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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| madbear Newbie Poland Joined 7085 days ago 9 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English | Message 1 of 6 22 June 2008 at 10:14pm | IP Logged |
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I decided to teach myself Dutch. For this purpose I will only use the input method. The outline of my study will be quite straightforward. Every day, I will expose myself to similar amount of reading and listening input, suppose one hour of each. I will not use any grammar drills nor vocabulary memorizing techniques.
So, the question is: -Is there anyone on this forum who has tried a similar approach? -How many hours did it take to achieve fluency? (b2/c1) What I strive to achieve is to emulate the language acquisition process of a native speaker. Therefore, my assumptions are: - no textbooks, dictionaries, whatsoever… - vocabulary and grammar learned only by contextual exposure - input before output, hence I’ll follow the four stages of natural language skill development: listening, speaking, reading and writing How do toddlers and kids get input? People in general: - parents – in the beginning it’s the most important source of input, parents speak and read to their children - peers – every small kid has got some pieces of information that other kid does not have, so they just exchange the pieces between themselves - other people – teachers, family, people on the street, whoever comes child’s way Media: - TV – the second most important source of input. What do kids watch? Everything! They don’t watch broadcasts for children exclusively, but also movies, TV shows, commercials and news. - Radio? – well, I cannot recall a picture of me listening to the radio when I was a kid. I think it is just to boring for children. - Audiotapes with stories – Personally, I loved them! What will I do? In the phase one, I’m going to focus on listening. - Watch TV! Mainly auditions for children. - Listen to audio tapes with stories. - Overhear people. I’m lucky, because I live in The Netherlands, so I do have an access to native speakers. My current level of comprehension is about 60% for a simple conversation and 20% for a complicated one. However, I’d love to have more access to the genuine native speaker material. Do you have any suggestions? Tips about input and how to get it? Well, living in The Netherlands is an enormous advantage, but in the future I’d like to learn other languages with the same method so any advise is welcomed. Edited by madbear on 23 June 2008 at 7:40am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| FrenchSilkPie Senior Member United States Joined 6560 days ago 125 posts - 130 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 2 of 6 22 June 2008 at 10:26pm | IP Logged |
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I am currently using that method for French and German. I don't focus on reading. That will hurt you negatively--your mind will automatically read it as your native language. You can try to get it right, but I would hold off on reading.
IMO, it is difficult to guage what level one is at. I can understand French in Action, but if I turn on the french news, game shows, or documentaries, unless what they are talking about is very basic, my understanding is very low (5-30%). That is with about 60 hours of listening comprehension. The thing is, you cannot really try the method. You do not know if you have gotten anywhere until you have the 700+ hours of listening comprehension. I definitely think it takes an extremely large amount of listening. And it is extremely helpful to repeat what you do understand! Several thousands of times! I also strongly recommend childrens programs (ones recommended for toddlers and babies). You will need every program you can get your hands on. I can let you know how long it takes for German! Contact me in about 2 years =D Edited by FrenchSilkPie on 22 June 2008 at 11:35pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| madbear Newbie Poland Joined 7085 days ago 9 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English | Message 5 of 6 23 June 2008 at 3:21am | IP Logged |
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Card Shark: "input method" is just a term I coined on my own and the method itself probably exist under some other fancy name
Waremanch: nice findings FrenchSkillPie: listening alone sounds like a real challenge. If you keep learning this way your French will be native-like. Edited by madbear on 23 June 2008 at 9:06pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| FrenchSilkPie Senior Member United States Joined 6560 days ago 125 posts - 130 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 6 of 6 23 June 2008 at 6:19pm | IP Logged |
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Some programs I would also suggest would be Little Pim in the future (its like Pimsleur, but total immersion for young children. I think they will be releasing a dutch program in the future), Rosetta Stone (if you can get it at your library).
You are lucky to have native speakers around you! Maybe spend some more time around the park, or volunteering at a children's camp or anything like that. For future languages, definitely check out programs like the Learnables or French in Action. Good luck! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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