Learning new languages: tips from a polyglot
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- čas přidán 2. 03. 2024
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One of my passions in life is learning new languages. A number of people have asked me recently how I go about it. In this video, I give a few tips on how to learn a new language. You won’t find these tips in any book! This is just what has worked for me. I hope you find it helpful.
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@stephenpaxleonard6011
#polyglot #multilingual #English #learnanewlanguage #languagelearning #learnlanguages #languages #language #multilingualism - Jak na to + styl
One thing that keeps me polishing and learning languages is this motto from the language community in my country : "Master the language, master the world. Language is the key to mastering the world. The beauty of writing and the eloquence of speech make people shine. Conversely, a dull pen and a stuttering tongue can drown a brilliant mind."
I love this. Thanks for sharing. Naturally, I could not agree more. Sadly, we seem to have lost the art of oratory.
I couldn't see any edits in this video.
Someone who can elegantly express themselves for 25 minutes is a rare thing.
Thank you. You are very kind.
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 Bro, you DID have some jumps in your video. Edits, to be more precise. I love how you talk about learning a language like it being a new dance you learn. You adapt to your partner, and together, you experience something more, new. I really didn't like your german pronounciation. I feel offended. And, probably, I'm an oaf. Still, I'm smiling. My first inclination was to say: you go places, I'll try to make my first step. After thinking about it - , no, I went over your video again - polar esimo the translation says. You really went on a pitch on that. And I understand. Well, not in the literal sense. But you get my drift. How to learn THAT shit? You have a suggestion? I know now why my russian and portugese volumes live on a shelf. I could kiss you for giving me a glimpse. On a (not insignificant) side note, you actually didn't seem to look at a teleprompter. And how did you manage that? Love you, bro.
@@Robert-qr8co Hi there, I'm Australian (German native speaker) and a linguist and language nerd like Stephen, and I didn't mind Stephen's German at all!
Isn't it amazing how we all hear, feel and think differently?!
@@klauskaldera2837 Moin, moin, Klaus! Or shouldn't I be saying good evening? How's the weather down under? Me, I'm enjoying a very nice spring morning. You should come over for a vacation, it's the best time to do it. :-) And yeah, you might remember me saying something about being an oaf. Have a good day!
I normally listen to lectures at 1.5-2x speed. But his voice is so poetic, I feel more like I'm listening to poetry rather than a lecture.
This is probably the greatest compliment anybody could pay me. As a poetry lover, I really appreciate this. Thank you!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 you really are one of the only native English speakers I listen to at normal speed. Lovely. Glad I could make your day.
@@carnivoreisvegan I have never tried listening to anyone at anything but normal speed! I am pleased to hear that you didn't feel the need to speed me up :)
speeding up lectures will slow down your learning.. be careful and mostly, patient.
@@napsefinance I don't find that to be true at all. In fact, there's an organization (sorry, can't remember their name, perhaps the Monroe institute? This was over a decade ago.) that taught learning and one of the strategies they used was to have a CD or MP3 file at the end of with all the learning materials from 5 or 6 CDs sped up to a rate that was only barely comprehensible (around 5-6x) with science based reasoning that our brain is perfectly capable of getting the info from that speed, especially after the material has been listened to already and you're just reviewing it. 5-6 x speed was a learning strategy they employed for better learning! But I'll also listen at even 0.75 speed at times, depending upon what the content is. Most everything that is "general" info, I listen to at 1.5 x minimum, 2x when it's "filler" in between important info. But thanks for your concern.
I have been speaking English since i was a boy. Now, a man with kids. I came here cause i am interested in learning a new language. But after listening to this brother talk, i realised i dont even know English properly. 😂😂😂
Thanks for your wonderful comment :)
You don't need to master a language before beginning to learn a new one. Many greetings.
