Naturally, you might worry about getting things mixed up. And that can only cement your proficiency in the key language. Seeing how two related languages treat the same root teaches a lot about the development of vocabulary and sound systems, for instance. Getting to know your core language’s closest cousins ultimately means you understand it more intimately, too. Through dabbling with closely related languages, you can add extra strings to your polyglot bow very quickly and easily.īut there is an additional upside to this. ![]() That said, we can also turn this argument on its head. Straying from the same path opens up the box. Sticking to the same language family presents just one picture of how language can be, how human beings perform things with languages. And just a brief dip in the water reveals that there is much more to language life than S-V-O! It is a big, wide and varied world of words out there. Its definite accusative and vowel harmony system require IE-soaked newbies to think on their feet. To those focused tightly on Indo-European languages, it is a revelation. Just take a bite of Turkish, for example. Instead of falling back on your automatic, ingrained thinking, you must conceive brand new categories. When dabbling, you suddenly challenge yourself to make sense of new, unfamiliar patterns. And that defeats one huge benefit of language learning in terms of head health: the mental gym, working out the plasticity of our brains with new puzzles. We no longer have to think, or try, with the same tenacity. For a start, picking new ones up is so much easier if the rules and structures are already familiar to you.īut sometimes, material can be so familiar that the element of challenge evaporates. It can be very handy to study languages from closely related families, for example. Now, there are benefits to sticking with familiar pastures. Polyglots, like so many other animals, are creatures of habit. So what can dabbling do for us? And why should we purposefully make time for it between all our ‘serious’ learning projects? Dabbling out the box The extra leaderboard points were very helpful, of course! But the utility of dabbling goes far beyond that. I used the time to play with everything from Italian to Turkish to Swahili, chiefly thanks to Duolingo. Seizing upon that spirit, I decided to make August my Dabble Month. The joy – and utility – of dabbling is just too good to deny it to yourself. ![]() Learning to embrace a linguistically curious nature is a healthy step towards becoming a well-rounded polyglot. After all, when we look elsewhere, doesn’t it almost feel like we are cheating on those languages closest to our hearts and minds? That our attention should be completely and unwaveringly directed towards our greatest goals? However, giving yourself free rein to explore can be a liberating experience. Two-timing – or a hall pass?įor many of us, it can be a real source of guilt to stray from our core language projects. And there are so many opportunities for it these days, with multiple online platforms offering quick, easy – and free – taster courses. Dabbling – or the casual exploration of new languages – is when passionate polyglots really let their hair down. But there should always be time for a bit of ranging and roving. ![]() Planning, routine and system are crucial in language learning. This year, I made it my month of dabbling! to do anything in a half-serious way or as a hobby. Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd.
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