Don’t memorize vocabulary. Do this instead

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  • Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
  • 🔥 Learn languages like I do with LingQ: bit.ly/3VE5Uui
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    CC subtitles available in multiple languages.
    In this video I discuss some common misconceptions about language and vocabulary acquisition and share my strategy for learning vocabulary in a new language.
    ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
    0:00 learning vocabulary
    0:44 the importance of vocabulary acquisition
    2:28 myth 1: home environment
    4:01 myth 2: being corrected
    5:40 myth 3: Chomsky's universal grammar theory
    8:07 how much time should we spend on deliberate learning?
    10:57 the best way to acquire vocabulary
    📺 WATCH NEXT:
    • Learn Vocabulary Fast
    • How to Learn Vocabulary
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 388

  • @Thelinguist
    @Thelinguist  3 місяці тому +30

    📲 The app I use to learn languages: tinyurl.com/2yybxh88
    🆓 My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: bit.ly/3TTswWm
    ❓How do you like to learn vocabulary? Let me know in the comments!

    • @ozodbek997
      @ozodbek997 2 місяці тому +1

      😅😮😮😅😅

    • @TV-bw9kg
      @TV-bw9kg 2 місяці тому

      😅😊Z,

  • @michelpetrus
    @michelpetrus 2 місяці тому +143

    1- Learn whole sentences instead of words
    2 - Study conversations about your domain of interest and if possible try to recite them (it don’t have to be perfect)
    Words learnt this way cannot be forgotten, and you will sound much more natural by mimicking natives sentences.

    • @klx15
      @klx15 2 місяці тому +3

      It makes sense

    • @greyLeicester
      @greyLeicester 2 місяці тому +5

      Yeah, and then somebody comes along, strikes a conversation with you, changes a line different to the conversations youd ve listening to and they will throw you away 😂😂😂😂

    • @michelpetrus
      @michelpetrus 2 місяці тому +1

      @@greyLeicester You need to know what’s in the sentence, that’s obvious. Knowing idiomatic turns , will make you anticipate what they will say, being more aware of any deviation.
      And for Japanese for instance, they have very standardized questions/answers, unless you are a close friend. So it’s really relevant for this language to have those core conversations known by heart.

  • @LuanFranca_
    @LuanFranca_ 2 місяці тому +95

    I'm a police officer in Brasil, and hope to learn other languages to visit more countries and know many cultures. This channel helps me to understand how I can improve my english, thanks!

    • @nandomax3
      @nandomax3 2 місяці тому +2

      Boa sorte, obrigado pelo seu serviço no nosso país 🙏

    • @Eduardo-gi8ex
      @Eduardo-gi8ex 2 місяці тому

      me too

    • @whoopty2034
      @whoopty2034 2 місяці тому

      Nice, I am learning Portuguese! Foda se nego😅🤙

    • @simonebittencourt8251
      @simonebittencourt8251 Місяць тому

      Your English is pretty good! Congratulations and the best of luck in your journey!

    • @andrewmarin42
      @andrewmarin42 Місяць тому

      Eu estou esquecendo português

  • @heyhey6821
    @heyhey6821 3 місяці тому +96

    Advice:
    1. Study throughout the day and not all at once.
    2. If you are not mentally able to study for more than an hour, then study that one hour and spend some time watching a series (like an anime) in the target language. The latter will improve your listening skills and familiarize you with more vocabulary and expressions.

    • @heyhey6821
      @heyhey6821 3 місяці тому +2

      This has worked for me. Imagine you're watching 6 months 1 hour a day in the language you learn and imagine you're not doing it. The former has lots of hours of listening compared to the latter and is accustomed to listening to it

    • @NeonBeeCat
      @NeonBeeCat 2 місяці тому +3

      True but isn't language learning about comprehensible input? What if I just don't understand anything while watching the series?

    • @heyhey6821
      @heyhey6821 2 місяці тому +8

      @@NeonBeeCat that's the whole point! Children learn a lot of vocabulary through series even though they don't understand the bulk of it. You could use a second phone to note the words but subtitles will distract you from actively listening.
      Further advice: watch a series that you already watched in your language. You knowing the plot and some scenes allow to extrapolate the meaning of a said word.

    • @GETURHANDSUP916
      @GETURHANDSUP916 2 місяці тому +1

      ⁠@@NeonBeeCatRight, and to make it comprehensible learn some vocab along with everything else. You aren’t guaranteed to figure out everything just by watching. Children with their native language have an advantage because they have people showing them the things they listen to each day, interacting with them,…etc. If they see a “burger” on TV, most likely their parents will hand them a “burger” and call it a “burger” too. That is comprehensible input. When you watch some foreign language video you might not notice what the word for “burger” is and that will be your only chance for a reminder unless you have people to speak with as random reminders or you already learned the meaning before hand.

    • @teacherchristianfigueiredo
      @teacherchristianfigueiredo 2 місяці тому

      Yes man. I totally agree with you. And I recomend studying using material that you love. This will help to keep you motivated during the process.

  • @nell7z
    @nell7z 3 місяці тому +95

    J'ai 69 ans et j ai commencé l'etude du russe. Merci pour vos précieux conseils qui me permettent de trouver les bonnes stratégies d'apprentissage.

    • @KnightOfEternity13
      @KnightOfEternity13 3 місяці тому +10

      Успехов

    • @luisgustavo6117
      @luisgustavo6117 3 місяці тому +10

      Удачи!