@@luisalfredoleonardgranados7654 very true, and to be fair, one can't even master 100% his own mother tongue, i sometimes learn new french words and i'm french 😂
learning english was pretty much effortless so to say for me because it's so easy to get completely emerged, there is content literally everywhere, just one click away. I started to learn Norwegian 18 months ago and enjoy it a lot, but it has its challenges, content is hard to fine! i buy used books of different levels, watch Nrk Tv and read news, Twitch is nice also because you can select languages and you get both to listen to it by the streamer and read the chat. Netflix also added language selection but there is not much norwegian. anyway, it's a journey worth every minute of your time. go for it!
Hey, look, an actual polyglot in CZcams!
Wow, I really enjoyed your video. I am also impressed by your ability that you spoke for such long time 26 mins, without errors.
Thank you very much. I am glad that you enjoyed it. I hope you found it useful :)
As a language learner, I couldn't love this video more. Thank you so much.
You are very welcome. I am pleased that it was helpful and I wish you all the best with your language learning!
This is so refreshing! I thought, "oh, for sure it's another polyglot telling me not to learn the language if I want to learn the language; just watch a couple of episodes of a TV show, and I'll be good." Really, I've heard that horse crap 1,000 times. THIS, on the other hand, gave me a real boost when I needed it. Thank you :)
Thanks very much! I wish you the best of luck with your language learning. Have fun:)
I have watched many videos on language learning, and this one is the most inspiring in many ways. The emphasis on tuning into the sound and intonation of a language first is something I wish I had known earlier and only realized recently.
One thing I disagree with is the notion that English is an easy language to learn. As a native Korean speaker, I can certainly say that English is not easy at all, as it is on the polar opposite end of the language spectrum in terms of syntax and many other aspects.
Thank you for such an inspiring video and for reminding me that language learning should be fun.
Thanks for your comments. Yes, fair point about Korean. I know that Korean is not a tonal language but I believe it is to some degree in certain dialects and I think speakers of other Asian tonal languages do not find it easy to learn English and is far removed from English in other respects as you say. Still, I know Koreans that speak extremely good English.
According to my Finnish wife, English is a language which is easy to learn at a basic level, but very difficult to master. Finnish, she says, is exactly the opposite. Finnish is a pyramid, with a wide base which is hard to get to grips with, but it gets easier as you progress; the English pyramid is, according to her, upside down.
I am two years into learning Japanese, and the advice about making mistakes is so good, but so hard to embrace. I hate forgetting something that I know I know, even though I also know that's part of the process... Thank you for this wonderful video!
I understand. It is important to make mistakes, but also important not to get lazy. You have to make mistakes in order to learn from them. Go to any beach and watch how 2 year old toddlers with different native tongues just start chatting away to one another. It is remarkable to observe. That is what we, as adults, have to try and reproduce. I understand it is not easy.
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 When I do a conversation class with people at my level (maybe A2), it does remind me of a bunch of kids on the playground trying to figure out how to convey an idea, so excited to share something but sometimes missing a word or trying to figure out a different way to say the same thing. That's fun!
@@flashgordon6510 Oh absolutely. To be a good language learner you have to think on your feet. You go through phases where everything has to be paraphrased. A poor language learner simply gives up because they don't know the word. Work round it, rephrase it and if that doesn't work, rephrase it again. That in itself is part of the learning process.
I'm a polyglot and I approve of this message. Do as the man said, no buts!
You are very kind, Arne. Thank you!
Fear of being laughed at and worrying about getting grammar wrong held me back a lot when trying to learn Spanish. The learning with eyes closed with no understanding early on reminds me of how a baby would first hear sounds they do not understand. I am excited to try this, since I have only been focusing on book style learning and this sounds more fun to treat it like an art instead.
Thanks for your comment. I wish you the best of luck with your language learning. Have fun with it! That is the main thing :)
Sounds so honest and objective.❤
Спасибо за видео Почемучка ;)
Хаха. Не за что!
