Most effective way to learn a new language?
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definitely not duolingo
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Work in the country! Otherwise, try to have real life interactions, find teachers focusing on Comprehensible Input, IRL or online. or use language exchange apps. What language do you wanna learn?
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You're only going to retain what you've learned if you make use of it or enjoy it. As @Orindere and @CO3 said, interacting with individuals who speak said language is the easiest way to pick it up, but consuming media and other material from said language is just as effective if you're actually interested in it. Languages like Latin or Ancient Greek still have use despite being 'dead'.
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@Svet I spent 3 years learning Russian formally while also consuming many hours of content in it, and despite having a decent grasp on the grammar and not being totally useless in it, both my comprehension and speaking level is much much lower than my Spanish, which is all due to working for a few months in a place where only that language was spoken. I had no other experience learning Spanish whatsoever and my level in it is now much higher than in Russian. Even though there are elements of basic grammar that I still don't apply or know, I feel confident I could understand anyone - as this was my job for many months.
There's many elements to this (some complicating factors are specific to the language and culture), and a lot of it has to do with confidence. But what builds confidence is doing the thing. This is why I suggest a combined approach of Comprehensible input and some form of language exchange, with an emphasis on speaking as much as possible from the very first second.
Now I realize that that is hard to emulate, but this is just to say that you absolutely must put yourself in a situation where you are in some way forced to speak it, and to receive input linked to practical real things.
This is only to disprove the idea that this method is 'just as effective', and not to say it is not effective. Greek and Latin (very valuable subjects and languages that I both studied for six years) would simply not exist if no one had ever spoken them.
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@CO3 it’s French which I’ve become obsessed with. I don’t really have much interest in going to France tbh & I don’t particularly like French people but I love the language and the films and some of the music. I would like to get lost in Paris for a weekend like Harrison Ford in Frantic but idk if that’s possible nowadays, ‘Paris syndrome’ & all.
Good things are immeasurably costly
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@CO3 thanks that’s helpful
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@Svet yeah the only real gratification I get from languages is actually using it. I’d love to try Ancient Greek but I think it would be very hard to stay motivated.
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@skylark Well, a desire to interact with the people that speak the language and the culture they form is at the basis of the acquisition of a language. If that's not present at the very least, the chances of success are small especially when you're not in the environment. There are definitely people that still manage, though they are very different from me and possess an intellect I don't have. This is not to discourage you, it is just how it is.
You'd find that even a hint of an accent will prompt a modern Parisian to arrogantly switch to English. Sad state of affairs.
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Avoid language learning apps like the plague. Pimsleur tapes are fine imo and you might be able to find them or similar materials at your local library. Run those and then take a speaking course online or in person to get you to around A2 or B1 level. Once you have a decent grasp on grammar and some vocab, just watch or read media in the language and make flashcards out of new words, ideally while continuing classes or speaking to a native speaker.
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@Peatriot great suggestions, I’m gonna get some tapes for my car journeys, music while driving compels me to perform dangerous manoeuvres and I need to stop.
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Languages can take roughly 1000-2000 hours of study to be able to hold conversations in them, depending on the complexity of the language and how it differs from your mother tongue. With this in mind, you have to think about the utility of the language you wish to learn, as well as how much you enjoy the language. Are you learning Japanese because you want to be a businessman or English teacher one day? How often are you forced to interact with Latinos in your community? Do you want to read the New Testament in the original Greek language? Ask yourself these types of questions and determine if its worth the time. Then immerse yourself in it. 15 minutes of day is not satisfactory to learn a language and you should aim for as much exposure as possible. Pimsleur on the commute. Books at night. Vacationing the country. Duolingo in the line at the DMV. Changing to a different server on Dota 2. Consistency is important, and making use of the language outside study as well. "Use it or lose it." Hope these thoughts help.
“The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 20:30)
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Intentional Input, this is the most significant aspect of language learning.
Sentence structure of languages can be recognized and understood to a decent degree from about 2-3 hours of grammar study with a basic text example- wikipedia articles are good places to start.
After getting a familiarity with sentence structure, find media- textual, auditory, visual- in the target language that interests you topically. A good way to start is to use an online dictionary to translate key words for the target language and then do YouTube search.
