before that expecting to read War and Peace in Russian after the first week or so is a pipe dream. But that doesn't mean that is an unachievable goal by any means. I have read complex literature in both English and German, and I have high hopes of doing the same in Japanese and other languages one day. Even if you have to set your standards low from the start you shouldn't see that as an indication that it is impossible to get really good at a language; you'll be able to gradually raise the bar as time goes on.

"It takes too much time"

Here is a clincher for many people. They feel that learning a language will take lots and lots of time. Unfortunately, they are right; learning a language is going to be a big investment in time. There will be many hours of studying before you can confidently say "I speak this language" and in all probability it will take more time than you first thought.

This doesn't have to be an insurmountable obstacle though.

Most people have busy lives, but this doesn't have to stop you from putting some time towards your new hobby of learning a language. With the right tools you can utilize many moments of your day that would be hard to use for any other hobby.

With a portable audio player you can listen to audio courses while you travel, work out, mow the lawn, do the dishes or any other activity. You can bring a little stack of cards with words and phrases to test yourself on and memorize when you stand in an elevator or escalator, or whenever you have a little extra time. You can watch an episode of a video course in the evening instead of that stupid sitcom that you don't really like anyway. You can be creative and find even more ways of utilizing little moments of spare time where it would be hard to fit any other activity.

If you just want to learn a language you will probably find the time, one way or another.

"It is too expensive"

When seen as a hobby, learning a language can be seen as anything from very cheap to very expensive.

For almost anyone it will very much cheaper than buying and maintaining a motorcycle, but a lot more expensive than doing crossword puzzles. The amount it will cost you can vary very much depending on how you learn, but in my experience it is comparable to knitting.

Knitting isn't an expensive hobby, but it isn't always as cheap as one might think. Once you have a good collection of knitting needles of various sizes and some different kinds of yarn in some different colors you'll have racked up some expenses. But most people could afford to knit if they want to, and most people can afford to learn a new language.

As I will mention in the next part, I would recommend that you buy at least one professionally made audio or video course, so that you can actually hear the language and also get some structure to your studies. A course like that can cost you up to several hundred dollars, which might be prohibitively expensive to many. But there are ways around that.

One important thing to remember is that many give up when they are trying to learn languages. There are many for whom success didn't come quickly or easily enough, and these people often have a drawer filled with discarded language CDs and other learning material. That is unfortunate for them, but it can be really fortunate for you if you are short on money. If a new language course is too expensive for you, make sure to look around eBay, Craigslist and similar sites and you'll usually find a wealth of discarded language material that people want to get rid of. Amazon frequently has great deals on used stuff too.

Something else that I will mention again is that you should always take advantage of the fact that we live in modern times (check out part 3 of this series for more on that). If you search the Internet you will find a lot of totally free resources, ranging from simple text documents like this to videos on sites like YouTube, Vimeo and other video sites. And of course you shouldn't forget to utilize your local library either; sometimes even a small library can surprise you with what kind of language materials they have in stock.

Do we always need a reason?

Learning a language should be fun for you. If you're not having fun you shouldn't do it, unless you really, really have to. If you see it as an enjoyable hobby, learning a language is a reward in itself. Any hobby, be it knitting, gardening, origami, playing chess, learning a language or whatever it might be, should be done primarily for the fun of it. And, as I will mention many times, it is also easier to learn if you're having fun.

There are many reasons to find learning a new language fun. I personally love learning new skills of any kind, I love the unique challenge of learning a language and I find it immensely interesting to study the ties between different languages and the culture in which the evolved. And I am certain that you will find your own reason for finding the studying itself fun.

But even the most enjoyable of hobbies can bring you many advantages, and of course there are always advantages to learning a new skill.

The advantages

If you are the kind of person who want more advantages out of a hobby than merely having fun, you might wonder why you would bother learning a language today. If you are reading this you probably already know English (and if you don't know English I certainly congratulate you on getting this far) and for most people that would seem to be sufficient.

And it's true, it usually is sufficient, even if you go to non-English speaking parts of the world. My parents, for example, love to travel and they have visited dozens of countries all over the world and have always been able to communicate using nothing but English and a friendly disposition.

