How to REALLY learn a language in 2024 (a linguist explains)

Summary

The video discusses effective strategies for learning a new language, debunking common myths and misconceptions. It emphasizes setting clear, achievable goals tailored to how you intend to use the language, focusing your study on relevant skills like listening comprehension or conversational ability. Creating an efficient study plan matters more than the number of hours invested. The speaker advocates active recall and generation of the language versus passive methods, spaced repetition of vocabulary, and accountability through shared goals.

Takeaways

• 😀 Set specific, realistic goals aligned with how you intend to use the language
• 👍 Tailor your study method and materials to your goals, interests and learning style
• 🚀 Focus on actively generating the language instead of passive activities
• 🧠 Use techniques like spaced repetition and mnemonics that leverage how memory works
• 📈 Consistent daily practice for short periods is more effective than long inconsistent sessions
• 🎯 Identify gaps in your knowledge and target those weak areas
• 🔁 Interleave new material with review of old material for better retention
• 🤝 Consider finding an accountability partner or community to support your goals
• 😊 Don't stress if you forget things - make connections and the words will stick over time
• 👂 Listening comprehension and pronunciation benefit passively from hearing a lot of the language

Q & A

What are some of the benefits of learning a new language?

Learning a new language provides benefits such as opening yourself up to new cultures, cuisines, ways of thinking and experiences. It also provides mental health benefits by combating mental aging and decline.

What are some good first steps when deciding to learn a new language?

Some good first steps are: decide why you want to learn the language; set a realistic short-term goal like 3-6 months; determine what aspects of the language you need to focus on to meet your goals.

What are some effective language learning methods?

Effective methods involve active work like writing down words from memory and correcting mistakes, attempting to generate your own sentences, and identifying gaps in your knowledge to target practice.

How can you incorporate memorization techniques?

You can use pneumonic devices, tap into sensations and emotions to activate the amygdala and hippocampus, and use spaced repetition to review vocabulary over increasing intervals.

How much time per day should you dedicate to language learning?

Experts recommend at least 20 minutes per day. One lesson within an app may not be enough. Build a habit of short (20 minute) but frequent practice sessions.

How do you choose the right language learning program?

Consider your goals, personal preferences and needs. Programs like Duolingo and Rosetta Stone work for some but not others. Find something you enjoy and can do consistently.

What makes for an effective study plan?

An effective plan has realistic goals tied to a timeframe, accountability checks, scheduled breaks, a combination of new material and review, and extra activities on top of main coursework.

What adjustments can you make for neurodivergent learners?

Play to your strengths and don't set impossible expectations. Build in dopamine rewards. Recognize hyperfocus benefits but the need to understand social language cues.

How can you track and meet your language goals?

Set SMART goals, timed checkpoints, measures of progress, and accountability through peer or community support. Reflect on effectiveness of current approach.

What is the role of forgetting and reminding in language learning?

Forgetting and being reminded reinforces memorization - don't beat yourself up. Create sense connections when relearning words to lock them in.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Setting goals for language learning

The first paragraph discusses the importance of setting clear goals when learning a new language. It talks about different reasons for learning a language, like enjoying media, traveling, studying or teaching. It emphasizes defining what "fluency" means to you and aligning your studying methods with your goals.

05:02

😊 How to actually learn a language

The second paragraph examines effective language learning techniques. It states that passive studying like flashcards or short lessons is not enough - active practice like writing sentences or describing things in the target language leads to better memorization. It also discusses how techniques like mnemonics, spacing out review sessions, and reducing stress can improve learning.

10:03

📚 Choosing the right language course

The third paragraph gives recommendations for selecting a language course aligned with your goals and learning style. It states that consistency with short daily lessons works better than long occasional study sessions. It talks about the pros and cons of popular programs like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and italki based on different learner needs.

Keywords

💡goals

Goals refer to the objectives or aims that a language learner sets out to achieve. The video emphasizes the importance of setting clear, realistic goals that align with why you want to learn the language. Goals guide the learner's approach and enable them to tailor their study methods. For example, if your goal is to speak Persian, you should focus more on verbal communication than reading poetry.

💡fluency

Fluency refers to one's ability to use a language smoothly, accurately and efficiently. Many learners aim for fluency but have unclear ideas of what it means. The video says fluency is hard to define and means different things to different people. It cautions against vague goals like "I want to be fluent", and suggests specific goals like reaching a B2 level in French.

