Alexander Arguelles | Linguistic Meditations in Nature @ProfASAr | Uploaded May 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
In this video, I describe a technique of linguistic meditation that helps you develop the habit of thinking directly in a foreign language. Detailed steps are in the description. Keep up-to-date with information like this by subscribing to my monthly newsletter here: alexanderarguelles.com/newsletter
This is a technique that can be done indoors as well, but it works particularly well in nature. Give it a try! The steps:
1. Find a place where you can spend some time studying outside in fresh air.
2. Finish your studies by reading aloud.
3. Stop and consciously try to feel and hear the words you just read resonating and reverberating in your head.
4. Set an intention not to turn your mind to other things, but to just hear and recall these words and others you have read for a few minutes.
5. Try taking a deep breath first and keeping your mind attuned to the sounds as long as you can hold the air.
6. You can do this even at a relatively early stage; when you advance to the point when you can start to think new sentences as well as recall the ones you have read, you need to add another conscious intentional step:
7. Turn off both the impulse to panic and the instinct to translate in your head - when you come to a word or concept you don't know yet, just skip over it, leave it blank, and keep your mind calmly thinking in the target language.
8. You might only be able to do this for a matter of seconds at first, but as you practice the technique and get better in the language, you will be able to do this for longer and longer.
9. The chief benefit of this is developing the ability to think directly in your foreign language.
If you enjoy learning from my videos, then you might also enjoy learning by interacting with me in my virtual academy: alexanderarguelles.com/academy You can join me next week to follow the Path of the Polyglot; read French, German, or Spanish literature; learn to read Medieval languages; practice spoken Latin at various levels; participate in Great Books seminars; study the comparative history of religion; or get support for guided self-study of languages including Latin, Arabic, and Sanskrit.
If you are in a position to support my educational efforts, please consider making a contribution at: ko-fi.com/alexanderarguelles
In this video, I describe a technique of linguistic meditation that helps you develop the habit of thinking directly in a foreign language. Detailed steps are in the description. Keep up-to-date with information like this by subscribing to my monthly newsletter here: alexanderarguelles.com/newsletter
This is a technique that can be done indoors as well, but it works particularly well in nature. Give it a try! The steps:
1. Find a place where you can spend some time studying outside in fresh air.
2. Finish your studies by reading aloud.
3. Stop and consciously try to feel and hear the words you just read resonating and reverberating in your head.
4. Set an intention not to turn your mind to other things, but to just hear and recall these words and others you have read for a few minutes.
5. Try taking a deep breath first and keeping your mind attuned to the sounds as long as you can hold the air.
6. You can do this even at a relatively early stage; when you advance to the point when you can start to think new sentences as well as recall the ones you have read, you need to add another conscious intentional step:
7. Turn off both the impulse to panic and the instinct to translate in your head - when you come to a word or concept you don't know yet, just skip over it, leave it blank, and keep your mind calmly thinking in the target language.
8. You might only be able to do this for a matter of seconds at first, but as you practice the technique and get better in the language, you will be able to do this for longer and longer.
9. The chief benefit of this is developing the ability to think directly in your foreign language.
If you enjoy learning from my videos, then you might also enjoy learning by interacting with me in my virtual academy: alexanderarguelles.com/academy You can join me next week to follow the Path of the Polyglot; read French, German, or Spanish literature; learn to read Medieval languages; practice spoken Latin at various levels; participate in Great Books seminars; study the comparative history of religion; or get support for guided self-study of languages including Latin, Arabic, and Sanskrit.
If you are in a position to support my educational efforts, please consider making a contribution at: ko-fi.com/alexanderarguelles
