Passive knowledge Only (Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies) Language Learning Forum

Passive knowledge Only
Tags: Passive \| Reading
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Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies

30 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4

Lone_Wolf
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United States
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Message 25 of 30

01 July 2010 at 4:00am | IP Logged

Javi wrote:

Iversen wrote:

There are definitely languages which I like to be able to read, but
not intend to learn to write or speak. But they are all related to at least one
language I know well - otherwise I would have to invest so much time in learning how to
read them that I just as well could learn to write them too. For instance I can to some
extent read Sardic and Romantsch, but I have not planned to learn to use them. This
also applies to Old French and Occitan, with the difference that I actually have
followed courses in them and understand them fairly well. But without Modern French and
Catalan to help my memory I would have problems. Latin is a good example of a language
which you have to learn properly to understand it, and if you dont' use it and have
learnt it only as a passive language then your skills just dissipate before your very
eyes if you don't read it on a regular basis. I have been through that, and when I
decided to relearn Latin I deliberately set myself the task of making it active,
because I figured that this would help me to keep it alive even though I don't have
time to read it daily.

I suppose you're thinking of very related languages you're in contact with just
occasionally. In my view there's only so long you can be passively in contact with a
language, in both forms written and oral, without gaining some active command of it,
whether that's what you intended or not. That's why this whole notion of 'I'm gonna get
a just passive knowledge' is difficult to grasp for me. All the examples given so far
involve some kind of limitation in the exposure, such as no listening, no reading
(second generation immigrants), or just no much time spent on task. But if you don't
spend a lot of time or do skip either reading or listening, you are not going to get
good at the passive skills either.

Hi Javi,

I would like to second what you said here. This is a very important and yet highly overlooked observation.
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zekecoma
Senior Member
United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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Studies: German, Spanish

Message 26 of 30

01 July 2010 at 4:09am | IP Logged

I personally, if I choose to learn a language. I want to be able to read/write/speak.
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lynxrunner
Bilingual Triglot
Senior Member
United States
crittercryptics.com
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Speaks: English*, Spanish*, French
Studies: Russian, Swedish, Haitian Creole

Message 27 of 30

01 July 2010 at 4:10am | IP Logged

I plan to do this with Swedish. I'll practice and stuff, but my main aim is being able to
read and listen to stuff. :)

I always learn to pronounce the language properly since I love singing in different
languages and I want to have as accurate an accent as possible when I sing loudly in my
backyard ;).
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Lone_Wolf
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United States
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Speaks: English*

Message 28 of 30

02 July 2010 at 12:07am | IP Logged

zekecoma wrote:

I personally, if I choose to learn a language. I want to be able to read/write/speak.

This is generally a preference and the preference is more often than not based on one's goals; i.e. "WHY" one is learning said language, and "WHAT" they intend to do with it.

If one's goal is to speak (for whatever reasons be it career, family, traveling abroad, etc.) then it would make plenty of sense to learn to "SPEAK" the foreign language. But if one only wishes to use the language for reading and listening to broadcasts and as long as SOURCES and MEANS to do so are abundant, then I see no reason for the need for speaking abilities.
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zekecoma
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Message 29 of 30

02 July 2010 at 2:39am | IP Logged

i know Lone__World. I'm just saying in my opinion :)
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s_allard
Triglot
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Canada
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Speaks: French*, English, Spanish
Studies: Polish

Message 30 of 30

02 July 2010 at 3:03pm | IP Logged

In Canada, often when we speak of passive bilingualism, especially in the context of the federal civil service, we refer to the ability to understand the second language but not speak it well enough to engage in a fluent interaction. So, some meetings are bilingual in the sense that everybody speaks in the language in which they are most comfortable instead of inflicting some laborious and atrocious spoken language on everybody else. This actually works quite well because everybody understands the other language much better than they can speak it.

Now, I would point out, to refer to Iversen's point, that one has to actively work at becoming passively bilingual in the sense that passive knowledge does not mean passive learning. You have to learn to understand the target language. But since speaking requires an additional set of skills that are difficult to master, the ability to understand in a context where everybody understands both languages is quite sufficient.

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