In yesterday's post, I shared tips from an article on Learning Languages from the Learning Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This post presents part two, sharing some of the remaining ideas from the article.

Yesterday's post covered some of the basics of learning a new language:

Today's post focuses on activities you can undertake to acquire and use a new language.

Find real-life sources. The article recommends you find ways to expose yourself to your new language as much possible, such as through:

For media you listen to, such as podcasts, slow down the audio to make it easier to follow. And for content available in more than one format, such as a video with subtitles or a radio story with a transcript, employ two senses—reading and listening—at the same time. And if you're struggling to find interesting content, ask people who speak the language you're learning to recommend articles, books, shows, songs (artists) and podcasts.

Hold shadow conversations. The previous activity focused on language input, which is the language you take in by hearing or reading it. Holding shadow conversations involves both language input and language output, which is the language you put out by speaking or writing it. The article states:

A key part of learning a new language involves training your ear. Unlike written language, spoken language doesn’t have the same context clues that help you decipher and separate out words. Plus, in addition to using slang and idioms, native speakers tend to "smoosh" words together, which is even more confusing for language learners!

One way to boost your language output is to hold practice conversations. The article identifies two strategies:

Collect new words. Any time you encounter a new word, capture it in some way, for example, writing it in a notebook, typing it into your phone, or recording it in a voice note. You may encounter new words while using a language-learning app, participating in a language class, conversing with a native speaker, or consuming content from one of the real-life sources mentioned above. The important thing is to find a method that allows you to quickly and easily note the new word. Next, you will need to organize your words into a collection that you can review, such as on flashcards, an app or a spreadsheet. Finally, use the new words.

If you're struggling to find new words to capture or are overwhelmed with all the new words you're encountering, you can start in reverse—identifying subjects you're interested in, such as a hobby, and then finding the words that go with it.

Spend more time using flashcards than making them. The article cautions readers against spending too much time making elaborate flashcards, leaving little time for actually using them: "if you focus on making absolutely 'perfect' flashcards, then you’re really just wasting time." Put only enough information on the flashcard to trigger your memory, for example, the word in your target language on one side and its translation in your native language on the other. Also, consider mixing up the flashcards by, for example, drawing an image to represent the word in your native language on some cards. The article also recommends that you practise your new vocabulary by alternating the side of the flashcards you begin with—sometimes starting with your target language, other times starting with your native language. You can further avoid the pitfalls of rote memorization by using your new words in a sentence. You can even turn your practice into a game by making up "mad-lib" style sentences that use several words from your collection in the same sentence. In making a habit out of using flashcards, the article recommends this approach: small steps, many reps. Create sets of seven flashcards and practise each set several times before moving on to the next one. Once you've reviewed a set of flashcards, put them aside for a day or two before reviewing them again.

Make it fun. The article encourages language learners to remember what got them interested in learning the language in the first place, such as traveling or working abroad, talking with people from another country, or studying the culture of a new place.

Here’s the thing: whenever you can do something that connects you back with the reasons that motivate you to study your new language, or you find something new and exciting about the language you’re studying or the cultures that use it, use your excitement to boost your motivation. It’s what will keep you going—and that kind of persistence is a key factor in language learning success.

In preparing this post, I discovered some new resources that I hadn't previously come across. For example, I learned that the Ottawa Public Library offers children's picture books and classic stories in Brazilian Portuguese as part of its online magazines. These resources are accessible through the Libby app, which allows library patrons to read e-books and listen to audiobooks.

Also, as a result of writing this post, I remembered strategies that I had used in the early days of my journey to learn Brazilian Portuguese. For example, I used to write down new words as I encountered them and would subsequently put them in a table, organized by subject. I would review this table from time to time, but I eventually abandoned it because one long document of vocabulary wasn't portable or user friendly. I also used to prepare newsletters capturing new vocabulary that had come up in my conversations with my Brazilian neighbour. Perhaps I'll resurrect these early approaches and tweak them according to the advice of the University of North Carolina article. I may also find that Portuguese vocabulary that seemed daunting at the beginning is now much easier to recall after 500 days of learning the language.