Languave Vox is all about helping you teach yourself a language. I want to help you become a self taught student. I believe the only way to learn anything, especially a new language is to teach yourself. Please read “Teach Yourself, What on Earth Does That Mean?” to understand why self taught learners learn faster and have more fun. I designed this website to provide you with the tools you need to take control of your education and teach yourself any language. In order to get the most out of this website I recommend you read the articles below first in the order I have set out so that you can unleash all your learning potential as fast as possible. Although you are welcome to follow the self taught path and read whatever interests you first.

1.) Teach Yourself, What On Earth Does That Mean? This page explains the philosophy behind teaching yourself and why it works.

2.) How to Teach Yourself a Language. 5 Steps to Learn a Language. This page does what it says on the label. It explains how we learn languages and how you can do it also. In order to do that I go back to the first time you learnt a language and point out the natural way of learning your brain uses intuitively. It is not a short article but it is worth the read.

3.) Teach Yourself to Prepare Your Mind.

Learning a new language is a great investment of time and resources you want to make sure you are using your most important learning tool to its full potential.

4.) Teach Yourself a Language The Smart Way.

5.) Language Learning Tools You Should Be Using. Check out the different tips and tools you can use to learn a language the self taught, the only way to learn a language. Tools and tips are categorized by Free, cheap and big spender. They are all great ways to speed up your language learning so use all that you have time for or can afford.

Teach Yourself, What On Earth Does That Mean?

Why Teach Yourself?

Are we saying that we can teach ourselves anything without any help? No. Teaching yourself is not about doing things on your own, far from it. It is about taking charge of your learning process, it is a mind frame. Many people view learning as a passive activity where others have the responsibility of teaching us what we should or want to know. This website is not for them. LANGUAGE VOX believes that YOU can’t be really taught ANYTHING but that you can allow others to help you TEACH YOURSELF anything. Understanding that you are your own teacher, that you are in the driving seat and that only you can make things happen is what sets apart linguists from failed language students. It explains why some brilliant people were terrible at school and why even in the worst schools with the worst teachers you find excellent students. This does not mean that we don’t need schools and structured teaching but that nothing can stop you from excelling if you accept the responsibility you have to teach yourself, no excuses. A successful language learner must be confident that that with the right tools he can teach himself any language. You must be confident that you can teach yourself Japanese, Italian, Swahili, English, Spanish or any language if you put your mind to, because you CAN!

What Untapped Potential?

Your brain

The human brain is one big network of connections waiting to happen. A section of the brain the size of a match head contains approximately a billion connections that can connect in what can only be called hyperastronomical 1 ways, in the order of ten followed by millions of zeros. Imagine what a whole or even half a brain can do. Many of us associate potential with children, especially in the sphere of language learning. We somehow feel that children have some kind of super human language learning power that allows them to teach themselves a language effortlessly but that it disappears when they turn five or some other arbitrary number. We all have in our brains an amazing language learning tool whether we are five or a hundred and five and the vast majority of our language learning potential remains as we grow older. You might have heard that when you grow older you stop growing neurons and lose your ability to teach yourself new things. This is not true. The brain is able to continue growing new neurons adapting and rewiring itself and continue to achieve the most impressive feats. Unfortunately we have disease and lack of mental exercise to thank the learning problems we associate with getting older. It is interesting that according to current research new neurons are only created through stimulation, a process called neuro-plasticity2. All this explains why self taught people that enjoy learning are smarter than the rest and remain active throughout their life. Self taught learners don’t stop stimulating their brain because they are always teaching themselves something new.

The Internet

The internet is one big database of information and people working hard to interact, link and communicate with each other which happens to be a good definition of language learning. Through the internet you can find the tools to teach yourself virtually any language you wish, or at the very least any language you are likely to want to learn. It is amazing that the Internet with all the power for good and bad that it currently has and displays has not even begun to be used as the language teaching tool that it can be. This is where we come in.

How can we help?

LANGUAGE VOX aim is to provide a road map for you to use in your language learning process. This will not be a fixed route, you are teaching yourself remember, but a set of steps, tips and valuable resources you can use to teach yourself your language of choice. From the very start we would like to say (again) that this is not a program for everyone. This is because not everyone is ready to be a self taught student. As Mark Twain (who by the way didn’t finish primary school) would have said, too many people let their schooling get in the way of their education. Having said that nearly everybody can follow this route if they really put their mind to it, you just need to be willing to commit to taking control of your education, work hard while enjoying the whole process and teach yourself the language you really want to learn.

Now what?

1.) Teach Yourself, What On Earth Does That Mean?

2.) How to Teach Yourself a Language. 5 Steps to Learn a Language.

3.) Teach Yourself to Prepare Your Mind.

4.) Teach Yourself a Language The Smart Way.

5.) Language Learning Tools You Should Be Using.

References:
1. The Brain Book, Peter Russell
2. MIT News. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/neurons.html