My Multilingual Journey: 

A Language Learning Experience

I was born in the Chaoshan region of southern China, where my native language is Teochew (Chaoshan dialect). Growing up, everyone around me spoke Teochew, and even in elementary and middle school, teachers conducted classes in Teochew. Mandarin Chinese became my second native language through formal language arts classes and television programs.

Early Language Acquisition

During my childhood, I frequently watched Hong Kong films and Guangzhou television programs. By listening to Cantonese while reading subtitles, I naturally acquired this dialect through comprehensible input. Although I never formally studied Cantonese, I can understand over 95% of what I hear. However, since I rarely speak it in daily life or work, my productive skills in Cantonese remain limited.

Formal Language Learning Begins

English instruction began in fifth grade, and I was immediately drawn to language learning. I consistently achieved perfect scores on exams, but until university, my English remained largely passive knowledge – what some call “mute English.” My breakthrough came during my study abroad experience in Japan, where I finally began using English communicatively with other international students. Through subsequent work experiences and friendships with native speakers, I developed strong oral proficiency in English.

Japanese: My First Foreign Language Major

Japanese was my university major and second foreign language that I learnt. During my freshman and sophomore years, I attended Japanese classes and spent considerable time practicing outside class. However, my listening comprehension and speaking fluency lagged behind classmates who regularly consumed Japanese variety shows and anime – demonstrating the power of authentic materials for language acquisition.

Fortunately, strong academic performance earned me a one-year exchange opportunity in Japan. This was my first experience with total immersion, and I experienced rapid improvement in my target language proficiency. Since returning to work, I use Japanese less frequently than English, so my fluency has somewhat decreased compared to English.

Thai: Learning in a Natural Environment

Thai became my third foreign language when I moved to Thailand in February 2024, spending a year in Chiang Mai. With six hours of Thai classes weekly, this marked my first experience learning a language in-country from absolute beginner level. Drawing on previous language learning strategies and benefiting from the linguistic environment, I noticed significantly faster progress in Thai acquisition.

French: My Current Challenge

In 2025, I began exploring French as my fourth foreign language. French phonology and grammar present greater challenges compared to my other languages. I started with Duolingo for daily practice to build motivation and phonological awareness. Since Duolingo lacks comprehensive grammar instruction, I supplemented with video lessons to better understand syntactic structures. I also practice with French friends through messaging, which helps develop my reading skills and sentence construction abilities.

My progress in French has been slower due to work commitments limiting me to brief Duolingo sessions. I’m excited to enroll in an intensive three-month French course soon!

My Language Learning Methodology

Based on years of multilingual experience, I’d like to share my learning approach. Keep in mind that individual learner differences mean different methods work for different people, and I’ll explore additional strategies in future articles.

Language learning fundamentally involves practicing the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. During the initial stages, I prefer intensive practice with single materials until achieving automaticity.

-Step One: Learning

First, I review the material completely, highlighting unfamiliar vocabulary, then consult dictionaries until I achieve full comprehension.

-Step Two: Practice

1. I begin with shadowing exercises, practicing pronunciation by pausing after each sentence, then progressing to real-time shadowing for fluency development.
2. I repeat the previous step without looking at the transcript.
3. Without the text, I transcribe what I hear, identifying unfamiliar lexical items.
4. I create flashcards for vocabulary and sentences requiring additional practice.

-Expanding Input and Output

After establishing a solid foundation, I increase comprehensible input through extensive reading and video content to expand vocabulary and learn more idiomatic expressions. Depending on available time, I alternate between intensive and extensive approaches for both reading and listening. While intensive methods require more time investment, they typically yield better learning outcomes. However, extensive practice also has value for language immersion.

Simultaneously, I begin productive practice through speaking and writing. This includes finding conversation partners, keeping journals in the target language, and similar activities. Corrective feedback is crucial – it provides immediate information about accuracy. Whether through conversation partners or formal instruction, this error correction is essential for improvement.

Through this multilingual journey, I’ve learned that each language offers unique challenges and rewards. The key is finding methods that work for your learning style while remaining patient with the natural ups and downs of language acquisition.

Don’t fear making mistakes. Errors provide opportunities for correction and interlanguage development. Embrace them as natural parts of the language acquisition process.