New Year, New Language Summit 2024
Advanced: Taking Your Language Skills to the Next Level
NYNL 2024 was built for learners past the intermediate stage chasing genuine fluency and near-native proficiency.
About this session
Linguist Brian Loo Soon Hua discusses the unique motivations and challenges of learning rare languages. He outlines three learner profiles—heritage speakers, professionals, and hobbyists—with specific examples.
Key takeaways
- ✓ Learning a rare language often means navigating a scarcity of resources, even if a related, more common language has many.
- ✓ Identify your motivation for learning a rare language, whether it's heritage, professional need, or personal curiosity, as this will shape your approach.
- ✓ Be prepared for the possibility that your target 'rare' language might be a distinct dialect from a more widely resourced standard language, requiring a different learning path.
- ✓ Explore specialized apps like U-Talk, which offer resources for over 150 less common or obscure languages.
Full Replay
Watch the complete session
- ✓ Lifetime replay access
- ✓ All 5 editions (2022–2026)
- ✓ Downloadable materials
Full Replay
Watch the complete session
- ✓ Lifetime replay access
- ✓ All 5 editions (2022–2026)