Ten Xhosa Learning Tips - #'s 1 - 2

I will release these every few weeks via our newsletter. Subscribe here:

1. Assume it’s an easy language to learn:

Because it really is! Here’s a couple of great reasons why: Some languages, such as Japanese, have at least three alphabets and writing each character requires accuracy and attention. English, a language you can speak (if you are reading this) and one which many people from all different backgrounds and levels of education are learning all the time around the world, is NOT phonetic, which makes it difficult to learn to read and pronounce, in fact it can take years. In contrast, Xhosa not only uses the Roman alphabet, but it IS phonetic and is thus quick and easy to learn to read and pronounce. Even the clicks, which make many people think that Xhosa is impossible and they just CAN’T do, are really easy and quick to learn if someone knows how to teach them. (This does not necessarily include Xhosa speakers, who suckled Xhosa from their mother’s breasts, as the Xhosa saying goes, and thus never had to learn the language as an adult!) There are only three clicks and we have taught over hundreds of people Xhosa over 6 years and everyone gets all three clicks in 30 seconds. It then just takes a bit of practice and repetition to get them strong and effortless, much as we can all do a bench press of a moderate weight at least once, but it takes effort and practice to increase your reps. With a few minutes of practice each day, rapid progress is possible! And the clicks are a fantastic way of connecting to the vibrations of our old Bushmen ancestors. Travel back in time, reconnect to ancient human heritage. Learn the Clicks! See a great video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1YwH_cRDK8. And besides, attitude is everything when trying to learn anything!

2. Don’t START with the noun groups.

Many text books and Xhosa courses start with teaching the noun groups. This made some sense if the designer of the course was seeking to teach the entire structure of the language to a student and new that they had a long time to do so, for instance a couple of years at high school, or a year curriculum at university level. Even with those structures, many students seem to go through years of high school Xhosa tuition and come out not speaking Xhosa! I believe you have to start with a verb-based grammatical understanding, then combining with prefixes and using nouns only ad hoc, whilst the learner builds confidence and love for the spoken language of Xhosa. As you gain confidence and enjoyment, and sense the tangible rewards for your effort, you will be motivated to start tackling the more study intensive noun groups and all conjugations that follow from there. This worked for me!