Learn the four things to start with when learning a new language
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Intro |
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| Chigusa: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Chigusa and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante! |
| Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here. |
| Chigusa: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about… |
| Peter: How to Learn a New Language in the New Year |
| Chigusa: You’ll Learn... |
| Peter: One, The 4 Things I Start with when Learning a New Language |
| Chigusa: Two, How Peter Will Be Learning Korean in 2019 |
| Peter: And Three, The Only Thing You Need to Do in Month 1 |
| Chigusa: All so you can master your target language and reach your goals! |
| Body |
| Chigusa: Listeners, welcome to the Inner Circle. |
| Peter: This is for those of you who took the 2019 Challenge. |
| Chigusa: And this is the monthly, no-holds-barred newsletter giving you tried and tested learning methods... |
| Peter: ...to help you reach your language goals this year. |
| Chigusa: Now, I don’t know how many of you were around, but last year, Peter took on the challenge of learning French... |
| Peter: The year before, that I revisited Chinese, did German before that. I took Spanish and Italian some years before... |
| Chigusa: Wow, so you’ve done a lot. Now, which languages do you have a high command of? |
| Peter: That would be Chinese, because of my wife, and Japanese as I’ve studied for many years. |
| Chigusa: And because you live in Japan. |
| Peter: For over 15 years. |
| Chigusa: Wow! Sugoi. So you’ve studied a lot of languages. |
| Peter: That’s right. In some form or another, I’ve probably studied 12 languages. |
| Chigusa: Wow, 12 is a lot. So Korean would be your 13th? |
| Peter: That’s right. |
| Chigusa: By the way, listeners, if you’re a Premium or Premium PLUS member, |
| Peter: You can access previous Inner Circle lessons in the Lesson Library... |
| Chigusa: ...and see how Peter took on those languages. |
| Peter: Just choose “Bonus” from the Level drop-down in the Lesson Library. |
| Chigusa: Now, Peter, what’s your plan for 2019? |
| Peter: Chigusa, this year.. I am taking on.... Korean. |
| Chigusa: That’s a great language. So, why Korean? |
| Peter: Let’s jump into today’s Inner Circle. |
| Chigusa: How to Learn a New Language in the New Year |
| Peter: And, let’s jump into the first part. We’ll get into that. |
| Chigusa: One: The 4 Things Peter Starts with when Learning a New Language |
| Peter: So, listeners, every time I start a new language, I like to tackle these things first: One: Goals. Two: Anchor Points. Three: Grammar. Four: Reading. And you’ll see why I chose Korean. |
| Chigusa: Is there any reason why you start with these? |
| Peter: Mostly based on experience from learning languages, mastering some and even...failing at others. |
| Chigusa: So, the first one is... |
| Peter: The very first one is... I set small, measurable, monthly goals. |
| Chigusa: Ah, yes, starting with your goal makes sense. |
| Peter: Listeners, if you want to know how to set successful goals... |
| Chigusa: ...check our previous Inner Circle lessons. |
| Peter: We get into more detail there. But these carefully planned goals guarantee my success. |
| Chigusa: We’ll also quickly cover goals in the 3rd part of this Inner Circle, so stay tuned. |
| Peter: After goals, the 2nd thing I set are anchor points. |
| Chigusa: Okay, you’ll have to explain that. What’s an anchor point? |
| Peter: So, Chigusa, imagine a small ship in the middle of a big lake. |
| Chigusa: Okay. |
| Peter: It’s windy. Lots of waves. And the ship is bobbing up and down, drifting all around. Now... here’s a question: what would you use to stop the ship from drifting away? |
| Chigusa: You use an anchor. |
| Peter: Exactly. And just like an anchor keeps the ship in place, anchor points keep you from drifting away from your goal. |
| Chigusa: So, something that keeps you attached to your goal? Like, for example? |
| Peter: For example, language school. Imagine you signed up and paid thousands of dollars upfront. |
| Chigusa: Hmm, that’s a lot of money. Paying that much would motivate me and anchor me in. |
| Peter: Exactly. It’s painful to back out. You want to make the most of it. So you’re stuck. |
| Chigusa: And school dictates your schedule. You have to wake up early. |
| Peter: You have to do your homework. |
| Chigusa: Your life revolves around the classes. Ok, I see how it’s an anchor point. |
| Peter: Anchor Points can also be family or a partner. You’re learning a language because of them. |
| Chigusa: What about travel or if you live in the country that speaks the language? |
| Peter: And Chigusa, you might want to clarify like your partner is not the anchor point but I think, you get what I’m trying to say. Okay sorry, so one more time, what were you saying? |
| Chigusa: So, what about travel or if you live in the country that speaks the language? |
| Peter: Those are great anchor points too. If you have to go there, if you live there... |
