Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann
Steve Kaufmann
I speak 20 languages. I've been learning languages for over 50 years and I've tried all kinds of approaches. I talk about my experiences, my approach to language learning, what I enjoy about learning languages and all manner of other topics related to language.
If you love languages, or think you would if you hadn't been discouraged by past experiences, this is the podcast for you. Anyone can learn a language. You just need the right attitude and the right approach!
If you love languages, or think you would if you hadn't been discouraged by past experiences, this is the podcast for you. Anyone can learn a language. You just need the right attitude and the right approach!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 26, 2021 • 17min
How to Learn a New Language from Scratch: Indonesian
Given that the fastest way to learn a language is to listen and read a lot, how do you begin a language from scratch, when you don't understand anything? Here I demonstrate how I start a new language.
Apr 22, 2021 • 8min
Learn a Language in a Month: Is it Possible?
Neither "speaking from day one" nor "getting a good grammar book and dictionary" will enable a person to learn a language more quickly. These things can be part of a learning strategy. Mostly, however, we need to acquire the language through lots of exposure, lots of reading and listening.
Apr 20, 2021 • 10min
How To Study Languages Effectively At School
A lot of language study takes place in schools. In the English language school system in Canada, very few school children outside of French immersion learn to speak French despite years of classroom instruction and testing. Why is this?
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Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3euQz8f
Apr 15, 2021 • 10min
How to Study Effectively
Reading is the killer app for learning languages, but also for learning other things. In order to study effectively we need to work on our reading skills, and that means reading a lot. We should also take advantage of audio in order to ramp up our ability to absorb information from reading. This applies to language learning and learning other subjects as well.
Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3toiU6i
Apr 9, 2021 • 10min
How Long Does It Take To Learn A Language
People ask me how long it takes to learn a language, sometimes with reference to a specific language. I feel like asking them "what's the hurry?". Just enjoy the language and enjoy whatever you are able to achieve in the language.
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Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/2OxOzTD
Apr 3, 2021 • 14min
How I Learned Russian
Dive into the adventure of learning Russian through immersive methods like listening and reading. Discover the intricate beauty of Russian and its cultural ties to other Slavic languages. The speaker shares personal experiences, challenges, and the rewards of intertwining language with literature and media. Uncover the excitement of connecting with the Slavic world and the opportunities that unfold from mastering this fascinating language.
Mar 27, 2021 • 13min
What Is The Hardest Language to Learn?
Are some languages harder to learn than others? Yes, think so. Some have less or more forgiving grammar. Some have unfamiliar or hard to learn writing systems. Some are harder to pronounce or have little common vocabulary with languages we know. But if we are truly motivated, it doesn't matter.
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Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cmp2FV
Mar 20, 2021 • 9min
Learning How to Learn: A Polyglot's Opinion
In order to be successful language learners, it can help to have some sense of the learning process, what is actually going on in our brains. This can determine our learning activities and our expectations of ourselves.
Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3cRZZKa
Mar 16, 2021 • 21min
Chinese Vs Japanese Vs Korean: Learning Experience
Three major East Asian languages, Chinese, Japanese and Korean share a lot of vocabulary, history and culture and yet each one is distinctive, and well worth learning.
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Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3toimwJ
Mar 10, 2021 • 22min
How Hard Is It to Learn English? Interview with @ゆじー/Yuzzy
Here I interview Yuzzy, a Japanese exchange student at a high school in England. I ask him what he finds most difficult in English, and he doesn't know. He doesn't worry about the details. He has just absorbs the language.
Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3t0OLct
