Linguists have found that students with a low tolerance of ambiguity tend to struggle with language learning.
Language learning involves a lot of uncertainty – students will encounter new vocabulary daily, and for each grammar
rule there will be a dialectic exception or irregular verb. Until native-like fluency is achieved, there will always be some
level of ambiguity. The type of learner who sees a new word and reaches for the dictionary instead of guessing the
meaning from the context may feel stressed and disoriented in an immersion class. Ultimately, they might quit their
language studies out of sheer frustration. It’s a difficult mindset to break, but small exercises can help. Find a song or
text in the target language and practice figuring out the gist, even if a few words are unknown.
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I find that the biggest problem is the vague or impossible goal itself dragging people down before you even get started.
Many people phrase their resolution as "Learn Spanish/French/Japanese" without any qualifiers. What does "Learn
Chinese" even mean? Learn it to sound like a native? To order food? To write it? And by when?
What you absolutely need to do is be as specific as possible, both in your target and in your timeline. And make it
something absolutely achievable and within a few months from now.
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