Learning Languages

Howdy, y'all! 🤠

I wanted to do something different this week.  I want to talk about languages.  Cause I love LOVE to learn a new language.  Especially one that has pertinence (aka something I'll use in my lifetime)!  So I wanted to share with y'all the reasons why learning a new language is a good thing and why I chose the ones I'm learning/have learned now!

So to start with...
Learning a new language gives you a new mental space.  It challenges you to learn something new and makes your brain work to memorize new words and grammar!  It's not easy especially if you pick a language outside of the Indo-European languages (aka...Arabic, Turkish, Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Burmese, Vietnamese, Dutch, Hebrew, Swahili, and more)!  Right now I'm going a little out of my comfort zone and learning Swahili!  It is the 5th most spoken language in the world mainly focusing on Africa, however many people in the Middle and South East speak it as well.  It's easier to learn than Arabic because you read it the same way as English and you aren't learning a new alphabet.  I know...like "Why is she learning a language she'll likely never use?"  The fact is, I might not use it now, but knowing more than one other language is a good thing! My goal is to learn a language widely spoken on each continent. 
I've already learned German, which is spoken in more countries than in Germany.  It is a widely used language in Brazil, and countries surrounding Germany, and you can find people in most European countries that speak German or English.  So I'm covered there.  
Spanish.  I'm currently 1/4 of the way through a Spanish course, which covers South America (I haven't learned dialects yet, but like I said, most everyone speaks Mexican Spanish or English in South America) and parts of Europe, depending on your location.  
Russian.  This is a language I haven't learned yet, but it is on my list.  Russia is on the European Continent, but it isn't necessarily used in Western Europe.  People in East Europe, on the other hand, will know Russian or a dialect of Russian that will help us understand each other.  
And then there's the Asian Continent.  As many languages that are spoken they are none alike.  You would think that Mandarin speakers can understand Hong Kong Chinese?  Nope! Not one bit.  So maybe I will learn Mandarin (it is the MOST spoken language in the world with 939 million speakers, as of 2023), or Japanese (considered the toughest language to learn in the world, with 123 million speakers).  
So those are the languages I am interested in learning! 

Learning a language also gives you a chance to look into different cultures!
It'll show you a different side of things than you may be used to looking at.  For example.  Many of us learned Spanish in High School!  That is coming in handy now with Spanish being the 2nd used language in North America!  I'm not saying that the people coming over illegally are right.  I heartily agree they should be sent back.  However, the ones here legally; who just want a start in a country where they have rights, are great!  America was founded as a safe haven for people who didn't want to live in tyranny!  Except for the American Indians of course 😂, they were already here.  America became a country, because of people escaping from tyranny.  So in my personal opinion, them coming here is fine!  In order to live here it would be good if they learned English, but that takes time.  Did you know it takes over 15-20 years to actually become fluent in a language you didn't grow up hearing?!  (That doesn't mean that you can't learn a language if you're past a certain age.  You can still learn a language but unless you are constantly using it, you won't be fluent in it.  That's why I said 15-20 years.  If you go to Mexico and live there for 5 years you will probably be mostly fluent in Spanish.  But unless you do that, then it will take a long time to be fluent). So for example...all these Mexicans you hear in stores or washing your car speaking broken English... are learning!  They know more English when you meet them than they did when they first came!  I mean, say you go to their country?  They aren't gonna want you to be fluent in their language and speak only their speech when talking!  Most of them think it's awesome that someone wants to learn their language!  

Evangelizing 
You're probably like..."What?  Learning a new language is suitable for evangelizing?"  Yes.  But mainly because some religions won't believe what you say unless you've read their Bible in that language.  Even though they don't read it themselves, they aren't going to take what you have as real, unless you quote it exactly in that language.  You've probably already figured out I'm speaking specifically of the Muslim religion.  They are one of the biggest religions in the world. Next to Christianity and Catholicism.  If you try to evangelize to people of the Muslim religion, they will be like "How do you know what you're talking about?  Have you read the Quran?  Have you read it in the original language of Arabic?"  If you say no to the questions, they won't take you seriously. Also learning a language specifically for studying the religion is committing to it.  For example, a lot of people learn Hebrew and Greek to study the original scripts of the Bible.  So learning a language specifically for studying that religion can be very helpful in Evangelizing!  

Don't learn 2 languages at once...
I'm sure you've heard this saying before.  Don't learn 2 languages at once.  Or maybe you've heard that you can learn multiple languages at once.  I'm saying right here and now, you can't.  I have tried it and I've also done research with multiple polyglots around the world saying "Learn one language at a time".  You can take a break from a language and start another language, but I would make sure you are comfortable enough in that language to be able to come back to it without forgetting the basic grammar and words.  But, it isn't recommended.  To maximize the ability to study a language quickly, I would suggest listening to things in that language.  So if you're learning Spanish, watch TV shows or movies in that language without subtitles, then go back and watch it with subtitles.  Also, read books, news articles, and that kind of thing in Spanish.  I would also practice speaking.  You could get a buddy and have them ask you questions in Spanish and you respond.  And not 2-3 word sentences, but actually use all the vocabulary you know and grammar you know and put together really good sentences.  You could also do some of your language learning right before bed.  It would help you retain some words and grammar.  Other than that, you will figure things out as you go along as to what works and what doesn't.  Especially since everyone's brain is different and processes things differently.  

Duolingo
Duolingo is a very good platform to learn over 20 languages for free!  It teaches you everything from how to speak, to proper grammar, vocabulary, and more!  It is super easy as well!  You can pay for the paid version which gives you more things to do such as practicing words, speaking, listening, etc.  I pay for the paid version and it has helped me go sooo much farther!  I am now on a 290-day streak!  

Babbel
I've heard that Babbel is good as well, helping you learn conversational languages in a short amount of time.  However, I think you have to pay for it from the get-go.  There's no free stuff. 

Rosetta Stone
Ok.  I am not a fan of Rosetta Stone.  It only shows you vocabulary.  Not how to put words together to make proper sentences.  It also doesn't explain how to say certain things and WHY they are said.  We literally spent 6 years learning Spanish on Rosetta Stone and none of us made it past section 2.  It was so discouraging and turned me off from Spanish for several years.  It wasn't until after high school (where I learned German for 3 years) that I felt like learning Spanish again.  It was considered "the most purchased language instructor" for several years.  "Most purchased".  Not "Most Used".  It's also ridiculously expensive.  But, that was many years ago, it might not be that way anymore, but...I would have to say that Duolingo or even Babbel would be a much better option.  

So there you have it!  Learning languages is fun, helpful, and a great way to learn so much more about the world and different cultures.  It's also a great way to keep your brain in shape!  

Trust Christ, Follow Him, and He will Lead the Way! ~Charity/Soaring Hummingbird