7 myths about learning a new language debunked

Charlotte Guest
A man looking at a openlaptop with a pen in hand, smiling at the laptop
Reading time: 3 minutes

Learning a new language can be an incredibly rewarding experience, opening doors to new cultures, enhancing career opportunities and providing cognitive benefits. However, many myths about language learning can discourage potential learners or lead them astray. Today, we're debunking seven common language learning myths to help you on your linguistic journey.

Myth 1: "You need to start young to be fluent"

Truth:

It's never too late to learn a new language. While children may pick up accents and intonation more easily, adults often have the advantage of better-developed cognitive skills and life experiences that can aid in understanding complex grammar and vocabulary. Numerous studies have shown that adults can achieve fluency with dedication and the right learning strategies.

Myth 2: "You have to live in a country to learn the language"

Truth:

Thanks to technology, you can immerse yourself in a new language without leaving your home. Tools like language learning apps, online courses, virtual tutors and even social media can provide ample opportunities for practice and immersion. Living in a country where the language is spoken can be beneficial, but it is not a necessity.

Myth 3: "You must be naturally gifted to learn languages"

Truth:

Language learning is less about innate talent and more about consistent practice and effective methods. Anyone can learn a new language with the right mindset and resources. Persistence, motivation and using varied learning techniques can significantly enhance your ability to learn.

Myth 4: "It's all about memorizing vocabulary"

Truth:

While vocabulary is essential, language learning involves much more than rote memorization. Understanding grammar, practicing speaking and listening, and getting a feel for cultural nuances are equally important. Engaging in conversations, reading and writing in the language can make the learning process more holistic and enjoyable.

Myth 5: "You can't learn multiple languages at once"

Truth:

Learning multiple languages simultaneously is possible, though it does require careful planning and organization. The key is to manage your time effectively and ensure that you are not overwhelming yourself. Using different methods and tools for each language can help keep them distinct in your mind.

Myth 6: "Watching movies and listening to music doesn't count as learning"

Truth:

Consuming media in your target language can be an excellent way to improve your listening skills and cultural understanding. Movies, TV shows, music and podcasts expose you to natural language usage, slang and colloquial expressions that textbooks may not cover. It's a fun and engaging complementary method to more formal study.

Myth 7: "If you can't speak perfectly, don't try"

Truth:

Perfectionism can be a significant barrier to language learning. Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process. The more you practice speaking, the more confident and proficient you'll become. Focus on communication rather than perfection, and don't be afraid to make errors—they're your stepping stones to fluency.

Conclusion

By debunking these myths, we hope to encourage more people to take up the challenge of learning a new language. Remember, the most important factors are consistency, practice and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

Ready to tackle a new language? Start today and immerse yourself in the endless possibilities that come with being multilingual. Explore the benefits with our post, 'Being bilingual can help keep your brain in good condition'.

Learning English? Read our blog post '8 easy tricks for improving your English skills'.

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A woman reading outside with a book

    Three ways English students can learn to read at home

    By Kate Fitzpatrick
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Read more at home if you want to learn English faster: three ways to get into the habit

    I can hear parents, ELT learners and teachers all over the world thinking to themselves: We know it helps if English students learn to read for pleasure at home, but how are we supposed to find the time? Who is buying these materials? What if a parent doesn’t speak English themselves?

    That’s the beauty of reading at home, also called extensive reading: it’s completely autonomous and parents can be as involved as much or little as they like. There’s more good news as it’s never been cheaper to assemble a selection of extensive readers for your children or students, meaning that cost is no longer so much of a barrier to reading at home.

    Is extensive reading really that critical to learning English?

    Stephen D. Krashen’s [1]offers a marvellous summary and critique of extensive reading studies around the world, concluding that:

    "When [second language learners] read for pleasure, they can continue to improve in their second language without classes, without teachers, without study and even without people to converse with.’"(Krashen 1993 p. 84)

    Philip Prowse’s excellent article, “What is the secret of extensive reading?”[2]agrees with Krashen’s conclusion.

