Making Language Learning Fun

 

In the middle of difficulty lie opportunity.

John Archibald Wheeler

⏱ Reading time: 4 minutes

If you’re reading this, you may be at a point where you’ve begun to realize that language learning can be daunting. That point may even be the first day of studying. Research shows that anxiety is typically at its highest and enjoyment at its lowest in the earliest stages of language learning (see, for example, this study).

There’s no denying that the challenges you face in learning ASL or Spanish or Khmer (or whatever language you’ve chosen) are real and…well, challenging! But the stories from Korean and Arabic learners highlighted in this post aim to remind you that it can also be fun.

Connecting to Culture

Learning a language is like opening a door; behind the door lies a whole new culture (or cultures!) and way of life.

Sydney began learning Korean after getting a glimpse behind the door through exposure to TV dramas and music produced in the Korean language. She wanted to do more than just peek behind the door, so she began studying—first on her own, then later enrolling in college courses. When the going gets tough, Sydney stays focused on the reason she started: to have fun! Her enjoyment of K-pop and K-dramas has grown as she’s progressed in learning Korean. At the same time, this has fed her enjoyment of the learning process itself, keeping her motivated even on days when challenging concepts threatened to cancel out that enjoyment.

Korean media happens to be popular worldwide, even amongst people who don’t speak the language. That might not be the case for the language that you are studying. However, in this digital age, we can pretty much guarantee you that there is literature, music, and other forms of media online to be enjoyed in your target language. Find what you enjoy of what’s available. It may take some searching, but it will surely enrich your language study and make it more fun.

Becoming a New Person

Many language learners report feeling like completely different people when speaking another language. (See this article for more on this phenomenon.)

For some, it can be enjoyable and even feel liberating to reinvent themselves in this way. Remember Gustaf, whose story highlighted how even introverts can excel at language learning? Gustaf says that his hunger for learning languages comes from the ability they give him to become a new person. He shared with us that he had trouble making friends as a child, but that began to change for him as he learned his first foreign language: Korean.

Living in South Korea for a time, he discovered how learning the language opened up opportunities for him he had never known. He became a new person as he spoke this new language, which he used to meet people and make meaningful friendships. He went on to learn Arabic too and excelled at it. In Korea and later in Jordan and Morocco, speaking Korean and Arabic, Gustaf was far more successful at making friends than he had been before.

For Gustaf, learning to speak a new language means learning to be a new person. How can you become a new person through your language study? You likely won’t notice any drastic changes in yourself automatically, but as you apply yourself to the language as diligently as Gustaf does, you may find yourself making (conscious or subconscious) choices to be more outgoing, more relaxed, or even funnier, depending on the language.

Making Connections

For many learners, it’s a personal relationship that ignited their interest in learning a language in the first place. Cultivating a relationship with a nurturing other, one or more people who cheer you on along the journey can make all the difference, just like it did for Gustaf. Check out the short video here to hear students talk about the connections they made speaking Arabic.