Hypnosis & lang learning. What I've learned speaking 7 languages and from 130+ language exchanges (self-taught)

Hypnosis & lang learning. What I've learned speaking 7 languages and from 130+ language exchanges (self-taught)

A language exchange is when you practice the language you're learning with another person who wants to learn your language.

I've never learned langs at school (in fact, I had to unlearn). I'm only speaking out of self-initiative to learn and self-taught.

I started my polyglot adventure only 6 months ago, just before Christmas, when I decided to learn Romanian.

I remember I was scared to even see all the diacritics and new sounds that I wasn't used to in Italian, where everything harmoniously ends in a vowel

So how did I manage? And with all the other langs?

Techniques come later. Here's the... rull of drum... "fuc*ing unstoppable mindset" of a polyglot:

? The first commentary that comes up in your mind about your ability to learn a lang "I'm not good at it" "because of age you know" "you know time issue" "you are good because, I'm not because" trust me, it's crap.

You don't even believe that yourself! They are stories that are justifying you from not even trying. If I don't start, it's because of that. If I make a mistake, it's because of that. Baahh..

How about we untie this story-referencing habit of making a mistake and immediately pointing the cause. How do you know that's the cause. There's no cause. Just let the mistake be. Be story-less.

And you'll spend much more time learning and less time justifying to yourself why you can't or why it's difficult or why you made a mistake. We love story-less mistakes!

? The long-term game depends on how much you can push through ambiguity. Lang learning is a lot about dealing with ambiguity.

You need to allow your brain enough time to build emotional connections with the language. The more emotional connections, the more words you retain and fluency.

These emotional connections won't happen if you keep asking what's the meaning of every word or analyzing every grammar, because you're getting in the way with your logical mind.

Think of it like this - be grateful every time you're faced with ambiguous or uncertain information.

The more you push through it and somehow still continue, the more you are giving your subconscious the time and exposition necessary to catch up and start forming memories and linking words to emotions.

Your subconscious does that wonderfully, the talent is not in doing but in getting out of your way with your logical mind and allow emotion to build up.

Bingo! This is when the language starts to feel "a part of you"

? No one will teach you a language. You need to tinker with it yourself. There's no strategy for everyone. One might say that this works for them, but not explain exactly why.

Even if you look up the best app, the best method etc. you still don't know much of the story.

For example, a nice app will help you form basic vocabulary, but the fact it gives you quick wins makes you perceive it's that simple, then you hear a native and not understand a word. You need to tinker.

? If you want the language to stick in your long-term memory, you need to do crazy stuff with it. You need to be so crazy and creative that you're forgetting you're learning the language.

At least that's I like. "Always" in Greek is "panda" (I've simplified). So get up, take a doll around you and pretend it's a panda, tell them that you love them, but not sometimes.. alwaaays!

They seem worried that you don't love them.. reassure them, hug them etc.

Repeat the word. Put that word into a context. Then into another context. Invent a story around it.

Act. Get crazy. Turn the boring into unpredictable. Your learning needs to incorporate unpredictability. You need to know where to start but not where it ends.

This is how it sticks words and grammar get codified straight into your amazing subconscious.

How can you forget that? You can't forget that because it's just so weird unique emotional. Bingo! All of these experiences get codified in your long-term memory along with the language they've been expressed in.

When you try to sit like a good student and memorize word for word, learn from your logical mind, you'll get bored. At least, I do as f*ck. It'll take ages for those words to go in your subconscious.

But with what I suggested, I know it'll make your learning so much easier and long-term.. and soooo much fun!

ps. the img is generated with AI ;)