    • @erturtemirbaev5207
      @erturtemirbaev5207 3 місяці тому +9

      Вы молодец! Привет из Кыргызстана 🇰🇬

    • @candidfellow
      @candidfellow 2 місяці тому

      les dents non peut souvire, le borleaux des les l'ouilles dans poulez

    • @Lada_Ukrayina
      @Lada_Ukrayina 2 місяці тому

      Comme c'est dommage que vous ayez choisi la langue d'un pays qui sème la terreur de par le monde. Le russe vous engouffrera dans un monde de mensonges, de violence et de tueries

  • @theonewhogiveslikes9390
    @theonewhogiveslikes9390 3 місяці тому +213

    I learn faster by experience than studying

    • @wnildsongomes7984
      @wnildsongomes7984 3 місяці тому +42

      The faster or the most efficient method to acquire a new language is living with native speakers 😊
      The 2nd one is reading.
      See the kids example, they learn naturaly, without studying. Only listening and seeing adults speaking and their behavior. In other words associating the object/image to the concept/word

    • @saiminayatullah6620
      @saiminayatullah6620 3 місяці тому +30

      You’d learn even faster by combining experience with studying

    • @StillAliveAndKicking_
      @StillAliveAndKicking_ 3 місяці тому +19

      ⁠@@wnildsongomes7984Not necessarily. I lived for two years with native speakers in Montreal. 30 years later my French improved far more in England with self study.

    • @lucassantossj
      @lucassantossj 3 місяці тому +10

      ​@@StillAliveAndKicking_looks like most people are this way if you look how many are in other countries for years and know just a little of the local language. I think the focus is the key point. Even when doing the "field job" we need to put effort on understand and imitate.

    • @jackduane5555
      @jackduane5555 2 місяці тому

      No you don't

  • @ibrahimbyrakceken8779
    @ibrahimbyrakceken8779 3 місяці тому +76

    I feel frustrated and hopeless sometimes but watching you gives me hope. thank you

    • @sjeangilles1
      @sjeangilles1 3 місяці тому +6

      Rule #1: Don't quit.

    • @amgwireless3610
      @amgwireless3610 2 місяці тому +8

      you learned english and it was much more difficult than you remember

    • @xdarie0
      @xdarie0 2 місяці тому

      Is very difficult learn a new language however we should to study every day for improve our skills in this language is very important the dedication and our motivation

    • @amgwireless3610
      @amgwireless3610 2 місяці тому

      @@xdarie0 IT is very difficult to learn a new language; however, we should -to- study everyday -for- TO improve our skills in this language. Motivation and dedication is very important

    • @amgwireless3610
      @amgwireless3610 2 місяці тому

      @@xdarie0 I fixed it for you. The last part you wrote was a run on sentence/ unintelligible

  • @juanitotucupei
    @juanitotucupei 3 місяці тому +55

    Above and beyond the great advice, Steve just inspires me to keep going.
    That's why I keep coming back to his channel.

    • @gabrielbarbosa4091
      @gabrielbarbosa4091 3 місяці тому +1

      Same. Steve is a big influence in my journey to acquire languages

  • @BrettVano
    @BrettVano 2 місяці тому +7

    I deeply appreciate your contribution to these conversations, Steve. I'm both a language learner and a music teacher, and your thoughts have benefitted both of those pursuits for me. Thank you!

  • @Yarmak24
    @Yarmak24 3 місяці тому +22

    Thanks man for your work! You really make me inspired. Sometimes when I'm frustrated and hopeless because of my failures I just watch your videos and understand it's just part of learning process which I need to accept.

  • @Tehui1974
    @Tehui1974 3 місяці тому +11

    Another great video. The person who supports your videos with the graphics does a good job. Ngā mihi ki a koe! All the best from New Zealand.

  • @modalmixture
    @modalmixture 3 місяці тому +68

    The learning vs acquisition divide is similar to how we taught AIs to use language. At first we tried to teach computers explicit grammar rules and lists of vocabulary. But language is too complicated and contextual and that approach didn’t work very well.
    Now we have far more complex neural networks that cannot be directly programmed - they must learn language iteratively by repeated exposure to vast quantities of training material from the real world: Input. During the training they encounter a word like “love” used in millions of different contexts, and somewhere in the network a cluster of neurons begins to ‘acquire’ the concept of “love”, linking it to related words and concepts. Each training pass shapes the model ever so subtlely, until something like understanding emerges.
    Every time I do some focused listening in my target language, I imagine something similar happening in my brain.

    • @maijapapaya5297
      @maijapapaya5297 3 місяці тому +2

      That’s really interesting!

    • @lucassantossj
      @lucassantossj 3 місяці тому +2

      I think this is the main difference between a machine translator and LLMs.

    • @sayturn8510
      @sayturn8510 3 місяці тому +1

      This is how I was taught Spanish with people around me vs when I was shoved with grammar taking French. Despite not speaking Spanish for 5 years my sentences followed much better than I did in france

    • @ladybluelotus
      @ladybluelotus 3 місяці тому +6

      Agreed 💯 I have discovered this as well. And I really enjoy starting with a rather complex text and watching my brain adapt and learn through repeated exposure to the same material. It's mesmerizing.

