When I was in high school, I took French as one of my set subjects; and I passed both in written and oral examinations. So I know a thing or two about learning a foreign language. As to the reason why I never learned my mother-tongue - the Kalenjin Language - earlier on in life, that's a matter for another day.
One of the main things that helped my 'memorise' the French language was that I had a study group. We would talk in French in between our other lessons. This French language we talked was what we called 'Study French', also known as broken French. We would mix French with English in weird wonderful ways which later helped us learn the accurate words to use.
If there’s a “secret” or “hack” to learning a new language, it’s this: hours and hours of awkward and strenuous conversation with people better than you in that language. An hour of conversation (with corrections and a dictionary for reference) is as good as five hours in a classroom and 10 hours with a language course by yourself.
There are a few reasons for this. The first is motivation. I don’t care how cool your study guide is, you’re going to be far more invested and motivated to communicate with a live person in front of you than a book or audio program on your computer.
The second reason is that language is something that needs to be processed, not memorized. I’m no linguistics professor, but in my experience, staring and memorizing a word in a book or with flashcards 100 times simply does not stick the same way as being forced to use a word in conversation a mere two or three times.
I believe the reason is that our minds place more priority on memories which involve actual human and social experiences, memories which have emotions tied to them.
So, for instance, if I look up the verb for “to complain” and use it in a sentence with a new friend, chances are I’m always going to associate that word with that specific interaction and conversation I was having with her. Whereas I can blow by that same word 20 times with flashcards, and even though I may get it right, I haven’t actually practiced implementing it. It means nothing to me, so it is less likely to stick with me.
So go ahead, get yourself a group of 2 or 3 other Kalenjin speaking friend who can help you practice speaking the Kalenjin language weekly. Our Learn Kalenjin With Me lessons are posted every Sunday, so your study group should help you practice what you have learned in between the lessons. Use all the words you have learned in the Learn Kalenjin With Me lessons and mix it with English, Swahili or other....just speak Kalenjin. If you're waiting to be prefect or fluent, without practice, you'll wait forever.
So what are you waiting for? Call your friends or family and let's Start Learning to Speak Kalenjin today!
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