Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

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

What constitutes a good study plan for learning languages? Developing good habits, things you enjoy doing every day, is more important than any kind of step by step plan or program. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2MCDrnt

We can improve our English speaking skills by speaking more. But if not surrounded by English speakers, the next best thing is to step up our listening and reading while waiting for more opportunities to speak. ___ Study this video as a lesson on LingQ: ​https://bit.ly/3jeJ3A7​ LingQ course of my videos as lessons: https://bit.ly/3r79JW4

BTS, the popular Korean pop group, has an appeal that represents a desire in the world for everyone to just get along and accept each other. Here I talk about how they have fun speaking different languages, especially Chinese and English. ___ Learn Korean with BTS on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2MimLRD

For all the languages that I have learned, I only attended school twice. However, in every case it was becoming an independent language learner that brought me success.

As with all the languages I’ve learned, my passion for the language, and all that surrounds it, was key to success in learning Mandarin. But lots of reading and listening helped me achieve my goals. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3oX5egl

It’s a New Year. 2021. What do I hope to achieve this year? I’ll stay on Persian and Arabic for a while and maybe go back to Turkish in the summer. We’ll see how I do. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3rS6YcC

I got turned on to French long ago and my passion for the language has stayed with me for over 50 years. In this video I share my journey to French fluency. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2WX9NuL

We don’t need more language textbooks, with limited language content, drills and explanations. We just need each other to talk about what interests us, record it, transcribe it and offer it to learners of our language. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2Ma2U70

History is one of my major motivations for learning languages, and learning languages motivates me to learn history. In this video I discuss my interest in languages, different peoples, and the course of history, with special reference to the languages I am now learning, Persian, Arabic and Turkish. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3phQkkB

When I learn languages I get into the culture and history of that language. Listening to the history in the language connects me emotionally, but I get most of my information reading in English. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3gNGHHh

When we learn a foreign language we imitate an aspect of another culture. In other words, we are entering into a foreign cultural space. This can sometimes cause difficulties. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2JMPahF

We all have language habits, ingrained from our native languages, or languages we speak well. How do we get outside these and develop new language habits? Jeremy discusses this with reference to Korean. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://www.lingq.com

When I learn languages I enjoy the process, even when I’m not sure I’m progressing. People who love fishing enjoy it even when the fish aren’t biting. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/38Op5ZO

It's always fun to practice a language we are learning with a native speaker, wherever we may find them. We shouldn't be disappointed, however, if they reply in our language. There can be many reasons for this. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://www.lingq.com

In learning languages, we discover all the many ways that people from different cultures are the same. During the process of discovering this we can learn a new language, and learning the language teaches us about the new culture. Learn a new language on LingQ: https://www.lingq.com Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com