How I Learned to Speak Bisaya, and You Can, Too: (Or Any Other Language)

by Steve Thorne

Language Myth Number 1: If You Hear a Foreign Language Often Enough, You Will Learn It.

The key is that in order to learn a foreign language, you must hear it and have some understanding—even if that understanding is imperfect. You also must engage in those conversations, not overhear them

Step One: Decide You Are Going to Learn Bisaya, and Commit Yourself

Learning the Language Is a Daily Process

Let's Recap 1. It's not enough for you to hear a foreign language. Evidence shows that you can spend decades hearing a language, but only learn a handful of words. 2. You must hear with some level of understanding, whether that is through context (ex. Someone points at water and says “tubig”) or through study (reading). 3. There are only two ways of learning a language: conversation, and reading with understanding. 4. You cannot just play a spectator to conversations, but must be actively involved. You must get “in the loop.” 5. You don't have to speak perfectly in order to communicate. The only way to perfect your language is to communicate imperfectly. Reality is that your first efforts to speak will be rough. That's okay. 6. You must commit to learning the language. Language learning is a daily process, because there's no quick fix. You must commit yourself because it's hard at first.