The Linguist On Language

Unfortunately the Korean learning content was very boring. If I had had interesting and authentic real Korean content (as opposed to textbook content) I would have done better. I would have done a second and third spurt. I did not, because I kind of lost interest in the same old boring Korean content.

Listen to learn

I feel that in learning a language it is very important to have as much contact as possible with the new language. Ideal y you should try to listen or read or review or write or speak every day. The more you enjoy what you are doing, the more likely you are to do it regularly. Rule number one is: do what you like to do.

When you start out in a language, it is beneficial to listen to the same content many times.

The first time you may be trying hard to understand the content. You wil probably save some words and phrases. The second and third time you are better able to focus on these new words and phrases. Hopeful y you have reviewed these words and phrases and said them out loud a few times. When you hear them again, in context, this helps to reinforce your memory of them.

You are also participating in a familiar environment in another language. This helps train your ability in the language. But if you find it boring or annoying to listen to an item, by al means move on to the next item. I certainly do. I do not like listening to boring content.

When I am better at the language I may listen as little as twice or three times and then move on. If you real y do not like a content item, do not listen again. Find something you like.

In any case, you can always go back to earlier items to review and reinforce.

You will find it easier to listen again if the voice is pleasant to your ears. Spend more time on content that you like. There are some content items in various foreign languages that I have listened to 20 or more times. I always enjoy them. Some items I can only listen to once or twice.

So there are no hard and fast rules. Repetition is important. Enjoying yourself is important.

Being in daily contact with the language is important. The decision is up to you. See what works best for you.

How often should we listen?

I have often stated that repetitive listening is a powerful language learning activity. This is especial y true in the early stages of learning a language. As you progress you tend to listen less often to the same content. I am often asked, by learners, how to decide when to move on to new content. Here is what I had to say on this subject on our LingQ Forum.

In my experience it does not really matter when you move forward to the next item. You move on when you feel like it. Certainly you do not need to "master" anything since it is not the sheer repetition of anything that will guarantee that you learn it. You need exposure, pleasant and yet challenging exposure. When an assignment is no longer pleasant nor challenging to listen to, you just move on.

Yes you should go back to old material again, especial y if you feel like doing so.

As you continue your listening, and reading and word review, and your writing and speaking activity, the bits and pieces of the language will slowly fall into place, not on some timetable dictated by anything you deliberately do, but according to some timetable that only the brain controls. Just keep feeding the brain with enough stimulus, and keep wanting to learn, and enjoying your learning, and you wil be surprised at the results.

Use it or lose it?

It is often said that in language learning, you either use it or lose it. H ere "use it" usual y refers to speaking in the language.

I do not find this to be the case. Since I speak and understand 11 languages, I real y do not have enough time to use them all in speaking to people.

I find that if the learning process is largely based on input, and not dependent on speaking to people, it is not so easy to lose languages and it is easier to maintain them. I have CDs in different languages, books, and of course today there are podcasts. So maintenance is easy. I listen and read.

I usual y find that when I leave a language for a long period of time, and then go back to it, I am quickly at my previous level. In fact, because I have been acquiring other languages, I find that I have actual y improved in the languages that I have neglected.

Maybe people who learn based on remembering grammar rules, or based on speaking the language, are more likely to lose a language they do not use. I do not know for sure.

The exciting new world of podcasts

Podcasts are going to assume increasing importance in language learning. There is a vast and growing wealth of podcasts on the Internet. They may be language teaching podcasts intended for language learners, or podcasts on everything from IT to politics, economics, food or travel. A google search will quickly bring up lists of podcasts to choose from. These are some of my favourite learning materials.