💡active learning

Active learning refers to study methods that engage the learner, like trying to produce sentences in the target language, identifying gaps in one's knowledge, and working to fill those gaps. This is contrasted with more passive activities like rereading textbooks. Active learning through practice and self-testing is shown to improve memorization and retention.

💡comprehensible input

Comprehensible input refers to target language content that the learner can mostly understand from context. Hearing and reading large amounts of material they find interesting helps implicit learning. But explicit focus is also needed to produce the language.

💡mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory techniques that help relate new information to existing knowledge. They leverage mechanisms like sensory associations to help lock in memories. The video mentions using pneumonic tricks, despite finding them unappealing, due to their effectiveness.

💡neurodivergent

Neurodivergent refers to people with neurological or cognitive functioning differences like ADHD, autism, dyslexia etc. The video advises neurodivergent learners to play to their strengths and not force unsuitable methods.

💡hyperfocus

Hyperfocus refers to very intense concentration experienced by some neurodivergent people, especially with ADHD or autism. It allows rapid progress but can also lead to burnout. The video cautions against unrealistic expectations due to hyperfocus.

💡social cues

Social cues refer to unwritten cultural rules embedded in language use. Mastering vocabulary and grammar alone does not guarantee effective communication. The video says awareness of relevant social cues is vital, especially for some neurodivergent learners.

💡accountability

Accountability refers to mechanisms that encourage consistency and progress, like study groups, tutors or public goals. The video mentions weekly livestreams and an engaged community as accountability measures.

💡iterative

Iterative means revisiting and building on previous knowledge or skills through repetition. Learning is presented as an iterative process of forgetting and reminding. Regularly revisiting material on an optimal schedule boosts retention.

Highlights

Diving in without clear goals means aiming at nothing. If you aim at nothing, you're certain to hit it.

Knowing your goals allows you to tailor your study and get the most value aligned with your intentions.

Set a 3-6 month goal, then revisit to determine what linguistic subdomains to focus on.

If your goal is listening to music but you practice restaurant small talk, you're setting up a struggle.

Active learning like attempting to generate sentences works better than passive studying.

Hearing a lot of the target language helps with pronunciation even without practice.

Memory is a process of forgetting and being reminded. Don't beat yourself up.

Review vocabulary after a day or two rather than a bunch in one sitting.

DuoLingo provides good structure and spacing if you can do an hour a day.

Find a course meeting your goals and personal preferences. Consider enjoyment.

YouTube crunched numbers showing shocking progress from one easy German video a day.

Languages are huge but finite - one textbook covers all possible grammar.

Set a realistic goal and timeframe with breaks built in.

Interleave old and new material. Study actively by generating language.

Add conversations once you have a foundation. Explain your goals and struggles.