    • @benverret7968
      @benverret7968 3 місяці тому +5

      Sometimes, I notice a word in Arabic that I never noticed before but I don't have enough context to guess the meaning.
      Later, I encounter that same word in different contexts and I remember where I heard it first. If I've heard the word in three different contexts, I can start triangulating the meaning. I know it is within the confines of that triangle.

  • @antonomaseapophasis5142
    @antonomaseapophasis5142 2 місяці тому +2

    Very comprehensive presentation!
    I received it in the context of a person who is functionally fluent in a second.language that was haphazardly acquired, and acquired through a personal relationship.
    Your discussion resonated with my experience and clarified my plans to learn German and Arabic, and improve my Italian.
    I would add that in my relatively strong second language (French), writing has been an important means of actually situating myself in the language. My greatest obstacle in French is speaking English with French words.
    Writing about various topics in French is an opportunity to enter into the idiomatic nuance of the language.

  • @wrathofcorn
    @wrathofcorn 3 місяці тому +15

    These videos always encourage and inspire me, thanks Steve!
    I recently increased the intensity of my Japanese study, I have a 2-3 hour-long conversations a day in Japanese. And outside of that, I'm reading and watching things in Japanese. It's a lot of fun but burnout feels like it's on the horizon. After watching these videos about language learning, it always reinvigorates me and pushes that horizon further away.

  • @heisenbergwalter3363
    @heisenbergwalter3363 3 місяці тому +36

    it’s easier to learn vocabulary directly than to continually look for ways to learn vocabulary

    • @somehilarious
      @somehilarious 3 місяці тому +1

      Feel the same, i don't understand correctly what this video is about

    • @somehilarious
      @somehilarious 3 місяці тому +1

      There are plenty videos with the same title on Steve's channel

    • @naclaski99
      @naclaski99 3 місяці тому +11

      It may seem easier, but it's not as useful as a constant stream of new material. I struggled with German by learning lists of vocabulary and never acquired much fluency, whereas with French I've taken a completely different approach, watching lots of videos and reading online news. Although it's messier and does not provide the same sense of clear-cut targets, progress is swifter.

    • @somehilarious
      @somehilarious 3 місяці тому +2

      @@naclaski99 Did you translate every unknown word or just without adding it into Anki or similar apps? Could you say more about this approach?

    • @somehilarious
      @somehilarious 3 місяці тому +1

      @@naclaski99 I don't add every word in Anki just the most 5 interested that I encountered during the day

  • @bulenthide9129
    @bulenthide9129 3 місяці тому +9

    You are inspiring people. This is very precious. Thsnk you.

  • @user-zb9tt7mo3t
    @user-zb9tt7mo3t 3 місяці тому +5

    Steve tou are the reason I have loved language learning and I am learning French now

  • @cooperdraw
    @cooperdraw 3 місяці тому +6

    You're the best Steve! Thank you so much for all of your videos and advice. You've helped me so much on my language learning journey.

  • @mijo3642
    @mijo3642 2 місяці тому

    Just found your channel Steve, very interesting. I am learning Spanish for work and I am moving from the uSA to the Dominican this year. When I was at university studying music we use NASA accelerated learning techniques (used when a complex series of events or procedures are needed ) where you practice for 1 minute, break 30 seconds practice the next phrase for 1 minute break 30 secs etc. then after 45 mins complete break for 15 minutes. Doing that for every scale, song, riff , technique in all the different styles keeps the brain in positive learning mode. (the first and last minute of your practice, in between that does nothing) That deals with the brain needing repetition but also novelty.. Repeated every day you suddenly found you had learned.

  • @coolbrotherf127
    @coolbrotherf127 3 місяці тому +3

    I think some deliberate vocabulary practice is really helpful for complete beginners. Learning common nouns and verbs with some flash cards can be really helpful to get started with basic reading.

  • @Patrick-sh9tt
    @Patrick-sh9tt 2 місяці тому

    Incredible video. Even at Master´s and PhD levels, and definitely across the language learning world, many of these accepted ideas continue to persist.

  • @donaldsouillet2307
    @donaldsouillet2307 2 місяці тому

    Your knowledge is well articulated, I gave you a thumbs up. I would suggest you present each ideal with a transition of silence, or another type of separator to prevent the run-on effect.

  • @theblacksun2355
    @theblacksun2355 3 місяці тому

    Thank you so much Steve! You are literally the source of endless inspiration for me and I’m sure for others🙏❤

  • @visulino
    @visulino 3 місяці тому +6

    I memorize some vocabulary and it works for me. Thanks.

  • @lillianbarker4292
    @lillianbarker4292 2 місяці тому

    Thank you! In my lifelong effort to learn Spanish and a recent trip to Mexico I noticed that I can clearly remember situations from decades ago when I learned phrases (buying tickets when my friend said “somos tres” for example). If I had to sort through my old grammar lesson memory I’d never get there. And now I can easily use somos in other situations.

  • @MrBritto1
    @MrBritto1 3 місяці тому +3

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Steve!

  • @biiauchann1736
    @biiauchann1736 3 місяці тому +5

    Always a pleasure to listen to Steve

  • @eavesdropenglish
    @eavesdropenglish 2 місяці тому +1

    Oh my gosh, I'm an English language teacher who grew up in an environment where people said, "Would have went." and "Should have went." I love that you used that example. My partner is also a language teacher and despite frequent corrections and my knowledge of grammar and modals, I STILL slip into this regional grammar usage.

