This link was shared on the LinQ forums about the importance of reading in learning a foreign language and why it should be the focus as opposed to learning grammar by heart: http://www.benikomason.net/
I find this most applicable to my German learning at the moment (since I'm much more capable in that than in Russian right now). I'm learning German at University as well, which is through a grammar based approach and it's alright. A lot of the time though it's just boring. I am at the top of my class, so for me we go through all the content so slowly and I find myself daydreaming out the window and not really learning much at all. Anything we do study as well has be pre-determined by the authors of the book what is interesting and half the time it's really not. I seem to make the most progress in my studies when I'm at home and reading something that interests me. If I'm unsure on a why the structure of a particular sentence is the way it is, I can clarify it instead of spending hours and hours learning tables of grammar.
However, I do not believe that writing and speaking should be disregarded. One of the most helpful things I do is that when I'm well aquainted with the vocabulary of a some content (after much listening, reading, and going throught some flashcards) I write. For me, being able to relate the words I have learned to myself, my friends and my immediate surroundings and then writing it down into my own personal context really solidifies this new information. Read, read, read, listen, listen, listen and relate. If I cannot relate to something (and this goes with anything) I find it hard to understand it.
My new favourite thing to do at LinQ is that when I LingQ a word (because it's unknown to me) I can make little tags for that word or phrase so that when I go into my vocabulary list I can seperate the words into the categories I have chosen. I love learning words in categories. And the great thing is you can make multiple tags for each word. Just more fun organising for me :D. So in Russian if I wanted to learn greetings and goodbyes, or introductions I just click on the tag and I can learn things in one of those categories. Fun!
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Some good points there. I used to think that the best way to learn was just by listening and speaking, no grammar or exercises etc. Now I think that you need to do a bit of the nitty gritty grammar stuff in conjunction with plenty of listening and speaking.
ReplyDeleteJim
Hi Nathan,
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind but I've added a link to your blog to my blogroll. :)
Kelly.
Hey Nathan,
ReplyDeleteThis is Jezsh from Lingq. I liked the article! I was wondering how you separate out the words, because I think it would help me too. I'm studying German at university too, but I feel like I'm not really optimalising my learning! If you don't mind me asking, what kinds of things do you write? I blog, but find myself rarely using new words and utilising the vocab. Many thanks, good luck with learning! - Kat
Hi Kat,
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I'm categorising the words depending on what sentence element they are, so say nouns or verbs. I also go even further and sometimes put a plural tag on them just so that if I need to, I can easily go into my plural and check what the plural of a noun is instead of having to trudge though the pages and pages of my saved LingQs :) I also put things into topical categories, like I had some content about families, so I put tags on all the words which relate to family (son, mother, grandmother) and now I just click on the 'family' tag and they all show up.
When I'm writing I really just have a look at the words (mainly the verbs) from my latest content and try and use them in a different way that is more relevant to me. So last night I wrote in Russian about how I was going to a cafe that day, that my friend was coming, where he lived ect. Sometimes I just make stuff, but that doesn't really matter :D
I hope that helps.