Transcripts

by now you've had a month to try your

New Year's resolution of learning a

language you've watched all the YouTube

videos you've probably purchased an app

or a course and you've had four weeks or

five how's it going now that the

honeymoon's worn off are you ready to

learn how to really do it so here's the

deal maybe it's your New Year's

resolution maybe it's something you've

always wanted to do maybe it's something

you've started on a whim and you're

getting serious about it whatever your

reasons learning a language is a

wonderful experience with tremendous

benefits not just opening new cultures

Cuisines ways of thinking and

experiences but also providing benefits

in terms of mental health and well-being

and combating mental aging and decline

but there's an overwhelming and

bewildering flood of choices for a new

learner and it's only gotten more

overwhelming especially with the

addition of AI powered apps what's best

textbooks teachers apps AI when should

you study how often my goal in this

video is to use my experience as an

academic linguist and a recreational

lingu file and language learner to

demystify language learning if you're

just starting out this video is for you

but it's also for those of you who maybe

have some study or even a few languages

under your belt you can always refine

your skills and get more efficient and

effective this video might not make you

fluent in three months but it will give

you a better understanding of how to get

to your goals in a realistic amount of

time without spending your wheels and

going in circles and making no progress

I'm Dr Taylor Jones I've got a PhD in

linguistics and I speak a handful of

languages this is language

Jones real quick this video is about how

to think strategically about language

learning and how to execute a straty to

achieve your goals it's not going to

tell you which app on the market is best

or why the answer is never an AI tutor

whose ads feature grammatical errors in

English in this video I'm going to

discuss setting and managing achievable

goals the subdomains of language

learning learning science memory

analyzing language and developing a

program that meets your goals in a

finite amount of time before you set new

goals anyone should be able to

communicate effectively in a target

language especially the most common ones

you are statistically likely to be

interested in in about a year you should

be able to shock natives with your

amazing skills in a few months and a few

years of study should put you at the

level of an educated confident speaker

but almost everyone you talk to will aim

for fluency and everyone will Define

fluency differently stick around to the

end and I'll discuss language learning

for neurod Divergent folks too before I

forget please take a moment to like And

subscribe if you haven't already a lot

of us Dive Right In without any clear

goals in mind and that's fine but it's

worth recognizing that what we're doing

is aiming at nothing if you aim at

nothing you're certain to hit it

dabbling just to get a feel for a

language and see if you like it want to

study it more seriously is totally fine

it's like skimming a book but let's say

you've decided you want to learn I don't

know Vietnamese an important question to

ask yourself before you start is why is

it just to enjoy music movies and other

media to read books at home to go visit

in country and successfully navigate

booking a hotel or ordering a meal or

planning tourist outings and so on to

study in a university to teach in a

university for those of you learning a

language right now can you say what your

goals are go ahead and leave me a

comment and tell me what they are then

at the end of this video maybe reflect

on whether what you're currently doing

is aligned with them knowing what your

goals are will allow you to tailor your

study to how you intend to use the

target language and get the most bang

for your buck right up front you can

re-evaluate and adjust later but if your

goal is to listen to pop music and you

choose a course that's focused on

teaching you how to make small talk in

order in a restaurant you're setting

yourself up for a struggle once you know

your goals just set a three or six-month

goal and then revisit you can then

determine what linguistic subdomains you

need to focus on I'm planning a trip to

a place where I can speak Persian I've

dabbled in Persian off and on out of

general interest but now I want to speak

it notice I didn't say I want to read it

I didn't say I want to write calligraphy

or read poetry maybe I will later but

right now I want to be able to speak

politely to strangers order food and

make small talk this means I need to

focus on listening comprehension of

spoken Persian how it's actually spoken

not formally I'll link a video at the

end about the difference and I need to

focus on being able to actually generate

my own sentences for Persian there's an

added layer since communicating directly

is not communicating effectively and I

will need to learn T politeness

formulations that are largely routine

often metaphorical and always dramatic I

hope your hand doesn't hurt may your

head if I spend my time analyzing the

grammar of formal written Persian and

focusing on reading the Persian script

like with this book I will not reach my

goal in the couple of months I've given

myself even if I study Persian every day

this is a great textbook it's just not

the right approach for me I'll discuss

selecting a course in just a few moments

whatever you decide once you decide you

still have to actually learn and there's

so much misinformation out there about

learning my favorite genre is someone

who's neurod Divergent lecturing viewers

about how their approach is the best

when it works for them and only them

bonus points if they describe it as

dominating or crushing their target

language sure dedicating 8 hours a day

to a Fugue state of likely autistic

hyperfocus will absolutely provide you

with results just like someone else is

clearly providing you with room and

board but don't recommend that to

others like it's a realistic approach

