How to learn any language easily | Matthew Youlden | TEDxClapham

TEDx Talks2 minutes read

Learning languages offers financial, mental, and social benefits, and can be effective with daily practice and various active and passive learning methods, even without being in a foreign country. Involving others in language learning through friendly competition can enhance success, and embracing the beauty and diversity of languages can make human communication more fulfilling and efficient.

Insights

  • Many adults can become fluent in new languages later in life, despite the common belief that learning languages is challenging, as seen in places like Wales where bilingualism is prevalent.
  • Embracing active and passive language learning methods, along with involving friends in friendly competitions, can significantly enhance language acquisition, offering various financial, mental, and social benefits while making human communication more fulfilling and efficient.

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Recent questions

  • Is learning a new language beneficial?

    Yes, speaking multiple languages offers financial, mental, and social benefits.

  • Can adults become fluent in new languages?

    Yes, many adults become fluent in new languages later in life.

  • How can one effectively learn a new language?

    Shortcuts like focusing on similarities, keeping it simple, and making it relevant can aid in language learning.

  • Is it necessary to be in a foreign country to learn a language?

    No, you don't need to be in a foreign country to learn a language effectively.

  • How can one make language learning more manageable?

    Spending 30 minutes a day on language learning can be effective and manageable.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Language Learning: Challenges, Benefits, and Tips"

  • Learning a language can seem daunting, but it's a common belief among English monolinguals.
  • Many people worldwide, including in the US and Australia, share the belief that learning languages is challenging.
  • Despite this, in places like Wales, being bilingual is a common reality.
  • A significant percentage of Londoners speak a language other than English at home.
  • Learning languages is perceived as difficult, but many adults become fluent in new languages later in life.
  • Speaking multiple languages offers financial, mental, and social benefits.
  • You don't need to be in a foreign country to learn a language effectively.
  • Shortcuts like focusing on similarities, keeping it simple, and making it relevant can aid in language learning.
  • Spending 30 minutes a day on language learning can be effective and manageable.
  • Active learning methods like speaking, reading, and writing in the language should be complemented by passive methods like listening to music and watching TV shows in the language.

15:19

"Language Learning Through Friendly Competition"

  • Involving colleagues and friends in a friendly competition can significantly increase the chances of success and enhance performance when learning a new language. Learning languages, often perceived as mysterious, offers unique and beautiful ways to express ideas and concepts, making human communication a fulfilling and efficient skill. Embracing the unfamiliar in languages allows for mastering this skill, with linguistic pearls like "Ayez Les dents longues" in French (meaning 'be ambitious'), "In bocca al lupo" in Italian (meaning 'good luck'), and "Skilʹky mov ty znayesh - stilʹky raziv ty lyudyna" in Ukrainian (meaning "The more languages you know, the more people you are").
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