Well, you've got my attention! Articulate, learned, wise, humble. In full agreement with your assessment of English (easy to learn; hard to master). In full agreement that LISTENING to a language is vital. (Until fairly recently in human history, listening was the only way to absorb a language.) And personally love the fact that you're a lifelong learner of Russian (am four years into my journey with the language). Discovered your channel this morning. Will be eagerly watching any new content you produce. Bravo!
Wow, this is comprehensive.
These are the very best tips I've ever heard from a polyglot, given my own personal experiences in learning various languages and phrases
Thanks very much. I am pleased to hear that you found it useful :)
You could read a phone book truly that is your gift, keep sharing but realize also it's your voice, phrasing and way of speaking that is attractive. Also you have 10k views on this with only 563 subs (at this time.) This means make more like this as CZcams is giving you "authority" in this area! SHARED from fellow CZcamsr.. I'm sure you'll surpass me given such a great start. So agree on how Russian sounds, I think because it feels like the mouth doesn't open much, which in English seems "tight."
each language has a "feeling tone" soem feel relaxed, loose-- others like German sounds abrupt to my English ears.
Thanks very much. I really appreciate your kind words. All my life, I have been told that I should be on the radio...Haha. I have been overwhelmed by the response to the video. I had no idea really that this would be so interesting to people. I thought I was just stuck in my own little thought bubble. In my experience, my impression of how languages sound changes once I start to learn them. I used to have all kinds of preconceptions as to how Arabic sounded. I spent 7 months studying Arabic each day and came to love many of those sounds which previously I thought were terribly harsh.
Thank you for your speech. I totally agree
This is the philosophy of learning a language and embracing a culture distilled into 27 minutes. 👍 I'm going to Italy soon, for the first time. This is a great reminder that grammar doesn't matter nearly as much as just getting on with using the language.
Thanks, Greg. Language and culture are intertwined at so many different levels. Enjoy your trip to Italy. Italian - what a great language! Like Spanish, with Italian you can make some good progress early on.
Well said Stephen!
Thanks for your insights, tips, definitions, terms, methods, Priorities.
Great bottom lines
My pleasure. I hope it will be helpful.
I love how you say to start with common phrases. For me that is what I find using the most with my mom who is a native Spanish speaker while I am trying to learn currently. It helps with real life scenarios while also adding contextual vocabulary.
The thing I am struggling with currently in Spanish is differentiating between the 12 or however many tenses. You know preterite, indicative, imperfect, and so on. Especially when to use them. Any recommendations besides just memorizing them to the point of instantaneous recognition?
The past tenses in Spanish can be difficult. I remember it well! Yes, I have some advice. Firstly, try and stop thinking in terms of those '12 tenses' (indicative is a mood by the way). You are making it harder on yourself than it really is. The verbs in the language I documented in the High Arctic conjugated in several hundred different ways. If you start to ponder too consciously all the permutations, you end up not being able to get the words out. You should try and simplify it. Where tenses are concerned in Spanish, the main difficulty is the past. Think of it this way: (1) imperfect -description in the past; (2) preterite - an event completed in the past at a specific moment; (3) pluperfect 'I had played' - no different to English; (4) perfect - happened in the past but it is still ongoing. That is a slight oversimplification. Try and not translate from the English. You don't want to be in a situation where you feel like you want to say 'I was' and then start scrambling through all the permutations. Remember instead a phrase such as Estaba en París cuando comenzó la revolución, then you will get the sense of when describing something in the past you need to use the imperfect. One effective way of getting used to these differences is to read widely in the language. The feedback I got from Spaniards and Colombians (when I did fieldwork in Colombia) was that I used to use the perfect too much. I tended to say he comido when it should have been comí. In South American Spanish at least, my impression was that the perfect was rather seldom used. As always, practice makes perfect. Just keep talking (and try and stop translating in your mind) and these problems will sort themselves out over time. Good luck!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 wow. Thank you for the lengthy response it means a lot coming from a true professional like you.
