"New Language - New Lifestyle" [Lewis – Fluent in Three Months – Reflections – Ch 4-End]

A million ways and then some more exist
To quick immerse yourself, if you persist
In finding interactive people ’round
Who’ll chat with you, so you can thus surround –

Yourself with native speakers – still its folks
Who are the best, with whom you now can yoke
In with, as you progress to language learn;
For some it adds a way for them to earn.

Use what you know, like cognates all around;
Add context; body language; cues abound
To help you speak, communicate quite well;
Though words at first don’t come – folks oft can tell –

Your meaning – then you’re off into a land
You have not been; you start to understand;
Use plans and cheat-sheets; back up, try again
Another way to talk, thus hearing gain.

There’s Esperanto which, just like Pascal,
Can speed the learning process – context tells
A lot if you tune in, then shift to phone,
Where ear you must attune to voice alone.

Try staying out of native tongue you have;
Use silence-plugging words, and action’s salve;
Ramp up from mini-chats to larger piece;
Then conjugations add to boost release.

Each language, language-group, has entry keys,
And tricks like modal verbs (a basic-ese
Which steps around most verbs right at the start,
And don’t require much grammar on your part).

The grammar comes once you’ve progressed a lot –
It’s helpful rising up to mastery’s top;
The grammar-lingo helps (but ease it in –
For conversation’s best point to begin).

That’s when the movies, humor, literature,
Are useful – Turbo-boosting you for sure;
Exams can benchmark progress – writing too;
Change “self-talk” to that language – super tool.

Use look of “native” more than language ‘sounds’–
Watch mores, dress, and gestures, customs found;
The idioms and slang will pick you out;
Or intonation – statements, questions, doubt.

Don’t mix up early learning with a few
New languages, not even up to two;
At B2 you can think about a change,
For higher levels stick, within a range.

One language ladders up to other ones,
So learn from second, third, for insight comes
As we use language to attain one more –
“New life for each new language” boosts each, for –

Associations cling to lifestyles more,
When words and their associations store
Together in our beings – we don’t mix
The languages – for each makes separate pix.

Thanks Lord for this.

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