Language Acquisition Pathways
How (Not) to Learn Language
My Story With Languages
I did not discover my love for languages until I was in mid-twenties. Like most people, I took a language in high school but did not learn much. My first serious exposure to language was in graduate school when I learned two ancient languages. Even though I only learned to read these languages, I learned a great deal about the nature of language through the process.
As a monolingual 25-year-old I moved to Athens, Greece to work with refugees. I could not have imagined the linguistic diversity of this work and how deeply that early experience would impact my life. Just because I was living in Greece I picked up quite a bit of Modern Greek. But, more than anything else, I started learning conversational Arabic from friends while teaching myself to read and write the Arabic script. During this time I was also introduced to two dialects of Kurdish which I have studied in the years since. Every facet of my Arabic improved when I left Greece and went to Jordan for an intensive language school in 2019 (picture at left: taking a break to visit King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman). In 2020, I got married to a native French speaker and so I started learning French which seemed much more familiar to me as an English speaker after years of struggling with Arabic.
In 2024, I am continuing to fine-tune my French and Arabic while also going back to study Kurdish more intently. I also try to do reading in both Modern Greek and Spanish once or twice a week with the goal of getting these languages to a more conversational level. These five languages and English are my six priority languages but I also starting to learn Russian (very slowly) and trying to do more reading in Modern Standard Arabic when I have the time.
There are many more languages that I am interested in learning and I look forward to refining my process as I continue to learn and develop my language skills. I want to use what I have learned about language to help others enjoy learning language as much as I do.
- Jackson
What is Language Acquisition Pathways?
Language Acquisition Pathways (LAP) is a system that I have developed on the basis of personal experience and the best research on language acquisition. The LAP system is designed to eliminate the guesswork and help people chart a clear path to fluency in their target language. The only thing conventional about my approach is that it takes discipline and time to be successful. I hope that you will join me on this journey.
“In my work in language acquisition, I have concluded that we acquire language in only one way: by understanding messages, or obtaining ‘comprehensible input’ in a low-anxiety situation.”
— Stephen Krashen
Language Acquisition Pathways
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Book a free 30-minute coaching call in which we will talk about your language learning history and your language goals. I will talk about the difference between “language learning” and “language acquisition” and some of the research that supports the approach of language acquisition pathways.
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We will have a longer call to discuss how Language Acquisition Pathways works. I will give you the theoretical framework for language acquisition and on that basis we will build a language plan for you. We will also talk about realistic expectations and the importance of patience until the moment when language acquisition becomes exponential.
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LAP 2 consists of monthly check-ins about how the plan is working for you. The purpose is not to reach a certain level every month but simply to make constant progress. We will be able to tweak the plan on a regular basis to keep things moving forward either is a more challenging or more manageable way. If something is clearly not working for you then we can try some different tools or talk about how to get the most out of our resources.
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LAP 3 is a transition phase from guided self-study to sessions with a native speaker. Research shows that an input-only phase or pre-production phase for language acquisition is more effective than trying to speak from day one. LAP gives you this time to get comfortable with the language and have a reservoir of vocabulary before you start speaking. When you are ready I will connect you with vetted native-speakers to start conversation through an online platform.
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You have been equipped with what you need to succeed in the acquisition of the language and you are well on your way to fluency. At this point you are an independent learner but I will always be available for a follow-up.