So, no, I would say that languages other than English are rarely strictly necessary. But it can still bring you numerous advantages.

Of course language skills will always look good on your resume, especially if you are applying for any type of job where you will be dealing directly with clients that might come from different linguistic backgrounds.

The advantage that I am most familiar with though, is the pleasure of enjoying culture in its original language. Once you know a language well enough to start enjoying humor, poetry and other modes of expression in that language you will quickly notice how inadequate any translations you've come across before are. Many things are very hard to translate and usually the fine nuances of any art are lost in translation. Whether you like Russian novels, French poetry, Italian stand-up, Japanese anime, Bulgarian indie movies or whatever your taste might be, you will probably find that your enjoyment of the culture is heightened by an increased understanding of the language it was originally made in.

If you like to travel you will probably notice that even though it isn't exactly necessary to know the native language of the place you're going to, it can be advantageous and highly appreciated. If you go to any place that has a lot of tourism you will probably notice that the people living there loves any attempt you make to get learn their language and culture.

Most typical tourist places mostly get tourists who don't care at all. People go away to relax and they are just interested in the sun and ocean, the snow and mountains, the shopping, or whatever might be there. What people might be living by the beautiful beaches is inconsequential to most tourists. If you don't act like a typical tourist and actually take some interest, and show that by speaking (or at least trying to speak) the local language, I promise you that you will get a positive response from almost everyone.

A special case of this is local cuisine. If you go somewhere where the food is generally very spicy or is "weird" in some other way, you should know that restaurants at places frequented by tourists are likely to tone it down for the sake of sensitive visitors. Again, many tourists aren't interested; they don't want local food, they just want to relax in a place with better weather and would prefer to eat what they are used to. I even know people who bring their own food from home when traveling halfway around the world.

If you aren't like that, if you actually like the food at the place you're going to and want the "real deal", it can be very advantageous to know the language. Asking for a local specialty by it's proper name in the local language will make you seem like you're not a tourist and consequently let you be treated like you're not one. I know plenty of people who have had varied success with this, ranging from casual compliments of their command of the language, to better versions of the dishes on the menu, to offers of things that aren't even on the menu. One thing is for certain; it is never a bad idea to order in the local language instead of English, no matter how good the serving staff understands English.

Languages can also be a good way to find new friends. Ever since I first started learning German in sixth grade I've found that it has helped me making friends among the many German tourists who come from Sweden. That is also how I got my very first girlfriend, and I won't deny that might have contributed greatly to my interest in languages. I met her only months after my language studies had begun and I didn't know much at all, but she was so impressed that things went very smoothly from there, and an experience like that will give any guy a more positive outlook on something.

Of course it doesn't just help you talk with those who are already fluent in the language, it's also a great way to get into conversations with others who are learning the language too.  

And besides all those things I am certain that you will also find things that are of an advantage to you personally.

I have learned two languages in school, in a classical a classroom setting, and I must say that it is a good way to go. As long as you have decent teachers and decent study material, learning in a classroom can have its definite advantages. But a classroom isn't at all indispensable, and in many cases it might not even be preferable. Let's face it; classroom learning isn't for everyone.

First of all, most of the people who read this are probably already done with school, and have no wish to go back there.

Most people don't want to go to school for more than (at most) one period. After that they want to be done with it and if they are forced to sit in a classroom for a class again they will often feel incredibly bored just by being there. And if you are bored you won't learn effectively, the brain needs some positive stimulation for it to work hard for you.

Secondly, language classes with a teacher can be very expensive.

If you are lucky you can find classes that are cheap or free, but this depends a lot on where you are and in general it will cost you a lot to have a teacher and a place to study. It is probably more common that you won't find any classes at all in the language that you are interested in.

Finally, and this is a big one too me, it can take up very much time.

That might sound counterintuitive. You would suspect that learning in a classroom would be more efficient than learning on your own and take up less time, not more.

