I have always been encouraging people to learn languages, no matter it is languages from other countries or languages that belong to your country. I regard any languages apart from my native language as "foreign languages". In my case, the term "foreign languages" includes Indonesian dialects, which is not native to me.
A few days ago, I have written two short articles about why we need to learn languages and how we can be independent learners. The inspiration to write these articles came from my own experience in language learning and how I think language learning should be prioritized by everyone. Here I present to you the compilation of both articles.
Why learn languages?
You may be learning a language right now but you don't know why. In this article, I shall show you how and why you need to learn languages. Everyone is learning foreign languages at school, some learn English, Chinese or Spanish, whatever you learn depends on your location. For example, I learned English, Chinese, and German at school. Some schools in Indonesia also offer courses for Japanese, Arabic or other foreign languages.We can learn many things on the Internet, books, etc. I like to read and I learn a lot by reading. I think that reading is very easy to do. I read on the train or even when I am waiting. You can do the same too! Knowing several languages give us opportunities, help us to get a job and make friends. Right now, I already can communicate with many people from around the world. I hope that you can do it and you want to learn more about it.
How to be an independent learner?
Since childhood, we learn languages at school, we have many homework and exams to do but can we really learn well in this way? There are many ways to learn languages, and everyone learns differently. I cannot learn by using the same way as my friends because our knowledge and way of thinking are different.The first step in learning is to find out your own learning style. In other words, it is better to find a way to become an independent learner. I know that I can learn better by reading and writing. Thus, I often do in that way. Other people may learn better through conversation, watching TV or listening to radio. Do what you think is better for you.
If you don't know your learning style, I suggest you to try various methods to find out in which way you learn better.
There are many online learning resources these days. If you know another language, it is also better to use that language to learn foreign languages. For example, if you want to learn an Indonesian dialect, you would get much more information in the Indonesian language rather than in English.
Finally, it is important to find your learning style so that you will know how you can learn better. And then, find the suitable learning material. I wish you the best and good luck.
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