  • @OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt
    @OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt 3 місяці тому +11

    I don't know who needs to hear this today but Duolingo teaches scripts in Arabic Chinese and Hebrew. This is essential.

    • @AdoreLanguage
      @AdoreLanguage 3 місяці тому +6

      This is probably the thing about Duolingo everyone can agree on.

    • @user-um3rq5sk3j
      @user-um3rq5sk3j 3 місяці тому +2

      Korean, Russian, Japanese too

    • @OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt
      @OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt 3 місяці тому +2

      @@user-um3rq5sk3j This is good!
      For me the simplest way to get any kind of word base in a language is to play on the Drops application.
      I knew it was a child that someday I'd be a world traveler but I had no idea that learning Russian scripts Russian words would be so easy.
      After that step Clozemaster gets your next through the door.
      Right here I would include links to Drops and Clozemaster but UA-cam
      SHADOW BLOCKS LINKS
      DOESNT ALLOW STICKER OR GIF
      UA-cam NEEDS TO GET WITH THE TIMES AND ALLOW US TO POST SCREENSHOTS!!

    • @KS-zb2yq
      @KS-zb2yq 3 місяці тому +7

      I do not know how about the other languages, but when it comes to arabic learning with doulingo- a lot of things there are not correct, especially when it comes to pronunciation. So don’t start with doulingo, you will learn the non correct things (I guess referring to Chinese and other languages the same problem ) - I would prefer other tools - especially for beginners

    • @lucassantossj
      @lucassantossj 3 місяці тому +2

      I'd not recommend it for Chinese script.

  • @jans724
    @jans724 3 місяці тому +5

    This is an amazing channel!! And you're work is very encouraging!!

  • @smoothbanana
    @smoothbanana 2 місяці тому +2

    I've always been a good speller, but I always had to write it down first. I would then look at it and know if it was right or wrong. I'm sure many people have similar experiences, whether it be music or dress sense. Once you've had enough meaningful interaction with something, you just know when something is off.

  • @rafalkaminski6389
    @rafalkaminski6389 3 місяці тому +2

    Knowing words helps to improve pronounce them simply by detecting while hearing them.

  • @user-bh3wz2sc9e
    @user-bh3wz2sc9e 3 місяці тому +9

    Мое почтение, уважаемый Стив! Дай Вам Бог здоровья!

  • @puhistagram
    @puhistagram 3 місяці тому +2

    Thanks for your great video Steve. Kiitos.

  • @paulwalther5237
    @paulwalther5237 3 місяці тому +3

    Great video. Now back to immersing.

  • @Spoken_Practice
    @Spoken_Practice 2 місяці тому

    Thanks for sharing tips and tricks about English Language

  • @benverret7968
    @benverret7968 3 місяці тому

    I also bought Lingualism's Levantine Arabic audiobooks and ebooks (I don't have the paper versions). I don't just listen and read them but I also write one sentence per day from the ebooks.
    I do it like a dictation. I use the ebooks to correct my mistakes.
    I find that by carefully writing down every sentence, I really “dig” the meaning (“dig” for the lack of a better word). Also, it has the added advantage of making a physical paper copy in my own handwriting. I read from it instead of reading the ebooks.

  • @inglesbrasuca
    @inglesbrasuca 3 місяці тому +3

    But Chomsky has never said we don't need to learn. The idea of instinct and innate ability we all have seems quite solid. Of course, we need to learn and expose ourselves. I think you're approaching different concepts.

  • @waziammm
    @waziammm 2 місяці тому

    Great video and tips! I would be interested in your tips when first starting on getting to a point where you have enough of a base learning to start more enjoyable activities to reinforce passive learning, or even when you have an early understanding ways to get to a better understanding so i can engage in more enjoyable activities. I'd also be interested in ideas of these more enjoyable activities, thanks.

  • @gerardopc1
    @gerardopc1 3 місяці тому +11

    Looking forward to learning Russian and German ❤🇷🇺🇩🇪

    • @Kender591
      @Kender591 3 місяці тому +1

      Beautiful languages

  • @TIG2MAN0
    @TIG2MAN0 3 місяці тому +1

    This is great advice, I'm currently working on Arabic. I'm learning classical so I can speak to anyone then I will work on local dialect depending on where I'm at in the world. So if learning has a lot to do with exposure would it be beneficial to learn words and phrases and listen to podcasts in Arabic to increase my exposure?

  • @RichardCoombes-zt1py
    @RichardCoombes-zt1py 3 місяці тому

    Yes - I like the idea of reading a variety of content to increase exposure to the same or related words, and approaching either a given text or the language learning process generally in a variety of ways. I like to listen both with and without the text in front of me, read slowly on LingQ, listen to audio at full speed, speak with natives, write messages on social media. I also really like Steve's comment about finding it harder to read non-Arabic words in Arabic script. I still trip over non-Russian or non-Ukrainian words in Cyrillic, and conversely, I just sit and stare at Russian or Ukrainian written in something other than Cyrillic.

  • @LA-wv6jo
    @LA-wv6jo 2 місяці тому +1

    I wasn't an emigrant but I learned English and my native language together because of the English courses, games and films. To this day, I remember the English alphabet better than in my language😅. And yes, I received many compliments about my reading skills.

  • @kimjohn4896
    @kimjohn4896 8 днів тому

    Haha “Vocabulary is power” Sir, you are absolutely right.
    When I felt bored studying vocabulary, my English teacher told me “Hey, living abroad is like living on a battlefield, and vocabularies are bullets. How could you survive without bullets?”

