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** Language learning takes thread **
1 like = 1 take about language learning
Btw I'll post my takes even if nobody likes this. I just want it to feel like an interactive experience for you guys
1 like = 1 take about language learning
Btw I'll post my takes even if nobody likes this. I just want it to feel like an interactive experience for you guys
1. Kató Lomb learned through context and deciphering books like they were puzzles. Alexander Argüelles uses extremely structured language drills. Both have learned 10+ languages.
There is no "best practice" in language learning, you have to experiment and see what suits you
There is no "best practice" in language learning, you have to experiment and see what suits you
2. If you want to learn really fast you have to be an autodidact. Courses will slow you down because the teacher has to work at the pace of the average person. The only exception is if you can afford a tutor.
3. When you take a language course you're paying for structure and a social milieu. That may be worth it on its own.
4. If there's anything just about anyone agrees is useful, it's repetition. Make flashcards or use Anki.
5. You can get away with a lot if you have a good accent. I've convinced people I speak Russian just by saying a few sentences with good pronunciation.
Conversely, if you know a lot of words but have a terrible accent you'll always sound like a beginner.
Conversely, if you know a lot of words but have a terrible accent you'll always sound like a beginner.
6. Fifty years ago you could boost your salary if you learned a language like French or German. Today the only language worth learning for the sake of your career is English. For everything else, you need a personal reason.
https://twitter.com/OSmicard/status/1340430684939292673
7. Foreign languages can be great if you want a more adventurous career, they certainly open up opportunities for foreign contact & travel. But if you want to earn cash you're better off just learning to code.
7. Foreign languages can be great if you want a more adventurous career, they certainly open up opportunities for foreign contact & travel. But if you want to earn cash you're better off just learning to code.
8. The jury is still out on whether this app is a friend or a foe.
9. Polyglots are like furries, the Internet has given them the critical mass needed to form communities. There are entire forums full of effortposts about language learning. My favourite is https://forum.language-learners.org
https://twitter.com/dzeniel021_/status/1340434125325545472
10. Duolingo is optimized for user retention, not learning speed. Plus they sell the idea of learning a language "on the go" with ten minutes of practice here and there. It's not realistic to learn a language that way, it's too little work. --->
10. Duolingo is optimized for user retention, not learning speed. Plus they sell the idea of learning a language "on the go" with ten minutes of practice here and there. It's not realistic to learn a language that way, it's too little work. --->
On the positive side they do get a lot of people into language learning. I think Duolingo is best when supplemented with grammar books, flashcards, pronunciation drills etc.
Also the web app is much better than the phone app because it forces you to write more.
Also the web app is much better than the phone app because it forces you to write more.
11. I have a lot of respect for people who know both Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Not because it's challenging (it's not) but because us Scandinavians have too little interest in each other. We need to stick together.
12. I like to watch this video of Alexander Argüelles every now and then. Absolutely insane regimen. We are all tiny worms in comparison
13. Talent is one of the most important factors for how fast you learn. Not many people will admit this. But you can't change how much talent you have, so find a method that suits you and learn at your own pace.
14. Even if you're very talented and have the very best methods, you're going to have to put in a huge amount of work.
15. We usually hear that we need to know about 3000 words to be reasonably proficient in a language. That's way too low. The real number is more like 8000 for conversational fluency and 20,000 to use the language at a near-native level.
16. Learning 20 new words per day sounds like a lot, but at that pace it's still going to take you 400 working days to get to 8,000 words. Thus I believe that 20 words/day should be the bare minimum for a full time student.
17. How many words you can learn in a day is hugely dependent on how familiar the language is. My personal experience is that I can learn 2-3x as many words per day in German or Italian as in Turkish or Persian.
18. You are not a child and you do not learn like a child. Anyone who is trying to sell you a method to "learn like a child does" is bullshitting you. Supplementing with natural methods is fine, but drills and verbal explanations are very helpful to adults.
19. Plus, children learn languages rather slowly. Throughout childhood we learn at a rate of 2-5 words per day. That's not a lot.
Do you really want to work for eight years to become as eloquent as an eight year old?
Do you really want to work for eight years to become as eloquent as an eight year old?
