What Kind of Language Learner are You?
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
- Different types of language learners need different types of advice, methods, and materials depending on their goals, experience, and other circumstances. There are many ways one can classify different types of language learners; in this video I do so depending on whether a learner is likely or not to want to go on to learn other languages. Under this rubric, I describe 9 different types of learners. Are you one of these? If you can think of another type, please let me know! Join new classes and sessions in my virtual academy www.alexanderarguelles.com/ac... or subscribe to my newsletter at www.alexanderarguelles.com/ne...
Join me in my virtual academy to get a systematic theoretical framework for planning your long-term language learning in the Path of the Polyglot, to read and discuss Great Books of Western Civilization or the Comparative History of Religions in English (suitable for advanced non-natives as well as native speakers), to read and discuss French, German, Italian, and/or Spanish literature, to learn to read sacred languages such as Arabic, Sanskrit, Greek, or Old Norse, or to develop not only literary but conversational abilities in Latin, plus more at : www.alexanderarguelles.com/ac... Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: www.alexanderarguelles.com/ne...
If you are in a position to support my educational efforts, please consider making a contribution at: ko-fi.com/alexanderarguelles
Join me in my virtual academy to get a systematic theoretical framework for planning your long-term language learning in the Path of the Polyglot, to read and discuss Great Books of Western Civilization or the Comparative History of Religions in English (suitable for advanced non-natives as well as native speakers), to read and discuss French, German, Italian, and/or Spanish literature, to learn to read sacred languages such as Arabic, Sanskrit, Greek, or Old Norse, or to develop not only literary but conversational abilities in Latin, plus more at : www.alexanderarguelles.com/academy/ Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: www.alexanderarguelles.com/newsletter/
I'm the type of learner who is always thinking about languages. Whenever I see a video or hear a language spoken, I try to see how much of the language I already know. I learn languages quickly, but struggle to retain the ability for very long. Probably because I flit from one language to another due to extreme fascination. My wife is already upper intermediate in Mandarin and has spoken French and Spanish conversationally for years because she sticks with a language until she knows it satisfactorily. I, on the other hand, know how to say several useful phrases in around 25 languages, but only conversational in Spanish and American Sign Language. I learned a 2-minute prayer in Haitian Creole and everyone (in Haiti) thought I was a native speaker. I remember only a few words from it now. My best way of learning, for which I can't find many resources, is your reading and explaining the words and meaning as you go through it. This is how I learned to understand Old English, which led to my current interest, Icelandic.
Thank you for sharing these details about how a mind can engage with this matter.
Glad you're in good health and well-being talking to us,God bless you Mister Argules, I'm benefiting immensely from your channel's contents. Also your diction is what I most pay attention to,how fluid your ideas are.
Thank you for your kind words of appreciation.
"...just a boring old professor talking about things" 🤯😂 No way! I recently discovered your channel and I have been learning so much. Furthermore, your detailed biography on your website was fascinating. I live in Korea and I ended up marrying a Korean as well! These days we have been speaking only in Korean, which is why I have been focusing on more ways to deepen my knowledge of the language lately. Thanks for all of your helpful insights!
You are very welcome! And thank you for your kind words of support!
🌹💙 I’m a senior citizen in USA who is planning on an extended vacation in Greece in 3-5 years; no big rush but don’t need to put it off any longer. Thanks for your channel and advice. Love your cat-it looks wise! 😸
Wonderful - a 3-5 year plan to learn a language well stands a good chance of success. Merlin is indeed very wise!
@@ProfASAr 🌹💙 Unless I’m mistaken, I see you don’t offer a Greek language program, any recommendations? Thanks in advance. Blessings. 🙏
@@MojaveDaemonWitch Actually we just started a Greek circle last week so you could certainly join that if you cared to do so (Fridays at 4 PM Chicago time). It is Koine Greek, which is not the same as contemporary spoken Greek; however, if you knew it, it would make learning living colloquial Greek all the easier - plus you would know how to read the New Testament and other Greek texts from many centuries as well. Please write to me on my site if you might possibly be interested in pursuing this.
@@ProfASAr 🌹💙 Thank you kindly for taking the time. I’m interested more so in modern/conversational Greek, this to prepare for a month long vacation in Greece, 🇬🇷 but will definitely keep your valuable gem in mind. Thank you for all you do beautiful person. Blessings. 🙏
@@MojaveDaemonWitch You are very welcome.
Cat ❤❤❤
Watch this video if all you really want is a virtual cat experience: ua-cam.com/video/vI3eoYg3hXU/v-deo.html
And her/his eyes 😍
I think it's interesting to come up with such categories. I've started a similar line of thinking as regards to fitness-What kind of athlete are you? Using building blocks such as speed, strength, and endurance, once can deconstruct the profile of a "soccer player", "marathon runner", "power lifter", etc. With these are associated types of exercise activities, some of which resonate more with one person than another. A person does not have to compete to have the fitness regiment of a "rower". It's about what activities a person ultimately aligns with, which largely determines if that person will stick with it. I am inclined towards thinking that a person's engagement with fitness and language would be similar per individual, based on the fact that all of such activities filter through our minds. But that is research for another day.
Thanks for sharing this observation. In a similar vein, my junior high school band teacher assigned us instruments based on the build of our bodies.
Very lovely video, Professor! I can definitely pick out the periods in my life where I went through the stages that you described in the latter part of the video, and I did get to the 9th stage of an insatiable learner, but circumstances have not been ideal for that so I have reverted to the restrained category.
_for now, at least_
I hear you have been reading Augistinus in the Latin circle, that sounds absolutely wonderful! I yearn to come back, and to look at Old Norse too (had a fun discussion about a certain passage related to Loki the other day), but I don't see myself being able to do that in the next 2 years at least, I'm afraid...
