|
 |
Difference in vocab aquisition L1/L2 | ||
Tags: Memory | Vocabulary learning | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| chloem14 Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5692 days ago 21 posts - 23 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, Latin | Message 1 of 7 27 June 2009 at 7:07pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I've been wondering about this for a while now; why is it that if I come across an unfamiliar word in English, my native language, I can find a definition and that will stick in my head 95% without me needing to look it up again, but if I look up an unfamiliar word in my strongest L2 (french) in a monolingual dictionary and fully understand the definition, I generally have to come across it several times/add it to my SRS to remember it?
I can understand that there might be a difference between learning a definition and a translation, but I'm at a point with my french now where I can use a monolingual definition so I don't think it's that. Similarly I don't think it's repeated exposure to the word in my L1, since I only tend to not know words that are either rather obscure or specific technical vocabulary in English that I wouldn't naturally hear. For instance, I have two identical pre-medical textbooks, one in french, one in English. Vocab from the latter along with meanings has stuck just fine, but for the former I know I'll need plenty of reviews :( Any ideas ??? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lizzern Diglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5911 days ago 791 posts - 1053 votes  Speaks: Norwegian*, English Studies: Japanese | Message 2 of 7 27 June 2009 at 8:00pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Do you still use English when you read things in French (translating back, or relating things to familiar concepts)? Does English come into the picture at all when you use monolingual dictionaries? Maybe you haven't fully 'shut out' English from your French?
I only really got to English-only understanding when I stopped involving Norwegian in my learning. I can function as 100% monolingual in English now and don't even own a bilingual dictionary for those two languages, but I had to actively ditch Norwegian to get there. L2 just can't have any of our L1 in it if we want to get truly fluent, imho. Liz 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5768 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 3 of 7 27 June 2009 at 9:15pm | IP Logged | ||
|
There still are words in English that don't stick, and a lot of words that I confuse with each other. But in general my English vocabulary acquisition has come close to my native German one. However it has been seven years since I first realized I has used a word I couldn't give a definition of, but when I looked it up in the dictionary I found out it expressed exactly what I had intended to say, and after these seven years it still isn't exactly the same. =)
Do you, by any chance, use the English textbook in class and don't use the French one, or might you have had more previous exposure to the English terms? Edited by Bao on 27 June 2009 at 9:18pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| AntoniusBlock Diglot Newbie Sweden Joined 5925 days ago 31 posts - 36 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: French, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 4 of 7 28 June 2009 at 12:28am | IP Logged | ||
To make a very very long story short: this is because of the general functioning of the so-called semantic memory system in your brain. This system works by embedding new information into the organised "database" of knowledge that you already possess. The more deep and rich your database is within a certain area, the less effort and repetition is needed when tying a new piece of information to it. Tying a new term to a description in L1 should be considerably easier than tying it to a description in L2, because in general, you have much richer and denser information associated with each L1 word than with each L2 word. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zerothinking Senior Member Australia Joined 6374 days ago 528 posts - 772 votes Speaks: English* | Message 5 of 7 28 June 2009 at 11:36am | IP Logged | ||
|
SIMPLE. The more words you know the easier it becomes to learn new words. I noticed
this in my French compared to German and my German compared to Japanese. I think it's because words are made up of parts and words relate to each other in a network. Since the brain works on connections, the more words you know the more hooks your brain has to assimilate it. When I learn a German word I can barely remember it compared to when I learn a French word. I can retain a French word much easier. But I retain German words easier than I do Japanese words. Japanese words are so foreign and seem without form to start with. Just keep learning and it will get easier. When I start a language I would only try to learn around 70 words a week. But once I know about 1000 words it becomes easier and easier until learning 30+ words a day is possible. Edited by zerothinking on 28 June 2009 at 11:37am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fsc Senior Member United States Joined 6331 days ago 100 posts - 117 votes Studies: French | Message 6 of 7 05 July 2009 at 2:11am | IP Logged | ||
|
Good question by the OP as I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for the answers.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| icing_death Senior Member United States Joined 5863 days ago 296 posts - 302 votes Speaks: English* | Message 7 of 7 05 July 2009 at 2:49am | IP Logged | ||
I find just the opposite to be true. In the beginning I can memorize a lot of vocabulary fast. I think this is because everything is so new, and I need a lot of words for the most basic functioning. The words are very common, and get repeated often when I actually use them. They stick really well. As I get more advanced, it's harder to maintain the same pace. If I add 30 words in a day it's harder to use them enough to really own them. Not impossible, but harder than in the beginning. 1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
