Why 90% of BEGINNERS Struggle to Learn a Language
Summary
TLDRThe speaker discusses their struggle with learning Chinese and the inefficacy of traditional methods like apps, textbooks, and flashcards. They emphasize the importance of finding a comprehensible resource that aligns with one's current language level and sticking with it, rather than seeking shortcuts or hacks. The video highlights the insights of Professor Stephen Krashen, who argues that learning grammar rules does not necessarily lead to language proficiency. The speaker advocates for consistent, comprehensible input and patience, stressing the need for hundreds of hours of exposure to achieve language proficiency, and encourages viewers to trust the process and maintain consistency.
Takeaways
- đ Struggling with Chinese language learning for a long time, despite trying various resources like apps, textbooks, and flashcards.
- đ Realization that learning grammar rules and vocabulary lists alone might not be effective for language acquisition.
- đĄ The idea that there might be another, more effective way to learn a language, beyond traditional methods.
- đ A tendency to switch between resources when progress seems slow, possibly due to a lack of sustained motivation.
- đ« Understanding that there's no shortcut or 'hack' to instantly learn a language; consistent time and effort are required.
- đŻ The importance of finding a comprehensible resource that is just above one's current language level to facilitate learning.
- đšâđ« Professor Stephen Krashen's perspective on the limited effectiveness of learning grammar rules in language acquisition.
- đ§ Trusting the natural language acquisition process of the brain, which is designed to pick up languages over time.
- đ Managing expectations by recognizing that language proficiency comes with hundreds of hours of comprehensible input.
- đ The value of consistency and habit formation in language learning, such as dedicating a small, regular amount of time each day.
- đ Observing that successful language learners, or 'polyglots,' all share the common trait of putting in the necessary time and consistent effort.
Q & A
What challenges did the speaker face when learning Chinese?
-The speaker struggled with learning Chinese for a long time, feeling like something was missing despite trying various resources like apps, textbooks, and flashcards.
Why did the speaker feel they weren't making progress with traditional language learning methods?
-The speaker felt that traditional methods like learning grammar rules and vocabulary lists didn't work for them. They also found themselves switching between resources and losing motivation.
What mistake do novice language learners often make, according to the speaker?
-Novice language learners often think there is a shortcut or hack to learning a language, rather than focusing on spending consistent time with the language.
What is the key to successful language learning as per the speaker?
-The key to successful language learning is spending time with the language, finding a resource that is comprehensible, and sticking with it consistently.
What does the speaker suggest doing if you're a complete beginner in a language?
-The speaker suggests searching for beginner-level material like TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) or ALG (Automatic Language Growth) videos, or getting a basic beginner's textbook with audio.
Why does the speaker advise against focusing too much on grammar rules?
-The speaker believes that learning grammar rules doesn't necessarily lead to practical abilities in the target language, as supported by Professor Stephen Krashen's research.
What does the speaker recommend focusing on instead of grammar rules?
-The speaker recommends focusing on comprehensible input, which involves spending time with the language and understanding words and phrases in context.
How much time does the speaker suggest is necessary to learn a language effectively?
-The speaker suggests that learning a language effectively requires hundreds of hours of input, and emphasizes the importance of consistency over time.
What should learners focus on to stay motivated, according to the speaker?
-The speaker suggests that motivation isn't as important as consistency. Learners should develop a small habit, like spending 15 minutes a day on the language, and trust the process.
What common trait do successful language learners share, based on the speaker's observation?
-Successful language learners share the common trait of putting in the time and consistently showing up, trusting that their efforts will eventually lead to success.
Outlines
đ Overcoming Challenges in Language Learning
The speaker discusses their struggles with learning Chinese, noting that traditional methods like textbooks and flashcards didn't yield progress. They emphasize the need for a different approach, suggesting that learning grammar rules and vocabulary lists alone is insufficient. Instead, the speaker advocates for finding a resource that is both engaging and comprehensible, slightly above one's current level. They mention TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) and ALG (Accelerated Learning Grammar) as methods that might be helpful. The speaker also highlights the importance of consistency and trust in the language learning process, rather than seeking shortcuts or hacks.
đ Trust the Process and Stay Consistent
In this concluding paragraph, the speaker reinforces the message of trusting the language learning process and maintaining consistency. They encourage learners to find interesting and comprehensible input and to be patient, as language acquisition requires time and exposure. The speaker suggests setting a daily habit, even if it's just 15 minutes, to ensure regular practice without burning out. The key takeaway is that with consistent effort and the right approach, language learners can achieve their goals.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄComprehensible Input
đĄMotivation
đĄGrammar Rules
đĄVocabulary Lists
đĄLanguage Hacking
đĄTPR (Total Physical Response)
đĄALG (Affective Learning Grammar)
đĄConsistency
đĄExpectations Management
đĄPolyglots
đĄImmersion
Highlights
The speaker struggled with learning Chinese for a long time, feeling that something was missing despite trying various methods.
