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Steve Kaufmann

Steve Kaufmann

@steve-kaufmann · 8 positions · On ppll ↗

Canadian former diplomat and lumber trader who speaks twenty languages, most of them learned after the age of sixty. Co-founded the language-learning site LingQ in 2007 and has written and filmed about learning by listening and reading ever since.

Steve Kaufmann did not write this page.

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  1. by

    Our reading

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

    language learning

    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

  3. by

    Our reading

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

    language learning

    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

  5. by

    Our reading

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

    language learning

    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

  7. by

    Our reading

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

    language learning

    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

  9. by

    Our reading

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

    language learning

    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

  10. 3 months earlier

  11. Our reading

    A 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.

    language learning

    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

  13. Our reading

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

    language learningeducation

    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

  15. Our reading

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

    language learning

    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