| Chigusa: ...then you’re more motivated? |
| Peter: Exactly. You’re more attached to your language goal. Your motivation is high. |
| Chigusa: What’s your anchor point to Korean, Peter? |
| Peter: So, the reasons I chose Korean are: One: I have friends living there. Two: And I have to travel there. |
| Chigusa: Ah, I see. So travel and friends. |
| Peter: And so these reasons for learning are strong anchor points. |
| Chigusa: Listeners, if you’re wondering if you have any anchor points... |
| Peter: ...you already have at least 1. |
| Chigusa: You invested in our program. |
| Peter: So, listeners, you already have this covered. |
| Chigusa: But the more anchor points you have, the stronger your motivation will be. |
| Peter: So, if you’re planning to travel, into music or TV shows in your target language... |
| Chigusa: ...or if you have friends or family that speak the language.. |
| Peter: Those can serve as anchor points too. |
| Chigusa: Okay. And we covered goals and anchor points. What's next? |
| Peter: The third one is: you must have a good grasp of the g word: grammar...And when we say that, I actually recommend starting with grammar of your native language. |
| Chigusa: But if you’re learning a new language, why focus on your native language? |
| Peter: Great question. Well, as native speakers, the problem is, we know what good grammar sounds like. |
| Chigusa: Yeah, we know grammar already. |
| Peter: We know it, but... we can’t explain how or why our language works the way it works. Unless we’ve studied the rules. Chigusa, can you tell me what definite and indefinite articles are? |
| Chigusa: Ah, that’s very true. I’d have to look those up... Ok, you’re right. |
| Peter: So, again, before, before many people start on a language learning journey, they don’t fully remember all the things they learned way back they were in primary school. So, if you don’t really have a good grasp of grammar - the backbone or the rules of a language... |
| Chigusa: ... then you’ll have a tough time learning a new language. |
| Peter: Exactly. You’ll jump in and start learning words and phrases... |
| Chigusa: ...but you’ll never learn how to put them together and make sentences. |
| Peter: That’s a common problem beginners have. |
| Chigusa: So, Peter, you already know English grammar well. How do you apply that to Korean? |
| Peter: For example, I know that English sentences follow the Subject, Verb, Object pattern. “I ate an apple.” I is the subject. Ate is the verb. And apple is the object. |
| Chigusa: ...so if you know that languages have specific sentence patterns... then you’d go look at Korean patterns. |
| Peter: Exactly. And now you have a good idea of how to create your own sentences. |
| Chigusa: ...Instead of learning random words first. |
| Peter: So, I learn the most common sentence patterns. For example: how to ask questions, A is B, using adjectives, how to say “I have....” or “I want...” and so on. This helps me speak the language. |
| Chigusa: Alright, so grammar was #3. What’s the fourth one. |
| Peter: The fourth thing I jump into is reading. So, I always start with the alphabet. |
| Chigusa: That makes sense. All beginners tend to start there. |
| Peter: Also, Chigusa reading is good because you can do it anywhere, anytime... |
| Chigusa: ...and without a teacher. |
| Peter: Exactly. And if you read out loud, you’re practicing 2 skills at once. |
| Chigusa: Reading and.. |
| Peter: Speaking. |
| Chigusa: That’s very true. Now, how are you using these 4 points to learn Korean? |
| Peter: Let’s jump into part 2. |
| Chigusa: Part 2: How I’ll Be Learning Korean in 2019 |
| Peter: So, first, my goal. |
| Chigusa: Do you have a small, measurable monthly goal for Korean? |
| Peter: It’s 1 minute of conversation by the end of next month. February 28th, 2019 |
| Chigusa: What about anchor points. You already have those, right? |
| Peter: Yep, I will be traveling to Korea. Busan, in July. |
| Chigusa: Oh, that’s so exciting! |
| Peter: And my friends that live there. They’re expecting me to know a bit... |
| Chigusa: ...so you can’t back out of that, Peter. |
| Peter: Nope. On top of that, I’ll be looking for a Skype tutor to practice my speaking... |
| Chigusa: And for our listeners, how does that serve as an anchor point? |
| Peter: Well, first, you pay money, right? |
| Chigusa: Yes. |
| Peter: So, you want to make the most of the lessons. |
| Chigusa: Right, otherwise, you feel like you spent it for nothing. And that hurts. |
| Peter: Exactly. And, it’s an anchor point because the teacher expects you there. |
| Chigusa: Ah, true. They expect you to show up, do homework, and be ready for the next lesson. |
| Peter: So these are my anchor points. Next, with grammar, I’ll be doing Absolute Beginner Lessons on KoreanClass101. |
| Chigusa: Yeah, the good thing about the lessons is that you learn grammar from the conversations. |
| Peter: Exactly. You can take our lessons and learn grammar indirectly from dialogues. |
| Chigusa: And you get to hear how the rules are used, instead of learning rules alone. |