This is probably true, for most people. As long as the class, teacher and classmates are decent and you aren't too depressed by being in a classroom, you'll probably learn faster that way than on your own. But even though it might take up less time all in all, it might take up too much time at one time.

In this modern, high stress world there are many who don't have much extra time available in their day. There are many who can't take several hours off their day every week (or maybe even several times a week) to travel to a school and sit through a class. But as previously mentioned, most people can find some shorter moments all throughout their day to do some studying.

Another important thing to notice is of course that even if you do study in a classic classroom environment there is nothing stopping you from learning more efficiently by studying on your own too.

This might seem like a stupid question; normally people have some reason for wanting to learn a language and they will obviously know what language they want to study. But some people might be interested in several languages and are wondering which they should start with.

While that isn't an easily answered question, there is one main thing to think about. When all else has been accounted for; when you know if there is any language you must learn and you know what is most important to you, there is mostly one important factor to consider. You need to find what is the most fun for you.

As I've mentioned before, and as I will mention again, having fun is an important key to learning efficiently. Dedicated studies will always give results, but it's very much harder to be dedicated if you don't like what you're doing.

If you start try to learn a language and find that it becomes nothing but a chore to you; if you feel that the language is starting to sound less and less attractive every time you hear it and that it has grammar of a type that isn't fun at all for you to learn... Then feel free to switch to another language.

If you aren't forced in one way or another to learn that particular language, you will probably have much more fun and much more success with another. Then, when you have had success with your new pick, you can also feel free to go back to the original language. Things might feel a lot better on a second try. Don't feel like you've failed if you decide to drop a language in favor of another, just look at it as a putting on hold while you do a tactical retreat and regroup your forces.

If you want to learn more than one language you should consider what language group they belong to. Some languages are more closely related than others; if you learn Spanish you'll have almost half of the Italian language for free, if you learn Danish you'll have a pretty decent understanding of Swedish and Norwegian, and so on.

So if you want to learn several languages and some of them are in the same group (if you don't know if the languages are related just look them up on Wikipedia; there is detailed information about most languages) you have a choice to make. If you want to learn as many languages as possible as efficiently as possible, start with ones that are in the same group and reap the advantages of their overlap. If you are very serious about your language learning hobby though, you might enjoy learning languages that have no real connection, to experience the difference. Of course it's all up to you to decide what is the most interesting.

Another thing you might want to consider is the language's popularity. The number of people who speak the language will of course affect how "useful" the language is, but it is also affects how easy it is to find material for learning it. Obviously the big companies that produce language courses have put the most time into the ones that will sell the best, so if you choose a popular language it will be more likely that there is a lot of stuff out there to help you in your studies.

If you want the raw numbers Wikipedia has a list of languages ordered by number of speakers. That can give a good indication, but if you're wondering how it will affect your language studies it can be easier to go to a website that sells a language course that is available in several different languages. You can for instance go to the Berlitz website and search for your languages and see what turns up for each one, or check out the Pimsleur courses.

The Pimsleur page in particular can be useful for quickly gauging how much study material might be available in a particular language. For instance, they'll offer you 90 lessons or more in popular languages like Japanese or German, but there are only ten lesson-programs for a less popular language like Swedish. Of course other companies might offer more for the languages that there aren't many Pimsleur courses for, but in general it seems to be a pretty accurate indicator to look at.

Of course it is again up to you to decide how to use that information. If you are interested in a very popular and a less popular language it can be easiest to begin with the popular one. But it might also be more fun and more of an interesting challenge to learn a less popular language, so you'll have to decide how much of a challenge you want

I would like to close by saying that learning a language is a very personal experience. What is hard for one person might be easy for someone else, expensive to one might be cheap to another, what is a lot of time for you might be nothing to someone else. Nothing I've said will fit everyone perfectly.

But something I will say and stand for is that it is possible to learn a new language as long as you want to. It might take some work, some time and some money, but it shouldn't be too bad. A lot of popular hobbies are more costly both in time, money and effort. You will have to make a commitment, but if you want to you can do it.

So, if I have you hooked on the idea of learning a new language I would like to invite you to the second part of this series, to see how I think it could be done.