| Learn Language By Repetition |
If you practice a language over and over again, you naturally will be become better at the language.
The techniques mentioned below are not scientific or proven in the world of academia. The techniques below are based on real life experiences with learning languages and can be used as a guide to anyone that really desires to learn or master any language. Some techniques may be more effective than others, but all efforts will help you on your path of learning languages.
Instant Repetition
As soon as you learn something new in the language, whether from TV, a friend, a native speaker, radio, repeat it out loud over and over, for as many times as you can. Take a pause between each time you say it, to give your mind a chance to understand what it is you are saying. Then try to simulate the feelings that you need while saying the new word / phrase that you have learned. You should not expect to memorize fully the word / phrase at this point, but you are in effect training your mind to accept the word / phrase for use later on. In some cases, if you are very interested in what it is you are learning, instant repetition may help you to remember right away. In other cases, you will need to be reminded later what the meaning is. In all cases, this is an effective techinique to use when mastering any language.
Example 1
You are in the process of learning the Albanian language and know a native speaker of Albanian. In the morning, when you arrive and see your Albanian friend, you want to say "How are you?" in Albanian. Your Albanian friend tells you that to say "How are you?" in Albanian is "Si je sot? (See yay soht)". Using your instant repetition technique, you would respond as repeat as follows:
OK. Si je sot?.... Si je sot?.... Si je sot?
Then speaking to the Albanian friend, you then say: Si jet sot? Your friend would help you to make sure the accent is right on the sound and pronuciation. Continue to practice with your friend a little more, but don't try to be perfect at this point. When you walk away from your friend, continue to repeat to yourself just a few times "Si je sot?", "Si je sot?", "Si je sot?". You are training your mind to understand and hear the phrase "Si je sot?".
The next day, you see your friend and you are ready to say "How are you?" in Albanian, you are not sure what it is and make an attempt. It comes out "Si me son?" -- Ooops.... But that is OK. Start again at this point and practice "Si je sot?", "Si je sot?", "Si je sot?" --- eventually, you will arrive to work with your Albanian friend and you will no longer be inclined to say "How are you?" in English first, but will think and say "Si je sot?" in Albanian out of reflex. Your ability to repeat what you learn and practice in repetition is powerful.
Example 2
You are attempting to learn the Chinese language and at a Chinese restaurant while enjoying amazing Chinese cuisine. At the end of your meal, when you are ready to pay the bill, you want to say "Thank you" for the service to the waitress in Chinese. However, you do not know how to say this yet. When the waitress arrives with the bill, you quickly say "Thank you" in English and then ask "How do you say Thank You in Chinese?" (with a kind smile on your face). In most cases, the your waitress will gladly respond with "Shay Shay", which means "Thank You" in Chinese. You then immediately say to her, "Shay Shay" and she will respond to you in Chinese "Boo Kha Tchee", which means "You're Welcome" in Chinese. You both smile. As the waitress walks away, you quickly repeat to yourself a few times, "Shay shay", "Shay shay", "Shay shay". As you are leaving the restaurant, you say "Shay Shay" to the attendant at the front door. You continue to repeat it as much as you like until you think you've got it. Keep in mind that during this process you may feel a little nervous or shy when practicing. That is OK. Your eager attempts to learn will help you gain the confidence to grow even more.
Reading In Repetition
Let's assume you are learning the language, and that you are familiar with the basic alphabet in the language. With this basic familiarity, you are able to attempt to sound out words in the language. At this point is when you are ready for reading in repetition. You can pick out a small excerpt, poem, lines from a song or other that you are interested in learning. It is not expected at this point that you understand any of what you will be reading. Now, start reading that selected text out loud as much as possible, in the way you believe it is meant to be said. Practice it, even though it may feel like nonsense and not doing anything, this allows you mind to start taking on the challenge of understanding what it is you are reading. Read this over and over, day after day, and keep reading until it is so natural that you can repeat it from memory. Then, move onto the next reading. Once in a while, re-read the readings to give your mind a refresh. Eventually, when you learn enough in the language, the readings will make sense to you and that will serve as a deep-rooted foundation to your language journey.
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