Learning new languages can be easier than most people think. After all, you learned your native language(s) without even trying to. Learning how to prime ourselves enables us to be broadly applicable. If we want to succeed in a great challenge, we do not want to take the easy way; we want to learn to ultimately make the hard way easy. Instead of rowing our boat gently down the stream, we are going to learn the fine art of sailing. We are going to learn about "Priming," "Self-Motivation," and "Path-Finding".
1.
Q: We want to learn a new language, but it doesn't seem all that important. After all, you can communicate where and when you have to, and you can focus your attention on what's pressing.
A: Simulate the 1st learning environment by infusing your study with a sense of fascination, and urgency. Find information that is engaging. Is there a show you might like, or a book you might enjoy? Summon your courage and sense of adventure and venture out. You want to know what's being said and you need to know it right now. We're not worried about focusing on "grammar," or "vocabulary" - we don't know anything about any of that yet; we're a pre-verbal child. There is a sense of fascination and urgency growing inside of us, and there are no blockades (such as expectation) to hold us back; we are watching something interesting, and we do not feel like we are having to force ourselves to do something boring, though it may be difficult - which leads us gently into problem #2.
2.
Q: This seems too hard. It's bringing out negative sensations, such as anxiety, frustration, and disorientation.
A: If you don't already know that a current situational sensation can become a different sensation, realize that you've done this trick before. Learning to ride a bike can be scary at first, but that fear can soon become a thrill, and potentially, boredom thereafter. Learn to anticipate this sensational alchemy, and soon you'll be unconsciously assisting the operation. We are going to automatize this process, fellow robots! Once you've seen how the sausage is made, you'll come to see pre-anxiety as the beginning of post-excitement. So, ask yourself . . . are you anxious, or excited? Are we confronting difficulties, or are we up to our necks in a challenging adventure - a game? WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE VALUE ASSIGNED TO A SITUATIONAL SENSATION. Now we're moving fast, and coming quick upon obstacle #3.
3.
Q: I've reflected upon a network of sensational associations and seen that I can influence it. I'm having fun, but I still don't understand. How can I override my current and past LINGUISTIC associations and imprint new ones?
A: Instead of trying to compete with or override our current database, we are going to utilize it. We are going to call this process "priming" and "path-finding". When we look for help, all we are really doing is trying out for ourselves what may have worked for someone else. But we are already simulating the 1st learning experience, and we are not students - we are "path-finders". We are going to learn what works for us, and how to navigate on our own. The wealth of any linguistic database is going to eventually lie in it's relativity and the elasticity of it's associations, so we are going to learn to make our own rules right at the start. We are going to do this by "priming" our associations. Here is one simple example: The Korean syllable "b" is " ㅂ ". Doesn't it look like a B(ed) [a bed]? The Japanese word for "person" is "人”。Doesn't it look like a person with 2 legs, and no head? (A robot, perhaps?) To me, it does. I am building a highly personalized linguistic structure. I am building associations. This is a meta-virtualization of what a pre-verbal child does in the 1st learning scenario. Further, we are connecting our new knowledge to an ever growing database. I am forging my very own path, and learning how to apply it to everything and anything. I am a primed pathfinder.
Have fun navigating the 青い海 (deep blue) sea, Sailor! And remember: if it starts to 雨 (rain), open your 口 (mouth :)
