Surviving the "Dip" - Theory

Like marathon runners, learners of any subject go through times where there excitement is high, and times when it is a real struggle to practice. But regardless of the tools you use, or the subject you are "training" in, you need to weather the dips.

Just like a marathoner running a race, you are eventually going to hit a wall - the marathoners typically hit the wall in the last miles of the race, ironically enough. But they often experience smaller dips earlier in the race.

So if you are learning a foreign language, when do the dips hit? What do you do to overcome them? In past posts, I've thrown out some ideas, but my most basic one is this - language learners often hit a wall because they can't easily apply what they know to real life.

What I mean is this - if you read books and do written language practice at home, but never write a letter to anyone in that language to actually communicate to them, it's...well, always just academic.

Real life application is really important. I play guitar and have played in bands for a long time - but I often have an irresistible urge to play a show or record the songs I've written. It isn't good enough for me to play or practice every day - there needs to be a fulfilling end to your efforts, not just a goal.

So, if you are learning a language, what is your fulfilling realization of your efforts? The goal might be "learn to speak Spanish" but when you think about it, that just isn't motivating! If the real end is to read the writings of a famous Spanish author in the original text, or to travel to Spain and speak only Spanish - well those are examples of fulfilling realizations of your efforts. More importantly, you can set up intermediate milestones (speak to a friend at work who speaks Spanish, read a Spanish newspaper, etc.) that will keep you from tiring of your pursuit.

Like a marathoner, don't just train to be fit! Train to run the race - the fitness will happen on its own!!