I will definitely apply this to my learning journey. It’s kind of the same deal with learning basic phrases, right? Getting the vocabulary (but conjugations in this case) in context, and then being able to understand why it’s happening without directly memorizing tables like a robot. I can’t explain it as well as you of course, but that’s how I kind of take it. Getting used to the patterns as you would say :)
Do you have a email or other way I could message you besides CZcams comments if I have any questions about Spanish in the future?
@@believerrrrr Actually, I think it is different with the vocabulary. I think memorising the 5 phrases/words each day is really important (in the manner I discuss in the video). With all language learning there has to be a bit of memorising and this is where it comes in. I really swear by these aide-memoire cards which I carry around in my back pocket. Once you have 40 or 50 of them, you should then revise what you have learnt going over the simple phrases and working up to the harder ones. If you do this in the right way, it does not feel like a chore. I have these in my back pocket all the time. When you are standing in a queue or on the Underground perhaps, just take them out and have a quick look. As you say, learning and memorising should never be in the manner of a robot. If you learn things in context, it does not feel robotic as you remember the occasion when you came across the word or the phrase. Am pleased to help. You can contact me through my website: stephenpaxleonard.com
Thank you so much for all the advice..
You are very welcome. I hope you find it useful.
Magnificent! Wow! 🙏
Thank you. You are very kind :)
Thank you. That was an excellent discourse, with many ideas that were new to me, and a nice change from the usual “I speak a shedload of languages” video. I will learn some poems in French. I listen to French a lot and your French pronunciation is excellent. Many people can speak a foreign language well, but they never understand the rules underlying the phonetics e.g. timing, intonation and syllables. Most English speakers of French, for example, never pick up the syllable based timing. It took me several years to discover as noone talks about it. For a long while I struggled with French pronunciation as I had the feeling I was pretending to be something I’m not i.e. French. Then again, I am not extrovert. I am working on German, but it will be a few years before I can say I understand how it works. I think when you learn your first foreign language, you realise that your native tongue is not the ‘real you’, and words are not reality, they are merely a mechanism which one uses to communicate. Your videos deserve far more views but I fear the CZcams algorithm favours click bait titles over quality content.
Thanks very much for your comments and interesting feedback. I started out with French and German. German was my first linguistic love! Had it not been for an excellent German teacher at school, I would have probably not got into this. You probably realise this already but 95% of the so called 'polyglots' on CZcams are not polyglots at all. They have just memorised a few phrases in a dozen languages and are trying to sell you something. The truth is that nobody speaks 20 languages because you can only speak (fluently) a language if you use it on a regular basis. There is no context or job where you need to use 20 language on a regular basis. At least, I don't know of one. If you know of one, then please tell me. Haha. The only possible exception to the above is Richard Francis Burton who was a hero of mine! He spoke a great number of languages but most of them were very closed related. That is another thing to watch out for. Scandinavians who say they speak 3 or 4 languages when they mean they speak one but understand more or less two others that are very closely related.
Friggin guy is brilliant and inspiring. If I only had a teacher like this when I was a kid I would'nt be a 70-year-old delinquent! 🤣
You are too kind! I had a fantastic German teacher at school. Had it not been for him, then this slightly unusual passion may never have developed. Finding a good teacher is a blessing :)
Very informative and get to the point content. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Stephen
My pleasure. Thanks for listening!
dream in ur targeted language... wait, do people speak in ur dreams ? my dreams are silent, the only words there are are me thinking, but I dont speak nor anyone ever speak in my dreams...
Thanks, that is an interesting comment. The answer to your question is yes, sometimes. Can I remember the verbatim? No, or almost never. I remember the first time I dreamt in Russian, Norwegian and Polar Eskimo and could in part at least remember part of the conversation. I am not sure if that is unusual or not. Most of the time, we have enough trouble just remembering the dreams let alone the conversations.
the best video, thanks.
Oh, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
Very awe inspiring and motivating lecture for me, thank you very much, I agree that when you start learning a new language is like stepping into a new world..interesting at every turn. So many things you said were so true, like being able to read and write but speaking is a challenge, but i do it just for fun and love it..cheers again!
