Introverts & Language¶

When I take one of those silly online personality tests, I will score moderately high in extraversion. This is funny because I am introverted by nature. I’ve learned to emulate the skills of an extravert -- such as speaking confidently in a meeting or lecture.

Introversion is often conflated with shyness or sensitivity (such as Sensory Processing Sensitivity). I’d recommend Susan Cain’s book Quiet if you want a better understanding of Introversion (as distinct from shyness).

That said, whether you’re shy, introverted, or a highly sensitive person -- you’re likely going to face unique difficulties in language learning.

This is why I don’t advise, “just go talk to people”, and I kind of hate when people tell me that (even though I know it works for some people). I’ve learned the hard way that I will not learn a language by “just” doing anything. For me, and people like me, “just do it” is extraordinarily unhelpful advice.

But let’s be clear: language learning requires practicing mundane and simple conversations, like basic pleasantries about the weather. It’s a lot of small talk.

Zone of Proximal Development¶

This is similar to the concept of a comfort zone, and it is the psychological state just beyond the comfort zone, sometimes referred to as the zone of proximal development. This is where learning actually happens. For clarity, I call this the Learning Zone. Beyond this is the danger zone, where you have no idea what’s happening and you’re not actually learning anything.

Danger Zone Navigation¶

I do not understand => 我不明白
can you say again? => 你可以再說一次嗎?
can you speak slowly please? => 請你慢慢地說?
I do not know how to say => 我不知道怎麼說
let me think => 讓我想想
help me to learn => 幫助我學習

You can do this in any language. Basically, every time you find yourself in a danger zone, take that as an opportunity for learning. Practice these kinds of simple phrases until you gain automaticity with each of them.

Praying the Rosary in your target language is a wonderful low-pressure way to do exactly this. The repetitive structure of the prayers lets you practice navigation phrases safely and repeatedly, building automaticity while staying in the learning zone.

Learning Zone Navigation¶

how do you say … in Chinese? => …的中文怎麼說?
what is this? => 這是什麼?
what is that? => 那是什麼?
what does that mean? => 那是什麼意思？

These questions are especially useful when you’re learning to pray the Rosary in your target language. They let you participate fully while staying comfortable and continuing to learn.