The Internet has given us some great opportunities to learn languages and the future prospects are truly staggering. In the past, learning a language required us to buy books and learn on our own (with no audio and no feedback or conversation) or take a class (which can be expensive and inconvenient). But, today improvements in technology and the accessibility of the Internet have given us many opportunities to improve our language learning experiences, and in many cases, for free.
Of course, learning on your own (or at least supplementing your class or tutor studies on your own time) requires some self-discipline and motivation. There is no one to tell you what to do, but you are yourself. Whatever lesson plan you make for yourself, try to stick to it. Keep at it every day and don’t give up. Over time, you can land yourself a good base in your target language for free.
There are lots of personal websites dedicated to a specific language. There are plenty of options for beginners and intermediate students in more popular languages like French, Spanish, and Japanese. There are even sites with tutorials, free lessons, and resources in some of the lesser-studied languages. For most of the languages you might be interested in studying, there is some out there for you, so take a look around.
FSI is one of the great language learning methods of all time. Many of their older courses are now available online for free in FSI language courses [http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/], These courses are free as they are created by the US government and are public domain. Most of the audio is out of date compared to the newer (and more expensive) courses, but the method is excellent. It’s a great way to get a free start with learning a language.
The Internet abounds with great resource sites like language forums, blogs, penpal sites, and podcasts. All of these types of resources are an excellent complement to your book, tutorial, classroom, or other language method. They provide audio, video, real-life vocabulary and interactions with other learners and native speakers.
Don’t forget the library for the most common language books and tape or CD collections. Most libraries have at least introductory language courses on tape or CD. All libraries have extensive books on language learning. The library is an often overlooked resource for access to free language learning materials.
Keep it up and use some of the suggestions in this article in small doses to complement a tutorial or other language method. Try adding lots of audio and video to really hear the language and use forums, blogs, and penpals to start conversations with other learners and speakers.
Combining different approaches can create synergies that increase the effectiveness of an all-purpose tutorial or language method. Take advantage of these free resources to have the most effective and fun language learning experience possible!