Overcoming the barrier

So I ended my last post with the question:  How do we as language learners attain the ability and the level of confidence necessary to begin to communicate in a foreign language?

In my opinion, the best way to begin to overcome the tongue-tied barrier I mentioned in other posts, is by putting yourself in familiar situations.  Take note that at the same time, in order to learn, you must also do everything to reach slightly beyond your comfort zone.


So what do I mean by comfort zone? The way I see it, language is very much an exploration; if you venture to far away from your home base, however, you will get lost and it will not be fun.

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Arabic Phrases
Language Social Network










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Post 2: Tongue Tied

At this point in the language learning process, you are either in a structured program or are learning on your own.  Clearly there's a lot to digest when learning a new language, but after months of trying and studying, you find yourself struggling whenever you try to say anything.  As a result, whenever you try to speak to a person in the foreign language, you have resort to speaking English or not speaking at all.

While this may be extremely frustrating, this is something we all experience, but it is also important to recognize that this is one of the most important hurdles to tackle when learning a new language.  If you can overcome this barrier, a whole new world opens up. Even if your grammar is awful and you speak like a caveman, by being able to express yourself you are communicating and it is through the act of communication that we learn language.  The boring language learning process which had once been a fully conscious effort has now gone to the subconscious; essentially you are at a point where you can learn by socializing.

So the real question is, how do you attain that level of confidence and ability? I will address that in my next post.

Language Learning: A first post

Ok, so you've decided that you want to learn a knew language.  Maybe you're learning for fun, for business, or for academic purposes; either way, its not always an easy task and it will require effort on your part.  One of the first questions you should ask yourself is whether or not you want to learn on your own (which is possible in this internet age) or through a structured program at a community college, university or academy.

The first option of learning on your own is possibly the most rewarding but also takes the most self commitment.  By learning on your own, I am really referring to self study programs and/or books and through online resources.  Since I have not really learned a language on my own, it will be hard for me to speak from much experience.  All that I will say is that if you decide to take this route, you must be honest with yourself and ask if you will really be committed enough.  I think that this option is probably only right for a small minority of truly committed individuals.

The second option is to learn through a structured program.  The main reason I recommend a structured program is not really because they teach you anything that you could not learn on your own.  In my experience, learning in school (especially a university setting) sort of takes away a lot of the fun away from language learning.  Nevertheless, they force you to work on improving and unless you enjoy throwing away money, you will feel a sort of constructive pressure that forces you to study and improve.  So with that in mind, I do recommend that most people follow a structured program.

Language Exchange

So I've decided to change the direction of this blog and intend to use it as a guide for others interested in learning a foreign language.  Quite frankly, I am also going to use this blog to help publicize some sites I am creating to help language learners.  I hope that visitors find this information useful.