We look at the language trends of 2024, what we think will take language learning by storm and what you can expect this year and look out for.
Contents
- Why do we learn languages?
- What is the role of technology in language learning?
- What did 2023 bring in Language learning?
- What language trends should you know about?
- Trending top tips
Whether your New Year’s resolution is to learn a new language, or if your child is learning a language at school, find out about the new trends in language learning to help you upskill with GoStudent and beyond.
Why do we learn languages?
It is not just for the GCSEs or the A-Levels. It is for the culture. Culture is a wonderful thing. Whether it is travelling, enjoying music in a different language, or simply meeting people who have a different way of living their life and learning from them. Culture is important.
One of the best ways to improve our own cultural capital, as well as form our own identities, is to mix and mingle with others. And when it comes to learning, languages are simply the best way to do that!
So, what are the foreign language learning trends of 2024?
The biggest trend seems to be that, as usual, everyone wants to do it.
There is something romantic about the idea of knowing a foreign language. Perhaps it is walking through the streets of Paris passionately discussing food in French to help you learn French; stumbling out of a gig in Berlin raving about the music in German helping learn German; or meeting a local in Barcelona and surprising them by being able to greet them in Catalan – there is just something magical about learning languages.
How are most people expected to learn a foreign language in 2024?
- Learning language apps
- Online language courses
- Exchange programmes
- Traditional class-based language learning lessons
- Immersive programs
- 1:1 tutoring
- Podcasts and audiobooks
- Regular practice
- Watching foreign TV shows
- Gaming – yes, children playing online are learning languages that other children are speaking!
What is the role of technology in language learning?
The big debate that is raging across the language learning community is whether it is best to learn a foreign language with an app/online or through conventional ‘old school’ methods which are school lessons and perhaps visiting a country to immerse yourself in the language. Of course, as with most things in life, it is not black and white.
Technology is an excellent addition which can help push people to take that extra step which makes the learning experience worthwhile.
Recent news suggests that the fast-paced developments in AI mean that language learning technology needs to adapt to keep up with the growing trends, moving away from traditional methods. Both Duolingo Inc. and Coursera Inc. are trading lower after their stocks were downgraded due to a worry they aren't keeping up with new developments.
The good news for GoStudent is that we're already ahead of the curve embracing the world of VR with GoStudentVR, our pioneering new technology.
As with all things, different people learn in different ways – and at different speeds. Some people will be able to learn an entire language online on their own, and will be able to simply walk out of a darkened room chattering away in Dutch or Italian.
But most of us are more complicated than that and require a range of different learning styles to help us truly overcome the first steps of learning a foreign language. The best way is to merge different technologies with different ‘old school’ methods. Because together, they can help you unlock the ultimate language-learning experience!
But what are these technologies? Are they free? Do we have to pay? Can we do it alone? Fear not, we’re going to answer everything!
How can technology help us learn languages?
The top way that technology can help us learn languages in 2024 is by engaging language learning with the virtual world!
Another top way to use technology to learn a language is by allowing it to connect you with people who can help. In some cases, people found it useful to connect with people their age in a country where they speak the language you want to learn.
Here at GoStudent, we believe that the best way to learn is by working with a tutor who can give you structured help when learning a language – especially if it is for an upcoming exam!
As well as working with a dedicated tutor, you can also use technology to top up your learning. A great way to do this is through apps!
What did 2023 bring in Language learning?
For anyone who watched Barbie, you would have seen the very unsubtle plug for Duolingo. Without expressing our – at times very passionate – views on the Barbie movie 😀, we will say that Duolingo can be a great tool to help keep you motivated as an additional tool to your professional tutoring.
The British Council recently reported that, in 2023, 39% of adults would use mobile apps to learn a new language.
Here are the top language learning apps in the world by the number of downloads in 2023, according to Statista:
- Duolingo 16,309,030
- Lingokids 1,264,849
- Buddy.ai 1,224,544
- Momo 1,142,512
- EWA 1,117,580
- Babbel 966,980
- ELSA 841,804
- Mondly 768,165
- Baicizhan 733,230
- Busuu 688,998
Most apps will have a free mode or a free trial. But, like many apps these days, it can feel a bit like a pay-to-win situation.
If you want English learning apps, why not check out our GoStudent list of the top ten English learning apps for kids!
