Learning a new language? A model from basics to fluency

There might not be a silver bullet to learn a difficult skill like a language or a musical instrument — but there is a comprehensive process we can map out to take us from zero to fluency.

This post will share some ideas about that process — with the hope that at least a few of the suggestions can save you significant time further own the road. It is based on my personal experience of language learning — though I hope and believe it can be applied to other learning processes too!

First off — some myth-busting

It is worth beginning by dispelling some common myths when it comes to language-learning:

Myth 1: Some people just have an “ear” for languages — others don’t.

Routine and discipline are far more important than natural talent. If anything disposes us to be quicker language-learners, it is our willingness to laugh at ourselves, take risks, and be comfortable “performing” — but all of that can be learned.

Myth 2: The older you get the harder it becomes to learn new skills, because the brain becomes hard-wired and less malleable.

Children’s brains might have greater neuroplasticity (be more malleable) than adults, but to say this condemns adults to a slow and arduous learning process is a huge overstatement. New research has shown that we have underestimated how quickly adults’ brains can form new neural pathways (ie, how quickly they can learn). Environmental and psychological factors are at least as important as biological; if an adult can replicate a child’s learning environment (eg immersion / accumulation of hours spent practicing) and mindset (eg lack of fear), they too will learn quickly. More on that here.

Myth 3: Apps like DuoLingo offer the best path to fluency in the 21st century.

These apps can be an important resource to learn, but as yet there is no single application or programme that is comprehensive enough to take you from zero to fluency. Self-directed learning (the ability to take ownership of your own learning process) is crucial, particularly for those without the resources to invest thousands in intensive courses over several months. Our culture around learning in the 21st century can also present a barrier — more on that here.

With the above in mind — below are some tips of what has worked for me, based on my experience of self-directed language learning.

A Spiral Model for Learning Languages

The spiral is a powerful way to think about learning because it represents both circularity and progress / growth. Below is a model I used to represent language learning, which I will break down in the remainder of this post:

There are three parts important to understanding this approach:

• Step 1: identify why you want to learn (the central guiding star)
• Step 2: understand what progress looks like and how long it might take (the three concentric circles)
• Step 3: understand how you can move forward (the spiral)

Step 1: Identify why you want to learn

We often start any learning process by diving into what it is we need to learn. But without taking the time to clarify why, the entire process is much more vulnerable to collapse. That happens again and again with languages, when the first awkward conversation is enough to convince someone to give up.

Clarifying your guiding star will give you the energy you need for the learning process. It will also help you decide what to prioritise — in the case of languages, learning to be conversational informally would look very different to learning for work purposes.

For languages, asking what accent or dialect you want to learn also makes sense at an early stage. It likely won’t have much bearing early on, but it will help you focus your resources and avoid confusion further down the line.

Step 2: Understand how you will make progress and how long it might take

Part of the goal-setting process is to decide what success looks like for you, how quickly you want to get there, and what resources you can invest.

The three concentric circles represent three levels of learning. I think about this in terms of ability to “perform” the skill you want to learn — for example, speaking a language conversationally.

Fluency is often the goal when it comes to learning a new language (or any other skill). To me, “fluency” is as much about comfort as it is about quality of delivery. It is certainly not about perfection, as we often assume when it comes to languages.

• Level One (Basics): You are picking up the fundamental building blocks of the language, but do not feel ready to perform (eg speak the language) in practice.
• Level Two (Competency): You have built solid enough foundations to perform in a limited capacity, but still feel uncomfortable doing so. You still make a lot of mistakes / struggle to engage in more complex conversations.
• Level Three (Fluency): Speaking feels more natural and less like an uncomfortable and exhausting performance. You can converse with ease across a broad number of areas.

Two resources are particularly important to invest in making progress through these levels: time and money. Stating the obvious — the quicker you want to get to a certain level, the more intensely you will have to concentrate your resources to get there.

Assuming a language learner can commit five hours per week — I would estimate it would take very roughly:

• three months (60+ hours) to learn the basics
• six months (120+ hours) to speak competently
• two years (500+ hours) to speak fluently

Of course — learning a new skill will take significantly less time if you have already learned a similar skill. Just as someone who plays the flute will be quicker than someone new to music to learn the guitar, and will also be quicker to learn the clarinet than a guitar-player — someone with Spanish as a second language will learn Arabic more quickly than someone without a second language, and will learn Italian faster than someone whose second language is Arabic.

A significant investment in both time and money— for example by taking an intensive course in the country where the language is spoken — will also dramatically accelerate your learning. For those unable to commit this kind of time or money, the key is to build learning into a weekly routine -ensuring for example that you study at the same time on the same day each week. This is the only way to accumulate the hours necessary to progress — willpower alone is never enough.

Step 3: Charter your path forward and begin

There are various different approaches to learning:

• learning through study: this is the information you can get from a book which is often more theoretical.
• learning through practice: this involves actively applying what you have learned, normally in a “safe space” where you can’t be judged.
• learning through observation: observing how the skills are used in real life.
• learning through performance: similar to learning through practice, but in a space that forces you to go beyond your comfort zone, normally in the real world.

We can plot the four modes of learning as below:

The mistake many learners make is to stay in the “safe space” of study. Making the leap to the top and the right of the framework is crucial to activate this learning, to make it stick, and make it real.

More generative learning might include writing new vocabulary into new sentences or even full stories, speaking it out loud and rehearsing chunks of speech you can use in conversation. This helps weave together the specific words and grammar you’ve learned into “chunks”, which have much more meaning that is personal to you. This helps you remember more with less effort — a little like the brain is better able to remember several puzzle pieces that form a coherent picture, rather than trying to recall each piece in isolation.

Another mistake is to assume that we learn by completing one quadrant and advancing to the next (eg studying until we know everything, and then starting to speak). In reality, we will progress much quicker by using each approach to learning to reinforce the other. For example, having learned the present tense in a new language, it makes more sense to practice it and perform it with native speakers, rather than going deeper on more complex tenses.

That means progression looks less like a series of steps involving distinct thresholds and big leaps, and more like a spiral:

Traditionally language learning is split into four skills — reading, writing, speaking and listening. While this is helpful, thinking about the four types of learning above can be a better way to consider what kind of activities will help you progress.

Here is my recommendation for language-learning for someone lacking the budget to spend on intensive classes:

With an idea of something like the above, you know exactly what you will need to spend your time doing in order to reach fluency. A single app like DuoLingo might be an important part of the journey, but it will take a lot more to become fluent.

The Spiral Model: Summary

The mistake we often make is to try and absorb all the relevant information, before taking the risk of performing. That learning process would look less like a spiral, and more like a series of steps moving up each time we “complete” each level. From the perspective of the bottom step it can feel like a less daunting path, but it can mean that we plateau and feel overwhelmed when it comes to practicing what we have learned.

That is true of languages, and I believe it is true of learning in general. The quicker we can embrace the discomfort of “performance,” the quicker we can get over our imposter syndrome, and move forward.

Recap: 5 Key Tips for Intentional Learning

1. Articulate why you are learning, and how that end goal might affect the process.
2. Consider how you will accumulate the time required to reach your end goal, eg. through intensive learning, or by habitual / routine learning, or a combination.
3. Put some time aside to research the resources and activities you will use to guide your learning, ensuring you have a diverse range that engage your brains in different ways.
4. Make sure you are using generative as well as observational approaches to learning, using the technique of “chunking” to help better recall what you’ve learned.
5. Don’t try to perfect a skill before performing it in real life — think of learning less as a series of thresholds and jumps, and more as a continuous spiral.