Language Trainers Blog

When learning a language it can be useful to have some goals and targets to aim for. Many learners have long-term goals, such as wanting to be fluent in the language their learning eventually. This is a good thing to aim for, but that ‘eventually’ may never arrive.

It might be more helpful to set yourself short-term goals and targets, such as being able to talk about a particular subject, or learning a particular grammatical rule or set of rules. You could try breaking each big goal into smaller tasks which are relatively easy to achieve. These could be things you aim for every day, every week or every month. You could aim to learn perhaps 5-10 new words about a particular topic each day and to focus on it for a week or a month, depending on how deep you want to go into it. You could also try talking and/or writing about what you’re learning to practise using the new words.

By focussing on particular topics you will learn words in context, which is much more effective then trying to learn long lists of random words, and maybe you’ll learn new things about the topics themselves as well.

You could also set yourself the goal or doing particular tasks using only the language you’re learning. This might involve ordering a meal, finding particular information from written or spoken sources, joining in a conversation, or even giving a talk or presentation about what you’re learning.

Many parents would like their children to grow up speaking two or more languages. If each parent is a native speaker of a different language and they speak those languages to the children, the children will acquire both languages. This is called the one parent one language method (OPOL).

In other families the parents may share the same native languages and speak other languages fluently as well. They could try speaking their foreign languages to the children at certain times or on certain days, but this can be difficult to stick to.

The language situations within families, and in the communities in which they live, differ quite a lot, so the arrangements for raising children bilingually need to be taylored to the circumstances, and quite a bit of flexibility may be necessary. If parents stick rigedly to one particular arrangement, the children might refuse to cooperate, and this can be a source of friction within the family.

If a family lives in a community where one language is spoken, but speak another at home, the children might refuse to speak the home language once they realise that nobody outside their home speaks it. This is especially a problem with minority languages that aren’t widely spoken. However the children might be more willing to use the home language if they have regular contact with other people who speak it, such as relatives, or if the family makes visits another country or region where the home language is spoken.

Fortunately there’s plenty of advice available online, and quite a few parents write blogs about their experiences with bilingual child raising.

Learning a language that was formerly spoken in your family can be a way to enhance your identity as a member of a particular ethnic or cultural group. It can also help you understand the culture and thought processes of your ancestors.

Alternatively you might consider learning a minority language spoken in the area where you live and/or work. This can help you become part of the community of people who speak that language and might open all sorts of interesting opportunities.

In either case you could try try to learn as much of the language as possible, or just some basic phrases to throw into your conversations when you get the opportunity. Even if you don’t intend to learn more than the basics, you might find yourself becoming more and more interested in the language and learning much more of it.

If you learn a minority language, for example Luxembourgish in Luxembourg, Navajo in New Mexico or Basque in Spain, you are demonstrating your respect and conmittment to the local language and culture, which people are likely to appreciate. They may also treat you differently (in a good way) as a result. If the language in question is endangered, as many minority languages are,  by learning it and using it you are playing a part in keeping it alive.

When studying one language you may sometimes feel the urge to find out more about other languages. These might be languages related to the language you’re learning, or completely different languages. This is something you could call linguistic dabbling or flirting – an activity you engage in while remaining loyal to one language.

If you try to read something or listen to something in a language closely related to the one you’re learning, you might be surprised by how much you can understand. For example, if you’re learning Spanish and you try to read Portuguese or Italian you will probably be able to make some sense of them.

If you dabble with an unrelated language there will probably be very little you can understand, but if you’re listening to a news report, for example, the names of people and places, and international words will give you some clues to what’s going on.

Apart from being an interesting exercise and challenge, after dabbling with other languages your main language will seem much easier in comparison. So it can be a good way to motivate yourself.

While it can be useful to learn languages in classes, this still of learning does not suit everyone. There are alternative ways of learning languages that be preferable for some people.

One alternative way is to study on your own and to take part in activities taught through the language you’re learning. For example, I’ve been learning Welsh mainly on my own and recently joined a choir for Welsh learners, which gives me plenty of opportunities to use my Welsh doing something I really enjoy – singing. The songs we sing are all in Welsh, our conductor teaches them through Welsh, we chat amongst ourselves in Welsh as well. I am also looking for other activities involving Welsh that I could take in.

So I would recommend trying find an activity taught through or involving the language you’re learning in some way. This may be something you already do, or something new that you can learn through the medium of the foreign language. If you’re going to language classes your teachers might be able to advise you whether such activities are available in your area, or might run some themselves. As well as being a good alternative to classes, joining in with such activities can be an opportunity to put what you’re learning in class into practice.

When learning a language it is important that you use every opportunity you can find or create to practise listening to, speaking, reading and writing the language.

If the language you’re learning isn’t spoken in your area and you’ll probably have few opportunities to practise speaking it with others, though you could talk to yourself, and/or find language exchange partners online. One other useful way to practise using your language is to write it, which I find not only helps to improve my writing abilities, but also improves my reading and speaking as I tend to read aloud what I’ve written. It helps if you have a purpose for writing the language, such as corresponding with penpals, writing a diary or blog, gathering information, and so on.

