You need to be clever to learn a foreign language right? Everyone seems to be under the impression that you need to have some special talent or a finely tuned memory in order to learn a foreign language, but is this really the case?
One point that most people fail to mention is that almost anyone is able to achieve fluency in a foreign language, in spite of not being particularly academic. It is not necessary to be a genius, but there are some factors that play a key role in the learning of a language. A CLEAR AWARENESS OF YOUR OWN LANGUAGE is a key part of becoming fluent in a foreign one. If you have a good understanding of how your native language works helps you to save time and internalise grammar rules. This is why many people claim that they did not understand their own language well until they actually took up learning another.
Language is an art, not an exact science. That is why they can be so tricky to learn.
As languages are so flexible and constantly evolving, some people find them challenging to learn and language level is actually a really difficult thing to measure. This is why it is important to take into account multiple intelligences. While some people can be quicker learners in some fields, it does not necessarily mean they will pick up a language with as much ease. One fact that seems almost impossible to ignore is the matter of memory. People who are able to retain a large amount of content that they are exposed to, obviously have a clear advantage over their peers. It is of the utmost importance to optimise the efficiency of your memory, and this is something that can be learned with mnemonics. They play a key role in the improvement of memory as they provide efficient strategies to do so, but for us mere mortals, these techniques need to be practised and perfected over a period of time.
There are in fact two other influences that hold far more importance in the learning of a language than mere academic intelligence. The first is MOTIVATION, like with almost anything in the world, the first person you need to convince is yourself. You need to be certain that one, you want to learn the language, two that you can do it and also three, that you enjoy learning. This is half the battle and will help you to overcome several language barriers. The second point is ORGANISATION. To learn a language in an effective way and thus, save time, the learner should study consistently and productively. Repetition is an essential part of our START METHOD, but the learn also need to ensure that they progress and enhance their level. That is why there is a need for structure that helps to track your language level and push you to improve.
On balance, language learning is down to many different factors that can impact on your learning. Enjoyment, motivation and enjoyment can be the golden tickets to overcoming the barriers to learning a language, and they are of course something that most of us have in abundance.