Reading-
I would advise finding a history book of the target language region(or your current region), in the target language. The goal is to find something that you can consume without being bored and which you can have those "aha" moments of vocabulary, grammar, and relevance.
You can also look for lists of "xyz canon" books and read a classic- many such lists can be found divided by age and ability.
Searching for news from the target language can also be a good way to learn not only the language but keep up with relevant issues that you can bring up with native speakers, who might be able to provide more information whilst boosting your conversational skills.
Speaking-
If a local college has a language program in your target language, they will 99/100 times have a language group that meets on a regular basis to talk in the target language. Email them about attending and go without ego-fear of mistakes or not understanding.
The memorization and recitation(with an intention to accuracy) of sayings, idioms, poetry, literary quotes can be very strengthening of the speech and memory faculties, acquaints with the language, and you can bring them up in conversation with native speakers to encourage them to speak their language seriously with you.
The ability to accurately and confidently recite a quotation from a work/person of import without alteration indicates mastery, not only of the words but of their meaning. Too often, people stumble on their quotes because they fail to appreciate a grammatical flair or how a word's meaning requires the selection of a particular verb for the full effect.
Writing-
Love letters to your target language lover laid on the bedside table . If this is not available to you, then you might consider writing summaries of articles, sample emails, sample text messages, and other phrases of note. Complex writing is best developed with a native speaker able to assess you- most often in a class setting. This would be A2/B1 level and above.
Listening-
Podcasts, music, news reports, comedy shows, TV shows, something with a transcript.- listen to these programs and write down what you hear. Ideally, select a 2-3 minute section as you will end up writing every word out that you hear and this takes longer than you might expect. You will write what you hear and check that with the transcript; you can see what sounds, speeds, or accents you miss the most.
The goal of this is to develop the ability to hear native speakers, in a variety of contexts and voice types, to practice knowing what they're saying. If you take language exams, listening is often considered the most daunting as it requires you to listen to someone else's voice without body language cues.
Input media is massively accessible with streaming services, YouTube, podcasts, music apps, etc. If you'd like a book with vocab, grammar, and useful tips, then I'd suggest looking into the Colloquial Series. You can find just the texts of many of them on Library Genesis, as well. The LibGen often don't have the listening sections, so you are missing out there but you can replicate a similar effect.
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@fiester @JulofEnoch excellent considerations thank you
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@fiester Duolingo lol. Ignore this guy!
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all i will say is muh "real life conversations" is cope
i rarely get beyond a "how are you" in my native language and that makes me better spoken than 90% of people because i dont assimilate their niggerspeak
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Reading about a topic you enjoy has been the best tool for me over the years. Nothing like reading with pleasure and writing all the words you don't understand down. It will slow down your reading but it will force you to learn all the words.
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I’m married to a native French man and although it’s been 7 years I’m about A2 level. French is far more intricate than English and I’ve probably hated every minute of trying to learn it. We are about to move to France and this I believe is where I’ll finally grasp the language. I’ll either learn to speak it or be completely isolated! So sink or swim.
One app that I’ve found useful is Babbel, but all the rest ‘Duolingo’ lollll nooooo. Good luck! Because you love the language you’re ahead of the rest. Also, watching children’s shows and kids music in french is brilliant. Those songs get stuck in your head and are easy to recall when you are conversing. -
Anyone here studying ancient languages? Would love to hear from you regarding how bioenergetics ties into your learning. I am learning Latin and Attic Greek for instance. Really feeling a sloth coming on right now in terms of study and am looking for a way through.
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You just have to go to a french speaking country and not be afraid to speak it.
The problem if you're a native English speaker is that people in other countries usually speak at least some English and love to practice is it on you.
I'm Dutch and old, so when I was young I had to speak, German, English and French if I went abroad. I can still get by in these languages even though I never deeply studied it.
Go speak it and pretend you don't speak any English.
France is not the only country where they speak French. Maybe Ivory Coast is a fun place to go IDK. I would prefer France -
Stay in the country where you want to learn the language of for 6 months. Language learning is entirely about learning the patterns of communication. You can't learn those if you aren't communicated with.
