Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

Grammar or correct usage is usually the first goal of language instruction. For me it’s the fifth goal, after acquiring words, reading, listening, and speaking with mistakes. It’s only then that I focus more on grammar.

Vocabulary growth is key to acquiring a language. In this video I show I do this. Spoiler, I'm not a big user of flash cards. I learn words in context, or occasionally using lists.

Compelling input is increasingly recognized as the sine qua non of language learning. So where does grammar instruction or grammar learning fit in? Olly and Steve discuss this.

Olly Richards of storytelling.com and I compare notes on the technology we use to set up for our videos. Language learning has become more easier through technology, but making videos for YouTube has become more technically demanding.

The goal of language learning, for most people, is speaking. But, for me, it isn't the first goal. A strong passive vocabulary, good reading skills, and good listening comprehension are earlier goals that enable to become a good speaker of the language.

Though listening is the third goal in my hierarchy of language learning goals, in many ways it is the most important. Listening is easy to do and it is the best preparation for speaking.

Ukrainian was my third Slavic language after Russian and Czech. Relationships between languages of the same language family are interesting. Discovering the individual histories and cultures behind these languages is a major motivator.

Reading helps enormously in acquiring new words, and in achieving some level of comprehension for what you hear in a new language. It is harder to for me remember words just by hearing them. Seeing the words written gives them form, definition.

The number one goal in language learning is to acquire words. The number of words you know is the simplest measure of your knowledge of any language. We acquire words mostly incidentally, not deliberately. That is at the core of LingQ.

My 7 language learning goals: 1. Acquire words. Passive vocabulary is the best measure of my potential in a language. 2. Read a lot. Reading is easier to understand than listening. I may read new material or re-read old material, but I read every day. 3. Listen everywhere. I listen every day, either repeatedly as a beginner, or more extensively as I progress in a language. 4. Speak when I have the chance. With enough input, I find it easier to speak and do so without worrying about how I do. 5. Focus on grammar at the right time. With enough exposure to the language, enough errors in speaking, I circle back to improve my usage. 6. Write as required. Writing is a great way to improve but how much I write depends on my needs. 7. Culture. My ultimate goal in learning a language is to connect with the culture and history of the language. I can start doing this at any time, but fid it most satisfying only after I have achieved a good level of comprehension and familiarity with the language.

Francesco’s story is typical. A passion for languages and a passion for the culture of his homeland, Italy, took him from his background in economics to creating an online presence helping people learn Italian via videos and podcasts.

Listening is the easiest language learning activity to do, anywhere, any time. To be effective, there should be some ability to understand at least some of what you hear.

When I was 17 I essentially spoke only one language, English. Today I speak 20 languages, six of them quite well, six fairly well, and the rest are work in progress. How did that happen?

We don't need to be perfect to communicate in a foreign language. John Cena doesn't speak perfect Mandarin Chinese, far from it, but he communicates effectively from the heart.

I love French for its history and cultural influence. For English speakers, or speaker of other Romance languages, the amount of familiar or recognizable vocabulary is a major advantage to learners, despite the occasional "false friend".

Will John of Goluremi Languages is an American polyglot and professional soccer player, who has played in many countries. He grew up in the "heartland" of America. He credits his mother for his interest in languages.

I hear people say their level in English isn’t good. Many have unrealistic expectations. English is an international language of communication. If you can communicate you’re doing just fine.

LingQ has been rewritten from scratch. Mark & I discuss new features which make it easier to learn languages and easier for the LingQ team to add additional functions and features to meet member requests.

Ancient Greece and Rome had an outsized influence on the culture of Europe, and even the world. We may call their languages dead today but they were living languages for much of recent history.

In language learning, the obsessive pursuit of perfection can be an obstacle to achieving a comfortable ability to communicate in the language.

Can we learn several languages at the same time? Are we better off to focus on one? It all depends on your goals and personal preferences. You will progress faster if you focus on one language, however you will give up the chance to explore other languages during that same period.

Daria teaches Russian and looks for learning material that is of interest to the learners. Learn Russian with Star Wars! More important than insisting on correct grammar, especially in the early stages.

When we start a new language, we're excited to discover new sounds, new words, new structures. Early there is a sense of achievement as what was just noise is starting to become meaningful. Certain words repeat often enough that we learn them. But after a few months, we start to feel we're stuck. It's the doldrums. What can be done?

The difficulty level of any language depends on the learner. How motivated is the learner to acquire a certain language? Is he or she confident of their ability to acquire the language? To a confident and motivated learner, no language is really difficult. In fact, the learning process becomes its own reward.

