#in my mispronounced shitty attempts at german

[tipsywench]

I've had one of those days where I think I need to scream rammstein songs on the drive home, I think that would be therapeutic

[thechekhov]

How many languages do you know? Do you have any tips for people attempting to learn new languages(especially any for people on tight budgets)? And have you ever heard of the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis?(It's really interesting and there's a great Ted talk that relates to it in a really cool way that I'd be happy to send you a link to if you'd like)

Thanks for the question! I technically speak 3 at a conversational level - English, Russian and Japanese right now. I used to take German in school but since I never use it it has been shelved inside my brain and I probably couldn’t use it anymore. 

That being said, I basically just revealed my answer to your other question: how do languages get learned? Use. How do languages get remembered? Use. If you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s it. That’s the only secret you need to know. Now and forever. Some company offering you The Fastest Way to Learn And Retain A Language? They’re lying unless their solution is to force you to use a language EVERY DAY hopefully for tasks which are absolutely necessary for you so it becomes something you NEED to keep using. 

So, I studied Linguistics in college. Basically, I think you know what this is if you watched a TEDt on the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis (more on that later). It’s the study of how languages are acquired by the human species, how they are processed in the brain, etc. And if we wanted to go back to the root of things the answer would be clear. Why did humans evolve to be able to learn language? Because it was necessary for us to use it. Because it is our greatest tool. We are expert tool-users and tool-makers. Language is, arguably, one of our most complex and most natural tools. Kids are programmed language-learning machines. They acquire language with an incredibly speed and precision. Why? Because it was necessary for the survival of our species for millenia. So if you want to learn a language? You have to use it as a tool, otherwise nothing will work out.

To learn a language, you don’t need money at all. You just need access to a library card, or a phone app, or a really kind friend. Let’s discuss first the basics of what a good language-learning tool will provide you with... 

It needs: Input, output, feedback and (on your part) lack of fear. 

1. Input is an environment in which you can learn the language. This can be anything. Ideally, you are picked up by a stork and re-deposited in a place where your target language is the ONLY language you can use and you are forced to use it to survive. That sounds really tough and mentally it’s a hike up a really tall mountain. Psychological breakdowns would probably ensue. But would it help your language ability? Absolutely.

Short of that we have a source of info. A native speaker buddy or a teacher who would teach you. A really good book. An app. Duolingo. Anything. Anything that tells you “hey, you wanna say CAT in ____? Ok, then you wanna do  X and Y and Z.”

2. Output is a chance to use the language. If you just read a book on Swahili without uttering a single word aloud or trying out any of the grammar rules, you’re screwed. Even if you memorized that book, you don’t speak Swahili. Probably nowhere close. You HAVE to use the tool in order to learn it. 

This can be in a classroom setting, in a series of worksheets where you have to write sentences, or just a chatroom with native speakers where you can try to talk to people using what you just learned. It can also technically be your kitchen, with no one around as you talk to yourself. However, this is a slippery slope because you still need...

3. Feedback is an object which listens/accepts your attempted output of a language and gives you feedback about how well you are understood. This can technically be anything - innocent bystanders who speak your target language and who are going to look confused when you mess up! Or a teacher who will politely tell you that you mispronounced the word for “food preservatives” and said “condom” instead. 

Feedback is important because if there is no one to judge your use of the tool, you don’t know how to use it well. Languages are made up of separate parts, and ideally all those separate, small parts should function well on their own in order to function well together as a sentence. Basically: If you wanna say “I want to sit in the chair.” you gotta make sure you know how to properly pronounce each of those words, otherwise it might be a disastrous jumble of nearly impossibly bodily function horror.

4. Lack of fear is something you will need because speaking languages that you don’t know well is embarrassing. Alternatively, this can be replaced with a fear of something larger than the language. Say you’re trying to make first contact with aliens who are carrying weapons and you’re not sure what exactly you need to say but the safety of your entire civilization depends on you communicating to them the idea of “No, don’t worry, we already impeached Trump. There’s no need for extreme action anymore.”  

* * *

What are some things you can do this with? Duolingo, for one. Books, for another. Lots of books. Also there’s tons of apps - like HelloTalk, or online chatrooms, youtube videos, etc. It’s entirely possible to learn a language without paying a single penny for it. All it hinges on is your determination to keep going and to continue USING the language, in one way or another. 

* ALSO, I KNOW I SAID YOU COULD USE A REALLY KIND FRIEND, BUT I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT, AND NO, PLEASE DON’T ACTUALLY ASK FRIENDS TO DO THIS FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY NOT FOR FREE. Language teaching is a really difficult job. People get qualified for it. It’s a skill. You asking your friend to just randomly do you this big favor is kinda shitty unless they’re getting something out of it too. 

And finally, for the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis... I think it’s safe to say every single Linguist learns about this really early on in their school days. To say that I’ve heard of it might be putting it lightly.

I don’t know if the TED talk mentioned this, but there’s a strong version of this and a weak version. I’m sorry to say that the strong version (that the language you speak determines how you think) is regarded as sensationalist by most Linguists and has a few holes in it. I myself am not a fan, especially because it tends to inspire really racist conclusions in some people who use it and it was the forefather of things such as “the esk*mo language has 100 words for snow” and other inane generalizations. 

The weaker version (that language may constrain thought patterns or influence thought process) has a little more leeway, but I still think that it should be used with caution for what kind of racist theories it could give way to. For example, some languages don’t have as many words for colors as English does. The conclusion might be given that these people don’t see color as well and are therefore beneath the color-seeing peoples and are ‘better’ in a way. Still, when looked at from a neuro-developmental point of view, it’s really kinda cool! Brains are weird.

Sorry that got really long. Thanks for reading!