10 WAYS TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE By Rumki Chowdhury

If you've read my previous blog entries, you're probably familiar with the fact that I'm learning Swedish in Stockholm, Sweden! Learning a new language definitely has its perks, and its challenges. I've decided to try out various different tactics that have made me nearly-fluent in just two months. Not to mention, the program I'm in is 'riktig snabbt' or 'really fast' in Swedish. And I like it that way! 

I just took my daughter to the Swedish doctor recently and she was so shocked at how quickly I had learned to speak the language. Note that I said, I'm ALMOST fluent, not quite there yet, and learning new words and grammatical technique every few minutes.

1. GO SWEDISH: Before I applied for the Swedish course, I watched 'Go Swedish,' a Youtube Channel that starts from scratch, teaching from the names of the months, how to count and say the alphabet. I'm a visual person so I need to see how words are spelled before I attempt to pronounce them. Go Swedish has black screens with just words on them and a lady's voice in the background. I'm sure you can find any similar language channel on Youtube.

2. SUBTITLES: You can probably find films and TV Programs in your language that have subtitles in the language which you desire to learn. Swedish TV contains a lot of American and British programs with subtitles. Another visual aid for myself!

3. FILMS/PROGRAMS: I watch Swedish shows like the detective series inspired by Henning Mankell's crime fiction, 'Wallander.' Not to mention, I also saw 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' in Swedish, after I read it. I love foreign films, even if they don't have subtitles. It's incredible what you can interpret/understand by from facial expressions and body language.

4.READ, READ, READ: I try to read Swedish newspapers every day. And yes, they're free! Ah, I love the fact that I can read not just one (like the METRO in London), but many newspapers for free! I read it all even if I don't understand what is written. Sometimes, I can understand what I'm reading by just understanding some of the words written and figuring out the context. Plus, this also helps me practice my pronunciation. 

5. BOOKS: I borrow and read children's books to my baby and novels for myself, in Swedish! I read out loud to my husband, who already knows Swedish and can help me improve my pronunciation. No matter what, I have a feeling I'm always going to sound American. 

6. APPS: I've downloaded a 'lexicon' or English-Swedish dictionary for free on my Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S. You can download similar apps on any 'smart' phone and you don't need internet to use it outside of the home. I now can quickly type in any word I need to know while reading the newspaper on my commute to class every weekday. 

7. COURSE: Of course, I cannot go on about learning a language without mentioning the obvious. Perhaps some can learn a language long-distance or just sitting at home. But going to a course has its benefits, especially with developing a social life and learning the knitty-gritty of grammar and structure. 

8. WRITE-AND-COMPARE: I find it helpful to write as much Swedish as I can and when I learn a new word, I'm always comparing it to English. Word association helps a lot!

9. OUT-AND-ABOUT: When I go out, I try to speak Swedish in the shops or in the elevator. When I get into an elevator and there's someone in there, I break the silence with a Swedish comment about the weather, which is almost always, 'Det är mycket kallt ut,' which means, 'It's really cold out!' Some find it helpful to get right into work and practice Swedish with their colleagues or customers.

10. RADIO: Sometimes Swedish people speak so fast, I cannot catch a word of what they're saying. For example, once I saw this old man come out of the elevator in our building and I said, 'Hej, hur mår du?' which means 'Hey, how are you?' And he said something along the lines of, 'blah blah blah ladiladiladida...sjalv?' All I understood was '...Yourself?' Listening skills are just as important as reading and writing. Radio helps. There's even easy radio stations like 'Klartext' which is easy Swedish news radio for beginners.

Happy New Language Learning!

By Rumki Chowdhry

The Brit Writers Blog