It is easy to create language learning theories in the comfort of your own home, but in the wild, there is little time for theory. This does not mean that there are no benefits from a structured studying plan. It just means that instead of analyzing sound graphs and studying vocabulary flashcards, there might be a more efficient approach.

When you are completely cut off from your native language and only encounter people who speak a different language, you have little time to worry about language difficulty. To ensure your survival, you are forced to immerse.

Here is a story of a Japanese man who became a successful language learner in Lithuania, despite being completely unprepared for his journey. This man was discovered by a Japanese tourist (different person).

When I was in Lithuania, I met a Japanese man who has immigrated by the age of 15 years old. By his time, there were no Japanese people surrounding him. His parents apparently abandoned him, leaving him alone with Lithuanians and Russian Lithuanians. Therefore, he learned both Lithuanian and Russian as secondary native languages.

He did not have many of the advantages that we have today such as simplified tutorials, discussion forums, and online dictionaries. These resources often try to make the learning process easier by transitioning from one grammar point to another, introducing only a few new words at a time. While they can help you build a solid foundation, these resources can also give you a false sense of security, as it uses simple language and not exactly representative of the real world. It is why learners are often advised to jump into native materials after a certain level, as getting used to native usage is the only way to reach a high level.

He did not know anyone who spoke his native language. Unlike other Europeans, his native language was completely different from the local language, not even in the same language family. While it is natural to take longer to learn the language, it is also easy to complain about the difficulty instead of actually learning the language.

Most language learners who starts speaking from day one usually hit a plateau at the intermediate level, which is why this blog focuses mostly on input instead. This story is an exception.

According to the Lithuanians and Russians I’ve met there, he could pass by as Lithuanian. They have told me that this Japanese person doesn’t have any foreign accent and neither could I find a Japanese accent in his secondary native languages. His German was C1 or perhaps C2-ish; his Mandarin was more Northern-ish.

This is unusual because he had supposedly passed the critical period, coming to Lithuania at the age of 15. It is commonly believed that if a family moves to a new country, the older sibling usually develops a foreign accent, while the younger sibling speaks with a native accent.

Unlike some of us, he did not have the luxury of taking his time with pronunciation to achieve a native accent, spending weeks or months studying an IPA table and getting feedback from patient native speakers. He started speaking from day one, forced to skip the silent period. Since he learned the language so late and had to use the language without much formal instruction, it is surprising that he did not develop any permanent bad habits or foreign accent, unlike many immigrant children in the US who despite being native English speakers, have a foreign accent, such as a Spanish accent. Even worse they are monolingual speakers who only speak English but no Spanish, yet they still have an accent due to their parents or environment.

When I made some comments in Japanese, he could understand it, but he said he has completely forgotten how to speak it. He said because his parents left him, he associates the language with certain negativity.

It’s hard to see yourself being abandoned as a child in a foreign country with no learning resources. This story does not even mention how this child was able to survive on his own at such a young age, but I imagine it would be hard even if he did know the language. It is even harder to develop a native accent. Most of the polyglots who study abroad live relatively comfortable lives, which might explain why they don’t have as enough motivation to reach a higher level. It might also explain why their foreign accents fossilize.

He could have gradually shifted to Lithuanian and Russian, where he started with some words mixed with Japanese until his current language replaced Japanese. However unlike native English speakers, he did not have the luxury of being understood anywhere he went. It is highly unlikely that there were many Japanese people in Lithuania, especially decades ago when Lithuania was still under the Soviet Union.

He can understands spoken language and he could still read some notes I made on my smartphone. For the first time in few decades, he said he felt neutral or positive with the language per se, when I spoke to him in Japanese. I asked if he wanted me to switch to Russian, German or Mandarin, but he said that he wanted me to keep speaking in Japanese while he would answer me in German, Lithuanian or Russian.

Despite losing his speaking ability, he still has some listening comprehension retained. This shows that good input is important, for speaking builds off of listening and not the other way around. You may forget a language spoken to you during your childhood, but still remember the stories.

Further, he ended up learning more languages, such as German and Mandarin. It is not only remarkable that he managed to acquire two languages as secondary native languages that were greatly different from his native language, but also going on to develop skill in other languages. When people forget one language, they are assumed to have traded one language for another, but incapable of acquiring extra languages. While he did forget Japanese, he went on to pick up extra languages. It is possible that if he took the time to immerse himself in Japanese, he would regain his skills fairly quickly, but he may have avoided Japanese for personal reasons.

At a certain point in your language learning, it may be better to add some variation to your routine by putting yourself in a stressful and novel situation. While it is not advised to move to a new country without any background, you could at least challenge yourself at home. At best, it could completely push you to achieve a new level. At worst, it would be a good memory.