korrents

language learning

How an adult picks up a second language: input against speaking practice, immersion against slow habit, and whether a teacher can do it for you.

What people on korrents have said about language learning, newest first — 35 positions from 7 people.

FilterEveryone, all time
Who Everyone SKSteve Kaufmann 8 BLBenny Lewis 7 LLLuca Lampariello 7 GWGabriel Wyner 4 SYScott H. Young 4 LMLýdia Machová 3 DSDerek Sivers 2
When All time Past 1 yearPast 3 yearsPast 5 years
  1. SK

    by

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingHe reached the conclusion that input drives language acquisition on his own, before meeting the research that says so.

    Their wordsI came to the same conclusions independently before I encountered Krashen's work, and decades of learning across 20+ languages have only reinforced them. The research supports the intuition: input is where acquisition happens.

    ↗Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learningblog.thelinguist.com 1st of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  3. SK

    by

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingPast the beginning, learn from whatever you actually care about rather than from material written for learners.

    Their wordsDon’t limit yourself to material designed for language learners. Read and listen to content that you genuinely care about.

    ↗Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learningblog.thelinguist.com 2nd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  5. SK

    by

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingLanguage classes are worth something for the company and the correction, but listening and reading are what actually teach the language.

    Their wordsSure, language classes can provide social benefits and feedback. But the real means of learning a language is consistent, ample amounts of listening and reading.

    ↗Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learningblog.thelinguist.com 3rd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  7. SK

    by

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingA beginner cannot learn from material made for native speakers: at the start, authentic media is noise.

    Their wordsIf you are starting a language completely from scratch, authentic media is just noise. You’ll absorb very little. You need highly repetitive, simple input.

    ↗Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learningblog.thelinguist.com 4th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  9. SK

    by

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingLearning from input does not mean refusing grammar books; the point is to notice patterns, not to master the rules.

    Their wordsSome people think CI means you reject grammar books. I disagree. I often reference grammar materials and find these explanations useful. However, the focus of my learning is not to “master the rules”. Grammar resources simply help me notice and make sense of patterns in the language.

    ↗Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learningblog.thelinguist.com 5th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  10. 3 months earlier
  11. SK

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingA person who studies a language for years and cannot speak it was taught the wrong method; it is not a failure of talent or of effort.

    Their wordsMost people hear that story and think: he must have lacked talent, or commitment. I don’t think that’s the right conclusion. I think he was never taught how second language acquisition actually works, and so he spent hundreds of hours doing the wrong things.

    ↗What Is Second Language Acquisition?blog.thelinguist.com 1st of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  13. SK

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingLearning a language happens through exposure to language you can mostly understand; classroom drills feel productive and build nothing.

    Their wordsClassroom activities like grammar drills and vocabulary tests feel productive. You are doing something. But none of it builds the network your brain actually needs.

    ↗What Is Second Language Acquisition?blog.thelinguist.com 2nd of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  15. SK

    Steve Kaufmann quoted

    Our readingThe practical instruction that follows from the research is simple and hard to do: listen and read a great deal.

    Their wordsThe practical takeaway from SLA research is both simple and demanding: you need to listen and read a lot.

    ↗What Is Second Language Acquisition?blog.thelinguist.com 3rd of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  16. 22 months earlier
  17. LM

    by

    Lýdia Machová quoted

    Our readingAnyone can learn a language, and what separates those who do is method rather than talent.

    Their wordsEverybody can learn a language if they know how.

    ↗About Melanguagementoring.com 1st of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  19. LM

    by

    Lýdia Machová quoted

    Our readingNobody can be taught a language by anyone else; a teacher can help, but the learning is the learner's to do.

    Their wordsI'm convinced that it's not possible to teach anyone a language. A good teacher can help you on this journey – but they cannot give the language to you on a silver platter.

    ↗About Melanguagementoring.com 2nd of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  21. LM

    by

    Lýdia Machová quoted

    Our readingThe thing worth teaching is not a language but how to learn languages, because that skill repeats for every language after it.

    Their wordsI don't teach people languages, I teach them how they can learn languages by themselves.

    ↗About Melanguagementoring.com 3rd of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  22. 3 years earlier
  23. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingA language is a set of skills to be built, not a body of facts to be known.

