The Mimic Method- A Brief Explanation of our Language-Learning System (2024)

The Mimic Method is mysystem for learning a foreign language fast, with an impressive accent.

It is completely different from any other language learning system you know. What makes it different is its focus on:

• Perfecting the accentBEFORE learningto understand orspeak.
• Attaining conversational fluency BEFORElearning to read orwrite.
• Using musical techniques to Learn by Ear.

There are many layers to our system.Fora deeper understanding, we recommend reading the articles at the end of this post.This articleexplains the basics in under 6 minutes of read time.

There are two approaches to learning a Foreign Language:

• Learn by Eye
• Learn by Ear

The “Learn by Eye” Approach

When you learn a language by Eye, you startwith reading and writing.

• You learn words by tracingtheir symbols.
• You learn grammar bystudyingits theory.
• You learn communicationby practicingtranslation.

Mostlanguage learning systemstake the “Learn by Eye” approach.

The “Learn by Ear” Approach

When you learn a language by ear, you start with hearing and pronunciation.

• You learn words by hearingtheir sounds.
• You learn grammarby internalizingitspatterns.
• You learn communicationby practicing conversation.

The Mimic Method is one of the few language-learningsystemsthattakes the “Learn by Ear” approach.

Let’s discuss some common pitfalls with the “Learn by Eye” approach.

Language Learning by Eye – Common Pitfalls

Most people who learn a language by eye report one or more of thefollowing issues:

• “I know a lot of vocab, but I can’t make out the words when native speakerstalk fast.”
• “I can write well, but I speak slow and stuttered, with lots of umms and aahs”
• “Native speakers always ask me to repeat myself, because they can’t understand my accent.”
• “I get nervous in conversations. I don’t know what people are saying, and I’m self-conscious about the way I sound.”

Notice how all these issues have to do with understanding and speaking.If you learn a language by eye, you will always haveissuesunderstanding and speaking.

This is because the skillsofunderstandingand speakingarerooted insound.

• When you speak to someone, you arecreatingsounds with your mouth.
• When you listen to someone,you are hearing soundswith your ears.

You can’t see sound, you can only hear it.

So you can’t learn understandingand speakingby Eye; you can only learn understandingand speakingby Ear.

As a child, you understood this.

You didn’t learn your first language by memorizing flash cards and studying grammar textbooks.You learned your first language by listening to the sounds around you and mimicking them.

If usingyourears worked for your first language, why switch it up?

There are 3 stages to learning a foreign language by ear.

• Stage 1: Capacity (Hearing & Pronunciation)
• Stage 2: Conversation (Speaking & Understanding)
• Stage 3: Command (Reading and Writing)

In the Capacity stage, you learn how to hear and pronounce the sounds.In the Conversation stage, you learn how to communicate with the sounds. In the Command stage, you improve your eloquence through reading and writing.

To get through these three stages, you will need a system. An effective system is one that gets you through each stage as quickly as possible.

The Mimic Method is the fastest way to get through the three stages.

Capacity is about learning to hear and pronounce the sounds of your target language.

The Mimic Method builds your Capacity in three steps:

1. Sound Capacity
2. Syllable Capacity
3. Sentence Capacity

Sound Capacity

Every language has a set of elemental sounds, or “phonemes”.These sounds combine to make everything you will ever hear or say in the language.

For example:

• Spanish has 39 Elemental Sounds,
• English has 43 Elemental Sounds,
• German has 46Elemental Sounds.

Struggle with any elemental sound, and you will struggle with the whole language.

In The Mimic Method, you master eachElemental Sounds through phonetic training, self-recording, and drills.

Syllable Capacity

Elemental sounds combine to form syllables.These syllables are the building blocks of speech.

In your target language, some syllables will be harder to pronounce than others.This is because some elemental sound combinations are trickier than others.

In The Mimic Method, you master every possible Syllable through frequency analysis, self-recording, and drills.

Sentence Capacity

Syllables combine with rhythm and intonation to make sentences.

• Rhythm is about the spacing and stress of syllables.
• Intonation is about how the pitch of your voice goes up and down as you speak.