If you haven’t written the language much before you’ll probably find it quite difficult at first and have to look up many words and check a lot of the grammar. So it’s best to start using short, simple sentences. As your writing ability improves those sentences will probably get longer and more complex.

In some ways I think learning a language as you’re using it is quite an effective way to study.  You can learn new vocabulary and grammar as you need it, and by using it in context in sentences you’ve composed, you’re more likely to remember it. If you can get feedback and corrections from native or fluent speakers, even better.

Proverbs provide interesting insights into the ways speakers of different languages view the world. In Czech, for example, there are no cakes without work – bez práce nejsou koláče – which seems to imply that cakes are something worth having, but you can only have them if you work for them.

Here are a few other Czech proverbs:

Co na srdci, to na jazyku = “what is in the heart, that on the tongue” – is used to tell people that they shouldn’t speak too frankly. Apparently the English equivalent of this one is “Dutch uncle”, though I’ve never heard it.

Host do domu, bůh do domu = “guest in the house, god in the house”, perhaps the equivalent of saying “my house is your house” to guests.

Host a ryba třetí den smrdí = “a guest and a fish stink on the third day” apparently the equivalent of “Guests and fish stink after three days”, another one I haven’t heard before. Perhaps “don’t outstay your welcome” is also an equivalent. It’s interesting that guests are equated with gods, but start to stink after three days.

Komu se nelení, tomu se zelení = “he who is not lazy shall get much green” or “he who is not lazy will be successful” – it’s interesting that green is associated with success. Perhaps it refers to the amount of land you won’t get if you’re lazy.

Žádný učený z nebe nespadl = “Wise men don’t fall from the sky” – knowledge doesn’t come easily. Like many proverbs, this one reminds people that effort is need in order to obtain something.

Kolik řečí znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem = “How many languages you know, the more a person you are” or “You live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once.” – this is one of my favourite proverbs.

You’ve probably heard of people who speak large numbers of languages. Some such claims are genuine, others may be slight exaggerations. Some people, for example, will claim to speak languages even though they only have a smattering of them, I’ve done this myself at times, while others will not say they speak a language unless they do so really well. I now lean towards to latter position and try not to exaggerate my language skills too much.

There may be an upper limit for the number of languages you can really master. Exactly what this limit is varies from person to person, perhaps, though I suspect that if you want to speak them as well as your native language, the limit may be somewhere between five and ten.

On the other hand, if you’re satisfied with a acquiring a good conversational and/or reading ability rather than complete mastery, you can probably learn a lot more languages. There are people, known as hyperpolyglots, who claim to speak 50 or more languages. How do they do it? Well, you don’t have to be a genius or to have a gift for languages to become a hyperpolyglot, according to this article. In fact anyone could become a hyperglot, and you don’t have to have a high IQ or a special gift. Instead you need endless reserves of enthusiasm, dedication, interest, patience and focus, as well as a willingness to make mistakes and learn from them. Some hyperpolyglots devote their lives to languages and never stop studying them.

If you’re learning languages for practical reasons, it’s probably best to concentrate on one or two and to learn them really well. If you just enjoy learning languages though, why not try and learn as many as you can.

The French word siroter means to sip or savour and is used in informal settings. In French definitions of this word include: boire lentement, en dégustant, and boire à petites gorgées, which, along with boire à petits coups, is also a more formal version of siroter.

Here are some examples of usage:

• Nous avons siroté un verre d’Armagnac – We savored a glass of Armagnac
• Si tu sirotes le café, tu l’apprécieras mieux – If you sip the coffee, you’ll enjoy it more
• Il sirote son vin – He’s sipping / savouring his wine

siroter de l’eau à la paille – to sip water through/with a straw

Related words and phrases include:

• siroteur/siroteuse – sipper / one who sips/savours
• boire – to drink; déguster – to taste; savourer – to savour; apprécier – to appreciate
• il a bu une petite gorgée – he took a little sip
• voulez vous une petite gorgée de rhum? – would you like a sip of rum?
• boire à grand bruit – to slurp
• boire comme un trou – to drink like a fish (lit. “drink like a hole)

Over the past decade or so the numbers of Polish people working abroad, especially in the UK and Ireland, has increased dramatically. So the likelyhood of you encounting Polish speakers is high.

Since 2004 the demand for Polish language courses has increased by an estimated 50%, according to this article, and many more institutions have started offering Polish language courses, both in Poland and elsewhere.

In Poland you can learn Polish in private language schools that teach only Polish, language schools that teach a variety of languages including Polish, or in universities. Some Polish courses are also available in the UK and Ireland.

Polish (polski) is a Western Slavic language closely related to Slovak and Czech and has about 40 million speakers. It is the 6th most spoken language in the EU and there is a great demand for Polish speaking translators and interpreters in EU institutions such as the European Parliament. So your job prospects would be good if you learnt it.

While it has a reputation for being hard due to its complex grammar and challenging pronunciation and spelling, Polish is a fascinating language and well worth the effort it takes to learn it.

Here are a few useful phrases in Polish:

• Cześć – hello / hi
• Jak się masz – How are you?
• Poproszę piwo – a beer please
• Dziękuję – thanks
• Na zdrowie! – Cheers!

More Polish phrases