For the vast majority of language learners, myself included, we learn

another language so that we can speak it.  We aren’t learning it so we

can read the newspaper.  We aren’t learning so that we can write letters

to people.  We may do both of these, and enjoy them as activities, but

they are not the reason for our learning.  We want to speak.  We want to

be in conversations in which we both understand and are understood. 

Speaking, not writing is why we learn.

If speaking and listening are the most important things we do with the

language though, why would we spend any time worrying about writing? 

Reading we can understand, but writing?

I want to offer five reasons why I think that writing should be an

integral part of your language learning journey.  And specifically, I

want to ask you to consider a personal narrative in the form of a journal

or a diary as the main focus of this writing.  I believe that writing has

amazing potential to help maximize your language learning and

significantly increase the rate at which you learn.  Which of course will

get you speaking sooner. Here are my five reasons why writing will help

you learn language better:

1. Our brains function in the same way whether we speak or we write.  A

message is created and transmitted. It just sends the message down a

different pipe. If you take a moment to grab a pen and paper and write a

few sentences you will see that you cannot write without speaking out

the words in your head.  In this way, writing is a stress free way to

practice speaking.   Because we get to write at our own pace with no

audience, we can give our mind a tremendous amount of repetition with

the grammar, words and expressions of the language.

2. Writing allows us to use all of the words and grammar forms  that we are

currently learning and to solidify those we have already learned.  This

goes back to the repetition mentioned above, but if for example, we

need to hear or produce a word 30 times for it to begin to get “stuck” in

our mind, we can significantly increase the rate at which we incorporate

new words into our usable vocabulary.

3. Writing about our days in a journal or diary connects the words and

grammars we are learning to the context of our lives.  This context and

emotional connection creates richer meaning and allows for greater

retention of the material.  We remember things better when we put them

in a context that is familiar to our lives and that we are interested in.

4. The next step is to get a native speaker to correct these journals. Once

corrected, these journals become an amazing source of integrated

review which will allow you to easily and quickly review everything that

you have learned.  Language learning too often is a race from A to B to

C and we often forget much of what was presented back at A by the time

we get to point D.  If however we have journaled all along the way,

looking back through these regularly allows us to reconnect with all of

the grammar points and words we learned previously.  This is what I call

integrated review.  To get your journals corrected, ask a native speaking

friend for help or if that is not possible, check out the amazing FREE

online program called Lang-8.

5. These journals are also a great to have as a form of self assessment. 

There is nothing quite like looking back at your first journals to remind

you how far you have come. If you haven’t read Yuki’s story yet, go back

and read it now.  It will help you understand this last point.

Writing is an important skill in any language, but now one we are usually

interested in worrying about as we go about learning a new language. 

But don’t underestimate the potential writing has to be a great part of

helping you learn that language.  It is a maximizer and will enhance all

that you are doing to learn.  So get started writing today!

Many of you worry that your writing will stink.

Let me tell you a little secret - it will.

But it doesn’t matter.  Even your blather is part of moving you forward

and the more blather now, the quicker your blather will become poetry.

So get started.  Do your best.  Write about things you love.  Have fun!

What has your experience with writing been like as a language

learner?