How to learn any language easily | Matthew Youlden | TEDxClapham

Learning a language can feel a bit like rocket science,

something out of this world and out of reach

for the vast majority of us.

This isn't a belief, however, just held by many English monolinguals on our island.

It's also shared by many of our linguistic cousins

further afield, say, in the United States or Australia.

Let's be honest:

when it comes to learning languages or speaking them,

we are the kind of people that likes to think

we're fluent in a multitude of diverse languages

such as Geordie, Kiwi, Cockney, or what about Canadian?

Don't get me wrong.

I'm very, very proud of my Mancunian heritage,

but I wouldn't suggest it's a separate language just yet.

After all, we don't need subtitles

when we are watching Coronation Street, now do we?

Although I can see you two saying, "I do."

(Laughter)

Yet, despite this, if you were to cross the Channel,

or say, if you're feeling slightly more adventurous,

cross the Severn Estuary into Wales,

there you would find

that speaking another language or being bilingual is simply a reality.

Yet, there and further afield,

many are still convinced of the fact

this is a long, challenging, somewhat painful,

and dare I say, daunting task.

In this room of 100 people,

I'd guess that at least 15 other languages are spoken besides English.

In fact, the last census of 2011 revealed that a staggering 22% of Londoners -

that's 22%, one in four, almost -

speak another language at home apart from English.

I myself, even as a Mancunian, speak approximately 20 languages,

and of those, around half I speak fluently.

And the question I get asked by people the most is, "Why?"

(Laughter)

Well, the answer, for me at least, is rather simple.

I'm convinced

learning languages, any language per Se, is actually easy.