In acquiring a foreign language, reading is often underrated as a goal, and as a learning activity. When I learned Chinese, over 50 years ago, I did a lot more reading than I’m doing now in Arabic and Persian. Today I rely on the audio to help me read. In 2022 I plan to focus more on reading, even in sentence mode, but without the constant help of audio.

How To Learn Vocabulary by Steve Kaufmann

We often hear that speakers of certain languages have trouble losing their accents, speakers of English or Slavic languages, for example. Iryna sounds Mexican, both in English and Spanish, yet is a native speaker of Russian and Ukrainian. Best to avoid generalizations.

I started Standard Arabic, Persian & Turkish to better understand the region. Dropped Turkish to focus on reading Arabic script. Now I'm doing more colloquial Arabic. Things change.

I hitchhiked in Italy in the 60's, getting by with French and Spanish. In the '70s I got a Linguaphone Italian course. I avoided the exercises but listened over and over again, occasionally reviewing the grammar explanations. That was it until I discovered the power of audio books.

When I learn a language I'm curious about the culture. However, I first need to get a sense of the new language using subject matter familiar to me. More exotic details of the culture can wait. Unfortunately these are often included in beginner texts.

Many people need English for the workplace, including immigrants in English speaking countries. To learn the technical language mine the many publications, articles, YouTube videos, podcasts etc. from the Internet for the words and phrases you need to learn.

Shadowing is a language learning technique developed and popularized by polyglot Alexander Argüelles. The idea is to repeat what you hear while listening in order to improve pronunciation and speaking. I have not used this much in the past but want to give it another try.

I started learning German before the age of the Internet. I'd had some exposure as a young man, but during a month between jobs, in 1987, I really went at it. I found second hand German readers, and I went at then, massive comprehensible input.

I used to say that age is no obstacle to language learning. I want to state that differently now. I think seniors should learn languages. The benefits are many.

In my latest video I talk about how much my interest in history has influenced my language learning. It has been my inspiration, my source of interesting content, and represents much of the time that I have spent learning these languages. And just about all of them my interest in history sustained me.

To achieve a comfortable level in a language you first have to have a reason, a subject of interest, a friend, something that you focus on directly. Your ultimate goal of fluency is the indirect result of his first step.

The realization, thanks in large part to Stephen Krashen, that meaningful, comprehensible, and compelling input (CI) is the key to language learning success is changing how languages are taught. But how does it work, given that the new language is incomprehensible when we start?

I favour using content of interest, compelling content, to make language learning enjoyable. But many school learners simply aren't interested. Can setting a specific list of words to learn make things better?

It's a common question: are extroverts better language learners than introverts? I don't think it matters. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3FG2b48

Gabriel is a wonderful polyglot. He learned them mostly one after the other, motivated by different things, and encouraged by his success. I think that is the case with most polyglots.

We need meaningful input to learn languages. Listening is great for preparing to speak and is the most portable learning activity, but reading is where I feel I acquire the most words.

What are the most common problems I see in language learners? A big one is that people don't realize how long it takes and give up too soon. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3jY6eAb

Language acquisition is a slow and gradual process of improvement, uneven and sometimes imperceptible. Having clear tasks helps to keep you going. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3blwrnJ

Veronika teaches English at her youtube channel English with Veronika Mark. Her English is flawless. She learned at home in Russia. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3BcMs9Z

I focus a lot on input, reading and listening, but my goal is always to speak the language. Output is important and the languages that I speak and probably understand the best are the ones that I have spoken the most. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3nhfGQ7

To become a polyglot, you have to start by wanting to learn just one language. If you do so you may find you're motivated to learn another language, because you enjoyed the experience, the cultural enrichment, and the sense of satisfaction of becoming fluent in a new language. You're on your way. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3FXTMdp

Those of us who learn languages typically spend a lot of time engaged in various language learning activities. It's well worthwhile understanding how we learn languages. There is no better source of information on this subject, no better explainer, than Stephen Krashen. 🔥 Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3FBCDWw

Some people want to learn slang and even swear words at an early stage of their learning. I've never done this and don't recommend it. You actually need quite a high level of familiarity with a language to be able to use these terms appropriately. There is a danger of creating a bad impression without realizing it.

The greater the variety of our language learning activities, the more different ways we use the language while learning it, paradoxically, the better we end up focussing when we interact with that language. We end up with an augmented reality experience. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3BaQd0o

It has occurred to me that the process of learning a language is not one of deliberately learning rules and words, but rather one of becoming familiar with a language, making another language a friend, whose traits and idiosyncrasies we appreciate and enjoy. Study a language on LingQ: https://bit.ly/3kMtfHc