  • @rlevy2010
    @rlevy2010 3 місяці тому +1

    Steve, u are really the best! My life studying languages became thousands better after I started to apply your advice. Thank u so much!

  • @chibaneyoucef3248
    @chibaneyoucef3248 2 місяці тому

    Thank you for this great advice

  • @fatimahmakgatho8968
    @fatimahmakgatho8968 3 місяці тому

    Thank you for the guidance

  • @thiagoxaviersoutricolor8260
    @thiagoxaviersoutricolor8260 3 місяці тому +3

    Hello Stive it's sensational your video and i gonna learning more languages.

    • @PhysiKarlz
      @PhysiKarlz 3 місяці тому

      Corrected:
      Hello Steve, your video is sensational and I am going to learn more languages.

  • @federicosolanocon3068
    @federicosolanocon3068 2 місяці тому

    la disciplina y disfrutar un nuevo idioma me han ayudado más que la técnica. Algo cierto es que me gusta escuchar el nuevo idioma mucho aunque no lo entienda todavía.

  • @dancroitoru364
    @dancroitoru364 Місяць тому +1

    In Lacanian theory, the place in the mind where language is constantly maintained is the "unconscious". Some readers of Lacan say that the unconscious is a stage on which language snippets are constantly played (re-enacted) and conflicts in the chains of signification are resolved - much like a rebus machine. That would explain our inclination for prediction and our ability to spontaneously react (in language) to social situations.

  • @GenkoKenja
    @GenkoKenja 3 місяці тому +10

    “It is far more difficult for me to read a word written in the Arabic alphabet which is not a word…it might be a foreign word….”
    I can definitely relate to this with Japanese. Reading words in Katakana is sometimes a pain and I find it kind of a drag…it’s not because I don’t know Japanese, but it just clearly feels like borrowed words don’t belong to the language….because they don’t…they feel, no pun intended, foreign…. (Of course, Katakana is used for more than just borrowed words like onomatopoeias and emphasis)
    As far as low vs high frequency vocab, also feel high frequency is just as important as low frequency vocab…the way I see it is: if I find it in my reading or listening, chances are I’ll see it again.
    Exposure is always more important than rot memorization…but when you’re a beginner in a language that is extremely different to your own, anki just becomes a necessity to do it at least for very few words daily….but a learner has to be conscious enough to know when anki isn’t effective anymore…as nobody can learn an entire language, at some point anki needs to be dropped.
    After you’re advanced enough, you will pick up new words from context and sometimes you can even infer the meaning based on the context and won’t even need to look it up.

    • @paulwalther5237
      @paulwalther5237 3 місяці тому +2

      At least the katakana kind of clues you in that it's a loan word.

    • @GenkoKenja
      @GenkoKenja 3 місяці тому +2

      @@paulwalther5237 True, but that’s only the case with Katakana… I also read and watch a lot of stuff with Sino Japanese in it since I also like the chinese culture……in there they have nouns made up of just kanji which when you read it it just feels weird, and sometimes some nouns just appear in the dictionary as the way you refer to something in the chinese culture..so it’s very specific…but my point is that it’s not just Katakana used to describe things of different cultures.
      a lot of times such content does have furigana…but not always…also sometimes you see kanji used for names of people but in “furigana” they have an entirely different pronunciation in katakana that would not be how you would read that character at all…at least it’s not common onyomi for that character, but instead it’s the actual chinese pronunciation of that character or group of characters (I know as I watch donghua/CDramas with Chinese audio and Japanese subs so when they say the name it matches what the reading is in the subs for that kanji)
      I do think katakana is a blessing because while I was a beginner it made it easier to remember a lot of words that sounded similar to english…I didn’t really have to use anki for such words. But now I honestly just wish Japanese had less borrowed words (like, say, Chinese…..where they have a word for everything. It’s more to memorize, but in the end all words feel like they belong to the language)

    • @ekaptsv
      @ekaptsv 3 місяці тому +2

      the same story with Thai language 😅

    • @ridleyroid9060
      @ridleyroid9060 3 місяці тому +1

      I am just starting to learn Japanese and knowing when I have enough to try and expose myself to Japanese media without being overwhelmed is a balancing act.
      I opened up monster hunter portable 3rd for example and found tons of Kanji I dont recognize, overall, fairly overwhelming! I guess I should start with basic graded reader stories, or an anki vocab deck first.

    • @paulwalther5237
      @paulwalther5237 3 місяці тому +1

      @@ridleyroid9060 Japanese was painfully slow for me but my addiction to anime saw me through 😂. I think both the graded reader and Anki are good ideas. I hear good things about Satori reader. I got started by taking classes.

  • @josephstar6728
    @josephstar6728 3 місяці тому +4

    Love from Pakistan🇵🇰! Sir, I highly admire your patience and consistency with the languages. Can't wait to see you start hindi. Learning hindi will give you extra advantage to understand my native language urdu, since both languages are mutually intelligible and both pakistanis and Indians can communicate with each other without any difficulty.

