MichaelHathorus on How to Learn A Foreign Language

learn better by memorization, then you will need to practice with flashcards, but if you understand a language better by hearing it, you should listen to audio tapes and CDs as much as possible.

Tip: Practice the language every day for maximum impact and retention.

Tip: Practice thinking sentences in the language several times over and then practice it aloud.

In this case, I selected Arabic; both because it was an extremely different language from English and because it is a critical language in todays world. Arabic also forced me to start off fromthe very basics from learning how to make letters to linking them together; most European languages have special characters or accent marks which may act in the same way for you--for example German has a double "S" character (called and "S set") that looks like a strange "B" and often offers a stumbling block to students. The only cure, of course, is practicing writing the language. Another difficult part of learnign any language is the grammar involved; if you are like me, you only have a fuzzy grasp of English grammar to begin with and learning another language brings that into focus. It is important to get your hands on a good supplemental language book which covers verbs, adjectives, conjugations, and grammar rules. If you've chosen a language that is not widely learned by Americans and are having a hard time finding books in the store, you might do better with an online search. Listening and writing what you hear helps your mind make additinal pathways to store the language--the more pathways in your mind, the better you will retain the language. It is also extremely helpful to read books written in the language you want to learn; I found a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Arabic and it was a good starting point because I was familiar with the story. I thne moved on to other children's fiction mostly because the grammar is simpler and allows me to build a foundation of the language before I tried to move on to more sophisticated works like non-fiction and academic works. As a final test, I went to an Arabic restaurant and tried ordering in Arabic; the staff was helpful and understanding, correcting pronunciation and supplying words I didn't know off the top of my head.

Learning another language is more than just learning how to translate; language is intimately tied to culture, food and ways of thinking. While learning another language, you should find yourself learning more about the way of life of the native speakers and how the language has evolved over time. Many words from a variety of other languages have filtered into everyday English and you just might be surprised at how connected we really are despite linguistic differences.