    Their wordsThis is an important detail that often gets overlooked, because language learning is, first and foremost, about acquiring skills. About learning how to read, write, speak, and listen, along with all of the countless subskills that any competent language speaker has in his or her toolbox.

    ↗3 Steps for Effective Translation to Learn Any Languagelucalampariello.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  25. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingKnowing conjugation tables, word lists and the names of the tenses has nothing to do with being able to use a language.

    Their wordsIn traditional classroom settings, the development of skills often gets overlooked in favor of facts. Facts in the form of conjugation tables, word lists, grammar explanations, the names of verb tenses, and so on. All of these things are related to language, but it’s important to realize that knowing these things has nothing to do with speaking and using a language productively.

    ↗3 Steps for Effective Translation to Learn Any Languagelucalampariello.com 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  26. 11 months earlier
  27. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingThere is no best or fastest way to learn a language; the question has no general answer.

    Their wordsafter 30 years of learning languages and 10 years of coaching people to do the same, I am 100% positive when I tell you that there is no absolute best and fastest way to learn a language.

    ↗The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com 1st of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  29. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingThere is no best method in general, but there is a best method for each particular learner, and finding it is the work.

    Their wordsWhile there is no absolute best and fastest way to learn a language, there definitely is a best and fastest way FOR YOU, personally, to learn a language. A method that is tailored to your likes and dislikes, your learning style, and your schedule.

    ↗The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com 2nd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  31. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingA method you hate will end in burnout however well it works for other people, so it should be abandoned rather than endured.

    Their wordsFor your health and sanity, do not force yourself to learn a language using a method you hate, no matter how good other people say it is. Trying to do so will only lead to disappointment, and ultimately burnout.

    ↗The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com 3rd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  33. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our readingPeople persist with the method they enjoy rather than the one that is supposed to be best, and that is what decides the outcome.

    Their wordsIn general, people will stick with the learning strategy that they like best, not the one that everyone says is best.

    ↗The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com 4th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  35. LL

    Luca Lampariello quoted

    Our reading · no longer heldHis bidirectional translation method applies to every language he sets out to learn.

    Recalls holdingWhen I first developed my Bidirectional Translation method, I applied it to each and every language I decided to learn.

    SaidIn hindsight, what I should have done then was be flexible. I should have taken my Bidirectional Translation method and attempted to adapt it to better suit Japanese, rather than the other way around. Instead, I remained rigid and inflexible in my learning strategies, in terms of the resources I used and how I used them, and that’s why I failed.

    ↗The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com 5th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  36. 14 months earlier
  37. GW

    by

    Gabriel Wyner quoted

    Our readingThe belief that an adult can no longer learn a good accent is false: singers and actors do it routinely.

    Their wordsBut that can’t possibly be true. Singers and actors learn new accents all the time, and they’re not, on average, smarter than everyone else (and they certainly don’t all start before the age of 7).

    ↗Discover the Key To Learning Pronunciationblog.fluent-forever.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  39. GW

    by

    Gabriel Wyner quoted

    Our readingRemoving translation from the process is what lets you think in the language from the beginning.

    Their wordsWhen you remove translation from your language learning process, you can learn to think in your target language from the beginning.

    ↗How To Learn a Language Fast: Say No to Translationblog.fluent-forever.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  41. GW

    by

    Gabriel Wyner quoted

    Our readingFailing to hear a language's sounds is what makes its words impossible to remember.

    Their wordsFor one, if you don’t learn to hear the sounds in a new language, you’re doomed to have a hard time remembering it.

    ↗Discover the Key To Learning Pronunciationblog.fluent-forever.com 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  43. GW

    by

    Gabriel Wyner quoted

    Our readingTranslating in your head has a ceiling; thinking in the language is the only thing that gets past it.

    Their wordsThere is a limit to translation. You can make your translations more and more complex, and you can get very fast at them, but it will never be as fast or as fluent as simply thinking in the language.

    ↗How To Learn a Language Fast: Say No to Translationblog.fluent-forever.com 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  44. 5 years earlier
  45. SY

    Scott H. Young quoted

    Our readingAsian languages are hard enough that arriving without preparation and refusing to speak English will not work.

    Their wordsThe main takeaway I made from all of this was: Asian languages are hard, and attempting full-immersion without sufficient preparation is usually not going to work.

