I'm planning to buy this and have been waiting for you to share the discount. Would you recommend purchasing the entire six-part set for $395? I was initially going to buy the beginner's Spanish course for $97, but I thought I should pause and get your opinion first.
@@michaelsager5688 I used the Story Learning courses for German and Russian, my personal advice is clear A1 with text books or whatever method you use first. I tried it as a complete beginner for Russian and found myself struggling. I bought a well known text book for beginners in Russian, came back and had a much easier time clearing all 3 currently available Russian courses.
Ah... it really depends on you and what you want and your financial situation etc. If you get the exntire six part set (which is theoretically the best value), then maybe just set a reminder for a few days before the money back period in case it turns out to be not what you want. You might notice that these days the videos just draw people's attention to it rather than specifically recommending them because the courses vary a bit in quality depending on the language. The Spanish ones are pretty good in my opinion, but it would be wise to be skeptical of someone's "opinion" when they stand to make money from you buying it. In short: I'm not a neutral source, but I do think the Spanish ones are good. If you buy it and you DON'T think it's good, I'd want you to get your money back.
I'm learning Danish and every time i hear Norwegian i want to cry 😂 its basically the same (Bokmål) but so much clearer. But if i learnt Norwegian instead of danish my Danish wife would revert to her ansestral ways and kill me with an Ax 😂
I’m very sorry you need to learn Danish. You’re right, but that is also because of the way she is speaking. There are tons of dialects and in the south they would sound more similar to Danish, unfortunately. ¡Saludos!
How Ilys became fluent: Find genuine motivation Listen to the language all the time Repeat reading and listening Learn words by writing sentences containing those words
That's what I do as well... Most people are to lazy to write anything though. And most adult learners aren't aware of how long it takes to learn a language and give up very early.
@@daysandwords😂😂 I like this video. Keep it up man, I had a similar journey learning Persian. Kept up for nearly 4 years now and have attained quite a good level at it. The only way to go about is through lots of input and also a lot of speaking practice once you have a high level of comprehension. But the thing is people are so used to the traditional method, even when you tell them the scientifically endorsed method to learn languages they'll tell you uhmmm it'll take too much time, no thanks!!
To the people leaving inelegant comments about her repeated use of “like”. This is a verbal tick that some native speakers also have, this does not demonstrate in any way that she is bad at learning the language; in context it might just mean she was stressed during the interview. Quite the opposite, bad language learners will never immerse themselves enough to pick up these “bad habits” and idiomatic filler words. It can also be fixed rather quickly once she notices it.
I think she was speaking about things that most people never ask her about. A lot of people are proud of their ability to not say "like", but that's essentially because they have a bunch of memorised scripts rather than actually trying to communicate thoughts and feelings in a way that will make the other person genuinely understand.
@@daysandwords that is so true. I still do this in English (Native) "like, umm"' And in Japanese, if there's a nuanced idea or way of describing that I wanna express there's basically no way I can without saying あの (ano) in between words
The proficient use of discourse markers such as 'well', 'you know', 'I mean', 'like' and so on (and their equivalents in other languages) are key indicators of fluency. The academic literature in the field of conversation analysis reveals that these words and expressions are not meaningless fillers, but are actually highly nuanced and they serve a variety of interactional functions. These things do not need to be 'fixed' for mundane daily conversation. In fact, they should be encouraged.
I'm the same way where I was obsessed with languages from a young age. However, despite taking Spanish for 6 years, I can't really speak any today. My first language I studied intensely was French, and it was exactly like you described where it was like a switch flipped and I was spending 4 or 5 hours a day on it to the point where I started neglecting other things. What made the biggest difference was that I became obsessed with Quebec, and so I wanted to learn more about it and started watching québécois youtubers in French, which I didn't realize at the time was actually what got me to the point of fluency. I wasn't deliberately doing an input-based method, I was just following my passion and doing things that kept me excited about the language.
Ily's story of learning English in school and from her parents reminded me of my experience even learning English as my native language. I remember having to try so hard as a little kid to understand what adults were saying to me and trying to learn my letters and read in English for the first time sitting in the living room with my mom, struggling to read even a few words in Dick and Jane or Hop on Pop. I clearly remember the stress and mental strain of my young brain doing its best to comprehend the letters and remembering what they sound like. I would get so frustrated when I couldn't quite get a word right. I think it's disingenuous when people say that language learning "comes easily" for children. Learning a new language, especially for little kids who are born with no inherent language at all, is just as difficult but they are pretty much forced to learn something to communicate with their parents and others around them. When I was learning Japanese for the first time, it really reminded me of learning to read as a 4 year old again. Stumbling over the words, not knowing what many words meant, and not knowing how to pronounce new sounds. It was that same mental strain, feeling like I couldn't think any harder. That effort though paid off and eventually reading Japanese became just as second nature as reading English as my brain adapted to the new system. At any age, everyone will have to work hard to push through that initial incomprehensible beginner wall. As they say, no pain no gain.
Whoa, just yesterday or the day before I had rewatched the video you made about her video and I had wondered if she had seen your video or if you had communicated with her, and now today there's this.
