language learning – When Life Gives You Lemons

What do you want to achieve?

So what I am proposing is this – that in one area of your life, where you would like to explore your creativity or to achieve a particular goal, you give it a real shot at success. The 500 day part is somewhat arbitrary and I’ll explain it in a moment, but 500 days of regular practice of absolutely anything is bound to bring very satisfying results.

According to the European Journal of Social Psychology (2009) it takes between 18 and 254 days to form a habit. The wide variation depends on the person and the new habit that you wish to form, but it suggests that absolutely anyone could achieve a good habit within this time frame.

So what would you like to do? Learn the cello? Paint? Write a book? None of these things can be tackled in an afternoon. They take a life-time. Yet, if we do not start now, when will we?

There is one waiting for you! Image: Mak on Unsplash

All my life, I’ve loved the cello, but I played piano and never thought to ask to add another instrument. I must have mentioned this once too often and my husband called my bluff. For my 45th birthday, he gave me a cello. It was a thing of great beauty and I knew then that I would have to organise lessons and start practising!

My days were crammed with teaching, corralling my teenage sons and running a household. When on earth would I find time to practise? But I did, and I made very good progress until, unfortunately, back problems forced me to stop. Was it worth it? Absolutely. That half hour or so a day puzzling out the intricacies of fingering and bowing and music were often the most peaceful and happiest.

500 days

Which brings us to the 500 day part. As those of you who have been following this blog know, I have been learning Swedish. Why? Because I love all things Swedish and hope one day to spend a good long time in that country. Equally, I know that learning a language is my best defence against the ravages that MS wreaks on my brain. Not the most sexy of reasons, I know, but I am quite certain that it is working: reducing brain fog and increasing my mental acuity.

This week, I shall reach my 500 days of learning through Duolingo. It also coincides with my finishing the course, which I am pleased to say, I now have. Needless to say, I am hardly fluent, but I certainly have at least a basic understanding of the language. Reading Pippi Longstocking in the original will hopefully involve only a foray into the diction every sentence or so rather than every other word.

Sweden here I come! Image: Axel Antas Bergkvist

Having completed my 500 days, I shall continue to learn the language, but the goal of finishing the course was what set me on the right path. If I am honest, I am only just beginning, but now that the habit is formed and I have made such progress, it won’t be difficult to continue.

Commitment is the key to happiness

If I have learned anything in life, it is the above. What brings us real and lasting joy needs to be earned, to be maintained, to be nurtured. Think of your dear friends. They are the ones we have known for many, many years, who have witnessed and supported us in joy and sorrow. We keep them because they are precious and we know committing to that friendship will require a little effort on our part. Yet, I doubt any of us would view it as hard work. The same applies to all our endeavours whether they be in relationships or skills. The time and effort we put in will match the rewards we take out.

It is hard to kick the trend. It is hard to go against the grain of a society in which the disposable is ubiquitous, cheap and so easy. It is hard to say that spending time caring for a garden every day is as scintillating as visiting different ones and certainly is less Instagrammable. But it is (and I love to visit new ones too!)

When we can ignore the hype of the latest, next thing and focus on what our hearts really crave, we will find a joy much deeper and more enduring than any instant experience. So I urge you to join me in committing to a goal you have long deferred. Give it the space and time it needs. 500 days is approximately 16 months, a tiny portion of our lives.

Let me know how you get on. I’m planning to try to play the cello again and hoping my back will cooperate. I will have to return to the beginning and will no doubt make a lot of unpleasant screeching, but I got there before and I can get there again. It will take time, as all good things do. And as we all know, Rom byggdes inte pa en dag. (Rome wasn’t built in a day)

There are few things more challenging or rewarding than learning a language. For the past ten years, I have been trying to learn Swedish. My progress has been intermittent at best, but I am now dedicated to a few short lessons every day. I began when my son spent six months studying in Lund, Southern Sweden. I imagined long visits and extended stays, but as often happens in life, things didn’t go to plan. In the end, I only got to spend 48 hours there!

