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Too much focus on the top 1000. | ||
Tags: Vocabulary learning | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Thor1987 Groupie Canada Joined 4735 days ago 65 posts - 84 votes  Studies: German | Message 1 of 6 05 February 2012 at 6:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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Alright breakthrough of the week time. For some random reason while in class, I
ventured beyond the top 1000 words in German, and went deep into scientific jargon. Ironically it was just being bored in chemistry that caused it. I've been focusing on the most common words/grammar and pretty much hit a brick wall. Quite frankly it's very dull to focus all my efforts on trying to master trivial grammar and vocab for mundane small talk that I wouldn't bother with even in my native tongue. My biggest concern is I've gotten in the habit of becoming unfamiliar with words I should know, because my word usage is limited to conversations that are totally uninteresting. So long story short I've started searching words that are used for topics that interest me, politics, economics, engineering etc. I'm not sure if this is just a sign I've moved beyond the basics, or just as likely wasted far too much time on the trivial, but for the first time in months I'm truly excited about what I can learn. Edited by Thor1987 on 05 February 2012 at 6:12pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6598 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 2 of 6 05 February 2012 at 6:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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The thing is that the top 1000 words interesting to you are very different from the top 1000 top words for everyone else. The lists that are designed to cater for most students cater for nobody.
I myself really like the idea of learning to read fluently on one topic (for me that's football...and medicine to a lesser extent) and working from there. The specialized topics also often have more cognates than the supposedly useful themes like family, home etc. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tractor Tetraglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5454 days ago 1349 posts - 2292 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, Catalan Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 3 of 6 05 February 2012 at 7:06pm | IP Logged | ||
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The most common 1000 words are important words because they constitute more or less the core vocabulary. While
they may not be the most interesting words, many of them are likely to show up in texts or conversations about your favourite topic. Language learning should be fun, so when you have covered the basics, move on to stuff that is interesting to you. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6598 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 4 of 6 05 February 2012 at 8:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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But unless you're going to the country of your target language, it's totally fine if you the first time you see a common word is in an unusual context. Many touristy words will take care of themselves if you can afford to wait.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| atama warui Triglot Senior Member Japan Joined 4702 days ago 594 posts - 985 votes Speaks: German*, English, Japanese | Message 5 of 6 05 February 2012 at 9:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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I agree that the most common 6000 (not 1000) words are necessary to understand - and understanding is by far the most important thing. After you understood, you can react, somehow.. and better with practice. Those words, however, have to be learned, no matter what.
Yes, it's not an easy ride, and you might want to focus on specific topics until you master the terms used there. Just go with what interests you for input, that's my motto. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| jdmoncada Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 5035 days ago 470 posts - 741 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Finnish Studies: Russian, Japanese | Message 6 of 6 05 February 2012 at 10:18pm | IP Logged | ||
As far as I know, this is just considered a good language learning practice. That way you can talk about what actually interests you. It will help you be more present in the conversation, too. Congratulations on finding it at work for you! 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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