My pleasure. Learning a language is absolutely like stepping into another world. Actually, when you learn another language a good language learner at least effectively adopts a different persona. A different language requires a different voice, different mannerisms and different gestures. When I speak French for example, I am much more expressive with my gestures than, say, when I speak a Germanic language. I don't do this consciously. It is just part of what is for me at least the French way of speaking. These things are subtle but important.
Thank you for making this video. I am 48 and am learning my second language. I’m fascinated with the links between language, culture, and thinking. You’ve given me something to which I can aspire.
That's great! I am glad that it was helpful. Language (s) never gets boring. Good luck:)
Love video❤❤❤
I am pleased!
Many thanks for your great perspective on language learning. I'm learning English as a second language. While watching the video,
I came across some minor mistakes in the spelling of one word. The term 'a lingua file', which appeared several times in the subtitle, seems to be incorrect. (time stamps: 2:08, 2:12, 2:20, 21:29) As far as I know, it should be 'a linguaphile' instead of 'a lingua file'.
I hope that my correction will be helpful for all the listeners of this video. Have a fabulous day. - James from Daegu, South Korea.
* linguaphile (n): someone who has a strong interest in languages, though they may not necessarily be a professional linguist. They simply enjoy learning about languages, exploring their intricacies, and perhaps even learning to speak multiple languages themselves.
Yep, maybe he used AI to do it--I'm seeing more and more of that esp on shorts.
This is some absolutely *fantastic* advice. I wish I had seen this before learning Malagasy, but I am immensely grateful to have this in mind as I set out to learn more languages in life. Thank you for the thought and care you put into this video.
I will be recommending that all US Peace Corps volunteer trainees give it a watch, and take notes.
Thank you very much for your kind comments. I am genuinely touched. Learning Malagasy is a fantastic achievement and must have made for some terrific fieldwork. I am ashamed to say I know more about the local trees than the language!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011
I think you've nothing to be ashamed of, with everything you've managed to fit in your brain!
For a while, I thought maybe "baobab" was one malagasy word that everyone knew, but it turns out to have come from Latin.
Here's one, anyway- one species is called "reniala" which means 'mother (reni) of the forest (ala)'
Excellent and inspiring videos. I’m noticing your pronunciation of etcetera: Excetera. As Norwegian, living in the United States, almost everyone pronounces it this way. Do you know the origin or how this came to change?
That is a very interesting comment. To be honest, I had no idea that my pronunciation of et cetera was unconventional. Norwegian is actually my second language, so. perhaps that is the reason. Haha! Norwegian is very interesting because more than any other language I know it 'interferes'with my British English accent...I only need to spend about five minutes in Norway and I am suddenly no longer voicing my 's' when I need to speak English!
An interesting vid. I agree with much. I have a theory that acquiring the acoustic map of a language is important. There is some value to listening to the flow of conversation or speech without requiring understanding. The catalogue of sounds and flow, rhythm etc.
Really good advice on grammar. Grammar exists in your brain before it's useful to talk about it in the abstract. I'm not against grammar per se but it sits on top of exposure and comprehension.
I do agree no native speaker cares about niceties of grammar. It's not important. It's not important. It is more likely an impediment that stops you in your tracks.
Much to ponder!
Thanks very much for your intelligent and interesting feedback. It is all about acoustic maps. Spot on! And I would say every language has its own acoustic map, but most people apply the acoustic map of their mother tongue to the target language.
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 I can imagine you can make really good progress in learning a language by, let's say, reading but the risk is you carry over the acoustic map of your L1. Then people talk about accent reduction because you have opened up a language with foreign rules of pronunciation.
I have no proof that listening to language early on helps but I think it gives you an idea of what to aim for - what the flow of the language is like, so you will approvimate to it gradually. A plus is you listen to it and say'yeah, I want to sound like that!'.
