Picking up a new language is not really that easy, but knowing more about the science of learning languages may help you speed up the learning progress.

How we learn language

Learning language is something we’re born to do. As children, we learn to think, learn to communicate and intuitively pick up an understanding of grammar rules in our mother tongue, or native language. From then on, we learn all new languages in relation to the one we first knew—the one that we used to understand the world around us for the first time ever.

Learning a foreign language

When it comes to learning a second language, adults are at a disadvantage. As we age, our brain’s plasticity (its ability to create new neurons and synapses) is reduced. Following brain damage that causes a loss of speech, for instance, researchers have observed that children are more likely to regain the power of speech, by creating new pathways in the brain to replace the damaged ones.

There’s still hope, though. A study of secondary language pronunciation found that some learners who started as adults scored as well as native speakers. It’s also been shown that motivation to learn can improve proficiency, so if you really want to learn a language, it’s not necessarily too late.

Give yourself the best chance

If you want to put in the effort to learn a new language, try these methods that are known for improving learning and memory:

1. Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a proven memory technique that helps you keep what you’ve learned strong in your mind. The way it works is you revise each word or phrase you’ve learned in spaced intervals. Initially the intervals will be smaller: you might revise a new word a few times in one practice session, and then again the next day. Once you know it well you’ll be able to leave days or weeks between revisions without forgetting it.

2. Learn before you sleep

One of the many benefits we get from sleep is that it helps to clear out the brain’s “inbox” – the temporary storage of new information and memories from our time awake. We need sleep (even just a nap) to move anything we’ve recently learned into our brain’s long term storage. Once it’s safely stored, spaced repetition will help to strengthen the connection so we can recall the information faster and more accurately.

3. Study content, not the language　

Although most language learning classes and progams focus on purely learning the language, a study of high school students studying French found that when they studied another subject taught in French instead of a class purely to teach French, the students tested better for listening and were more motivated to learn. Students in the standard French class scored better on reading and writing tests, so both methods clearly have merit.

Once you’ve mastered the basics of a new language, try including some content on a topic you’re interested in to improve your understanding. You could have conversations with friends learning the same language, read articles online or listen to a podcast to test your comprehension.

4. Practice a little everyday

If you’re busy, you might be tempted to put off your studying and cram in a big chunk of learning once every week or two. However, studying a little every day is actually more effective. Because your brain’s “inbox” has limited space and only sleep can clear it out, you’ll hit the limit of how much you can take in pretty quickly if you study for hours at a time.

5. Mix new and old

The brain craves novelty but attempting to learn lots of new words or phrases at once can be overwhelming. Novel concepts work best when they’re mixed in with familiar information.

When you add new words to your vocabulary, try spacing them in-between words you’re already familiar with so they’ll stand out—your brain will latch onto them more easily.

学习一门外语是没有那么容易的，但是了解一些学习语言的科学将有助于提升你学习的速度。

人类是如何认识语言的。

认识语言是我们人类与生俱来的能力。孩童时代，我们学着思考，学着交流，并且本能地学习着母语或本族语的语法规则。从那时起，我们便学习跟我们母语有关的任何新语言-----凭着母语我们才开始认识周围的世界。

学习一门外语

说到学习第二语言，成年人并不占优势。随着年龄的增长，人类大脑的可塑性（可塑性是指大脑再造神经的能力）正逐渐衰退。紧接着大脑的损伤会造成语言能力的丧失。比如说，研究人员发现小孩子更容易获得语言能力，通过在大脑中造出新的途径来取代受损的细胞。

然而，成年人学习外语仍有希望。一项有关第二语言发音的研究发现，部分成年学习者和当地人表现的一样好。研究同样表明兴趣能提高学习的效率，因此若你真的想学习一门外语，那么一切都不算太晚。

提供自己最好的学习机会

如果你想努力学习一门新的语言，那就尝试一下这些众所周知的能提升学习效率，提高记忆力的学习方法吧。

1 间隔重复法

间隔重复法是一种已得到证实的有助于大脑巩固加深所学知识的记忆方法。这种学习法要求你每隔一段时间就复习学过的每个单词或短语。起初，间隔时间要尽量的短点：你可能需要在某个练习阶段复习好几次新词，然后第二天再重复。一旦记得够深了，你可以每隔几天或几个星期的复习一遍，这样依旧可以记得清清楚楚。

2 睡前学习

睡眠带来的好处之一就是，它能帮我们清除大脑的“收件箱”，即在我们清醒时临时存储的一些新信息和记忆。我们需要睡眠（哪怕片刻的小憩）来帮助我们把最新学到所有知识转化为大脑里长期储存。一旦安全存储，间隔重复会帮忙强化知识间的联系，如此一来我们就能更快更准确地记住信息了。

3 学习内容，而不是语言

尽管大多数的语言学习课程和项目都注重单纯的语言学习，然而，研究发现，在学习法语的高中生中，相对于单纯的法语课，他们的法语听力测试在用法语讲授的其他学科中取得成绩相对更出色，并且学习的尽头也较高。不过，在标准法语班上课的学生在阅读和写作方面成绩会更好一点。因此这两种学习方法都有可取之处。

一旦你掌握了新语言的基本知识，可以尝试阅读一些你感兴趣的文章来提高你的理解能力。你可以通过和学习同种语言的朋友交流沟通，在线阅读文章，听广播等方式来测试你的综合能力。

4 每天练习一点点

如果你很忙，你可能延迟你的学习，然后是每隔一个星期甚至是两个星期采用死记硬背的方式痛痛快快的学习一次。但是，每天坚持学习一点点才真的是一个更有效的学习方法。因为大脑的“收件箱”有限，并且只有在睡眠才能够清理。如果你在一个阶段学习几个小时，你会很快的达到你接受的极限。

5 新旧知识混合

大脑渴望新鲜知识，但是一次性学习太多的新单词和短语会让她超负荷。与熟悉的信息联系在一起才能更好地掌握新知识。当你在你的词汇表中添加新的单词时，试着与你已经熟悉的单词区分开来，这样你的大脑记这些生词将会更容易一些。