Many people wish to learn a new language but don't know where to begin. Here are some tips, which apply to natural languages (like Spanish) or constructed languages (like Loglan or Java).
- Determination -- you must really want to learn it, or when things get hard, you'll lose interest. This is the single most important thing in learning how to do anything.
- Repetition -- ever heard a baby learning to speak? they repeat the same sounds over and over. Once they've gotten a few words down, they use them all the time. Do a phrase or word of the day, or week if you can't seem to use them in a day. I've heard it said by those learning to play the guitar that 15 minutes a day, every day is better than a 1-hour session two or three times a week.
- Learn the whole language -- if it is a natural language, get some tapes for the spoken language. Learn to read the written language. If you're doing a programming language, learn how to do the things you don't think you'll use.
- Saturation -- a combination of determination and repetition, saturation is spending time every day learning things. This keeps your mind in the mood for it, and keeps those neurons firing.
- Associate -- new languages are easier to learn once you have a few under your belt. I'm not saying try to learn five languages in a year, but if you can pick up similarities in your native language, or if you can learn some about linguistics in general, you'll be better off to situate the new language in your memory.
- Patience -- above all, be patient. Some days you won't remember how to construct a simple sentence. You may forget your favorite word. Learning something well takes time, on the order of years rather than months. Just keep a long-term view, and enjoy yourself.
My experience (right now with Japanese) has brought me to these conclusions. I watch tons of anime to get the sounds of the words in my mind. I try to read manga all the time. I have both language tapes and written language books, a dictionary, and assorted materials on the actual words and sentences. It all comes down to how bad you want to learn it. The more I learn, the less I believe in limits on the human intelligence.
Good luck!
(reply) It does seem that younger children have an advantage in language aquisition, but they also tend to have more time to devote to such things. Immigrants would likely be very interested in learning the local language, but would not have the time or resources to devote to learning it like children do. Also, as adults, we are able to shield ourselves from social encounters that cause us discomfort, and we can choose to associate with those we can communicate best with. Children are usually sent off to school, and essentially forced into social situations that they must learn to deal with. No one ever said learning was easy...
The classroom setting afforded by most elementary schools highlight many of the points I used. Saturation and repetition are a primary focus. Also, children tend to not mind saying silly things that help wire the pathways in the brain for certain constructs in the new language. They don't usually have the fear of being wrong yet, which makes them more open to this new thing (language). Children also have a way of finding the fun in the languages (curse words, songs and jokes). You learn best when you play.