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I feel "stuck" | ||
Tags: Measuring Progress | Difficulty | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Emerald Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom languagedabbler.blog Joined 6030 days ago 316 posts - 340 votes  Speaks: Hindi, Gujarati*, English Studies: Spanish | Message 9 of 12 01 May 2010 at 11:32am | IP Logged | ||
I have just started learning Spanish, however, I have used Harry Potter books as a method of study for other languages too. What I do in the initial stage is read the text and listen to the audio at the same time (without worrying about understanding), because this way I can learn pronunciation, get used to a language being spoken at a relatively normal speed (compared to language courses), and because I know the plot of Harry Potter so well, I can usually pick up new words by being aware of the context. I would eventually move on to a dictionary, but instead of making it a mission in every session, just pick out few words in each session, and for the rest just absorb through repetition. I feel this works with books I know and love in English - because even if I don't understand everything in target language, it keeps me motivated and interested. Another suggestion is to watch the tv shows you already like in English in your target language, and have the subtitles in your target language too. Again, I find I pick up a lot of words this way. I won't necessarily remember all of them instantly but when they come back again, usually memory comes back, or repetition is always good. Watch the same show in target language again and again, and you will remember something. I do believe that using a variety of methods is important because it keeps your brain on its toes. If we keep following only one method, we get used to it, but changing things and having a routine full of variety does produce interesting results. Edited by Emerald on 01 May 2010 at 11:33am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Ygangerg Pentaglot Senior Member United States Joined 5103 days ago 100 posts - 140 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Arabic (Written), Mandarin, French Studies: German | Message 10 of 12 21 August 2010 at 8:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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I remember hitting the wall you're all referring to in Arabic. After my first two semesters of Arabic in college, stretched out over a school year, I took an intensive 10-hour summer course (10 credit hours, class 5 days a week and studying daily). I learned soooo much. I went from learning the alphabet to talking politics and philosophy in about two months.
That fall, in my next Arabic class, I hit the wall. I got good grades, but I wasn't learning anymore. I even felt like I knew less than before! I, like you, was looking up words as I read and then forgetting them soon after. I went to my professor for advice, and he recommended flash cards. Ding! They were exactly what I needed. I knew the grammar, I was decent in my pronunciation, I just needed to put a little spark in my vocabulary progress. Try it! I'm confident it will help. When you study, keep notecards and a marker nearby. When you feel like looking up a word, make a flashcard of it. Accumulate them and flip through them every day. Switch directions sometimes, looking at the English instead. Eventually you will own those words like your native language. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6057 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 11 of 12 23 August 2010 at 12:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's a kind of plateau effect - my Turkish has pretty much stayed at the same place for years. Indeed, I have even had people telling me it has gone backwards. Actually, I try to say harder, more complex things in Turkish, probably with some loss of accuracy, which I think accounts for such statements, but it is a little morale-destroying to be told that you are actually losing ground in a language.
So, how to break through the plateau effect? (Minor edit) Edited by William Camden on 26 August 2010 at 10:54am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| irrationale Tetraglot Senior Member China Joined 5835 days ago 669 posts - 1023 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English*, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog Studies: Ancient Greek, Japanese | Message 12 of 12 23 August 2010 at 1:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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I am also stuck learning Tagalog! You aren't the only one, although you are probably more advanced than me.
Filipinos speak perfect English (it seems), so there are no people looking to practice with me, and less impetus on my part. Serious dearth of materials makes it much worse. No major internet dictionary to mine example sentences (translated). My only resources are Filipino through Self Study and Beginning Tagalog, which appear to be the only two good thorough courses. Regardless, I still soldier on. Rant over. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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