My first self-taught language is German (took me over 2 years). It is interesting to see how some of us had to go through all the 5 stages of grief with our first language. Now that I am learning Swedish, it feels so much simpler and more beautiful that sometimes I want to cry
I have to tell my students essentially the same thing. When my students (or their parents) ask me how long it took me to learn Swedish, I do not tell them in years, I tell them hundreds and thousands of hours. If they ask me how I learned, I tell them but with they understanding that they most likely won't do it. I usually preface it with, it was a perfect storm with COVID. It was socially acceptable to spend all day at home reading and listening to Swedish (and Norwegian and German). I read well over 200 adult novels in 2 years while understanding almost nothing at first. If people can do that, they will have no choice but to learn, but will they? Probably not. So the question for my students then is okay, what can we commit to and follow through on it.
Motivation is key for her. Thank you for sharing that video of hers- I took notes on it, and yes it is the most detailed single video on langauge learning I've ever seen. And I've watched perhaps 100 lang. learning videos, mostly from polyglots.
Great video, Lamont and Ilys! I agree with Ilys on the Grammar front. I think it helps to give some basic grammar instruction in snippets pretty early on (maybe not before getting into input). It can massively speed up the process of benefitting from the large amount of input, especially basic syntax, conjugation of important words like to be or to have.
Wow! I love what you’ve done with the channel! The intro music and animation were very exciting, and I am enjoying the interview as well. I just started watching the video, but I wanted to take a moment to commend you on a job well done in evolving your channel.
No no - so, this is going to sound really weird but I promise you it's a real thing (it's happened multiple times before): In the UA-cam studio, you see all the comments lined up by most recent (unless you want them in a different order). But sometimes, for some bizarre reason, it literally puts the wrong avatar and profile name against the comment... it does the same thing on videos sometimes, so I might get a comment that appears to be on one video that is actually on an entirely different video. If you refresh the page or go back and then come back in or something, it generally sorts itself out, but your comment appeared under the profile and username of Couchpolyglot - who is a friend, and her name is Laura... Now if "she" had said "LAMONT BUDDY, how's it bloody goin'?" - then I'd have known it was a mistake, but because of the nature of your comment, I just figured it really was her... and that's the long and boring explanation for why you got called "Laura".
Ilys’ methods / tips really resonate with me - i’ve been learning slovene for just over a year now, and i have a genuine passion for the language, i adore it and the music it has created, and in the summers i’ve learnt it through i was unintentionally doing as Ilys explained, but now as i’ve entered my third year of university i’m really struggling with the balance of work and slovene and i feel like i’ve been ripped from a part of me, as i have to focus on my degree, and i must learn how to juggle the urge to learn with the need to get a diploma !! aaaaaahh !
Hey just wondering what do you use to learn slovene? I've really used google translate to learn languages as it is really good in context, but it doesn't read out loud slovene translate so i don't know how to pronounce things in slovene.
Finding genuine motivation is so important, I feel like it is key to connect emotionally with the language. As an enthusiast of the comprehensible input method, I find listening super important too and what has personally helped me the most (I think) is music. It combines listening, repeating and it is connected to emotions, so it is perfect to help you learn while also having fun :)
Like a GPU is different than a CPU, the language center learns in a very different way than the way "we" learn. Language is essentially too complex to learn consciously. But - the complicated tangle of rules and exceptions which confuse the conscious brain feel quite natural and obvious to the language centers. Don't forget: you already have specialized hardware specifically adapted to language!
This is a really good point. Thanks for saying that. The brain has it's method of decoding patterns and maybe laying too much grammar over the top, just interrupts the process. I feel like it should help somewhat to speed things up to be a tiny bit consciously aware of the rules. Like learning vocabulary, I think we can speed it up a bit with some memorization (in context). I don't spend enough time doing extensive (as opposed to intensive) reading and listening. Looking everything up doesn't give the brain a chance to suss it out, but I find the temptation difficult to resist.
I can not get enough of Ilys. She has so many good techniques and gems. I bet that being an actress is related and helpful. She probably has a good ear for mimicking texts. And I love how she said she was memorizing Norwegian text while waiting on the set. It was like she was memorizing a new script. There is a Turkish guy on UA-cam who learns English by printing out the script of sitcoms (like Friends) or chatty vlogs/podcasts and sort of acts it out while mimicking the actors. Remember how Madonna moved to England and starting speaking with an English accent? People made fun of her pretentiousness and fakeness. But I thought it was probably because she is a singer and has a good ear for things like that. I think it is a sign she would be good at learning languages even though she may still be pretentious and fake. lol. But I'm not an actress. I need to figure out if this method works for me or if there some way I can adapt it to my own strengths, whatever those are. lol
I’ve read a lot of language acquisition research and my interpretation of the research is that everyone learns language the same way. We’re all different but we all learn languages the same way because learning languages is an innate capability at least for neurotypical people. Also, I know several people who have extensively studied French grammar for years and only one of them speaks it well. In fact, in my experience, the more someone studies grammar the worse they speak the language.
"I’ve read a lot of language acquisition research and my interpretation of the research is that everyone learns language the same way. We’re all different but we all learn languages the same way because learning languages is an innate capability at least for neurotypical people." Yes, and you can cut out the "neurotypical" people. Humans. It's an instinct just as it's an instinct for the bird to fly.
She seems to have a strong drive to learn Norwegian so she can adapt better, as she mentioned. That kind of motivation isn’t always easy to find, especially when it comes to learning a third or even fourth language. A lot of people struggle with it, and it’s even harder without a supportive environment where the language is used regularly in daily life. It makes me wonder, though-how much of this is about personal determination, and how much is about access to resources or opportunities? I’d love to hear your thoughts or any suggestions on how to improve this perspective further
I think it is hard to generate that motivation. One way I can think of is scheduling a trip to the country. And the goal doesn't always have to be to get fluent. With French I keep telling myself that A2 or B1 is sufficient for me. I don't need to know any more than just getting by on vacations and having basic chit chat conversations. idk
Muy buen vídeo, es cierto que si hacemos todo lo que ella hizo podemos hablar el nuevo idioma pero también es cierto que no todos lo harán . El tema es que Lemont enseña cómo aprender solos, y ella da clases, entonces se enfrenta a diferente tipos de circunstancias, y aunque la gramática no sea lo más importante, le da estructura y sentido a un cerebro que al principio pueda estarse resistiendo a aprender. Me encantan estos vídeos pues son muy sinceros y directos. Gracias Lemont…..
This discussion is another example of the implicit, random subconscious learning of whole sentences etc. vs. explicit planned conscious learning of words, aMany language researchers discuss this, generally support implicit subconscious technique, but they differ on using explicit, old school (!) academic technique either minority of time & resource materials, or not at all.
It's so interesting on how some things just sound right even when you're not good at the language. I'm learning German, not even that actively only a little in school and I watch the occasional video in German I was much more into it before but still I'm not good at speaking it at all but sometimes a word for example just feels like it is has the masculine gender or it is feminine or whatever but like idk what it means but I know what gender it is and how to conjugate it it just sounds right
Yeah it sounds right because you've heard it before. When it sounds really really really wrong the other way, it's because you've heard it lots the right way. I have a friend who lives in Sweden, who hasn't had as much input as I have, and she and I were discussing how I'm able to reverse the word order in a subclause when she never remembers to... and I basically just say "I've heard too much Swedish to get it wrong."
I need to keep telling myself to continue to learn what I want to learn. I keep thinking that I should go back to other languages because people use them more... but I don't want to leave Mandarin right now. I don't have a ton of time every day, and the learning is slow. Still, I am enthralled with it right now. I am just not feeling French (my first language) or Spanish (the language I used in school). I do have a small bug for Japanese (my adult language for 7 years), but Mandarin is what I keep going back to. I have books in all of these (and English), and keep going to my Mandarin books. So, I need to stop fighting this. Thank you for this interview. True. I will stick with Mandarin unless I have a feeling for the other languages again.
@@daysandwords Yeah, yesterday's short was such a tease. I was super sad when I realized it was a short! lol. I'm so glad you came out with the longer one the next day! lol. You gotta do what you gotta do for the algorithm I guess! lol.
22:37 it happens to me too! My native language is spanish. I work for an American company. If in a work meeting I have a native english speaker and an english intermediate speaker. I'll talks as usual to the native speaker. But if I have to talk to the intermediate speaker my brain glitches and I would only use the same level as my coworker!
Perhaps Ms. Ilys was Norwegian in past life? Normandy region was settled by Norwegian.&’ Danish Vikings.Some later invaded & occupied England. for 200 years,
It's funny you say that, because I've been trying to work out if I might be related to a friend of mine who's Swiss... she looks INSANELY like my mum's side of the family, and we do actually have some roots in Switzerland... but it's SO far back that it's difficult to find anything at all.
🌈🌈🌈 I prefer to read short compelling stories in my foreign languages. Some of these methods depends on your level in your languages. I don't find movies in my target languages eye appealing or interested enough for me to learn through them. I also need some comprehensible input in my learning or acquiring. Unless you are at a real high level in your languages, reading whole novels, or books is just too overwhelming, plus I will probably get too bored if the story or book isnt good enough, and I probably don't finish the book. 🌈🌈🌈 I do some of these already. I like to record my own material, then re- listen to that material many times. I do a lot of repetition in my languages. I also need or use visuals through UA-cam videos. I use a lot of translations to make it more comprehensible.🌈🌈🌈 🌈🌈🌈 I have a mindset that tells me, reading whole books or novels should be read by native speakers only of that language🌈🌈🌈.
We absolutely loved this interview-thank you for sharing it! 😊 We've also been following Ilys on UA-cam and Instagram for a while, and we really admire her teaching style. Her honesty and simplicity in explaining concepts make learning so approachable and enjoyable! As fellow online teachers and language enthusiasts, we share her passion for effective teaching. One of the things we cherish most about our work is the opportunity to offer personalised 1:1 lessons, so that we can focus entirely on each individual student and their unique learning journey. J&M
ohhhh ok, my bad, I didn't know, although I have no idea what is that "Lo quiero" from the spider-verse. I stopped watching spiderman stuff since The incredible spiderman.
OH DUDE... I HATE ALLLLLLL SPIDERMAN... really I do. Lamest crap ever. But "Spider-verse" is not Spider-man. I was super lucky that I ever even saw it. It was only because we needed a PG movie while we were on holiday and that's what was showing... my son and I have both become superfans, and the sequel is even better. Seriously... it's really NOT Spider-man in the way you're thinking. Please check it out.
That's kind of funny but makes sense, since you were expecting los instead of lo (understandably) you interpreted it as "los" with a reduced s sound, hence caribbean accent
She said she doesn't really know, but estimates maybe 5 hours. But that was the Covid time and she had really high motivation because of moving there. It seems like people don't like to answer that question, but I like to know the answer because if I take decades to learn a language, it makes me feel better, because it doesn't (necessarily) mean I'm not capable of learning- I'm just not putting in the same amount of time.
I like grammar. I find it's a great shortcut to learning. You could listen to 10,000 German sentences to understand the German definite and indefinite article declensions. Or you could write them out a few times and learn them in an hour. So yes, everyone is different.
But language is an instinct, and in this, no one is different. Everyone is human and languages must be learned on an instinctive level, or they've not been learned.
She said something important towards the end of the video: we're all different. Also, as much as I understand the importance of comprehensible input, what’s with all this grammarphobia that has been spreading lately? For example, if you need to start speaking the language in a relatively short amount of time (for whatever reason), there’s no way you can do it without understanding how it works. I’m not a child acquiring my first language; there are certain things I know about how a language works, AND I enjoy studying a bit of grammar, so why not?
"Also, as much as I understand the importance of comprehensible input, what’s with all this grammarphobia that has been spreading lately?" I'm not a spreader of grammarphobia. The thing is: Humans are different in WHAT they like to do. But they are not different in how they learn languages. Languages are an instinct the same as being hungry or being attracted to people. No one is like "Oh yeah, it's good that YOU'RE hungry but I don't like to eat, so I don't." Any language you speak fluently is eventually learned by instinct. If learning some grammar rules makes it faster for you to acquire that instinct, then OK... but that doesn't make the grammar rules a substitute for the instinct. Just as doing leg exercises may make it possible for you to run more so that you can become a faster runner... but the leg exercises themselves are not running and are not a replacement for it.
@@daysandwords But what they like to do is not an irrelevant detail! If someone enjoys grammar more than reading a fairy tale in a graded reader, they should spend a lot of time doing grammar until they realise what might be missing in their approach. And for those who hate grammar, yes, grammar is not necessary, but it can be really helpful. Sometimes, an explanation can clear up confusion that would have lingered if you had just kept listening and reading. Today I read Colin Gorrie's guide to his new book, Ōsweald Bera. He's a huge proponent of natural language acquisition, but here's what he says about grammar: "...sometimes having an explicit knowledge of what is going on with the language grammatically can be helpful. For one, learning what’s out there - what forms nouns can take, what forms verbs can take, etc. - can actually help your comprehension. Knowing which word in the sentence is the verb, based on an ending you learned from a chart, can sometimes help you unlock the meaning of the sentence". "Any language you speak fluently is eventually learned by instinct". Is it learned by instinct or does it become instinctive?
This has to be the most INSPIRING linguistic interview i have ever seen in my entire life. Its so refreshing to see 2 linguists have different but also similar experiences with some of the Nordic languages. Mostly because i feel other linguists over emphasize the mutual intelligibility aspect of Scandinavian languages. a sort of: learning one gives you all 3! which never made any sense to me given my boyfriend is Norwegian, and they had to take classes in Swedish and danish during grade school, which should emphasize this fact even more, given they are - after all - all native speakers, gradeschool be damned... Always kinda felt like the sort of misconception that could really hurt someone who wants to learn - for example - danish, because of its difficult pronunciation. Wrongfully thinking Swedish or Norwegian is an "easier root" to the "same destination" or maybe someone who wants to get into Norwegian black metal, but doesn't want to deal with learning dialects bordering on different languages in their own right! or someone LOVES Swedish crime dramas, but there are more convenient Norwegian/Danish classes nearby ETC ETC. I mean you said it best yourself: Learn the language YOU WANT TO LEARN. Huzzah to that!
There's a deleted bit on my channel members where we talk about the fact that both of us struggle to understand the other language. We'd be fine with context but... then, I'd be fine with German too. Context is king. One day I might do a "part 3" with Ilys where we speak all 4 languages: English, French, Norwegian and Swedish.
@@daysandwords Wow! i did not expect a response so quickly! (mostly because i think i accidentally sent it to early, like, during draft... and what you see now is the current version that changed a lot from the original intended message 16 minutes ago.) sorry about that, no idea how that happened. Would LOVE a part 3 though. you truly make some of the most inspiring videos about language learning.
One thing I struggle with is finding vocabulary and when people say use "comprehensive input," I'll go check it out and the videos will be very boring, which will just deter me from learning that way Edit: My goal would to be near native in French and German after that picking up danish for fun being my family are danish/german
Do you know Deutsch mit Socke? It's for small children, not 2nd language learners, and is a good place to start for German - the best superbeginner resource I've come across for any language. If you like a challenge you can learn vocab from anything, including native videos, if there's a visual aspect to link the audio to. It's much less efficient and you may only be able to figure out a word or two per video, but it's there if you want to. You can also force yourself through the boredom and watch beginner content, as this is the least fun stage and it gets better when you are intermediate. Even when you can understand everything your brain is doing a lot of work with comprehensible input in a new language, and that feeling of effort can be similar to boredom, regardless of content. PS "Comprehensible" input, not comprehensive.
Oh geez, The broadcast interviewer is almost as bad. Like like like like like. Come on people! If you're going to broadcast about language, you need to speak your language, and any language you claim to be fluent in, properly first.
Someone left this comment more recently and has you pegged perfectly: "To the people leaving inelegant comments about her repeated use of “like”. This is a verbal tick that some native speakers also have, this does not demonstrate in any way that she is bad at learning the language. Quite the opposite, bad language learners will never immerse themselves enough to pick up these “bad habits” and idiomatic filler words. It can also be fixed rather quickly once she notices it." You only wish that you could be anywhere near as fluent as Ilys is in English in your second language.
Why does she like Norwegian so much even Swedish is 1000x more interesting. Norwegians don't make UA-cam videos it fees like a pre internet society when it comes to media .they do have internet ofcourse but they just use it to watch stuff in English not to make things. the country itself is very rich so its nice to live there but there are so downsides compared to other European countries too .
@@MyTurtleApril no because you probably won't meet any unless you go to Norway. and if you do meet them they will probably just start speaking English when they notice you have a slight accent. and refuse to switch back to Norwegian.
Thanks for the comment on the content but just to check: - In your world, the only people who can respect the achievements of a woman, is other women... or they are simping? So basically, men can either completely ignore women and that would make them sexist... or they can be simping? There's no like "Hey she did something cool, let's ask her about it..." ? Got it.
Sorry to like comment again, but likewhen a person puts like the word like at least once in like every phrase, and they're like going to be in any way like broadcasting, they like need to get this like corrected. I'm like almost like ready to like turn off this video because like I can't stand it. I've never like heard like a person use like this many times, like this often.
You do you, but I find that when people speak English improvised on the spot, filler words are inevitable. Would you prefer a bunch of "well", "um", or "I mean"?
Filler words serve important functions in processing speech and framing things in an easy to understand, empathetic way, so researchers actually have found a connection between their use and being a conscientious person… unlike you :)
@joreneelanguages - this guy is just "one of those". He's already commented 3 times saying how he wants to stop watching... funny how he can't stop, like, commenting.
Filler words are a really good tool to have a more fluent and native-like speech. That is, as long as you don't overuse them to the point of being difficult to listen to.
21:25 relatable! One minute you’re bilingual next minute you’re bye-lingual. 👋 Great video Norwegian (Bokmål) is such a great language w/interesting culture and people 😍 It got me over my french high school experience. It was the first language that convinced me I could easily self study. I agree it felt so intuitive as a native English speaker. 💯 I’m now learning Spanish but that love for Norsk also helped French eventually click! 🫶
Pick up a StoryLearning course at their best price of the year!
shorturl.at/N270G
I'm planning to buy this and have been waiting for you to share the discount. Would you recommend purchasing the entire six-part set for $395? I was initially going to buy the beginner's Spanish course for $97, but I thought I should pause and get your opinion first.
@@michaelsager5688 I used the Story Learning courses for German and Russian, my personal advice is clear A1 with text books or whatever method you use first. I tried it as a complete beginner for Russian and found myself struggling. I bought a well known text book for beginners in Russian, came back and had a much easier time clearing all 3 currently available Russian courses.
Do you also know what his courses (beg, into, adv) correspond to on the cefr?
Ah... it really depends on you and what you want and your financial situation etc.
If you get the exntire six part set (which is theoretically the best value), then maybe just set a reminder for a few days before the money back period in case it turns out to be not what you want.
You might notice that these days the videos just draw people's attention to it rather than specifically recommending them because the courses vary a bit in quality depending on the language.
The Spanish ones are pretty good in my opinion, but it would be wise to be skeptical of someone's "opinion" when they stand to make money from you buying it.
In short: I'm not a neutral source, but I do think the Spanish ones are good. If you buy it and you DON'T think it's good, I'd want you to get your money back.
I'm learning Danish and every time i hear Norwegian i want to cry 😂 its basically the same (Bokmål) but so much clearer. But if i learnt Norwegian instead of danish my Danish wife would revert to her ansestral ways and kill me with an Ax 😂
😂😂😂
I’m very sorry you need to learn Danish. You’re right, but that is also because of the way she is speaking. There are tons of dialects and in the south they would sound more similar to Danish, unfortunately.
¡Saludos!
as a dane, you got this!!
@@RetogWhat are you learning then?
How Ilys became fluent:
Find genuine motivation
Listen to the language all the time
Repeat reading and listening
Learn words by writing sentences containing those words
That's what I do as well...
Most people are to lazy to write anything though. And most adult learners aren't aware of how long it takes to learn a language and give up very early.
Thanks for this, watching a 33 minute video is a bit rough lol
@JacobLaguerre91 - you're right. On top of the 5 years it will take to learn a language, that 33 minutes is an inconceivably long time.
@@daysandwords😂😂 I like this video. Keep it up man, I had a similar journey learning Persian. Kept up for nearly 4 years now and have attained quite a good level at it. The only way to go about is through lots of input and also a lot of speaking practice once you have a high level of comprehension. But the thing is people are so used to the traditional method, even when you tell them the scientifically endorsed method to learn languages they'll tell you uhmmm it'll take too much time, no thanks!!
To the people leaving inelegant comments about her repeated use of “like”. This is a verbal tick that some native speakers also have, this does not demonstrate in any way that she is bad at learning the language; in context it might just mean she was stressed during the interview. Quite the opposite, bad language learners will never immerse themselves enough to pick up these “bad habits” and idiomatic filler words. It can also be fixed rather quickly once she notices it.
I think she was speaking about things that most people never ask her about. A lot of people are proud of their ability to not say "like", but that's essentially because they have a bunch of memorised scripts rather than actually trying to communicate thoughts and feelings in a way that will make the other person genuinely understand.
@@daysandwords that is so true. I still do this in English (Native) "like, umm"'
And in Japanese, if there's a nuanced idea or way of describing that I wanna express there's basically no way I can without saying あの (ano) in between words
The proficient use of discourse markers such as 'well', 'you know', 'I mean', 'like' and so on (and their equivalents in other languages) are key indicators of fluency. The academic literature in the field of conversation analysis reveals that these words and expressions are not meaningless fillers, but are actually highly nuanced and they serve a variety of interactional functions. These things do not need to be 'fixed' for mundane daily conversation. In fact, they should be encouraged.
That behaviour of repeated use of words like "like" exists in all languages, it's "yani" in Turkish, "как" in Russian, "also" in German.
I'm the same way where I was obsessed with languages from a young age. However, despite taking Spanish for 6 years, I can't really speak any today. My first language I studied intensely was French, and it was exactly like you described where it was like a switch flipped and I was spending 4 or 5 hours a day on it to the point where I started neglecting other things. What made the biggest difference was that I became obsessed with Quebec, and so I wanted to learn more about it and started watching québécois youtubers in French, which I didn't realize at the time was actually what got me to the point of fluency. I wasn't deliberately doing an input-based method, I was just following my passion and doing things that kept me excited about the language.
Ily's story of learning English in school and from her parents reminded me of my experience even learning English as my native language. I remember having to try so hard as a little kid to understand what adults were saying to me and trying to learn my letters and read in English for the first time sitting in the living room with my mom, struggling to read even a few words in Dick and Jane or Hop on Pop. I clearly remember the stress and mental strain of my young brain doing its best to comprehend the letters and remembering what they sound like. I would get so frustrated when I couldn't quite get a word right.
I think it's disingenuous when people say that language learning "comes easily" for children. Learning a new language, especially for little kids who are born with no inherent language at all, is just as difficult but they are pretty much forced to learn something to communicate with their parents and others around them.
When I was learning Japanese for the first time, it really reminded me of learning to read as a 4 year old again. Stumbling over the words, not knowing what many words meant, and not knowing how to pronounce new sounds. It was that same mental strain, feeling like I couldn't think any harder. That effort though paid off and eventually reading Japanese became just as second nature as reading English as my brain adapted to the new system. At any age, everyone will have to work hard to push through that initial incomprehensible beginner wall. As they say, no pain no gain.
Whoa, just yesterday or the day before I had rewatched the video you made about her video and I had wondered if she had seen your video or if you had communicated with her, and now today there's this.
My first self-taught language is German (took me over 2 years). It is interesting to see how some of us had to go through all the 5 stages of grief with our first language.
Now that I am learning Swedish, it feels so much simpler and more beautiful that sometimes I want to cry
I have to tell my students essentially the same thing. When my students (or their parents) ask me how long it took me to learn Swedish, I do not tell them in years, I tell them hundreds and thousands of hours. If they ask me how I learned, I tell them but with they understanding that they most likely won't do it. I usually preface it with, it was a perfect storm with COVID. It was socially acceptable to spend all day at home reading and listening to Swedish (and Norwegian and German). I read well over 200 adult novels in 2 years while understanding almost nothing at first.
If people can do that, they will have no choice but to learn, but will they? Probably not. So the question for my students then is okay, what can we commit to and follow through on it.
She's my favourite teacher in Norwegian. She's really inspiring. Thank you. Jeg elsker henne!!
Motivation is key for her. Thank you for sharing that video of hers- I took notes on it, and yes it is the most detailed single video on langauge learning I've ever seen. And I've watched perhaps 100 lang. learning videos, mostly from polyglots.
Great video, Lamont and Ilys! I agree with Ilys on the Grammar front. I think it helps to give some basic grammar instruction in snippets pretty early on (maybe not before getting into input). It can massively speed up the process of benefitting from the large amount of input, especially basic syntax, conjugation of important words like to be or to have.
such an incredible video. it's like a documentary of someone who changed the way we learn languages. bravo.
Wow! I love what you’ve done with the channel! The intro music and animation were very exciting, and I am enjoying the interview as well. I just started watching the video, but I wanted to take a moment to commend you on a job well done in evolving your channel.
Thanks Laura!
@@daysandwords Laura?? Is that like being called a Karen 🤣
No no - so, this is going to sound really weird but I promise you it's a real thing (it's happened multiple times before):
In the UA-cam studio, you see all the comments lined up by most recent (unless you want them in a different order).
But sometimes, for some bizarre reason, it literally puts the wrong avatar and profile name against the comment... it does the same thing on videos sometimes, so I might get a comment that appears to be on one video that is actually on an entirely different video.
If you refresh the page or go back and then come back in or something, it generally sorts itself out, but your comment appeared under the profile and username of Couchpolyglot - who is a friend, and her name is Laura...
Now if "she" had said "LAMONT BUDDY, how's it bloody goin'?" - then I'd have known it was a mistake, but because of the nature of your comment, I just figured it really was her...
and that's the long and boring explanation for why you got called "Laura".
@daysandwords Thank you Lamont for taking the extra time to explain. I really appreciate your sincerity! Its why this channel is so awesome.
I've literally been waiting for this wonderful treasure, you both, amazing, dreaming ✨
Ilys’ methods / tips really resonate with me - i’ve been learning slovene for just over a year now, and i have a genuine passion for the language, i adore it and the music it has created, and in the summers i’ve learnt it through i was unintentionally doing as Ilys explained, but now as i’ve entered my third year of university i’m really struggling with the balance of work and slovene and i feel like i’ve been ripped from a part of me, as i have to focus on my degree, and i must learn how to juggle the urge to learn with the need to get a diploma !! aaaaaahh !
Hey just wondering what do you use to learn slovene? I've really used google translate to learn languages as it is really good in context, but it doesn't read out loud slovene translate so i don't know how to pronounce things in slovene.
There is literally nothing learn Slovene, I went to Slovenia for 5 months in Erasmus ended up learning German.
Lei è incredibile, semplicemente incredibile e non ho bisogno di nessun'altra parola per dirlo.
Getting completely absorbed in one thing and dropping it later? Hyper fixation, go!
Finding genuine motivation is so important, I feel like it is key to connect emotionally with the language. As an enthusiast of the comprehensible input method, I find listening super important too and what has personally helped me the most (I think) is music. It combines listening, repeating and it is connected to emotions, so it is perfect to help you learn while also having fun :)
Your video on her is what started my language learning journey.
Im learning Russian.
Russian words are so peaceful..
Yay, a video with Ilys! ❤😊
Like a GPU is different than a CPU, the language center learns in a very different way than the way "we" learn. Language is essentially too complex to learn consciously. But - the complicated tangle of rules and exceptions which confuse the conscious brain feel quite natural and obvious to the language centers. Don't forget: you already have specialized hardware specifically adapted to language!
This is a really good point. Thanks for saying that. The brain has it's method of decoding patterns and maybe laying too much grammar over the top, just interrupts the process. I feel like it should help somewhat to speed things up to be a tiny bit consciously aware of the rules. Like learning vocabulary, I think we can speed it up a bit with some memorization (in context). I don't spend enough time doing extensive (as opposed to intensive) reading and listening. Looking everything up doesn't give the brain a chance to suss it out, but I find the temptation difficult to resist.
THERE IS NO WAY IM HERE SO EARLY I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR VIDEOS KEEP MAKING THEM🙏❤
I can not get enough of Ilys. She has so many good techniques and gems.
I bet that being an actress is related and helpful. She probably has a good ear for mimicking texts. And I love how she said she was memorizing Norwegian text while waiting on the set. It was like she was memorizing a new script. There is a Turkish guy on UA-cam who learns English by printing out the script of sitcoms (like Friends) or chatty vlogs/podcasts and sort of acts it out while mimicking the actors.
Remember how Madonna moved to England and starting speaking with an English accent? People made fun of her pretentiousness and fakeness. But I thought it was probably because she is a singer and has a good ear for things like that. I think it is a sign she would be good at learning languages even though she may still be pretentious and fake. lol.
But I'm not an actress. I need to figure out if this method works for me or if there some way I can adapt it to my own strengths, whatever those are. lol
I’ve read a lot of language acquisition research and my interpretation of the research is that everyone learns language the same way. We’re all different but we all learn languages the same way because learning languages is an innate capability at least for neurotypical people. Also, I know several people who have extensively studied French grammar for years and only one of them speaks it well. In fact, in my experience, the more someone studies grammar the worse they speak the language.
"I’ve read a lot of language acquisition research and my interpretation of the research is that everyone learns language the same way. We’re all different but we all learn languages the same way because learning languages is an innate capability at least for neurotypical people."
Yes, and you can cut out the "neurotypical" people. Humans. It's an instinct just as it's an instinct for the bird to fly.
She seems to have a strong drive to learn Norwegian so she can adapt better, as she mentioned. That kind of motivation isn’t always easy to find, especially when it comes to learning a third or even fourth language. A lot of people struggle with it, and it’s even harder without a supportive environment where the language is used regularly in daily life. It makes me wonder, though-how much of this is about personal determination, and how much is about access to resources or opportunities? I’d love to hear your thoughts or any suggestions on how to improve this perspective further
I think it is hard to generate that motivation. One way I can think of is scheduling a trip to the country. And the goal doesn't always have to be to get fluent. With French I keep telling myself that A2 or B1 is sufficient for me. I don't need to know any more than just getting by on vacations and having basic chit chat conversations. idk
This is some of your best work yet.
Muy buen vídeo, es cierto que si hacemos todo lo que ella hizo podemos hablar el nuevo idioma pero también es cierto que no todos lo harán . El tema es que Lemont enseña cómo aprender solos, y ella da clases, entonces se enfrenta a diferente tipos de circunstancias, y aunque la gramática no sea lo más importante, le da estructura y sentido a un cerebro que al principio pueda estarse resistiendo a aprender. Me encantan estos vídeos pues son muy sinceros y directos. Gracias Lemont…..
This discussion is another example of the implicit, random
subconscious learning of whole sentences etc. vs.
explicit planned conscious learning of words, aMany language researchers discuss this, generally support implicit subconscious technique, but they differ on using explicit, old school (!) academic technique either
minority of time &
resource materials, or not at all.