Hello Yan, wonderful to hear from you as always. Yes, Augustine's Confessions in Latin, and moving on to Gordon for Old Norse.
Nice video with some good observations. Here's my quick take on this in terms of 3 axes or factors. Call this a rough draft that needs polishing.
Axis/Factor 1: Time/Resource constraints of how much calendar time (how many weeks to months to years available for a language) and daily time (hours per day) is allocated to language learning and actual use. a. Limited b. Hobby level. c. Life Passion.
Axis/Factor 2: Motivation. a. Utilitarian for a particular purpose. b. Enamored with languages. c. Mixed.
Axis/Factor 3: Experience and skill of learning how to learn languages. a. Novice (Struggling with first language) b. journeyman/beginning polyglot (has made progress in a few languages and is improving their learning process.) c. master/polyglot (high level skills in multiple languages and has developed a good process for learning languages.)
Hello Gandalf, it is good to hear from you again. Thank you for putting this in terms of 3 axes/factors as that is a very useful way of looking at it.
Of your list, I'm definitely "affinity" - languages are a source of meaning in life (communication, history, literature and more). I have built my career around languages because I want languages in my life.
A language-oriented career is the ticket!
I consider myself a hobbyist. My native language is English, I study German every day and love it, and hope to learn Spanish in my lifetime.
Thanks for commenting.
@@ProfASAr Your video on how to use Assimil has really helped me learn German effectively.
Business people operating a lot overseas might have a certain advantage? The whole deal is purely utilitarian for them. So they aren't going to get bothered if people answer in English. They aren't going to have mental hang-ups about not making mistakes, about getting everything perfect. And generally, they'll just tend to be relaxed about the whole thing - which is probably a situation where folks learn most easily?
Thanks for sharing my observation that there are people who learn languages well maybe precisely because they don't stress about it, but just do what they need to do to use the tool.
I’m a thirsty language learner I’ve never watched a video like this before even though I’ve been watching videos about languages for over 8 years now If i’m not mistaken… My mother tongue is Spanish since I was in high school I was always interested in English never thought I’d really turn into a speaker of the language as I consider myself today yet I know that there’s still much I don’t know or sometimes there are some conversations that have difficult verbal or grammar parts for me to continue in that way I love speaking English as my second language learning a language is a process that you start but will never end cause language are always changing are always going through different ways of communication either among natives or non-native speakers truth be told I just know that I’m in my third language for me has turn out to be something that makes me feel capable makes me feel smart enough to continue learning and trying and speaking thinking that It doesn’t matter how many mistakes I have when communicating at first I enjoy the process I enjoy speaking different languages
Languages for me are a key to open different doors of realities that I’d never be able to live or understand without them knowing that a language can give me such an incredible experience and meet so many great people aside all conversations that I would never have in my native language because of the context have gave me a perception of living in total freedom to f my mind
I do believe that having a "philosophical" framework for how and why one is learning languages leads to a greater success rate.
Hi Alex! I discovered you relatively recently, I am a young software engineering student with a passion for Latin languages. I was born in an environment where I had to learn both Romanian and Spanish as my native languages. Later, especially during high school, I learned English for the Cambridge certifications. As a secondary international language, I learned French during secondary school and high school, but I always cheated and got good grades because I was only translating text (it was easier for me knowing Spanish already). I saw that you have several learning materials for French language, coincidentally with discovering your beautiful channel, I decided to start learning it again, considering that I am like in a beginner phase, although I had 8 years+ of French, do you have any advice?. I observed that is very easy for me to understand Italian rather than French but it's hard for me to express myself or read in French (I have a feeling it would be easier in Italian, although I never studied it). I mention that I lost contact with the French language when I finished high school, over 5 years ago. Thank you so much and I wish you an amazing year professor!
Oh, I forgot. I don't think I can call myself a learner yet haha, curiosity is all I have and with every bit of spare time I have this year I'll try all my best to put some effort into doing what I was supposed to do during all those years of French.
Greetings and welcome to my channel and I hope to my website as well. Please have a look there at my Q&A section. If you care to write up your situation with some more details about your background as well as some more specific goals, I will be happy to answer you there.
As a bilingual English and Levantine Arabic speaker I would fall into the category of aspiring language learner as the languages that I am interested in are beyond my heritage languages.
Thanks for commenting with details.
the cat is facing a big trauma hearing it's owner talking all these languages
What makes you think this?
I'm pretty much the 8th type of learner😊
Thanks for commenting.
Insatiable unwittingly identifying as restrained.
Know thyself!
I have friends in Korea who would greatly benefit from your advice. Have you considered publishing videos in Korean to reach a wider audience? It would greatly help my friends
No, I had not thought of that. Thank you for the suggestion.
Thank you! I hope you make a video soon@@ProfASAr
I think I am a language hobbist in your categorization. And I like your style of vidoes more than the young and fancy people. Old school books I like, things like that. Handwriting, classical way of studying materials.
Thank you for the kind words of appreciation.
I guess I’m an 8th type, but at 53 my memory doesn’t retain new vocabulary easily anymore. Don’t know what to do about it.
Nootropics. And better nutrition in general. NAC and glycine. Mine was getting worse, now it's improving. I think the NAC and glycine have helped the most.
The memory can grow with regular deliberate training, e.g., by memorizing poems.
The type that dislikes studying...lol
Hmmm...
@@ProfASAr 😂 Instead I bask in my target language while slowly assimilating it. I started learning Japanese around the same time that my friend did and he was taking lessons and studying daily, but I was able to keep pace with him in terms of speaking ability. My accent is also better and I'm told I sound native... My friend can read and write very well, but he sounds like a foreigner. I'm trying to put in the work to build my reading and writing skills recently but it's agony.