Learning a new language is daunting to most people, especially for most people born in North America.
Like all big projects, it’s more manageable when we break it down into bite-sized pieces. Like just becoming familiar with the way another language sounds.
The internet gives us tons of free opportunities to delve into other languages with just a minute or two of time.
Here are eight videos introducing basic alphabet sounds and/or characters in different languages. They range from under a minute to just over two minutes. Try listening to / watching one (or half of one) a day:
Letting go of an attachment to outcomes (ex. “I will be able to understand, speak, and read a new language fluently”) and instead going into new languages with NO EXPECTATIONS, a minute or two of time, and just a little curiosity (ex. “I wonder what language(s) people in Pakistan speak, and what it sounds or looks like?”) can expand your comprehension, appreciation, musical and communication horizons more than most of us realize.
Try devoting a minute a day to listening to (and mimicking, if you’re up to it) basic language building blocks of any language that is foreign to you. You might be surprised how differently you think, hear and explore after a week or a month of this practice.