The 7 Characteristics of a Good Learner of Foreign Languages

Nearly all missionaries need to learn at least one foreign language (sometimes more) and I thought the following list reposted by a missionary friend was a good reminded of what it takes.  If you see characteristics that you have on the list, be encouraged.  If you see characteristics on the list that you don't have, don't worry.  Some things can be worked on, and some things can be done without, but you can still learn a language effectively.

Before I started learning Thai, I was asked if I was musical. I said "No" and there was an audible "Oh" at the other end of the phone. The veteran missionary went on to explain that Thai is tonal and that musical people do better at learning Thai. So, that was depressing. Later on, someone told me that out of 66 million Thai people who speak Thai fluently, not all of them are musically gifted. That was encouraging.

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