Apart from anything, what are the verbal ticks, the shortcuts, the general flow of intonation? There might be some back and forth with the written form because there are sounds we might not discriminate naturally that are quite similar to a non-native. What does the mouth and face look like when talking in this language? It's differfent for each language and even dialect/sociolect.
I am reminded of the Offensive Translator sketch by Catherine Tate. Yes it's offensive but there is also something of capturing the general sound - a kind of mimic - of the language before learning it. I'm not necessarily suggesting people do that in real life but speaking bad French with a French accent might be better than bad French in an English accent. There's something about the playfulness of language also and being prepared to step out of yourself.
It's a really good idea to have an exemplar and also to realise fluency isn't the same as speaking fast. Speaking fast is impressive but difficult and many native speakers speak slowly and deliberately and choosing someone to imitate that you like the sound of is obviously better than trying to imitate someone you don't like or whose voice you're not mad about.
A bonus point - how do native speakers hesitate and correct mid sentence? How do I do that in my L1? (In flowing speech you start the sentence because you have an idea, you don't have the setence all worked out in your head with cases, tenses and fully formed sentence structure - it flows and self corrects [if need be makes errors]- another reason why grammar can stifle communicaiton).
Unfortunately i cannot understand your video 100% but somethings I got it. I've been studying English by myself for one year and I never practice my speaking and perhaps because the fear of making mistakes as well as i'm a shy person. I'm from Brazil and I'm 17. Thanks for your advice!
Well, as long as you understood when I said Eu não falo português! 😂 Good luck and don’t give up!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 😂😂 Thank you! I won't give up!
Me? The 13th Duke of Wybourne? Learning foreign languages? With my reputation? 😉
An excellent, and very encouraging video. Thank you. Je vais persévérer!
Bingo!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 😂😂😂
Hello Stephen, I loved your video and have written down two pages of notes based on everything you've said here. As of two days ago, I've taken to learning Mandarin as a second language for mostly the sheer hell of it. I am still in the initial phase of building that mental copy of Mandarin (My impression is a mashing together of abrupt sounds that succeed each other in rapid succession) and am working on memorizing the poem, Jìng yè sī by Li Bai, by heart. I'm having a good time so far but wanted to pick your brain a little.
My first question is, how long should this initial phase last before I begin writing down words that crop up repeatedly?
My second question is, do you have any specific tips for someone learning Mandarin?
Well, first I have to confess to never having learnt a tonal language. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that I have avoided them as I feel tonality adds another level of complexity. Still, there are plenty of good reasons to learn Mandarin and don't be deterred. There is no right answer to your first question because I think it depends from person to person. In a way, I feel as if my advice re: developing the acoustic perceptual awareness applies even more to a tonal language. But, it is also slightly different as you are not just trying to internalise the phonology at a sentential level but also for each lexeme. My advice is keep listening to Mandarin as often as you can and start writing words down (but surely you have to learn script first?...) once you feel like you can sort of hum the language. You know that feeling when you have a piece of music in your head and you can't get rid of it, but actually you don't know the words. That is what you want to aim for with Mandarin. I have no idea how long that will take. The specific thing with Mandarin and its four tone system is that you need to 'feel' how each word with all the various permutations of tones sounds and feels to you. That is not an easy task as I am assuming your mother tongue is English. In the case of Mandarin, I don't think it is so much 'when do you start writing words down' (for I imagine that comes much later) but more when do you reach for the phrase book? Early on, you can try and memorise some basic phrases and see if when you listen to Mandarin you can identify those configurations of tones. I don't have any specific advice for Mandarin as I am not a speaker, but as I say I think everything I said in the film about developing auditory memory and acoustic perceptual awareness applies even more in this case. Good luck!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 Thanks so much!
@@theweatherdog1816 Sorry when I said ‘script’, I meant of course characters!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 No worries. When I said 'words' I actually meant characters myself. But thanks again for taking the time to respond to my comment so quickly and thoroughly. It's such a breath of fresh air to come across a CZcamsr who isn't trying to sell me something or get me to subscribe to their channel but is instead trying to genuinely spread their knowledge for its own sake.
