Lifestyle Linguistics - How to download any language with less study time!

We have a lot more time than we think, we just don't use it all as we should. Downloading your language still takes time, but not "study" time. It employs a technique I like to call Lifestyle Linguistics.

Lifestyle Linguistics applies the age old concept that submersing yourself in a culture and language is the best way to learn a language. But why is that? It's not because we have to learn the language. It's because we have to live the language. This fundamental difference will allow you to really Download your language with minimal study time. Here's how it works.

Today, intentionally observe your life. What do you see? While commuting the other day I noted a list of words: car, lamppost, house, dog, street, sidewalk, traffic light, intersection, bus, tree, sky, sunshine, and many others. I can, from these words, see a pattern and an area of focus. This is where my vocabulary should begin - with these simple lifestyle observations.

This will not yet teach you all you need to know about the language. As with downloading to a computer, it takes time. And if you shut off the connection, the download will stop. The more intentional you can be in your life about observing, the faster the download will be.

Take a look around your desk. What do you see? Folders, notebooks, computers, lamps, windows, co-workers. Keep going deeper. What is your desk made out of? How would you describe the contents of the folder? Make these notes in your own language and then when you do "study" you're really just changing the lenses through which you see life, like changing the subtitle language on your TV.

The more creative you are, the more fun you'll have. Start by mentally pointing out a mailbox or a yard and say the word in your target language. Then a week later see the same items but challenge yourself to describe more about it. What colors do you see? This will allow you to spend only a short time each day "studying" the language, and the rest of the time living it!

There are lots of ways to acquire vocabulary in the first place so you can apply it to your life, and I'll mention them in detail later. But for now, get out there and live your language!