So my studies trailed off, but my intention to master the language and eventually spend some time there never did. My love of all things Scandinavian, like all good obsessions, started young. When I was six or seven, my family was due to travel to Denmark for a farm holiday. I was ecstatic and convinced (don’t ask me why) that this was the location of Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree . For some reason involving travel supplements I didn’t understand, the holiday was cancelled and I was heart-broken. I consoled myself with Moomins and Mrs Pepperpot and found, as I grew older, that my love for this region had not abated. If anything it had grown: I loved Scandinavian design, thrillers and their eminently sensible way of life.

Flying the Swedish flag Photo: Karen Costello-McFeat

Language reveals who we are

I think that we all have countries other than our own for which we have an affinity or at least a passionate curiosity. Learning the languages of these countries will not only give us the ability to converse with the natives, but to access the intricacies of their literature and culture. Reading texts in the original, as all bilingual speakers will tell you, is infinitely richer than reading in translation. Why? Because words, phrases and idioms resonate far beyond their meaning. They express something about the very essence of the country.

My husband’s old boss (who was Swedish) puzzled over why we had so many words for the same thing in English. ‘Take the word road,’ he said. ‘Swedish has three words; you have dozens.’ So what does this tell us? I think that it shows the pragmatism of Swedes, a, ‘Call a spade a spade’ approach . And what it reveals about the English is our preoccupation with precision, the right naming of things, the tremendous possibilities of language. We have the largest vocabulary in the world and a very long list of words for road, all subtly different from one another. See how many you can come up with.

The family tree of language

English is fascinating because it is derived from and related to so many other languages. At root, an Indo-European language with a strong Germanic base, it is seasoned with French, Latin and any number of other borrowings. When learning another language, these relationships become more apparent. We see that our ‘foreign’ neighbours are not so foreign. Since I have a Scottish background, there are even more Swedish words that seem familiar: hus , grat and barn are very similar in pronunciation to the Scottish, hoos (house), greet (cry) and bairn (child). I love these connections, because they highlight my history. It is woven into our words.

Brain training through language learning

Though I doubt I shall be getting to Sweden any time soon, I am diligently following my course. This time I chose Duo-Lingo, as it allows you to review your learning constantly, and I, for one, need endless reminding. My goal is to be fluent enough that I can read Pippi Longstocking in the original and to spend a month in one of the many little lake-side holiday cabins one summer.

This may take some time. Pippi Longstocking in the original: Photo Karen Costello-McFeat

Yet, I have a more important reason for following this rather whimsical path. Learning a complex language such as Swedish is seriously challenging for my brain. With a neurological condition like MS, the brain is constantly being assaulted and sadly, mine has plenty of legions. But I am a great believer in neuroplasticity – the idea that, with work, we can reroute the brain and keep it functioning.

If nothing else, I am also getting older and ageing affects the functioning of the brain just as it stiffens our joints and depletes our energy. The good news is that just as keeping fit and healthy diminishes the effects of ageing on the body, mind training can do the same for the brain. The bad news is that the ‘no pain, no gain’ rule applies. Just as a five-minute walk each day won’t give you a significant physical benefit, nor will a desultory look at the crossword. We really need to stretch and challenge the brain to reap the rewards. This is where language learning comes into its own. Language learning is difficult. It requires masses of concentration, learning new words and untangling the complexities of a foreign grammar for a start. And it is these strenuous mental gymnastics that force the brain to create new neural pathways and ‘keep fit’.

Research consistently shows that, ‘Learning a second language benefits cognitive abilities like intelligence and memory, while lowering risks of brain aging, dementia, and Alzheimer’s’ https://bebrainfit.com/benefits-learning-second-language/ All of these are surely great objectives.

Now is always the best time to begin

So, if you have been meaning to learn a new language, now would be a great time to start. Being stuck at home is not even an obstacle, since there are endless options available online from Podcasts to interactive lessons and, when normal life resumes, community colleges and private tutors offer a variety of courses. There really is something for everyone – even Star Trek fans. They can learn Klingon.

Tag: language learning

The 500 Day Challenge