Greetings everyone!
Today i'd like to talk to you about languages, and why you need more of them in your life. If you're in the same boat as me, and haven't been born with English as your main language, i'm sure you remember just how extremely valuable it felt to be able to use one of the worlds most used languages.
It opens up a lot of doors to get to know people from all across the planet, and introduces you to their way of living life, along with the history of their country as you start to grasp their way of speaking to each other.
Now while that sounds really exciting, it turns out that mere words only make up 7% of communication, while body language (55%) and tone of voice (38%) take over the rest.
This means that when you start to learn a new language, you won't get far with keeping your old way of producing sounds and moving your body. In order to really internalize a new language, you'll have to start to open up to it completely.
When you do this, you'll quickly learn to pronounce the words, which themselves contain parts of the culture you are dabbling into. It will feel like you automatically start taking on the shape and attitude that is necessary to authentically communicate the new language.
Pretty cool right?
I remember how when i was learning Italian, i absolutely had to get out of my comfort zone to be able to speak this flowing language in a believable way.
There was no chance that my usual style of quiet mumbling would produce a sound that a passionate Italian person would even pick up.
I even got to experience this first hand, as i tried to talk this language to buy bread at a bakery in Italy, and had to end up using body language to let the lady know what i wanted, as i just couldn't let go of my Austrian way of communicating. I knew the words, but it just wasn't enough. It was way too half hearted. The transmission failed.
It was time to reboot and start over, so i got back to practicing. I admitted that I had to actually speak up, and do so with a melodic tone in my voice.
Just by doing that, i made my body move along with the new style, because without it i just couldn't pronounce anything in a convincing way. And it worked!! Just like this i started to sound as if i had actually ever heard an italian guy speak once. Maaaybe twice. Just being honest here.
Even just saying "i have to go to the toilet" became a beautiful orchestra of melodic sounds that my body synchronized with by making me flap my arms around with fire in my very heart.
The energy was insane. To be able to keep going, i ordered pizza for intense research purposes. Many times. Yes, It was delicious. Would research again.
# ...so how do you get started?
Of course, you can sign up for language courses in your area, where you'll meet up with other people in person every week to learn together.
But if you're anything like me, aka lazy enough to come up with the craziest stuff just so you can get away with being lazy while getting the same or better result to be able to justify your laziness which ends up in having to put a bit of effort in it so it's not even lazy anymore, you probably prefer to minimize all the extra movement and effort involved.
*...or just use your phone*
I mean, you'd have to get to the place where you get taught, rely on having the teacher show up (or be competent and likable), and on top of all it costs other resources such as money, and we can't have that. Cheapness is our chosen path, but of course you want quality while you're cheap, otherwise it's not fun.
And thankfully, there's an app which fulfills our high standards, and it's [this app right here, called Duolingo](https://www.duolingo.com/).
# It's an awesome way to learn, because:
- you can learn anywhere you want, just need to have your phone/tablet etc. with you
- you can study at your own pace, no need to wait for others to speed up or make them slow down so you can catch up
- you have a good overview of your progress, and there's an extremely adorable bird guiding you along the way
- it makes you want to keep going because it's just plain fun
- it teaches you the pronounciations properly by having native speakers pronounce everything for you
- you can learn as many languages as you want, even at the same time
*Oh and by the way, you'll also:*
- Become smarter
A foreign language is a whole new intricate system of rules, structures and lexis. And your brain has to cope with all of this complexity as it makes sense of and absorbs new patterns.
While our thinking tank is hard at work to figure out meaning, and endeavoring to communicate, we develop key learning skills such as cognitive thinking and problem-solving. Highly developed critical thinking skills are a significant benefit, not just personally, but also professionally!
- Improve memory
A new language requires not only familiarity with vocabulary and rules, but also being able to recall and apply this knowledge. Learning a language gives your memory a high intensity workout.
Because of this beautiful fact, multilingual people have brains that are more exercised and quick to recall names, directions, facts and figures. Sweet.
- Sharpen your mind
A study from Spain’s University of Pompeu Fabra revealed that multilingual people are better at observing their surroundings. They are much better at spotting anything that is irrelevant or deceptive. They’re also better at detecting misleading information. RIP trolls and scammers!
The study compared multilingual and monolingual subjects, and the former notably had the edge. Just think of the famous detectives Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot: it's no surprise that they're both incredibly skilled linguists as well.
- Stay sharp
Several studies have been published on this topic, and the results are consistent. For adults who only speak one language, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4.
For adults who speak two or more languages, the mean age for those first signs is 75.5. Studies considered factors such as education level, income level, gender, and physical health, but the results were consistent. So if you wanna be the quickest thinking Granny/Grandpa around, you know what to do!
- Enhance decision-making
According to a study from the University of Chicago, decision-making becomes an easier process for multilingual people. There are nuances and regional expressions that a student of the fine arts of language frequently judges for appropriateness and hidden meanings.
If you're a multi lingual powerhouse, you'll be more confident in your decision-making choices as a result of all your practice!
- Improve in absolutely everything
Because of higher cognitive skills, studies show that the benefits of learning a new language include higher scores on standardized exams in math, reading comprehension and vocabulary by multilingual students compared to the scores of monolingual students.
Language skills also boost your ability to do well in problem-solving tasks across the board. Yay! Solve all the problems.
- Improve your social skills
Opening up to a culture makes you more flexible and appreciative of other people’s opinions and actions. Therefore, if you are multilingual, you have the great advantage of seeing the world more easily from different view points, which in turn enhances your ability to communicate in today’s interconnected world.
There you go! What a great deal. Personally i can't recommend it enough! It's well worth the time :)
Have fun and good luck guys!!
hiveblocks