Every language has its own set of rhythmand intonation patterns.

In theMimic Method, you learn to mimicfast native sentences through musical training, self-recording and drills.

Once you can mimic, you can pick up new words and phrases just by hearing them.

In the conversation stage, your goalis to understandand speakwithout difficulty.The Mimic Method speeds up your progress to this goal in four steps:

1. Simple Conversation
2. Scripted Conversation
3. Spontaneous Conversation
4. Sophisticated Conversation

Simple Conversation

Simple conversation is about knowing just enough to get by in a conversation.The fastest way to achieve this is tofocus on the 80/20 of communication.

The 80/20 principle states that 20% of inputs produces 80% of outputs.That means that with a few hundred words and phrases, you can communicate most things.

In TheMimic Method, you learn themost commonly usedwords and phrases by ear. With these basic words and phrases, you can start to “get by” in the language.

Scripted Conversation

In your life, there are always stories and conversations that come up over and over again.If you know everyone will ask these questions, why not prepare the perfect response ahead of time?

Then you will impress people with your abilities and gain speaking confidence.

In TheMimic Method, you memorize personalized scriptsby ear. With these scripts, you can begin to build your foundation for speaking confidence.

Spontaneous Conversation

When you run out of scripts,you will need to adapt to the moment with spontaneous conversation.The only way to get good at spontaneous conversationis to speak as much as possible.

In The Mimic Method,you practice conversing with as many people as possible. With enough practice in spontaneous conversation, you will have the ability to speak confidently in most situations.

Sophisticated Conversation

“Learn by Eye” programs place a strong emphasis on always having perfect grammar.

But it is impossible to speak with perfect grammar at the beginning. The only way to progress is tomake countless mistakes.

That’s why The Mimic Method focuses on communication over correctness.That is, until you reach the Sophisticated Conversation step.At this step, you will shift your focus to correcting your speech.

In The Mimic Method, you correct your grammar byreviewing speech recordings and drilling your mistakes. With enough self-analysis and recording, you will naturally speak with proper grammar.

Youcan identify your grammar mistakes and group them into categories.Focus on fixing one category at a time, and you will perfect your grammar piecemeal.

In your first language, you have a high level of education.You’veread hundreds of books and articles in your lifetime.You’vewritten countless essays over your school career.

As a result, you can speakwell on a variety of subjects.

To achieve this level of Command in your target language, you need to read and write a lot.

There are two steps to Command:

1. Scholastic Command
2. Stylistic Command

Scholastic Command

It is finally at this stage that you learn to read.It is also at this stage that you study grammar theory.With the tools of literacy and an advanced knowledge of grammar, you can now read a large varietyof books.

Reading is the fastest way to developadvanced vocabulary.This advanced vocabulary will spill into your conversations and make you sound more intelligent.

Stylistic Command

The final step of the language learning journey is stylistic command.

There is infinite room to develop your stylistic command in a language.

“Style” refers to the way you communicate something.For example, “That dog runs fast” is a simple style.“That canine boundsacross space at an extraordinary velocity,” is a more advanced style.

Writing is the fastest way to developyour style.As you get betterat writing, you will catch up with native speakers in their command of the language.

The graphic above illustrates the full process. As you can see, there are 3 stages and 9 steps to the Mimic Method. The stages all begin with the letter “C”, and the steps all begin with the letter “S”. Let’s review each step in order:

1. Sound Capacity
2. Syllable Capacity
3. Sentence Capacity
4. Simple Conversation
5. Scripted Conversation
6. Spontaneous Conversation
7. Sophisticated Conversation
8. Scholastic Command
9. Stylistic Command

This covers the basics to The Mimic Method. But we are just scratching the surface. To better understand ourMethod, we recommend reading the following articles (coming soon):

• How to Learn a Language By Ear Part 1 (Capacity)
• How to Learn a Language By Ear Part 2 (Conversation)
• How to Learn a Language By Ear Part 3 (Command)
• Frequently Asked Questions About The Mimic Method
• The Personal Story Behind The Mimic Method

Or better yet, why not give our method a try with our free course?