So, what was the narrative with languages at GoStudent? In 2023, the most popular language to learn with GoStudent was… French! However, Spanish lessons made a whopping 192% increase from 2022. In contrast, we saw French stayed reasonably stable year on year (-2% and x% respectively.)*
The GoStudent language learning trends seem to correlate with those from the British Council who found that Spanish was the most popular A-Level last year.
But what about French? French has for a long time been the most dominant language in schools. French is still incredibly popular at GoStudent accounting for 37% of our foreign language lessons. Spanish took a 16% share of the foreign language lessons that took place in 2023 partially closing the gap on French dominance.**
Our data seems to support The British Council's prediction that by 2026 Spanish will overtake French as the most popular language GCSE.
The British Council also announced that:
- 26% of adults regret never learning a second language fluently.
- The biggest appetite for learning is among 18–24-year-olds.
- One in four UK adults would consider making it their New Year’s resolution to learn a new language.
The British Council also had an interesting Languages for the future report which was published in 2017 where they “asked respondents what their language of choice would be if they were to learn. The most popular was Spanish at 25% followed by French at 21%, Italian at 14%, German at 13% and Japanese at 10%.”
According to Duolingo, their 2023 most learnt languages were:
As well as this, there has also been a reported increase in Latin following the Government’s 2021 £4 billion boost which was, in part, to bring Latin to state schools. If you want to know more about Latin, why not check out our blog post on 4 reasons you should learn a dead language?
And how committed are people to their language lessons? According to the Chartered Institute of Linguistics, older learners learn for longer! That means that they are more likely to be dedicated and stick to the language lessons.
Overall, foreign languages made up over 5% of GoStudent’s total lessons in 2023, which remained more or less the same since 2021.***
What new language trends should you know about?
The top language learning trend you should be watching out for this year is the exciting development of VR. Some people might be sceptical, but research suggests that there are significant benefits to learning with VR.
Excitingly, to lead this new trend in language learning, in collaboration with Immerse and Meta, we have launched the immersive VR platform GoStudent VR. GoStudent VR offers teacher-guided group lessons in virtual environments that mimic realistic locations. This way, we enhance our students' foreign language skills and self-confidence. We understand that every child is unique and, therefore, requires different learning methods.
This exciting intersection with technology and learning means that GoStudent can offer you the best of both worlds!
GoStudent VR provides students with personalised and tailored learning experiences that adapt to the child's individual needs and abilities. It allows students to participate either through a VR headset or via their desktop. Our VR technology offers a unique learning experience that not only makes learning more effective but also more enjoyable and exciting. 💪
Trending top tips
Always keep going!
Learning a new language can be challenging. We get that. But challenges are there to be overcome. The biggest challenge that most people face when learning a second language is keeping going. Here at GoStudent we believe that, with the right attitude and help, you can overcome any challenge – and, if you’re struggling, a tutor might just be the solution to help keep you on track.
Some people like using the pomodoro technique to help get them in the swing of learning.
Get as much exposure as possible
Another challenge can be getting enough exposure. A great way to do this is to find multiple ways to expose yourself to a language. Maybe that can be watching a TV show in that language, looking for a pen pal, or, if you can, even going on holiday to practise!
Even if you’re just at the beginning of your language learning journey, practising the occasional words and half sentences with a fluent speaker is incredibly helpful. Partly, that has to do with the complexity of human interactions and how we as humans store information into our memory.
The more learning resources you have, the more exposure you’re likely to have. The more exposure you have, the more you will probably get to grips with that language learning! 🚀 Don’t forget to keep an open mind to the power of new technology like learning through VR.
Confidence
The key to confidence is not being good at something. It’s being comfortable when being wrong. Some people speak a second language with grammar mistakes and mispronunciations – but they don’t let that stop them from speaking.
If you stumble at every grammatically incorrect sentence or every mispronounced word, you’re not going to have a fun learning experience. Make those mistakes and use each one to launch you into a new conversation. You never know where it might lead you!
So no matter whether you’re learning a second language for your GCSEs or your A-Levels, or whether you’re doing it just for the joy of the language, there are lots of ways to learn a language. The trick is making sure you find the right ones for you and that you never give up.
To help you get in the swing, why not try a free trial lesson with a dedicated GoStudent tutor?
If you’re already a customer with us and taking Spanish lessons, our GoStudent VR package may be a perfect fit - you can find out more here.
*Internal GoStudent data, 2022 - 2023, Spanish, French and German lessons consumed YoY
**Internal GoStudent data, 2023, % share of foreign language lessons consumed
***Internal GoStudent data, 2022 - 2023, % share of lessons consumed
