How to learn any language without going to class

I naturally love learning new languages; any language that I come into contact with I always try to learn. I started with my immediate surrounding languages. I mean the countless dialects of Luhya. Wait a minute! There is no language called Luhya but what we have are the various individual languages (not dialects but full languages) of the various communities that historical anthropologists lumped together as Luhyas. So my immediate foreign language to learn as a small boy was Oluwanga; the language of the Abawanga people of Kakamega County. Then I leaned some Ateso during my short stint among these amazing people in Kocholya village, Busia County. When I went back home after only nine months, my Babukusu people were amazed at how fast I had Tesonized myself.  So as expected everybody wanted to know how I did it! However, these are not the only languages I have learned. The most amazing language that I leaned to perfection is Lingala....Yes! This beautiful language of Rhumba music of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here today I want to very quickly share with you a few tips on how to learn any language pretty fast and without going to any class...!

There are numerous techniques for second, third, fourth nth language acquisition and I am sure each person has his or her own techniques. But here are my quick tips:

Huge passion - It sounds obvious right? Just an emphasis. If you are mulling with the idea of learning any new language, please ensure you have an impossible amount of passion. Great passion will drive you to go to great length to learn. Without this, there is no motivation for learning. Great passion will drive to stay late into the night browsing the internet for information and interaction, it drive you to acquire learning resources and it will keep you on course.

Positive Attitude - Attitude is another very essential requirement for you to learn a foreign language. If you like a certain language it goes without saying that your learning becomes easy. This, by extension, means that YOU MUST LIKE THE PEOPLE who speak the language. If you have a troubled attitude towards any language and/or its people then forget about learning it. Shed off any trace of stereotype if you want to learn!I used to have a very poor attitude towards French but the moment I changed, learning became as easy as swallowing saliva!

Read my friend! - This also seems obvious. But I mean you must read at your own pleasure not pressure of exams. Just read anything you can land your hands on as long as it is written in the language of your interest. For Christians, I highly recommend starting with the Bible. Currently I have a Bible in French and it is doing wonders on my learning of that romantic language. 

Listen - I did not mean you listen to me. I mean, listen to the language, could be speeches, music, movies or native speakers' conversations. Just listen as much as you can and pick out the words you may have already come across. By listening you will be able to pick out a few words that you already know and thereby understand their context of use. Listening can also sort you out with regards to pronunciation. However, you cannot learn by listening if you are the "use national language" type of a person that get irritated when others communicate in their language in your presence. 

Speak up! - Yeah...You have acquired a few phrases in the language of your interest. Practice how to speak them out particularly with those who know it. Do not fear making mistakes, it is not your language after all. Make as many mistakes as you can provided you learn from them. Speaking exposes you to more learning opportunities. When you make mistakes, you will be corrected and that's who you learn!

Interact - You cannot learn any language in isolation. Go out there and meet people. If you cannot find time to immerse yourself in some village for learning, make use of modern communication technology my friend. YouTube and Social Media platforms are so helpful in this regard. There, you will find uncountable people who are not only interested but are actually learning your language! Make them virtual classmates.

Invest a little - I am not talking about buying shares. Just acquire a few resources such as books, music, movies and so on that are composed in your language. Whereas most books are available at a fee in many bookstores, the internet is equally full of learning materials that are largely free! 

Relax, there is no exam - there is nothing as frustrating and boring as reading for the exams. It builds up tension and anxiety which are not good for learning. The best learning is pleasure learning; learning for the fun of it; not exams. If you are in a relaxed mood, learning becomes not only interesting but also easy. There are no exams, no deadlines for assignments, no regulations for the days and times of class attendance, no prescriptions of where to learn from. You learn when you want from where you want.

You do not have to take notes - This is extremely personal. There people who cannot learn without taking notes particularly with regards to second language acquisition. As for me, the way to learn a language is by simply learning. I learn without writing notes. I tried taking notes but it did not work. I abandoned the notebooks and concentrated on learning and practicing. It is easy that way for me. If you do not believe me, just try to remember how you learned your first language...Did you take any notes? Now you know!

Believe - Even before you start learning, believe that you can be fluent in the language. Remove all forms of doubt! Once you firmly believe that you can learn the language to linguistic competence and performance levels, then you are as good as done! I believed I could learn Ateso; the most difficult language in Kenya and I did. After learning it I discovered that Turkana is equally very easy! Now I know I can learn Urdu, Russian and Mandarin.

So, once again if you have a language you want to learn and you think you do not have money and time for classes, just start from here  on the internet! Make use of these tips plus many more that you can come across. 

BONUS: If you are interested in learning foreign languages easily and without going to class, consider the Michel Thomas Method here https://www.michelthomas.com/