Just how much time might it take?
There are, without doubt, difficult languages and easy languages, but I have never heard of a language which was impossible to learn. The difference is the time it takes and the dedication you need to "finish" the language. The easiest languages are those closest to your mother tongue or to another language that you already speak.
You can be looking at a period of around 3 months, if 80% or more words are common with your mother tongue, or 6 months if you don't have quite so much time to give to studying to become fluent For other languages you may be looking at 2 or 3 years. It is always much easier to learn a new language if you can spend a good amount of time surrounded by people who speak this language, rather than having to learn from a book.
Is it possible for anyone to learn a new language?
It is possible for almost anyone to learn almost any language if they find the method that best suits their own personal learning capabilities. Whilst there are a few people that are simply lousy at learning langages, it is more likely that the reason they believe that they cannot learn a new language is because that is what was dinned into them at school. Forget that and start anew with a positive attitude!
There is almost always an efficient learning method that will help you to learn a new language, although it may be different for different people. Whether you have a good or a bad memory, or you think you may not be gifted, don't give up on your plan to learn a new language; there are so many ways to do it.
If you are slightly more mature and move to another country, it is possible to become fluent enough to be able to converse with the locals, but you need to get out there and make an effort. Most people who learn this way will always speak with an accent but that doesn't matter. The only way that foreign speakers can speak fluently and almost without accent is if they moved to that particular area when they were young and were surrounded by the language on a daily basis.
The best way to learn is to set targets. Logically, the first of these would be to speak and be understood. This would be hotly followed by being able to understand (this can be difficult due to the variations in local accents). These goals, and your ability to keep pushing them onwards, are the difference between a gifted language student and an average one.
You don't want to be working constantly to pass for a local, life is just too short, but there will always be room for improvement. There may never be a time when you can say 'that's it, I've learned all I can'.
Keep trying to improve your skills, with new words or phrases or to perfect your pronunciation. Aim high and you'll get there!
About the Author:
About the Writer: Clare Innes has a number of health, exercise and lifestyle sites, including one showcasing Americas top selling method of exactly how to learn a new language...and in under 8 weeks! Watch out for more sites in the 'First For....com' series that is under development.
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