Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

Even a keen language learner like myself needs to be nudged from time to time. That is why I join the 90-Day Challenges at LingQ. I invite others to do the same, maybe even follow me, in the languages they are studying. Join me in a LingQ language challenge: https://bit.ly/3cizpKG

Want to learn a language like I do? Join LingQ today: https://bit.ly/3yPzU8w Pitch accent has received more attention recently, especially for learners of Japanese. Do I think pitch accent is important? No. Not important.

I always emphasize input in language learning, getting the language in you through listening and reading. But how do you get started speaking? I offer some advice in this video. Learn a new language like I do, on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3ftIoL3

The Internet has changed how we learn languages. There are so many apps and so much readily available technology that it has never been easier to learn languages. Want to learn a new language? Sign up for LingQ today: https://bit.ly/3v5dZIk

Learning Japanese, and living in Tokyo for 9 years, had a profound influence on my life, especially professionally. It wasn't necessarily meant to be. It came about because of a personality conflict I had with my boss. I might have ended up in Beijing instead. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3eW6PAx

Mistakes are an essential part of language learning, a chance to notice and learn. We should welcome our mistakes. Unfortunately, school teaches us to be afraid of mistakes. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2RMwNNE

Talking, having meaningful conversations in the language we are learning, is not only a major goal for most language learners, it is a necessary part of getting to fluency. But our attitude is important. It's best to focus more on communicating meaning, and how the language is used by others, and less on how we think we sound.

We are often attracted by the appeal of 10 secrets to losing weight, seven tips for keeping your house clean, so why not 10 secrets to language learning? These secrets or tips usually get us thinking about ways to do things better. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3uqk1CQ​

The key to success in language learning is to engage with the language often and in ways that you find enjoyable. If you like doing flash cards, using spaced repetition systems, then it's worth doing. If not, this kind of learning activity won't help much. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/33fnKXO

We acquire languages gradually through input. Some people think we need to master certain basic concepts or vocabulary first as soon as possible. In fact, we acquire the most common words and structures of the language slowly and mostly if we are exposed to them often enough in natural contexts.

Given that the fastest way to learn a language is to listen and read a lot, how do you begin a language from scratch, when you don't understand anything? Here I demonstrate how I start a new language.

Neither "speaking from day one" nor "getting a good grammar book and dictionary" will enable a person to learn a language more quickly. These things can be part of a learning strategy. Mostly, however, we need to acquire the language through lots of exposure, lots of reading and listening.

A lot of language study takes place in schools. In the English language school system in Canada, very few school children outside of French immersion learn to speak French despite years of classroom instruction and testing. Why is this? ___ Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3euQz8f

Reading is the killer app for learning languages, but also for learning other things. In order to study effectively we need to work on our reading skills, and that means reading a lot. We should also take advantage of audio in order to ramp up our ability to absorb information from reading. This applies to language learning and learning other subjects as well. Study a language on LingQ: https://bi...

People ask me how long it takes to learn a language, sometimes with reference to a specific language. I feel like asking them "what's the hurry?". Just enjoy the language and enjoy whatever you are able to achieve in the language. ___ Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2OxOzTD

Russian is not only a language rich in history & literature, it’s also a gateway to other Slavic languages, which share most of the same grammatical challenges(or delights). Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cH5hsP

Are some languages harder to learn than others? Yes, think so. Some have less or more forgiving grammar. Some have unfamiliar or hard to learn writing systems. Some are harder to pronounce or have little common vocabulary with languages we know. But if we are truly motivated, it doesn't matter. ___ Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cmp2FV

In order to be successful language learners, it can help to have some sense of the learning process, what is actually going on in our brains. This can determine our learning activities and our expectations of ourselves. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cRZZKa

Three major East Asian languages, Chinese, Japanese and Korean share a lot of vocabulary, history and culture and yet each one is distinctive, and well worth learning. ___ Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3toimwJ

Here I interview Yuzzy, a Japanese exchange student at a high school in England. I ask him what he finds most difficult in English, and he doesn't know. He doesn't worry about the details. He has just absorbs the language. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3t0OLct

I don't worry about how well I speak Spanish, nor about the mistakes I make. I can't control how others react to my Spanish. I can only control how I feel about using the language, and these are feelings of pleasure and satisfaction, regardless of my level. I have always enjoyed my 60 year association with the Spanish language and culture. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2Og8i9C​

Many people attend Toastmasters sessions to practice their public speaking skills, to practice a foreign language or to meet people. Here are some ideas on how to organize your thoughts. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3kaMnwK

Japanese can take longer to learn than some European languages, but it isn’t inherently difficult. In fact, I found Japanese to be a forgiving language, one where it’s harder to make mistakes. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2M9hNXO

Learning a language while sleeping is sometimes hopefully offered as an effortless way to learn languages. I have not seen evidence that this works, or is even possible. ___ Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3s0roz9​

There’s an abundance of academic studies about vocabulary, what words do and how they’re acquired. But it’s really quite simple: listen and read and your vocabulary will grow! Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cX9x87