They found that learning grammar rules and vocabulary lists did not work well for them.
The speaker suggests that there might be another way to learn a language beyond traditional methods.
They mention the tendency to switch resources when progress seems slow, thinking it might be the reason for lack of progress.
Motivation tends to wane when using a particular resource for a long time, leading to inconsistent study habits.
As novice language learners, we lack experience and often seek shortcuts, believing there's a hack to language learning.
The speaker emphasizes that there's no hack for language learning; it's about spending time with the language.
They recommend finding a resource that is comprehensible and just above your current level.
For beginners, it's advised to search for materials related to TPR or ALG in your target language.
The speaker shares their personal experience of not benefiting much from learning grammar rules and vocabulary lists.
Professor Stephen Krashen's views on the ineffectiveness of learning grammar rules for language acquisition are mentioned.
The importance of comprehensible input is stressed, meaning materials should be understandable yet challenging.
The speaker advises to trust the language acquisition process, as the brain is designed to pick up languages.
They mention the difficulty of finding engaging yet comprehensible materials, especially for beginners.
Consistency is key, with the speaker suggesting a habit of daily study, even if it's just 15 minutes.
The speaker advises managing expectations, as language proficiency takes hundreds of hours of comprehensible input.
They note that YouTube polyglots have diverse methods but share the commonality of putting in the time and showing up.
The speaker concludes by encouraging trust in the process, consistency, and patience for results.
Transcripts
I sucked at learning Chinese for a long
time and it always felt like something
was missing
tried all the apps the textbooks the
flash card decks and still I wasn't
getting anywhere
[Music]
now if you're watching a video like this
it might mean you're experiencing a
similar thing I'm not an internet
polyglot just someone who found that
learning grammar rules and lists of
vocabulary didn't really work for me and
so I kind of thought there must be
another way to it
so what would happen is I would take a
particular resource and I would start
off using that and then slowly as I felt
like I wasn't making enough progress I'd
start flitting to different resources
maybe thinking that that was the reason
I wasn't making any real progress it was
either that or
as I started doing using a particular
resource slowly my motivation would Wane
and I wouldn't maybe stick with it as
much as I would want to and then that's
why I wasn't seeing the results now as
novice language Learners our problem is
we don't yet have the experience to know
that we can learn a foreign language
we want to take shortcuts we always
think there's a hack there's some sort
of thing that we're not yet doing other
people have learned languages and we
just haven't managed to do it yet
whereas in fact that's that's not always
the way there's there's not a hack in
order to necessarily pick up a language
instantly
the only thing that matters is spending
time with that language finding a
resource you like and then just sticking
with it it should be something
comprehensible to you I.E just above
what you um what your level is at the
minute and that if you're a complete
beginner that means finding beginner
type material so if you search your
target language and tprs or your target
language and ALG
um you might find some videos on YouTube
or elsewhere courses or something like
that or even get a basic beginner's
textbook with with some audio and work
through there for me what I found is
that spending too much time learning
grammar rules and lists of vocabulary
doesn't really help and Professor
Stephen crash and who you can find some
videos about will tell you the same in
that learning grammar rules doesn't
necessarily equate to abilities in our
target language
[Music]
thank you
now the difficult thing from here is
once you've found something you find
interesting enough
it's quite hard at the beginning to find
something that's like absolutely
gripping but interesting enough and is
comprehensible to you so you can
understand it enough whilst you're still
learning new stuff and then from there
once you've got your comprehensible
input you just have to trust in the
process I know it sounds mad you might
want to do some research from Professor
Stephen crashen but your brain is
designed to pick up languages it may not
have felt like that if you failed before
so you're actually spending time with
the language not learning about the
mechanics of the language but just
spending time hearing new words and
phrases in context the difference with
this sort of approach though is you just
need hundreds of hours now the next part
from there is managing our expectations
because
sometimes we think oh yeah if I just do
these 20 language classes I'll get to a
decent level so I can
have some level of conversation the
level of conversation you have is fairly
basic if that's what you want to do
that's fine but your level of
comprehension won't yet be sufficiently
high because you haven't had enough
input
the way it works is you just need
hundreds and hundreds of hours of input
of stuff that isn't too too
incomprehensible stuff that's you can
just about understand
the easier the better I would say and
from there just stick with that process
don't worry about it just keep going and
that's all you need to do
so the idea of motivation isn't really
that helpful to be honest
just about showing up just get a little
habit where let's say you uh you do 15
minutes a day and you just stick to that
first of all
don't burn yourself out just trust in
the process the more time you put into
it the more you'll get out of it that we
just need to put enough input in before
we should expect any results
and I've watched enough of the YouTube
polyglots in my time and I will say that
although they've all got their different
methods
the one thing they've all got in common
is that they put the time in and they
show up they're putting enough hours
and eventually they know they'll get
there
and if we're learning our first foreign
language and then that's the problem we
don't know we're definitely going to get
there
trust in the process be consistent and
you will
and that's all there is to it good luck
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