    ↗Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com 1st of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  47. SY

    Scott H. Young quoted

    Our reading · no longer heldReaching a conversational level in a language within three months of arriving is not something to expect.

    Recalls holdingWhen Vat and I initially made plans, neither of us were confident that it would be possible to reach a conversational level in any of the languages.

    SaidThe fact that I can confidently say I reached a conversational level in Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese, and a near-conversational level for Korean is far above what I originally thought was possible.

    ↗Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com 2nd of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  49. SY

    Scott H. Young quoted

    Our readingRefusing to speak English is what makes immersion work: it compresses years of language learning into months.

    Their wordsThe no-English rule was largely what made the difference. Although there are many ways of learning a language, going for full immersion made it possible to learn what would have taken years in just a few months.

    ↗Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com 3rd of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  51. SY

    Scott H. Young quoted

    Our readingLearning a language in a hurry and learning one by slow patient habit are both legitimate; neither refutes the other.

    Their wordsJust because we attempted to learn with intensity, doesn’t denigrate learning languages through slow, patient habit.

    ↗Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com 4th of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  52. 23 months earlier
  53. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingWhat stops people speaking a new language is not missing vocabulary; it is being unwilling to be heard sounding stupid.

    Their wordsPerfectionist and elitist learners will never accept being perceived as less than geniuses the entire time, so they will never expose themselves to sounding “stupid”, as they may perceive it.

    ↗Speaking a language badly: how to get over the ego problemfluentin3months.com 1st of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  55. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingSpeaking badly is not a failure on the way to speaking well; it is a stage that has to be passed through on purpose.

    Their wordsI learned a long time ago that speaking like “Tarzan” is an absolutely necessary stage to go through, so you get used to using the language in SOME way. You learn to get used to the embarrassment and get on with learning quicker.

    ↗Speaking a language badly: how to get over the ego problemfluentin3months.com 2nd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  57. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingA teacher who does not insist on the target language is a bad teacher.

    Their wordsIn my view, they are simply a BAD TEACHER if they don't encourage exclusive use of the target language.

    ↗Speaking a language badly: how to get over the ego problemfluentin3months.com 3rd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  59. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingThe hard part of speaking from the start is not the gaps in what you know but making peace with not knowing the simplest words.

    Their wordsBut it's HARD to start this. NOT because of all the academic reasons of lack of vocabulary and grammar, but because you need to be cool with the fact that you are not going to know the simplest of words.

    ↗Speaking a language badly: how to get over the ego problemfluentin3months.com 4th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  61. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingThere is no threshold of vocabulary to cross before speaking begins; the change is a decision, not a level reached.

    Their wordsIt's not like I passed some threshold of having enough words to get started speaking

    ↗Speaking a language badly: how to get over the ego problemfluentin3months.com 5th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting
  62. 12 months earlier
  63. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingSpeaking is learned only by speaking a lot; no amount of study substitutes for it.

    Their wordsThe only way you will speak a language and make progress in speaking it faster and better is if you practise speaking it a lot.

    ↗The ONLY way to speak a languagefluentin3months.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  65. BL

    by

    Benny Lewis quoted

    Our readingEverything other than talking to a native speaker is auxiliary, and none of it will get you speaking on its own.

    Their wordsAll auxiliary tasks can help move you in the right direction, but will not ultimately help you speak unless you find a native, put yourself in front of them and force yourself to start to communicate.

    ↗The ONLY way to speak a languagefluentin3months.com 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  66. 3 years earlier
  67. DS

    Derek Sivers quoted

    Our readingKeeping a foreign accent is a choice about who you are, not a limit on what you can hear or say.

    Their wordsThis guy may be in France, but obviously holds strongly to his identity as an American, so he’ll say the words correctly, but keep the American twang that he knows as his voice.

    ↗Are foreign accents a reflection of identity?sive.rs 1st of 2 in this piece

    America

    Interesting
  69. DS

    Derek Sivers quoted

    Our readingThe first thing to do in a new language is to imitate its accent completely, before the words.

    Their wordsBut it seems the first thing I’d want to do when first learning a new language is to imitate the accent completely, to get that sound in my mouth, to sound as native as I can.

    ↗Are foreign accents a reflection of identity?sive.rs 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting