Welcome back to the “interesting people I met in Berlin” series. It has taken me a few months, but we’ve finally reached the end of this series!
Here’s a quick recap of the interviews so far:
- In the first interview, I spoke to Gareth Popkins of How to Get Fluent on living the polyglot lifestyle at home and abroad.
- In the second interview, we heard from Peter from Rhinospike, a website where you can get custom audio made for you in any language, with a particular emphasis on English.
- In the third interview, Martin from the Rock ‘n’ Roll English podcast chatted to us about living abroad, getting fluent in Italian through TV shows and life as a podcaster.
In this video, you’ll hear from Idahosa Ness of the Mimic Method where you learn foreign languages through sound.
Idahosa shares his experiences of living abroad, playing music and focusing on the connection between sound and movement in language learning.
How to Channel Your Inner Antonio Banderas
When Idahosa was 17, he got his first taste of living abroad when he went to Mexico to study Spanish.
At this stage, he was your typical anglophone abroad, pronouncing Spanish like an American, and having no clue what native speakers were saying when they spoke to him at normal speed.
But it was on this trip that Idahosa had his first insight into learning foreign language through sound. Once he decided to channel his inner Antonio Banderas (more on this in the video) and focus on the sounds of Spanish, his pronunciation improved and he could understand Mexicans better.
This was the very beginning of what has become the Mimic Method.
You’ll hear us discuss:
- Idahosa’s experience in Mexico in all its embarrassing detail
- what makes children “better” language learners
- how to get your foreign language sounds down right from the beginning
- why you should hold off learning the written language until you’ve mastered the sounds
- why learning new sounds is like mastering any physical skill like dancing or yoga
- Idahosa’s tips for listening with your eyes closed, transcribing syllables
Idahosa is the master of metaphor and analogy so listen out for his comparisons between language learning and learning guitar chords, lego bricks, and dance steps. Also check out my clever metaphor at the end of the interview!
Watch the video:
More From Idahosa
If you want to hear more from Idahosa and sign up for his mailing list then head over to Mimicmethod.com
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