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An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning
by Erik Steel
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Overview
Learning foreign languages gives you access to new literature, new people to share ideas with and learn fro, and new insight into all human communication. Although the process can often be difficult, the benefits of learning a second language tend to outweigh these concerns.
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Writing Systems
Some languages, like Hawaiian and Indonesian, use the same alphabet as English. However, some languages use modified versions of the same alphabet (Polish, Spanish) and others have their own writing systems (Russian, Hebrew, Chinese), and it is important to dedicate yourself to learning the writing system to appreciate the full value of written communication in your target language.
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Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are sounds that are semantically different but may be difficult for foreigners to distinguish. Consider the words "cut" and "cot" in English; the difference in vowel sound will be indistinguishable to some foreign speakers of English, but it is important to learn these semantically significant, unique sounds of every language for verbal communication.
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Verbs
It may be surprising to learn that not every language has the same number of verb tenses. Languages like English, German and Spanish have a large number of verb tenses; Russian only has three and marks its verbs with an additional feature called aspect, and verbs in ancient Hebrew verbs are marked only with aspect and not tense.
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Syntax
Phrases and sentences in different languages are organized in very different ways. For instance, languages are divided along in what order they place subjects, verbs and objects (English is SVO, according to Rit.edu.) Languages can also use word order to show meaning or use case systems, endings added to nouns, adjectives and pronouns to show how words function in a sentence.
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Culture
It is important to study culture alongside language, as the two are closely tied. Simply put, not every language has a word for everything, and speakers of different languages can view seemingly objective experiences (like time) differently.
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Practice
No matter what language you're working on, aim for an hour or more of practice every day with a variety of materials, including written, audio and visual. You will remember concepts more quickly and assimilate them more fully if you work for a dedicated amount of time every day.