    • @candidfellow
      @candidfellow 2 місяці тому

      you should learn Chinese because China Pakistan Zindabad

  • @xdarie0
    @xdarie0 2 місяці тому

    I feel a motivated for learn more words and improve my skills in this language I to consume more videos in english , podcast and I listen many songs

  • @user-ni4xq9zh7k
    @user-ni4xq9zh7k 3 місяці тому

    Good morning Steve, I really enjoyed your talk, and I shared it with my wife, a former pre-school teacher who is always interested in language formation in young children. I was drawn to your content because I am almost 72 years old and I'm trying to learn German. I recently watched a German language show on Netflix, once with subtitles in German and once with subtitles in English. I was planning to watch it again, maybe a couple of times (as well as watching other German language shows). I was wondering if you had any suggestions re: using subtitles? Thanks in advance, Mike

    • @PhysiKarlz
      @PhysiKarlz 3 місяці тому

      Try to listen as much as possible without subtitles in the original language. Rewind and turn subtitles on if you missed something. Once you have understood, turn subtitles back off.

  • @JeanWashington-cb5ph
    @JeanWashington-cb5ph 3 місяці тому +1

    INTERESTING about difficulty reading non-Arabic words written in Arabic. I find the same thing with Greek. A word like cellotape( on Hary Potter's glasses). written in Greek letters totally stumped me, whereas I can read real Greek words with ease, even if I don't know what they mean.

  • @mike12489
    @mike12489 3 місяці тому +1

    This is wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing. I consider myself lucky to do well in many subjects, but despite many years of language-learning as a hobby, I've never reached a level of success I could be proud of -- or rather, I've found that measurable success only occurs over very long periods of time. I'm increasingly convinced of what you said here, that exposure (over a period of time) is a more effective component than lessons and drills. Thank you so much for the wisdom and encouraging words.

  • @Joseph_Hovsep
    @Joseph_Hovsep 3 місяці тому

    Thank you Mr Steve

  • @brancofuller9878
    @brancofuller9878 2 місяці тому

    this video changed me in a positive way :)

  • @josephm3966
    @josephm3966 2 місяці тому +1

    How do you immerse yourself in the language to begin with though? If you only know a few phrases and words how can you watch TV etc in that language and get anything from it? I'm learning arabic as well BTW

  • @sherlockhomeless7138
    @sherlockhomeless7138 2 місяці тому

    4:23 My dutch niece still does this. She says 'valde' instead of 'viel' ('falled' instead of 'fell')

  • @jimmyxflare7347
    @jimmyxflare7347 3 місяці тому +2

    well said as always

  • @saiminayatullah6620
    @saiminayatullah6620 3 місяці тому +7

    Studying words in isolation does work, though. This is widely known and accepted among experienced language learners. You learn incomparably faster when you combine deliberate learning with naturalistic methods.

    • @KnightOfEternity13
      @KnightOfEternity13 3 місяці тому +2

      Does work? Yes. More effective? Here I have to disagree though.

    • @saiminayatullah6620
      @saiminayatullah6620 3 місяці тому +1

      @@KnightOfEternity13 People who use purely naturalistic methods consistently get worse results than people who mix it with deliberate learning strategies. Even Kaufmann himself used a more balanced approach when he learned his core languages that he is fluent in.

  • @thomasde4573
    @thomasde4573 3 місяці тому

    I think what you said about consuming a great variety of content to make learning languages effective and enjoyable is correct. But I think that is only true once you have reached a certain level, e.g. B1. When I only have A1 or A2 level in a language, I find vocabulary drills a necessary and efficient duty to learn the basic vocabulary. I find example sentences related to the vocabularies also very useful. Furthermore, pronunciation audio and possibly images for each vocabulary are useful in my opinion.

  • @jinxie712
    @jinxie712 2 місяці тому

    Been watching shows/movies with Spanish subtitles. Only thing is that you might get the same phrase subtitled different ways. Was thinking okay it’s context. But then you’d get it when a person repeats themself.

  • @kombathistory3260
    @kombathistory3260 3 місяці тому

    Very helpful, thanks

  • @omarochoa5029
    @omarochoa5029 2 місяці тому

    Hey Steve you are a great person

  • @VULCAN1135
    @VULCAN1135 2 місяці тому

    Very good video Steve

  • @wilsonlv137
    @wilsonlv137 3 місяці тому

    Makes a lot of sense. The LLM like GPT is trained just by predicting next word with given context. They don't know any grammar and yet they can master language like any human being. Maybe our brain works the same way? I don't know but this is definitely intriguing.

    • @PhysiKarlz
      @PhysiKarlz 3 місяці тому

      That is how the brain and ChatGPT start to work after repeating the learning exercises.

  • @user-nu4be8qx1p
    @user-nu4be8qx1p 3 місяці тому +2

    6:31
    The dominant hemisphere processes language, it is the left hemisphere in 97% of cases. Visuospatial skills such as mental rotation or perception of faces seem more linked to the right hemisphere, while processes involved in numbering involve the left hemisphere more than the right.

    • @Dan.50
      @Dan.50 3 місяці тому

      What's that got to do with price of Kangaroos in Madagascar??

    • @user-nu4be8qx1p
      @user-nu4be8qx1p 3 місяці тому

      @@Dan.50 everything

  • @user-gy4qp3nf1s
    @user-gy4qp3nf1s 2 місяці тому

    Thank U. Steve

  • @dimitrispetrovas9381
    @dimitrispetrovas9381 3 місяці тому

    Amazing advices! Insightful and open-minding. Learning from Steve Kaufmann about language learning is probably similar to learn about physics from Einstein.

