Learning a language is often a daunting prospect. Many of us wish we had learned a higher level language in school. However, while adults can successfully learn a new language at any age, fear or memories of struggling to remember grammar in school can hold us back.
We are both involved in language teaching and recognize the real benefits that learning another language can bring. It offers a myriad of cognitive benefits as well as cultural insight and empathic awareness.
With that in mind, we’re here to dispel five language learning myths that may be holding you back.
Myth 1: Grammar and vocabulary are important.
In fact, learning about people, history, and culture is arguably the best part of learning a language. Grammar and vocabulary are undoubtedly important aspects of language learning, but they do not exist separately from how people communicate in everyday life.
Language learning can help you develop “intercultural agility,” or the ability to relate empathetically to people whose experiences are very different from your own. To do this, you need to learn about people, history and culture.
Immersing yourself in a particular country or location, for example through study or work, is a great way to do this. But if that’s not possible, there are many other options. We can learn a lot through music, books, movies, musical theater, and games.
Myth 2: You should focus on avoiding mistakes – Mistakes are embarrassing
One of the problems with formal language learning is that it encourages us to value accuracy at all costs. To pass the exam, you need to do things “right.” And many of us feel anxious about things going wrong.
However, in real-life communication, even when using specialized language, we often make mistakes and get away with it. Think about how many times you have misspelled or said the wrong word and still been understood.
Informal language learning can encourage you to think about communication rather than accuracy.
One of the proponents of this approach is author Benny Lewis, who popularized an approach to communicative learning that he calls “language hacking,” which focuses on the language skills needed for conversation. Just like real-life travel and communication, language apps also facilitate this.
Myth 3: Starting a new language from scratch takes too much effort
Language can be used in many different ways, and the language you learn in school doesn’t have to be the only one.
In the UK, most people learn at least one of French, Spanish or German at school. These languages often serve as good apprenticeship languages, teaching you about language learning methods and grammatical structures.
But these aren’t always the languages you’re most likely to use when you’re an adult and your family or work takes you everywhere. Cultural interest may lead us to want to know more about a new language.
Learning a language that interests you personally can be very motivating and help you keep moving forward when things get a little difficult.
Myth 4: Learning a language is an individual effort
You don’t have to learn alone. Learning with others or receiving support from others can help motivate you to learn.
This could be through a multilingual marriage, joining a conversation group, or chatting on an online language learning forum. Don’t think you need to reach a certain level of proficiency before you can start reaching out to others.
Language apps can also make language learning a collective effort. You can study together with friends and family and celebrate your language learning progress.
This is something we both do with multiple generations of our families, and it helps us approach language learning with ease.
Myth 5: It’s a tough port.
Learning a language in a systematic way, whether in the classroom or through a self-study course, can be difficult. But there are some things that make this easier. We know that people are more engaged when they have a personal reason to learn. This is the case, for example, if you want to communicate with your family or travel to a particular country or region.
The increasing popularity and accessibility of language learning apps has made it possible to learn a language anytime, anywhere, often for free.
You can easily study Chinese anytime from the comfort of your armchair, whenever it’s convenient for you. The app is fun and playful and helps you stay motivated, develop vocabulary and embed grammatical structures.
There are many reasons to learn a language, and there are many benefits. We encourage you to take note of these benefits and give it a try.
