How to learn (with fun) a foreign language. 1 part.

How to learn (with fun) a foreign language. 1 part.

Learning a foreign language (French, English, let's say, or Kirundi - spoken in Africa) is an incredible adventure, breathtaking, which is really worth to face. Or rather, the more unusual is the new language, the more interesting is the process, because we get into a new culture, a new world, to discover and explore. An Hungarian saying adfirms that we are so many people as many languages ​​we speak: indeed, every language is a different world, a different color in the prism formed by the immense wealth of mankind and we discover different traits and potentials in ourselves, so that we enrich ourselves, depending on what we study.
 However, as the process must not become boring, it's good to use some tricks. Here is the fruit of my experience (as I tried a lot of languages...).

· The first step to begin the study of a foreign language is MOTIVATION. It 's important to have a definite goal, a PURPOSE. I would recommend you have a greater goal and a smaller one, one more immediately accessible. For example, we can decide to study a language for some great long-term goal, usually for work (Russian business, German studies, Arabic or French to become a diplomat or even simply because we have friends who speak it, etc.etc.), or to prepare for a long stay abroad or to perform new activities, or to meet new people (maybe because we have a crush on someone from that nation!). Your greater motivation must not be only technical, devoid of passion; indeed, PASSION is essential. After all, the only, true, big goal is falling in love with the culture we want to take in: art, literature, food, history and, above all, PEOPLE.

· However, it is wise to include also the rewarding of MEDIUM TERM GOALS. SATISFACTION is  basic and motivates us, it gives us enthousiasm. For example, I might want to study Arabic to appreciate Arabic love poems  (there are many and beautiful ones), or Spanish to follow soap operas in the original version, or English to understand the songs of Celine Dion: it is important that such goals can be achieved even half way (otherwise...) and give me a great satisfaction. When we are able to read something in the language of our choice, something we had planned as our specific goal, we will feel a great satisfaction, that motivates us to move forward. It is therefore important that our goals are attainable enough quickly: for example, a trip to Spain can be accomplished much more quickly than decrypting the entire Don Quixote de la Mancha, or using this language in a law firm.

· Before we start planning the study of our language of choice, we must reflect on the fact that each one has SPECIAL NEEDS, and we must insist more on some than on others, and on fitting methods since the beginning. For example, English is notoriously easy for grammar and syntax, but difficult for phonetics and spelling: so you have to prioritize listening (I do find English hard to understand even after decades ....). In French we must pay attention to verbs and morphology, as in all languages coming from Latin, so that we have to give priority to grammar exercises and mnemonic repetition of conjugations; for Russian, we must learn first the alphabet etc. If we have problems (obviously) to identify these special needs, we can ask an expert, like a teacher. Here I recall the fields which the study of a language is divided into:

· PHONETICS (study of sounds).

· SPELLING (how to write correctly).

· MORPHOLOGY (study of grammatical forms: for example, verbs and nouns - Morfe = grammatical form).

· LOGIC ANALYSIS  (disposition and study of a single sentence).

· SYNTAX (organization of the period, consisting of several sentences).

· LEXICON.