  • @CDRKto
    @CDRKto 3 місяці тому +1

    Is it possible, to find Monsieur Botilieaú??

  • @fatahtani7886
    @fatahtani7886 4 дні тому

    Arabic has a very regular writing system when diacritics is used, however without diacritics is highly ambiguous because those diacritic marks are for all short vowels, which are only three but of high grammatical value.
    any learner should read text and learn words with diacritic marks first then the context will solve any issues later when the core vocabulary and grammar are acquired.

  • @richardshepler2047
    @richardshepler2047 3 місяці тому

    That does it! I’ve quit learning the seven languages I was working on….. is it still April 1?

  • @shazzbotz
    @shazzbotz 2 місяці тому

    Reading Loanwords in korean is also extremely challenging. Once I realize this probably isn't a korean word I have to verbalize it for my ears to recognize what the word is!

  • @StillAliveAndKicking_
    @StillAliveAndKicking_ 3 місяці тому +3

    This is a very interesting and informative video. It does raise some questions. For example, Steven Kaufmann is the language equivalent of a star NHL player. Would a beginner skater wish to copy the methods used by a star NHL player?

    • @mellamanborrego8299
      @mellamanborrego8299 3 місяці тому

      Trying to play like a pro right away isn't smart. Following a pro's advice for beginners might be. Especially when the pro is furnishing science that seems to apply generally to all humans, not just pros.

    • @StillAliveAndKicking_
      @StillAliveAndKicking_ 3 місяці тому

      @@mellamanborrego8299 There are many that claim that Chomsky’s ideas are science. I do happen to believe, based on reading about the subject, that Stephen Krashen is on the right track, though I’m not sure how convincing the evidence is.

  • @gamingwithpurg3anarchy157
    @gamingwithpurg3anarchy157 3 місяці тому +1

    Even when I do have the words I sometimes can't understand. Often.. actually

  • @renannv912
    @renannv912 2 місяці тому

    Thanks Steve 👏

  • @JustIzzan
    @JustIzzan 2 місяці тому

    this makes so much sense

  • @Rudolphhhhhh
    @Rudolphhhhhh 3 місяці тому +1

    Dear Mr. Kaufman. I think I read a mistake in French subtitles at 12:32. I think the translation of "eventually" is not "éventuellement", but "finalement". But I may be wrong myself.

  • @BlackCodeMath
    @BlackCodeMath 2 місяці тому

    A very rich discussion of this.

  • @hamishmackinnon2231
    @hamishmackinnon2231 3 місяці тому

    I've been studying Dutch for almost six years, and have just started learning German. I also have a very limited knowledge of some other foreign languages. If you want to acquire the
    essential vocabulary in a foreign language, I can give you the following advice
    - Everyone has a very good audio memory, as you know all the words to a number of your favourite songs. So you can pick up the basics of a foreign language, by repeatedly watching
    youtube videos. But what youtube videos should you watch?
    - If you want to learn a romance language (French, Spanish, etc) or a Germanic language (Dutch, German, etc) it'll have a number of 'false friends', words that appear to have the same
    meaning as in English, but actually means something completely different. So you should start learning your preferred language, by watching youtube videos, on the subject of false
    friends.
    - To ensure that you don't cause offence, the next youtube videos I'd advise you to study, should be on the subject of swearwords, so you know the words that you shouldn't use.
    - Then you should watch youtube videos about the alphabet of the language you want to learn, so you know how to pronounce it properly.
    - There are six levels of language learning, from A1 to C2. If you're starting to learn a foreign language, you should be focused on the A1 and A2 level. Learning a language to A2 level
    requires a vocabulary of only 1, 500 words. If you've been watching videos about false friends, swearwords and the alphabet, you'll have acquired some of this essential vocabulary.
    Then you should watch youtube videos on the subject of A1/A2 vocabulary in general, to learn all the other words that are essential, for basic communication.
    - Studying grammar is also important, for learning a new language. But if you already have learnt the essential vocabulary, then learning the grammar will obviously be a lot easier.

  • @hhachatz
    @hhachatz 3 місяці тому +1

    Thanks!

  • @evamariacastromartos4541
    @evamariacastromartos4541 Місяць тому

    I enjoying learning new words listening MUSE's songs

  • @Garow-ur7gz
    @Garow-ur7gz 3 місяці тому

    Absolutely true , master,the goat , great video Steve

  • @StillAliveAndKicking_
    @StillAliveAndKicking_ 3 місяці тому +10

    My problem is that listening to input does not teach me the details. I learn to understand that ‘Ich fahre’ means I drive, but when I want to use it, I can’t remember if it’s Ich fahre or Ich fährt or whatever. Flash cards help teach me the details.

    • @Deutsch-um6rt
      @Deutsch-um6rt 3 місяці тому

      Strange, but I think it depends on your native language partially at least. I never had problems with German verb conjugation but the only novel thing for me (and a hard one too) was the distinction between ihr (you to a group of “du”s) and Sie (“you” used with a stranger OR a group of strangers). So, habt ihr vs haben Sie was really a pain in my language learning ass

  • @krusriyad8267
    @krusriyad8267 3 місяці тому

    Thank you so much

  • @M0du5Pwn3n5
    @M0du5Pwn3n5 3 місяці тому +2

    The second myth is not actually a myth. It is absolutely true that the huge amount of language data children acquire drives most of language acquisition, but correction is actually very common.
    The idea that correction is uncommon has been taken basically for granted in linguistics for decades (ironically mostly to support Chomsky's arguments about universal grammar), but more recent research that actually collected large corpora of child-directed speech discovered that correction is actually pervasive. It's so common and normalized that people don't even realize how often they do it.
    That said, Chomsky's universal grammar theory is not so stupid that he didn't realize that certain things are correct in some languages and not others.

