If you are reading this blog, chances are that at least once in your life you have undertaken the difficult and exciting task of learning a new language. Maybe you have done so because of practical considerations, or maybe just out of curiosity. In this article I invite you to consider the deep effects that learning a language has on our mind, our way of thinking and even our personality.
We all know that learning languages is useful on a practical level. It enables us to travel with ease in different countries, to connect to more people, and even improves our chances to get a well paid job. But is that all there is to it ? Actually, learning languages is much more than a practical convenience. It is an activity that literally expands the field of our consciousness, and boosts our connectedness with the rest of the human population (that is, it makes us evolve). On a deeper level, it can help us understand better how our mind is structured, and what are the mechanisms which are unceasingly working behind the scenes to produce our conscious flow of thoughts.
Language and Thought
The deep relationship between language and thought has been the object of study of many disciplines, from philosophy, to linguistics, to neuroscience. Among different, sometimes contradictory positions, nobody really doubts that language has a profound influence on our conscious mind. We all have heard the “voice in our head” that usually goes with the stream of our conscious activity: most of the time, our thoughts at a logical, rational level are silently verbalized in an actual language. If we need to solve a relatively complex mental task, that involves logic and abstraction, we often resort to speaking it out loud to ourselves, to assist the mind in the process. All this seems to indicate that language is deeply related with those functions of our mind which are concerned with abstract, logical thought, and which are considered to have appeared the latest in the evolutionary history of the human species. We could almost speak of a “verbal mind”, which expresses its activity mostly in the form of mental language.
Knowing the Verbal Mind
On the other hand, the powerful “verbal mind” is sometimes a hindrance. Most of us have lost control of this “voice inside the head”, and we are unable to stop it, or even just focus it at will. Most meditation and concentration techniques are in fact tools to help us regain control of that verbal stream, and eventually be able to stop it and enjoy the silence. But if the logical, verbal functions of our mind are already so powerful and omnipresent, wouldn’t learning another language just make them stronger ?
In my experience, it can be just the opposite. By learning languages, we start perceiving that there are some structures, or entities, that exist at a deeper level than “mind words”. When we can express the same concept in more than one language, we realize that there is “something” which stays the same whether we are thinking that particular object in one language or another. We start to lose the illusory identification between “words” and “things”, or between “label” and “object”, that is one of the pillars of our mental relationship with the world. Paradoxically, the more languages we know, the less we are identified with one particular language – and once we lose that identification, we are then free to use language as a very powerful tool, instead of confusing it with reality itself.
Some Tips to Learn
Here are some tips to make learning languages easier, faster, and more fun. This advice is derived by my own personal experience and it has no pretension to be exhaustive or universally valid.
- Overcome your embarrassment. Nothing will allow you to progress faster, than accepting to sound ridiculous every now and then. The fear of saying something wrong or funny is the major single obstacle for most people that try to learn a new language; this fear creates tension, blocks your mental capacities, and prevents you from learning from your mistakes. What would it be like if children were afraid to sound funny when they are learning their own language ? In this moment, you are like a child, so honor your opportunity to learn, and be grateful that you can also make people laugh in the process – they will find you funny, and cute, and they will appreciate your efforts.
- Be confident in the structure of the language you are learning. Even though languages are living creatures, and they are full of irregularities and quirks, this shouldn’t prevent you to always look for the hidden regularities and structures and take advantage of them. If you have noticed a regularity of the language, take for granted that it will always work – and be ready to find exceptions. Let’s imagine, for example, that you have discovered that all plural forms are similar to their singular version, but with an “s” at the end. Next time you need to use the plural of a new word, don’t think twice and append an “s” to it. If it is an irregular word, you will notice that from the sympathetic laughters of your interlocutors. (Again, this is exactly what children do when learning their own language – this is why they can say “I haved” or “womans” !)
- Try to reach the “metalanguage threshold” as soon as possible. That threshold is the point in which you can talk about the language you are learning, using that same language – and not falling back to English, for example. The most important case of using metalanguage is when you need to ask about the meaning of a word, or when you are trying to find the right word to express a concept. If you can make those questions (“What does that mean ?”, or “What is the right word to express this ?”) using the same language you are trying to learn, you will have achieved a lot. Switching constantly back to another common language (usually English) wastes energy, and creates a feeling of uncertainty in your interlocutor – they feel that they can’t speak their native language with you yet.
- Don’t be afraid to act a little bit. Your objective is to learn, so when you are having ordinary conversations in the new language, it’s okay to behave as if you were catching more than you actually are. There’s no point in stopping the conversation every few seconds just because you didn’t fully understand the last sentence. You can nod, smile and say “of course” even if you didn’t completely understand what the other person just said – just be prepared to a burst of laughter, because he might have just asked you whether you prefer tea or coffee. Naturally, this innocent acting is not allowed if you are talking about serious matters – but in that case, you should probably switch to another language anyway.
- If you want more useful tips, check out Benny’s cool blog about “language hacking”: Fluent in three Months. This guy speaks an astonishing number of languages and he says it’s possible to reach fluency in any language in just ninety days…
All considered, I believe that learning languages is fun, useful, and it can help train our mind and be less identified with it. Moreover, it enables us to connect with more human beings and share their stories and experiences. There isn’t a single contraindication or side effect either, so – let’s not be lazy and learn as many as we can !
photo credit: vandammelesley via photopin cc