Welcome to Language Mastery!
Your Source For Adult-Friendly Language Learning Tips, Tools & Tech
Howdy language lovers! I’m John Fotheringham, a linguist, author, entrepreneur, vagabond, and full-time silly goose. I have been learning and teaching languages for over a decade and have seen first-hand what works and what doesn’t. And what have I learned?
- Anyone can learn a language regardless of age, income, or zip code with the right attitude, methods, and materials.
- Most adult learners fail because they spend all their time learning about the language instead of actually practicing in the language.
- You DON’T need to spend thousands of dollars on classes but a little investment in the right tools and materials can go a long way.
- You DON’T need to force yourself through boring textbooks. Fun, modern, relevant materials are readily available online.
- You DON’T need to be “gifted” at languages, but you DO need to figure out what methods fit your learning style, schedule, and personality.
- You DON’T need to move abroad. Creative use of technology allows you can create an immersion environment no matter where you live.
- You DO need to maximize your exposure to the language everyday through listening and reading input and maximize your active practice through speaking and writing output.
And that’s it! You just need to show up and put in the time on a consistent basis and your brain will do the rest. We are all hard-wired to pick up the languages around us (even as adults) if you get enough input and output. The key to staying the course is actually enjoying the process by picking materials, topics, and activities that are inherently enjoyable. To that end, much of Language Mastery is dedicated to helping you pick cool tools and fun materials.
Happy learning!
“Language is not a cultural artifact that we learn the way we learn to tell time or how the federal government works. Language is a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal instruction, deployed without awareness of its underlying logic…”
Stephen PinkerThe Language Mastery Philosophy: 10 Quotes from 10 Heroes
“Fun gets done.”
Khatzumoto“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
Frank Smith“Do not use material incongruent with your interests as a vehicle for learning a language. It will not work.”
Tim Ferriss“Where you are isn’t what decides whether or not you’ll be successful. Attitude beats latitude (and longitude) every time. It’s more about creating an immersion environment and exposing yourself to native speakers”
Benny Lewis“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
Albert Einstein“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Woody Allen“In language learning, it is attitude, not aptitude, that determines success.”
Steve Kaufmann“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”
Richard P. Feynman“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
Aristotle“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
Bruce LeeNew Here? Start With These Articles
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