I apologize for the lack of accents; I’m not sure how to add them to the text while keeping the font. 

I am beginning to learn French again this summer, along with other languages, and I hope to follow through with it. I learn and practice every day and I already have learned so much.

My summer morning routine usually involves waking up at 6:30 to 7 and making a cup of tea before diving into my favorite app at the moment — Duolingo. This isn’t sponsored, I really just think it’s a great (and free !!) way to learn languages. I then usually study and practice until around 10 then read for the rest of the day. (I just finished Outlander, and no, I’m not okay.)

I’ve always loved learning languages. When I was twelve I taught myself some very rough ancient Greek and the Greek alphabet, mostly fueled by a Percy Jackson and Greek mythology passion. Then in my freshman year of high school, I began to teach myself French before taking classes in my sophomore and junior year.

Some people do puzzles and crosswords, I learn languages. To me, it’s very much an equivalent because it’s kind of like a game when you do it for fun. For hours I could sit and learn the meanings of words in other languages, writing them in textbooks and practicing them in my head as I do my daily tasks. It’s almost an addiction.

Never having been to another country, it’s like a small piece of other cultures that I can offer myself. Languages are typically seen as a division in society, but languages are meant to link us. Communicating effectively with others in languages foreign to your person is an underrated skill. Instead of assuming everyone should know English, why not take the step to make an immigrant or tourist feel a little more welcome by knowing even just a bit of their native language.

Learning other languages has had a strange impact on the way I understand things and the way I reason. This is especially with the Latin languages I have been learning — French, Spanish, & Italian. These languages feed off each other in a way that allows you to somewhat understand the others based on aspects you already have learned with the other because many words and grammar manners are the same. I’m not quite sure how to explain this in a way that makes much sense to anyone who hasn’t learned other languages, but it has helped a ton with my trivia skills.

One physical benefit of learning languages is that it improves your memory and concentration, which I can already attest to, and it prevents the onset of Alzheimer’s. Taking a few hours out of your week to play around with other languages is well worth it.

If anything, languages are dying in the wake of globalization, and learning them is the only way to preserve their culture.

Because I have experience in French I have been able to work quickly through the first quarter of Duolingo so far and have discovered a fun little thing on their online website where they have stories. Each story is read out to you and questions are asked intermittently to ensure understanding, and it’s a very handy tool that gives real experience with the language.

As for not having any language experience, I can assure that it’s just helpful. I have had no experience with Italian nor Polish, yet I have had an easy time — as easy it can be to learn a new language — with learning them through the app.

Another thing that I do that helps me learn sentence structure and new words is learning and listening to songs. My favorite two to sing in French are J’m’en Fous by Vianney and Tombe Sous Le Charme by Christophe Mae. Here are some playlists I put together for French, Italian, & Polish.

To zajmuje duzo czasu, e un lavoro duro, mais cela en vaut la peine.

I hope that you find it in you in your life to learn at least one other language, if only just to better yourself.

Thanks for reading,

Taylor . x