and you just cracked the code on

language learning a combination of

neurod Divergent Sant hood and a life of

leisure is not exactly an actionable

recommend a for most people engaging

though it is to watch so how do we

actually learn it's not by rereading and

highlighting a textbook or mindlessly

going over flashcards or doing a single

two-minute lesson on Bird app once every

3 days if we remember to do so the

learning part has two components

language learning specific and general

domain learning and I'll address

memorization as well there are arguments

about how we actually learn languages

since the 1970s or so the older grammar

translation method has been on the outs

but it's still inarguably quite

effective for some you'll hear Arguments

for shadowing which is just repeating

out loud after native speaker as much as

possible you'll hear Arguments for just

getting a high volume of comprehensible

input where you can get the gist of

what's going on and there's only one new

thing you'll hear Arguments for sitting

down and dominating French for eight

hours a day with targeted speaking

practice followed by detailed

self-criticism for every day for two

months the truth is that the jury still

out and different approaches work for

different people what we do know is that

there are certain things that definitely

work it's clear for instance that a

large volume of of things you're

interested in in your target language

help with passive memorization and

confidence in the language it's clear

that hearing a lot of your target

language helps with pronunciation even

in the absence of targeted pronunciation

practice but also if you want to produce

the language Say by speaking then it's

also clear that the kind of learning

that is active work rather than passive

mindless activity really works this

means not just looking at your word list

over and over again I'm talking to me in

college studying Mandarin but instead

walking away back to a blank sheet of

paper and writing down all the words

then comparing seeing what you forgot or

got wrong correcting and doing it again

this means taking sentences you hear or

learn and either adding to them or

swapping out words in the same sentence

frame this means attempting to generate

sentences especially if your goal is

involve speaking that use what you've

learned or that identify gaps in your

knowledge and then filling in those gaps

and attempting to use the new words or

structures as much as possible so for

instance I try to describe the world

around me or my thoughts or a story or

whatever and my target language when I'm

away from my study materials on a walk

or on the subway that is attempting to

actively generate your target language

identifying your gaps and weaknesses and

then filling those with targeted

practice that enables successful

memorization some people benefit from

pneumonics I hate them and I hate that I

benefit from them because they really do

work they're like deadlifting one thing

that's known to work is skipping the

prefrontal cortex and activating your

amydala and hippocampus you do this by

tapping into Sensations like smell fear

and more generally arousal sexual or

otherwise sex violence fear and

physicality help lock in new words and

Concepts I've sometimes joked about

naughty neonics on my live streams I

remember words like nazq nearby tanho

alone and shalvar trousers with

obviously pureal associations is it dumb

yes is it potentially offensive

absolutely does it work 100% for those

wondering the trousers thing is a

strained pun relating to a character and

Foundation whose No Nonsense attitude

General capability and inventiveness

ability to defend herself and Grace

Joneses features make her a Sci-Fi Crush

I'm talking Sor Harden and you can

figure out the association on your own

time paradoxically a lot of evidence

also points toward language learning

happening best when we're not stressed

self-critical or cognitively taxed this

is the principle behind Michel Tomas

whole shtick which is deeply ironic

since he learned four languages while

literally surviving the Holocaust

breaking out of concentration camps and

fighting in the French Resistance and

later hunting Nazis so clearly not being

stressed as a bonus but not a total deal

breaker leave me a comment if you want

me to talk a little bit more about

Michel doma's insane life story and how

it affects his language learning method

by the way lastly and I'll recap in just

a moment memory is a process of

forgetting and being reminded so don't

beat yourself up for forgetting a word

just savor it and make some connections

whether sense emotional pneumonic or

otherwise it's better to review

vocabulary after a day or two than to

come back to it a bunch in the same

sitting so I'll learn vocab in one short

sitting test myself on it later

sometimes just mentally walking around

like I said before revisit later in the

day then go back and review it trying to

generate everything I've learned first

the next day I might hit the same vocab

in 3 days after that 5 days after that

you can Outsource this with spaced

repetition software but the learning

still needs to be active you make a

flash card with a missing piece and you

generate the missing piece on your own

before you look at the back of the card

you hear me before you look at the back

of the card that's also for college me

some resources do this for you dualingo

does if you're doing at least a skill a

day 5 to 10 a day is better but that

could take up to to an hour one lesson

within a skill per day you're not seeing

enough material or reviewing frequently

enough to retain anything up to this

point I haven't said which program is

best by the way that's because you'll

need to figure out what meets your goals

and your personal preferences for some

doing an hour of dualingo a day is a

breeze and the organization of the

course and spacing of the material is

taken care of for you for some that's

excruciating torture and they'd rather

eat glass and for some dualingo doesn't

even have the language you're interested

in I've recommended dualingo tentatively

