I’ve always been in love with language. I’m a writer; I suppose it comes with the territory. Maybe the progression of my language-love from a love of English and its nuance to a love of all languages was a natural one, then. Even if not, I really got into language learning over the course of the pandemic. I researched methods, I learned mnemonics, and I made lots of mistakes. One of the biggest obstacles that I came across was the near-inevitable paywall.
I get it! Language tutors and developers need to keep the lights on. But if, like many, you’re tight on cash to blow, here are some ways to learn a new language that requires little more than an internet connection or library access.
1. Vocabulary Apps
Game-ified learning is on a winning streak. Apps are a fun and easy way to learn vocabulary, and many use the increasingly popular spaced-repetition method that helps things stick in your head. Of course, mostly everyone’s aware of Duolingo and Rosetta Stone (free through certain public libraries, including Calgary’s) by now, but my personal favourite is Drops. I use the free version, which gives you five minutes a day of vocabulary practice in one of forty-one different languages. Five minutes may not sound like much, but it’s an easy commitment and you can easily review the vocabulary afterwards on your own. For Japanese learners, I’m also a fan of Lirer, which categorizes vocabulary by JLPT level.
2. Chunking
As your vocabulary starts to pick up steam, remember that no word exists in a vacuum. Words are meant to be used in context! Look up news articles or find blog posts in your target language and learn by translating individual sentences. This will help you absorb new words and vocabulary much faster than you would otherwise. You’ll remember the things you learn more easily, and when you revise your “chunks” later on in your language learning journey you may even start to make connections that you wouldn’t have thought of before.
3. Immerse Yourself from the Beginning
This is one of the most common language-learning tips out there, but it really is helpful. Immerse yourself from the beginning. Watch shows in your target language—I find Netflix and other streaming services helpful for more common languages. If you don’t have access to a streaming service or you’re studying a more obscure language, look for content elsewhere! Personally, I like watching Malay talk shows on YouTube. Most people spend time-consuming some form of audiovisual media on a regular basis, so why not make it something productive? Turn on the subtitles—in your native language, or in the target language if you’re feeling more confident—and let ‘er rip.
This method consists a lot of how babies learn languages, and the younger you are the more likely it is that you’ll find it effective at the actual “helping things stick in your brain” part. But even if you’re getting older and your brain is getting less elastic, it’s still a worthwhile method. Not only will you begin to pick up certain quirks and structures of the language by instinct, but you will also begin to emotionally affiliate with the target language and increase your motivation to learn.
4. Language Transfer
I could write a whole blog post on just this app alone. Language Transfer is a fantastic solo project by Mihalis Eleftheriou designed to teach languages through understanding rather than rote memorization. His courses, including Spanish (the most popular), Italian, Greek, and Swahili, teach you to speak from the beginning and encourage you to naturally pick up the language. You can read more about the methodology on the project website, but as someone who started the app as an intermediate Spanish learner, I was taken aback by how much I learned about the language even within the first few lessons. I’m now working through the Intro to French course.
Happy Language Learning!
