Hello! ¡Hola! Hallo! Terve!

Thank you for visiting my site. My name is Chris, and I’m an aspiring polyglot.

Have you always wanted to learn a language? If so, have you said to yourself before:

• “I can’t learn a language.”
• “I failed/don’t remember anything from high school.”
• “I don’t have time.”

This website is dedicated to combating those excuses and mentalities to show people that language learning can be a fun, quick, and effective experience. I hope that this website will serve as an aid to those that take the auto-didactic (self-teaching) approach to language learning and hope to hear from all of you on your input as well. Also, this website will be dedicated to offering people concrete tasks on how to learn language effectively.

Over the past couple of years, I have made it a new personal goal of mine to become functionally fluent in a few different languages. While exploring this goal, I have stumbled upon some useful strategies that have worked. This website (and my corresponding YouTube channel: The Practical Polyglot) will be devoted to sharing these strategies that I have used with you. I draw on my pedagogical knowledge from being a teacher, other polyglots, language research, and my own personal trial and error.

Over the next few months, I plan on writing blog posts (and releasing corresponding videos) that will show you that language learning is not a skill reserved only for the most intelligent and gifted. It is, however, reserved for those that:

• Form tangible, practical, short-term, and long-term goals.
• Maintain their motivation.
• Utilize effective strategies.
• Develop a “linguistic eye” that notices, improves, corrects, clarifies, examines culture, and communicates.
• Free up ample time for it.

Learning these strategies requires a basic understanding of how our brain works and how language is actually learned. Memorizing vocabulary lists is not effective. Grammar exercises (uniquely) are not effective. Cheesy recordings of pseudo-native speakers are not effective. Placing yourself in ridiculous scenarios to practice conversation is not effective.

My videos will be dedicated to practicing the four skills of language: reading, listening, writing, and of course speaking. I will also cover other facets of language learning such as retention and learning of vocabulary, practice and rehearsal of grammar, forming ideal learning environments, and motivational upkeep.

I will do my best to make sure that all of my strategies are quick, cheap, fun, effective, and of course – practical.

Welcome to the Practical Polyglot – Enjoy.

Thank you. Gracias. Danke. Kiitos.