@@theweatherdog1816 I think learning Mandarin is a marvellous endeavour. The sounds of the language, the universe of iconic pictograms, everything is so alien to us. If you get really fluent, I think you will feel like you have almost developed another Self. But that process will be so gradual, you probably won't even notice it. Enjoy and let me know how you progress.
Mr. Leonard, I'd love to learn Church Latin and Attic Greek now when it's very hard for me to rote memorize anything, A book about Attic Greek began with words and taught grammar later. Should I buy other books that do that, too?
That’s interesting. I am learning Church Slavonic at the moment. All my comments in this video relate to modern languages that are spoken on an everyday basis. With liturgical and ancient languages the process is quite different because the objectives are different. I am guessing you are not planning on speaking Church Latin with your friends?!:) If you are studying these languages for the purpose of reading manuscripts etc., then none of my comments in the film apply. I would study grammar, vocabulary and the language in the more traditional way.
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 Thank you, Mr. Leonard. You said what I expected to hear.
No, I don't speak Church Latin with my friends. But my boss is fluent in it. So since I proofread for his company and always attend the Traditional Latin Mass, I understand some Latin I learned at church. I want to learn Attic Greek to read Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus in it.
Years ago, when an Aristotle scholar tried to teach me some Greek. Sadly, it frustrated me enough that I needed to quit.
@@williammcenaney1331 It is a noble objective to learn a language in order to read an author in the original language. I strongly approve and wish you the best of luck!
@@stephenpaxleonard6011 You're very kind, Mr. Leonard. Thank you. Years ago, when I listened ineffectively, I felt angry with myself because I misinterpreted what other people said. So I hope and pray that learning Greek will and Ancient Greek History will help me see the world in something like the way Plato and Aristotle saw it.
The the older I grow, the more I long to know eternal truths. God knows that the ancients were much wiser than I can become. Please read Marcus Aurelius's Meditations if you haven't read that book. He must have been the most virtuous man in Ancient Rome.
@@williammcenaney1331 I read it many years ago. I will certainly revisit it. Thank you!
Is this guy going to become the second Steve Kaufmann...??
Now I'm learning Japanese because I have someone very dear to me from Japan.
That's great. It is not as difficult as many assume. It is relatively easy to make yourself understood at least as it is so phonetic.
Aide-memoir or flashcard??
Good point. Perhaps there is such a thing as perfect synonymy after all?!
Hi , Nice video. How many languages can you speak ?
Actually, I don't like that question very much! Haha. CZcams is full of fake polyglots who claim they speak 20 languages but can only say 'Hi, how are you?' in each one. I take the opposite view. I only say I speak a language if I have a high degree of fluency in a language. I am comfortable speaking 6 or 7 languages, I have lectured in 5 but actually understand about 9. In my experience, anyone who says they speak say 20 languages is a fake. What non-language learners don't understand is you can't learn a language, tick a box and then walk away and say you have 'learnt' it. In order to say you 'speak' a language, you have to actually use it. There are almost no jobs, professions or contexts where you need to use more than 5 languages on a regular basis. That is the truth of the matter.
Why did this seem like a sermon? Might've been the echo, the black and white monologue - not sure.
Possibly the diction :) Amen.
Nice video! One suggestion, though: I´m not sure if it´s purposeful, but your voice is not centered. It´s nerve-wracking to listen to your voice almost exclusively from the left speaker. Since you don´t have any background music (which is good), I would recommend just using mono audio.
Thanks very much. I didn't notice this!
there's only one language but there are many words.. and there's only one reality to which they all refer.
Food for thought!
I'm not agree that English is easy to learn because I'm struggling in English learning journey.
Well, I said it is relatively’ easy, but ‘very difficult to master’! Stick with it! You will get there:)