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Top Ten Language Learning Mistakes

 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
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ecgreen
Newbie
United States
Joined 5985 days ago
15 posts - 19 votes
Speaks: Korean

 
 Message 17 of 51
02 December 2009 at 2:31pm | IP Logged 
cordelia0507 wrote:


1) Demanding Logic where there is none. Believing that I had to "understand" why grammar and spelling is the way it is. Allowing myself to be angry because languages aren't logical like mathematics or computing.


Not to get off topic, but there are certainly many theoretical linguists (such as myself) who would argue that language can be understood with logic and rule based systems. Phonology would probably be the most straightforward example, just pick up any basic phonology 101 book and you can see that these systems are very logical. With that being said, however, even knowing what I know about how and why languages are built the way they are, it has helped very little in attempting to acquire them. Knowing about how a language is built and functions does not entail that one can acquire that language. For example, many linguists work on a variety of languages they do not speak.
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Juan M.
Senior Member
Colombia
Joined 5710 days ago
460 posts - 597 votes 

 
 Message 18 of 51
02 December 2009 at 2:48pm | IP Logged 
Learning a language for which obtaining printed books is a nightmare. Indian languages, for instance.

Edited by Juan M. on 02 December 2009 at 2:49pm
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B-Tina
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Germany
dragonsallaroun
Joined 5338 days ago
123 posts - 218 votes 
Speaks: German*, English, French, Polish

 
 Message 19 of 51
02 December 2009 at 3:00pm | IP Logged 
I guess most of my mistakes happened when I was still at school attending somewhat unqualified language lessons which basically stuck on details (such as "de" vs. "de la/du" in french). I spent nearly three years learning french (on a 90 min/week basis) and at the end I wasn't able to utter one phrase correctly. When I spent the same weekly amount of time learning polish at the university, I was able to follow and participate in basic conversations after one year.
Lesson: skip useless language lessons as soon as you can.

In addition it took me some time to acquire a learning system that actually suits me (flashcard-lover...) which might also have helped in learning polish. On the bright side language learning keeps getting more efficiently in the course of time.

Edited by B-Tina on 02 December 2009 at 3:00pm
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Sprachjunge
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 6976 days ago
368 posts - 548 votes 
Speaks: English*, GermanC2
Studies: Spanish, Russian

 
 Message 20 of 51
02 December 2009 at 3:58pm | IP Logged 
cordelia0507 wrote:


1) Demanding Logic where there is none. Believing that I had to "understand" why grammar and spelling is the way it is. Allowing myself to be angry because languages aren't logical like mathematics or computing. Waiting for a "revelation" that transforms the grammar to a logical algorithm that can be grasped and processed.
Basically, the trick is to accept that it doesn't make sense, memorise it anyway and move on... Eventually you will learn, even if it's illogical.




Definitely agree with this one! It wasn't until I started helping people learn English and had to hear the 100th complaint of, "But that doesn't follow the rule, and I'VE LEARNED THE RULE!" that I got over having similar reactions regarding German. Basically, I've been much happier with myself now that I accept that native speakers determine what's valid in a language, and if they say, "That's how we say it," then by golly, that's how they say it!

Another mistake was underestimating the amount of time it takes to get good--really good--with a language (by admittedly my own subjective standards). Once I started considering my goals in terms of half-decades and decades, I found a new sense of peace and contentment with my studies.


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cordelia0507
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 5649 days ago
1473 posts - 2176 votes 
Speaks: Swedish*
Studies: German, Russian

 
 Message 21 of 51
02 December 2009 at 4:00pm | IP Logged 
namsskogan wrote:
My two big mistakes in language learning were

1) trying to learn vocabulary by thinking out "creative" visual mnemonics, like this one: Imagine a FAIRY who tells you not to forget to feed the GOOSE. This should in theory help me to think of the German word 'vergessen'. It doesn't, and by such methods will I never be ably to gain any form of fluency in a language . I only realized that too late. But better late than never.

2) doing exercises in language books. A totally waste of time. ('Fill in the blank spaces', 'Complete the dialouge', 'What is "das Buch" in plural?'). I haven't learned a thing by such language testing. It has only made me stressed.


This was a very funny response! I agree about the silly "hooks". Waste of time.. and they are always for English anyway.

But, tell me something: What in your view is wrong with filling in exercises in a book? I think it can be pretty good for learning grammar...


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cordelia0507
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 5649 days ago
1473 posts - 2176 votes 
Speaks: Swedish*
Studies: German, Russian

 
 Message 22 of 51
02 December 2009 at 4:04pm | IP Logged 
global_gizzy wrote:
cordellia: http://www.cle.fr/ -- Could that possibly be the link to the school?


Yes, you are right - that's the one. Supposedly this is THE most perfect language course around. I would guess that they only teach French.
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Warp3
Senior Member
United States
forum_posts.asp?TID=
Joined 5346 days ago
1419 posts - 1766 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Korean, Japanese

 
 Message 23 of 51
02 December 2009 at 4:22pm | IP Logged 
namsskogan wrote:
1) trying to learn vocabulary by thinking out "creative" visual mnemonics, like this one: Imagine a FAIRY who tells you not to forget to feed the GOOSE. This should in theory help me to think of the German word 'vergessen'. It doesn't, and by such methods will I never be ably to gain any form of fluency in a language . I only realized that too late. But better late than never.


This has been quite the opposite for me. In the cases where I've used mnemonic hooks I tend to recall those particular words/phrases far easier than those I just try to memorize directly. As such, I've committed myself to actually using them more, not less, in my studies. Of course, eventually, the word/phrase will just stick in your brain on its own, but for recalling a word/phrase until it gets to that point, mnemonic hooks work well for me.
3 persons have voted this message useful



Aquila
Triglot
Senior Member
Netherlands
Joined 5292 days ago
104 posts - 128 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, German
Studies: French

 
 Message 24 of 51
02 December 2009 at 5:46pm | IP Logged 
There are much mistakes you could make by learning a new language. Several are mentioned earlier in this thread and I would like to add the next:

- Using only one kind of course or approach. Use several.
- Quitting to learn when it's too difficult or there's something you don't understand.
- Focussing too much on details.
- Not to learn grammar. It's essential and necessary, but you can learn it afterwards.
- Thinking too much from your mother tongue. Try to think in the other language.
- Fear of speaking the language, because you're afraid of making mistakes. Try to overcome your fear. This one's already mentioned but I think it's a very important one.
- Learn difficult vocabulary and structures already in the beginning. Start with the basis and more usefull vocab. But also don't hesitate to increase your learning level.

Warp3 wrote:
namsskogan wrote:
1) trying to learn vocabulary by thinking out "creative" visual mnemonics, like this one: Imagine a FAIRY who tells you not to forget to feed the GOOSE. This should in theory help me to think of the German word 'vergessen'. It doesn't, and by such methods will I never be ably to gain any form of fluency in a language . I only realized that too late. But better late than never.


This has been quite the opposite for me. In the cases where I've used mnemonic hooks I tend to recall those particular words/phrases far easier than those I just try to memorize directly. As such, I've committed myself to actually using them more, not less, in my studies. Of course, eventually, the word/phrase will just stick in your brain on its own, but for recalling a word/phrase until it gets to that point, mnemonic hooks work well for me.


I also think that these hooks can be very usefull when some words or particular grammar rules do not stick.


Edited by Aquila on 02 December 2009 at 11:04pm


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