Studying New Language

Hello there! How was your 2022 so far? What was your New Year's Resolution? Mine was to eventually start studying two new languages, namely Korean and Spanish, which I have been postponing for a decade. I will share some of my tips for keeping motivation high in learning the language in this post. 📖✍️

But before we get down to the article, do not forget to like ❤️👍 this post and subscribe 🔔 as this will help the channel grow! Also, feel free to share this link with anyone who might find these language study tips helpful ✍️

Now, without further ado, let's get down to the tips!

---

My Language Background

Most of my students asked me, "What is your native language, and how can you speak English fluently?" For starters, I was born and raised in Indonesia. There are over 800 languages spoken in Indonesia, with Indonesian (locally referred to as Bahasa Indonesia) standing as the primary lingua franca (Translators without Borders, 2021). There are 1,300 recognized ethnic groups in Indonesia with 31 most prominent tribes (Farhani, 2017). Therefore, language is indeed complicated in Indonesia.

My parent's tongues are a flavourful mix of Palembangnese (one of the tribal languages in Indonesia), Sundanese (another tribal language in Indonesia), Indonesian, Hokkien (one of the dialects in the Chinese language), and English. Hence, my daily language is gado-gado style, which refers to the Indonesian way of speaking a mixed language all at once.

So, how can I understand how to communicate well using English as my second language? My mother's efforts, the cram school I attended, and my intrinsic motivation aided my language learning when I was little. However, I am no longer a child now. Learning a language does not come as naturally and effortless as when I was little, so I need to put more motivation and endeavor into learning any foreign language.

How Did I Study Language?

Making the process as pleasurable as possible is a terrific method to learn a language effectively (MosaLingua, 2016). How do I make language learning pleasurable? Firstly, I usually choose themes that fascinate me to be more motivated to return to practice. For example, I am into self-growth, time management, and spiritual health for my non-fiction. As for fiction, I love adventure-related stories, either detective or suspense. I hunt down these materials to consume in both Korean and Spanish.

We are blessed with the internet, and there are plenty of free resources that we can use to practice the language. If you are learning English, one of the examples of the English free resources that you can access is through StudyandEtch Instagram Story, which is updated daily. 💕🎥

Secondly, I make my language journey pleasurable by creating intrinsic motivation. What is intrinsic motivation? According to Gottfried (1990), "Intrinsic motivation is animated by personal enjoyment, interest, or pleasure, whereas extrinsic motivation is governed by reinforcement contingencies" (As cited in Lai, 2011, p. 2).

I make intrinsic motivation by creating an enjoyable environment for me to study, and I learn according to my pace. I do not put a heavy or too demanding target for myself to achieve; usually, five vocabularies a day is all it takes for me to memorize. As Kwik (2020) explained, retention of what we have learned can only be made if a good impression is implied while knowing it. Stressing out due to overlearning will not be an excellent start to having a good image of the new language, will it? 📖✍️

Thirdly, I vary my learning style so that my learning stays pleasurable, not dull. Indeed, some experts advised that we pay attention and stick to our preferred learning style (MosaLingua, 2016). They suggested that we watch TV shows or movies if we are visual learners. 📺 If we prefer to learn through our ears, we can subscribe to podcasts and audiobooks available online. ▶️ If we want to read, we can get an electronic version of a book in the language we are learning. 📖📚

However, I believe that all of these sources can be utilized well to maximize our learning skills. Do not be too picky when absorbing a new language! 💕 It is an excellent time to be glutton with language materials that we can get in the new language we are learning, so we can be more familiar with the vocabs and grammar without getting bored.

Last but not least, I try to accept my failures and laugh them off. There are no magic pills in learning the language; our pronunciation, handwriting, and grammar will look super awful in the beginning. 📖✍️ But do not be disheartened!

In short, be joyful as you study a new language! Remember, children learn languages quickly because they are not afraid of failure and have a natural desire to treat everything as if it were a game (MosaLingua, 2016). Just like children, we can understand some of the essential lessons in life through our blunders, and learning a language is no exception. We will also study a language more successfully if we let go of our shyness and have fun.

Good luck in learning the language. I hope my tips are helpful for you! ❤️👍

References:

Kwik, J. (2020). Limitless (pp. 31–42). Hay House Inc.

MosaLingua. (2016, October 24). Five key strategies to learn a language effectively. MosaLingua. Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://www.mosalingua.com/en/strategies-to-learn-a-language-effectively/