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We, who manage to focus on ONE language | ||
Tags: Number of Languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| JC_Identity Triglot Groupie Sweden thelawofidentity.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4119 days ago 53 posts - 108 votes  Speaks: Swedish, Serbo-Croatian*, English | Message 1 of 142 21 August 2013 at 12:37am | IP Logged | ||
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I think the advice to study "one language at a time" is underrated by a lot of people within this language
learning community. Too many people it seems study an insane number of languages at the same time. I think that the reason is that too many go solely by passion but lack aim so they spread too broadly. My impression is that far too many people that spread out never reach native-like levels within any of the languages that they study. I think this spread-out approach at the surface gives the impression of ambitiousness and awe about these language learners. More often than not however this surface is very misleading. This ambitiousness is much more predictive of mediocre results. I know from own experience that it is much more efficient, if one aims at high levels of fluency in a target language, to focus on just this one language until one has reach one's goal. What is more, is that it is much more difficult to focus than to spread out because focus involves saying no, that is for a long time. Coming to think of it, Luca who I admire a lot has a very good level of fluency in most language that he knows and he seems mostly to have focused on one language at a time. I urge people to start giving cred for quality rather than quantity! Edited by JC_Identity on 21 August 2013 at 12:06pm 22 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5007 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 2 of 142 21 August 2013 at 1:02am | IP Logged | ||
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First of all, people who manage to keep with one language before they get to at least B2 are my heroes. I trully admire them. But there are a few objective obstacles you can encounter. For example, here you are to learn two foreign languages at school. When you want to continue, you need to be learning both at the same time or to forget one of them. Or sometimes you learn one but really could do with another (opportunities such as for a study stay in the country for a month or your employer needs you to learn another language and so on)
But there are a few more cons. Firstly, I don't aim for native like level in my languages because I will never speak like a native. That is the simple truth. I hope to speak really well, about anything I want. But I will never be nativelike because I just cannot move to the country or go for a long immersion which would be necessary. Therefore should I learn just one language until I die? And even though reaching my goals is possible, it takes many years. While I wouldn't want to spread myself too thin, I think that missing some opportunities just because the language X's turn will be when I am forty, that would be a bad luck. So, while I agree that we should have some sense and go for quality first and quantity second, I think there are various situations of various people with various solutions and needs. 11 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tastyonions Triglot Senior Member United States goo.gl/UIdChYRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4663 days ago 1044 posts - 1823 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: Italian | Message 3 of 142 21 August 2013 at 1:48am | IP Logged | ||
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I have stayed focused on French for 20 months so far. This isn't from a lack of desire to
study other languages, but rather that I am not yet satisfied with my level. When will I be? I don't know, really. But when I am, German, Spanish, and Norwegian will still be around... 12 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Jeffers Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4907 days ago 2151 posts - 3960 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German | Message 4 of 142 21 August 2013 at 2:38am | IP Logged | ||
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Actually, read the monthly question on "should I learn 3 languages at once?", or "I've studied x for 6 months but now I want to add y", and you will find all sorts of good advice. Some of the good advice is about how to balance studying more than one language, others advise to get to a good level before adding another language. I read a recent post in which somebody used the ability to read for pleasure as the measure of whether you are ready to move on.
Personally, I have stuck pretty much with French for the past two years, even neglecting other languages I normally study regularly (Hindi, Ancient Greek, German). I know I am losing freshness in those languages, but like the OP, I have realised that for me it is better to focus on one. Once I get comfortably over the B1 level, I plan to let the French chill for a while, and keep it up by reading novels, listening to music and watching the occasional film. At that point I intend to use the French based Assimil courses to revisit Hindi, Ancient Greek and German. But like many others, I am still subject to wanderlust: I really want to be good enough at French to use the Assimil Sanskrit book which is supposed to come out soon! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| casamata Senior Member Joined 4260 days ago 237 posts - 377 votes Studies: Portuguese | Message 5 of 142 21 August 2013 at 3:07am | IP Logged | ||
Personally, I think the total number of quality hours spent is most important, whether that be 8,000 hours spread amongst 8 languages or 8,000 hours spent on one language. I equally respect people that spent a lot of time on languages, whether it be one language or 10. But I do get annoyed when somebody with a A1, tourist level proficiency in 10 languages boasts that they "speak 10 languages fluently." But some people don't know what they don't know. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Via Diva Diglot Senior Member Russian Federation last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4232 days ago 1109 posts - 1427 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek | Message 6 of 142 21 August 2013 at 3:15am | IP Logged | ||
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There is one rather strange thing. Everyone over here speaks English, some as a native language, some learned it. I'm focused on German now, but the problem is that I don't think that I know English enough. Plus, I have another semester of "chemical" English in university. So, if I want to focus on one language, I should drop German and stay with English only, but there another problem emerges - stagnation. I do not have enough motivation to seek for required materials, go through boring textbooks, learn rare words. I will know language a bit better, but there would be no practical use for the achieved level.
Due to lack of Russian based materials in case of some languages, I'll probably prefer L2 studying, based on English, which I'm actually doing right now. So, there always (or, at least, for a long time) will be more than one language anyway. 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| casamata Senior Member Joined 4260 days ago 237 posts - 377 votes Studies: Portuguese | Message 7 of 142 21 August 2013 at 3:28am | IP Logged | ||
If your level is good enough you can just use native materials to improve. (native videos, websites, language exchanges in person or on skype, music, movies) You won't stagnate, it is just that your rate of progress is going to be slow the more advanced you get. But nothing wrong with the incremental improvement if you want to, just as there is nothing wrong with learning new things. But you shouldn't have to "study" a language after you've reached a satisfactory level. 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Via Diva Diglot Senior Member Russian Federation last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4232 days ago 1109 posts - 1427 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek | Message 8 of 142 21 August 2013 at 3:55am | IP Logged | ||
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casamata, well, here's the point - I seriously doubt that I'll ever reach satisfactory level in English.
I'm using native materials, but I think that I have somewhat limit of understanding, which could be reached only after hard work. Anyway, I don't want to think about studying English now, therefore I just can't focus on one language. And I don't believe that situation will ever change. For example, when I'll feel that my German is good enough, I would have wanted to study Swedish. Due to relation on German and Swedish, I could've use L2 again, but the basic language would be German. Plus inescapable English - whoa, 3 languages at one time. Of course, I do not know if I'll really do it, but this is possible. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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