| Peter: Next, for reading, i’ll be using our extensive reading books. |
| Chigusa: Listeners, extensive reading is a learning tactic to help you read faster... |
| Peter: ...and learn languages faster, by reading easy books at your level. |
| Chigusa: So, the goal is to read a lot, skip words you don’t know and expose yourself to as much as possible |
| Peter: You’ll find our extensive reading books in the lesson library for all 34 languages. |
| Chigusa: And, you’ll be doing the Absolute Beginner ones, correct? |
| Peter: Exactly. At that level, they’re very simple. Just a sentence or a phrase per page. |
| Chigusa: Alright, so you set your goal, you have anchor points, there’s grammar and reading, but I have a question. |
| Peter: Yes? |
| Chigusa: Your goal is to speak 1 minute of Korean, how are you going to do that? |
| Peter: So, i’ll use our KoreanClass101 lessons. Since we teach conversations, I’ll be able to learn enough basics for a 1 minute long conversation. And with the Skype teacher... i will be able to practice my conversations and see if I can hit the 1 minute. |
| Chigusa: And what about the extensive reading books? How do they come in? |
| Peter: So, the books will help me master the Hangul alphabet |
| Chigusa: Ah, right.... |
| Peter: ... and like i said, reading indirectly helps with speaking. You can learn new words. And if you read out loud, you’re practicing your speaking. |
| Chigusa: Okay! Just wanted to see how reading fits into your speaking goal. |
| Peter: Chigusa, that was a great question. |
| Chigusa: Now... what about our listeners? How can they apply this all? |
| Peter: So, we’ve covered quite a bit. Goals. Anchor Points. Reading. Grammar. But that’s just my approach for 2019. Let’s keep it simple for the listeners. Let’s jump into the third part. |
| Chigusa: Part 3: The One Thing You Need to Do in Month One |
| Peter: Listeners, Now, that you’re in your 1st month of learning.... |
| Chigusa: ...let’s keep it simple. |
| Peter: The very first thing you need is to set a goal. |
| Chigusa: That’s right. You need to know what you’re aiming for. |
| Peter: But the problem is, you will set yourself up for failure if you set a bad goal. |
| Chigusa: So, setting right goals makes the all difference between success and failure. |
| Peter: So, for reference, here are goals that set you up for failure: |
| Chigusa: “I want to be fluent someday”... |
| Peter: ...“I want to speak the language” ...or “I want to lose weight.” |
| Chigusa: These big, vague goals often lead to failure. |
| Peter: Instead, your goals should be small, measurable and monthly. |
| Chigusa: For example: Speak 1 minute of conversation by the end of the month. |
| Peter: Learn 100 words by the end of the month. |
| Chigusa: Or, finish 20 Audio lessons by the end of the month. |
| Peter: All of these are small and specific. 1 minute. 100 words. 20 audio lessons. |
| Chigusa: Which means that they’re easy to do. Unlike... fluency. |
| Peter: They’re measurable. So, you know when you reach 1 minute, |
| Chigusa: You can check if you know all 100 words or if you’ve finished all 20 lessons. |
| Peter: And so you know when you succeed. |
| Chigusa: Yeah, if you aim for fluency, you won’t know when you hit it. |
| Peter: It’s too vague and big of a goal. And it may take years to hit, especially for big ones. |
| Chigusa: But these small, measurable goals... |
| Peter: ...we do them on a monthly basis. So set a deadline. At the end of the month. |
| Chigusa: And listeners, to make it easy... We’re giving you a goal. |
| Peter: Here’s your small, measurable, monthly goal: Finish 20 audio or video lessons by the end of the month. |
| Chigusa: You can use the dashboard to track your progress... |
| Peter: ...and see how many lessons you’ve completed. |
| Chigusa: Your deadline is February 28th, 2019. |
| Peter: And I will be doing these small goals every month... until the end of 2019. |
| Chigusa: How far would you like to get by the end of 2019, Peter? |
| Peter: I will hit 30 minutes of Korean conversation. |
| Chigusa: So, if you hit 1 minute by the end of February, 3 by... March, 5 or 6 by April, hmm, yeah, it sounds doable! |
| Peter: It’s definitely a lot more realistic than “reach fluency by September.” |
| Chigusa: And by the way listeners, if you haven’t gotten your “Learn a Language in 12 Months” PDF eBook... |
| Peter: Email us at inner dot circle at innovative language dot com. |
| Chigusa: This quick 26-page book is free for Challenge Subscribers... |
| Peter: ...and inside, you’ll learn more about goal setting, creating routines.. |
| Chigusa: ...and it includes a planner that you can print and fill out - to track your progress. |
| Peter: Email us at inner dot circle at innovative language dot com. |
| Chigusa: And stay tuned for the next Inner Circle. |
Outro |
| Chigusa: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson for this year! |
| Peter: Bye everyone! |
| Chigusa: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. |
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