| As with any practice that doesn't necessarily has a | | | | This issue could be a problem with 9 out of 10 learning |
| "one way" of being done, language learning has a few | | | | processes, but the language learning one is even more |
| common mistakes that apply to most, if not all the | | | | acute. Whether you could pull it off perfectly in say, |
| available learning methods out there. Whether you're | | | | physics, if you only used theoretical learning all the time |
| studying using a free online course, through educational | | | | and you were suddenly faced with a real, practical |
| games, translated texts, flashcards or any other | | | | problem, with language learning you're bound to look a |
| method, you're bound to find one of these mistakes if | | | | fool. Theoretical language learning will hardly form any |
| what you're using is not of good quality. | | | | accurate pronunciation skills and whenever you'll be |
| 1. Learning the new language like a science | | | | faced with an actual conversation in that language, you |
| The language learning process is by no means | | | | just won't be able to express all that theoretical |
| comparable to say, learning a particular science or | | | | information you stored up. |
| learning a profession. Language learning is a skill and | | | | 5. Using the "all work no play" technique |
| like all skills, sheer, raw information gurgling won't do the | | | | It's well known that anything you learn while relaxing or |
| trick. This is a very common mistake that is especially | | | | having fun, you learn with more ease and the |
| hard to avoid in written language learning methods | | | | information you store this way is longer lasting and can |
| such as courses, online lessons and the likes. It's very | | | | be used more effectively. You'll be amazed by the |
| tempting for the writers of these materials to simply | | | | amount of language learning techniques out there that |
| divide the language in big chunks and feed it to you | | | | don't take advantage of this and instead, tend to follow |
| with a large spoon: "here's the grammar" "here's the | | | | the more rigorous path. Sure, playing vocabulary |
| spelling" "here's the vocabulary". This will get you | | | | games, using flashcards, completing quizzes or |
| nowhere, or if it will indeed have any effect, you will | | | | whatever you could deem as "fun learning" won't be |
| take the longest route to get to it. | | | | as fast or intense as the rigid methods, but you get the |
| 2. Taking large breaks | | | | above mentioned effects and you lose the risk of |
| I'm feeling metaphorical today, so let me compare the | | | | getting learning fatigue. |
| language learning process to a huge furnace. If you | | | | 6. Learning monotony |
| want to light this huge furnace you'll need to constantly | | | | Although last in our list, this is by far the most common |
| feed it firewood and as you do so, you'll see the fire | | | | mistake that you will find with online language courses |
| growing bigger and bigger. Now, stop the process and | | | | and even with language center practical lessons and |
| the fire will go out and you'll have to put an almost | | | | courses. Language learning is a long, arduous process, |
| equally hard effort to get it back on. It's the same with | | | | make no mistake about it. I don't care what those |
| language learning. Once you get into it and you start | | | | "Learn Spanish in 2 weeks" course books say, it just |
| getting the hang of it, a large break from studying or | | | | can't be done in such a short time span. Or well, if you |
| practicing could be a killer. Detach yourself completely | | | | consider grasping the complicated inner-workings of |
| from the learning and practicing and you'll find yourself | | | | phrases like "Hello, how are you today?" in Spanish |
| having to bring in a new load of firewood. | | | | having "learnt" a language, then so be it. Anyway, the |
| 3. Learning too fast | | | | point is that in this long and arduous process, we tend |
| There's a factor that I like to call "learning anxiety" that | | | | to get bored, we tend to lose the initial enthusiasm |
| usually affects persons trying to study a language | | | | when we realize that "hey, this isn't as fun as I thought, |
| because of a personal or professional need (your | | | | it's actually hard work". Lesson monotony does not |
| wife's Japanese, your new business partner is French, | | | | help this and it's the main reason most people simply |
| your son is Dutch, stuff like that). This phenomenon | | | | quit a course instead of putting up with it. |
| happens when you're in a rush to get basic grip on a | | | | To avoid learning monotony, try to mix up your learning |
| language and you skip through some of the essential | | | | methods as much as possible. Use translated texts, |
| steps too fast. You go in studying grammar without a | | | | use audio tapes, engage in conversations with friends, |
| basic vocabulary, you get into advanced terms before | | | | teachers or other students, watch media in that |
| even knowing the basic ones and so forth. This may | | | | particular language if available, play educational games, |
| indeed allow you to understand and make yourself | | | | use flashcards, use the dictionary to improve your |
| understood in a conversation, but overall, you will take | | | | vocabulary, do ANYTHING you have to do, just don't |
| more time correcting your wrongfully learnt concepts | | | | let learning boredom overcome you, because trust me |
| than it would have taken you if you had studied them | | | | when I say this, it's a foreign language killer in way too |
| correctly in the first place. | | | | many cases. |
| 4. Using solely "theoretical" learning methods | | | | |