    • @Thelinguist
      @Thelinguist  3 місяці тому

      How do you explain that children of immigrants, if they are young enough, just naturally learn from their peers,. You think all of their errors can be corrected by teachers?

    • @M0du5Pwn3n5
      @M0du5Pwn3n5 3 місяці тому

      @@Thelinguist Definitely not.
      The point isn't that correction is necessary. It clearly isn't. And Chomsky's argument about "poverty of the stimulus" has always been very silly. It's easy to explain how data leads children to expectations that are subverted by further data - no correction necessary to obtain negative evidence.
      BUT it is just a fact that correction is also pretty common. Actual data collection shows it is substantially more common than Chomsky et al insisted.

    • @Deutsch-um6rt
      @Deutsch-um6rt 3 місяці тому

      lol I’ll go ahead and tell you that my parents are Turks and I grew up in Russia since the age 1 and ironically me and my siblings were the ones to correct our parents and get pissed when they mispronounced words when reading us fairytales in Russian.
      Now looking back I think of that moment when teachers would praise me for writing waaay more correct than other (Russian) kids, although my 2 other siblings were more like other kids in the class. And then I used to read our Russian literature textbook at home about poets and their brief bio (2 pages) and then to my and my Russian teacher’s surprise I started reciting them by heart word for word(!). She’d knock on the door whenever I had another class and take me to parallel classes, put me in front of a whole class and have me recite any bio kids would select from the book and I’d recite it.
      Funny thing is, that was the case when I learned effortlessly but after I was pleased by all these applause, I wanted to do the same with other textbooks, like history for example, since I loved this subject too. And it didn’t work! What worked many time on its own did NOT work when I was trying to learn the texts deliberately. But I digressed.
      So, yes, I am someone who wasn’t exposed to the language at home and still managed to learn it better than my “native” peers. So, there was no way my mom or dad would correct us 😅

  • @user-nk6pf3hk6k
    @user-nk6pf3hk6k 3 місяці тому

    I use flashcards, when I meet completely new words for me. When I watched this video, I did't meet such words at all. There might be videos with a lot of rare words and idioms.

  • @assaourimouhmed6776
    @assaourimouhmed6776 3 місяці тому +2

    Love ❤from morocco

  • @cherubin7th
    @cherubin7th 3 місяці тому +4

    Any form of prediction, including a quiz activates it and triggers learning when failed to recall it. But reading or speaking costs each a lot of time to look up the word. And if I don't look it up it just gets nowhere.

  • @mercedestamayomoreno9198
    @mercedestamayomoreno9198 3 місяці тому

    Totally agree.

  • @PowerfulRift
    @PowerfulRift 3 місяці тому +3

    I’m currently learning Brazilian Portuguese. 🇧🇷

    • @rl3730
      @rl3730 3 місяці тому

      Aí sim companheiro
      That's good decision

    • @lucassantossj
      @lucassantossj 3 місяці тому

      Bons estudos e boa sorte!

    • @candidfellow
      @candidfellow 2 місяці тому

      Portugal Portuguese is better and official

    • @lucassantossj
      @lucassantossj 2 місяці тому

      @@candidfellow my brother in Christ, just no... And the only official thing is the writing, which is shared, not the speech.

  • @Henry21hd
    @Henry21hd 25 днів тому

    I've just started working as a chinese traductor at chinese company in my country, how can adquire fast all the new vocabulary that need in my job?

  • @klarailyass
    @klarailyass 2 місяці тому

    Я получила ответ из данного видео материала на свой вопрос, "как Вы запоминаете слова?" Спасибо

  • @user-nata-tata
    @user-nata-tata Місяць тому

    Дякую за ваші знання

  • @senshtatulo
    @senshtatulo 3 місяці тому +9

    Steve, I think you have misunderstood Chomsky's universal grammar. It's not that every child automatically knows what's correct or not (which is obviously false), but rather that every child has an innate set of grammatical possibilities from which to choose those that are most likely to fit the language he is learning. This means that he has a very restricted set of options from which to build his own internal grammar.
    Something I discovered is that everybody reinvents the language he is learning, whether it's his first or not. He creates a version of the language which is unique to himself, although extremely similar to those of other speakers of the same language. I accept as evidence of this reinvention the rebracketing of some words, e.g., "a napron" to "an apron" or "a nadder" to "an adder".

    • @thefunbunns
      @thefunbunns 3 місяці тому

      If each child creates Grammer that is completely unique, as you stated, similar but different, then it means that there are no predetermined grammatical rules. If such rules were in place then the grammatical understandings would be identical or nearly impossible to differentiate.

  • @KacperMazur-fn7gv
    @KacperMazur-fn7gv 2 місяці тому

    Can recommend channels like this?

  • @randomenia
    @randomenia 2 місяці тому +1

    I'm speak spanish for if someone wanna learn and I wanna learn English , Say for practice , sorry for my mistake

  • @carvalhoquibato2084
    @carvalhoquibato2084 2 місяці тому +1

    Big steve👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