    Prowse goes into more detail about efficacy studies at primary, secondary and adult levels. This body of evidence finds that reading for pleasure improves results in grammar, writing, speaking and fluency, as well as comprehension and vocabulary – both alongside and instead of traditional textbooks.

    So, we know it works. As with so many education-related things, the question is how to implement them. Christine Nuttall talks about the virtuous circle of reading – once a learner begins to enjoy reading, they are more likely to read more and benefit more from it, so they learn to read more, and so on.

    The reverse is also true. The questions then follow: how do we motivate our Instakids to read at home in English, if they won’t read in their first language? How do we carve out time between travel, work, school and homework? Here are three ways you can form the habit of reading at home:

    1. Learners need access to extensive reading material at home to use it

    Krashen establishes this common-sense fact based on five studies from 1983 to 2003.[2]It can be a reading app, an online library subscription or a pile of readers in the corner – whatever it is, it has to be the right level for the student and it has to be a topic they’re interested in, or they’ll never learn to read for pleasure.

    Negative reading habits can happen simply because there isn’t much available to the learner: Worthy and McCool studied 11 sixth-graders in 1998 who "hated to read", and found a direct correlation between those students and the lack of reading material at home.[3] Thankfully, we now have more options than we used to:

    For extensive reading online, the Extensive Reading Foundation offers good-quality, free materials, in audio and print, at its .These text resources and audiobooks tend to be quite basic and the stories are largely classics. You can choose by level and genre, and there is also a publisher directory.

    • You can purchase full ɫèAV English Readers and other publishers’ Kindle editions on the Kindle store, iBookstore and Google Play, and read them on an e-reader, phone or tablet using the Kindle app. These are finely-graded, contemporary, relevant e-books with titles like , , , , , , and .
    • An e-book library subscription can be a cost-effective way to get access to a lot of e-books online through your browser. is a Japanese-run online library which offers hundreds of full-text graded readers, from reputable publishers, and charges about $19 per year.
    • For print readers, cost can be an issue. If you can't buy readers at your local bookshop from a publisher like ɫèAV, you can buy first- or second-hand readers cheaply from Amazon or the Book Depository, or you can ask your school to let you know when they’re upgrading their readers library, as you may be able to take some of the older books home.

    2.Make the most of the commute or the school run

    The key here is routine – give it a try and see if it works for you. Reading doesn’t just happen on a page. Today’s English learners have multiple ways to read for pleasure on their various devices as well as in print, all of which are well-adapted for reading and listening on the train/on the bus/in the car/on foot.

    I listen to podcasts on my commute by train and, to this day, I know my times tables thanks to a tape my mother used to play in the car on the way to primary school.

    • Download a podcast or audiobook. Ideally, an English learner would both read and listen, but one or the other is better than nothing. Audible.com has plenty of English extensive readers in audiobook format, and a year’s membership is $10 per month, or you can buy individual audiobooks. There are classic extensive reading podcasts available on iTunes for $4.99 each.
    • Never underestimate your public library.is an online service that finds your local library for you, wherever you are in the world. You can also search by title and see which libraries carry that particular book. Just think: you could create an instant, extensive reading library at your home for free that changes every month.

    3. Consider the power of rewards

    You can reward your child or reward yourself for building a reading habit. Remember, we are talking about starting a virtuous circle: persuading a learner to begin a new habit of reading in English for pleasure. Reward mechanisms can be very effective.

    This idea should be explored on a case-by-case basis – it depends on what you or your child responds to best. In my opinion, starting a reading habit is well worth a glass of wine, a chocolate treat, or an extra half-hour playing video games.

    References

    [1]Krashen, Stephen D. (2004),p57

    [2] Prowse, Philip: “”

    [3] Worthy, J. and McKool, S. (1996): “” in Ibid, p61