Rosetta Stone I talkie and lingo pie in

the past but the key is to find find

something that you enjoy and can do a

little of ideally 20 minutes minimum

every day if that's Asim Miller pimsler

more power to you most of the Chinese I

know in reverse order is from a

specialist degree in East St in studies

at the University of Toronto from doing

Rosetta Stone while working at one of

their kiosks and the overwhelming

majority is from Reading grammars like

EFA Link in the description and hanging

out at pretty angel nail salon and spa

shout out to n with that thick fanf

accent one word at a time on YouTube

recently crunched the numbers and

demonstrated that you can get shocking

far in 3 months of just watching a

single easy German video a day on

YouTube for 100 days if you're learning

German that is the keys to pick a course

that meets your goals so for my Persian

goals that's the rootage colloquial

Persian and an an deck of my own making

with their audio and not the root fary

shittin ass course and definitely not

thaxton's Grammar of Persian and

probably not Rosetta Stone but I could

make an argument for it especially if

their format appeals to you and you want

to speak more formally for Italian I'd

probably just speedrun dual lingo and

watch TV on lingo Pai for anything I

want to speak I definitely use it talkie

or some similar platform unless I had

friends I could practice the language

with in real life and who didn't mind

that but really take a moment to

evaluate your options and consider

whatever you learn while doing so part

of getting a taste of the language the

final thing to keep in mind is that

languages are simultaneously huge and

finite I recreationally read grammars of

languages and they're all a few hundred

pages and cover everything you could

possibly want to know about the grammar

of a language literally any possible

sentence structure you could ever

imagine or ever be confronted with and

it all F in one book get yourself the

right vocabulary for your goals and a

consistent study method that works for

you and your golden lastly I promis I'd

mention a few things for the neurod

Divergent among us this is obviously not

going to be a one-size fits all solution

if you have a diagnosis or even a self-

diagnosis play to your strengths don't

set yourself up for failure if you have

ADHD don't make impossible plans and

imagine hyperfocus will get you there

the process of actually memorizing

things is tedious in a way that can be

physically painful for ADHD folks so you

have to build in a dopamine hit while

you're doing it and a consistent habit

maybe it's 4 p.m. study with coffee and

a cookie and you ensure you get at least

one new word in even if you're just

reviewing that day have a loved one

drive the bus in terms of sitting you

down to actually study just get that

dopamine if you're more on the autism

side of things recognize that your

hyperfocus will allow you to blast

through memorizing a tremendous amount

of language or in the case of academic

linguists a lot of declarative knowledge

about language but you're going to need

to put in more effort to really

understand the unspoken social cues when

someone says your Chinese is good

paradoxically that means your Chinese is

not good if it were they wouldn't be

commenting on it at all when a farsy

speaker responds to a generic compliment

with offering you their belongings it is

not a real offer there's a social script

they're following and expect you to

follow too we sometimes forget that

there's more to language Than Just Words

so to recap if you want to make fast

progress here's what I would do I'd set

a realistic goal that won't burn me out

for a realistic time frame with breaks

built in for instance I want to be able

to know the basics in chaten Persian in

two months as I mentioned this is doable

for me because I've already studied some

I already know how to read but I'm also

working in transliteration to make it

easier for myself I'm working through a

17 chapter textbook at the rate of two

chapters per week I'm doing this by

setting aside at least 20 minutes a day

for study and review I'm interleaving

old and new material I'm actively trying

to generate language whether by

answering exercises or attempting to

come up with my own with the exception

of my live streams I'm not studying for

more than 20 minutes at a time but if I

can squeeze in a few 20- minute chunks

at different times in the day I will

I'll be adding ey talkie lessons once I

have a foundation and I'll explicitly

tell my tutor my goals what resources

I'm using and what is giving me

difficulty I've also given myself a

challenge speak in toneles and I have

accountability a weekly live stream in a

community that knows my goal and is

supporting me to meet it if I feel like

trying out a different approach

listening to Chai and conversation for

instance listening to Persian music

playing farsy language podcasts in the

background these are in addition to my

main course of study and I do not count

them as anything other than icing on the

cake so to speak I'm going to see this

textbook through completely before

moving on but that's because I've

determined it's a great resource for me

and my needs and my personality in this

moment and if I totally fail at

communicating in two months I've still

learned a ton of the language and that

challenge will let me know where to

refocus my energy if I want to continue

if you have the time and the energy you

can set outrageous goals Lord knows I

know that I've been doing it on my

channel but whatever you do don't make

your goal I want to be fluent in French

and go to France someday make it I want

to reach B2 and go to Paris next summer

so I can visit the Eiffel Tower and get

a croissant at the specific buong I saw

on Instagram thank you to all my patrons

you can become a patron at patreon.com

language Jones you can also support the

Channel with super thanks right here on

YouTube or super chat in my live streams

if you like this video YouTube is very

confident you'll probably enjoy this one

as well until next time happy learning