Climbing Mount Language from Basecamp to Summit

Kerstin learns new English slang, Lindsay shares her thoughts on delicious rewards, and we take apart the worst language learning misconceptions.

The Fluent Show

November 20, 20171h 13mExplicit

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Show Notes

Beware listeners: This episode contains a discussion of a few English swearwords, so if you are listening with kids please skip the first 20 minutes.

And on to what's in this show:

Language Stories: Lindsay has a new podcast, reporting back from her adventures around the language landscapes of cities like Montréal, New York, and more.

Even after 20 years of English, I still don't know all the words. We discuss an English slang word that was news to me.

Tip: The Psychology of Rewards

We discussed why and how you can reward yourself when you reach those study goals.

Language Learning Misconceptions

Here's the list we discussed on the show:

Children learn their first language effortlessly
Younger learners learn languages more easily than older learners
Intelligent people are better at learning languages
Immersion is the best way to learn a language
Grammar study is detrimental to second-language acquisition
Learning a second language hinders the development of the first language
Once a child can speak a language, the language-learning process is complete

Consider: All these ideas and beliefs are widespread, but none of them are true when taken at face value!