It's so interesting on how some things just sound right even when you're not good at the language. I'm learning German, not even that actively only a little in school and I watch the occasional video in German I was much more into it before but still I'm not good at speaking it at all but sometimes a word for example just feels like it is has the masculine gender or it is feminine or whatever but like idk what it means but I know what gender it is and how to conjugate it it just sounds right
Yeah it sounds right because you've heard it before.
When it sounds really really really wrong the other way, it's because you've heard it lots the right way.
I have a friend who lives in Sweden, who hasn't had as much input as I have, and she and I were discussing how I'm able to reverse the word order in a subclause when she never remembers to... and I basically just say "I've heard too much Swedish to get it wrong."
We are watching it right now
we teach maths so poorly… people who are great at maths think they’re not because they aren’t good at algebra or some specific niche 🤦♀️
I need to keep telling myself to continue to learn what I want to learn. I keep thinking that I should go back to other languages because people use them more... but I don't want to leave Mandarin right now. I don't have a ton of time every day, and the learning is slow. Still, I am enthralled with it right now.
I am just not feeling French (my first language) or Spanish (the language I used in school). I do have a small bug for Japanese (my adult language for 7 years), but Mandarin is what I keep going back to. I have books in all of these (and English), and keep going to my Mandarin books. So, I need to stop fighting this.
Thank you for this interview. True. I will stick with Mandarin unless I have a feeling for the other languages again.
Nice information.
top notch editig , Lamont, like esthetic besides the interessantissimo interview , so relatable
Cool interview
Oh good I was worried it was just the UA-cam short
Haha like when Tarantino and gang made that trailer for a movie that didn't exist.
@@daysandwords Yeah, yesterday's short was such a tease. I was super sad when I realized it was a short! lol. I'm so glad you came out with the longer one the next day! lol. You gotta do what you gotta do for the algorithm I guess! lol.
22:37 it happens to me too! My native language is spanish. I work for an American company. If in a work meeting I have a native english speaker and an english intermediate speaker. I'll talks as usual to the native speaker. But if I have to talk to the intermediate speaker my brain glitches and I would only use the same level as my coworker!
Perhaps Ms. Ilys was Norwegian in past life? Normandy region was settled by Norwegian.&’ Danish Vikings.Some later invaded & occupied England. for 200
years,
It's funny you say that, because I've been trying to work out if I might be related to a friend of mine who's Swiss... she looks INSANELY like my mum's side of the family, and we do actually have some roots in Switzerland... but it's SO far back that it's difficult to find anything at all.
Staring at the screen I thought it's not in the least common to get three like-minded people of this particular sort "together".
Leaving a comment for engagement
🌈🌈🌈 I prefer to read short compelling stories in my foreign languages. Some of these methods depends on your level in your languages. I don't find movies in my target languages eye appealing or interested enough for me to learn through them. I also need some comprehensible input in my learning or acquiring. Unless you are at a real high level in your languages, reading whole novels, or books is just too overwhelming, plus I will probably get too bored if the story or book isnt good enough, and I probably don't finish the book.
🌈🌈🌈 I do some of these already. I like to record my own material, then re- listen to that material many times. I do a lot of repetition
in my languages. I also need or use visuals through UA-cam videos. I use a lot of translations to make it more comprehensible.🌈🌈🌈
🌈🌈🌈 I have a mindset that tells me, reading whole books or novels should be read by native speakers only of that language🌈🌈🌈.
How many hours does she think she spent to get to a high level?
Edit: 14:51 she answers it here.
She doesn't know.
Given that she did university in Norwegian though, it'd have to be at least 5000.
Interesting
We absolutely loved this interview-thank you for sharing it! 😊 We've also been following Ilys on UA-cam and Instagram for a while, and we really admire her teaching style. Her honesty and simplicity in explaining concepts make learning so approachable and enjoyable!
As fellow online teachers and language enthusiasts, we share her passion for effective teaching. One of the things we cherish most about our work is the opportunity to offer personalised 1:1 lessons, so that we can focus entirely on each individual student and their unique learning journey.
J&M
At the end when he says "Los quiero" he sounds caribean... PS. Ok my bad, not caribean, just some spider-verse thing.
I'm saying "Lo quiero" in reference to "Into the Spider-verse".
ohhhh ok, my bad, I didn't know, although I have no idea what is that "Lo quiero" from the spider-verse. I stopped watching spiderman stuff since The incredible spiderman.
OH DUDE...
I HATE ALLLLLLL SPIDERMAN... really I do. Lamest crap ever.
But "Spider-verse" is not Spider-man.
I was super lucky that I ever even saw it. It was only because we needed a PG movie while we were on holiday and that's what was showing... my son and I have both become superfans, and the sequel is even better.
Seriously... it's really NOT Spider-man in the way you're thinking. Please check it out.
That's kind of funny but makes sense, since you were expecting los instead of lo (understandably) you interpreted it as "los" with a reduced s sound, hence caribbean accent
how long did she spend learning daily
She said she doesn't really know, but estimates maybe 5 hours. But that was the Covid time and she had really high motivation because of moving there. It seems like people don't like to answer that question, but I like to know the answer because if I take decades to learn a language, it makes me feel better, because it doesn't (necessarily) mean I'm not capable of learning- I'm just not putting in the same amount of time.
I like grammar. I find it's a great shortcut to learning. You could listen to 10,000 German sentences to understand the German definite and indefinite article declensions. Or you could write them out a few times and learn them in an hour. So yes, everyone is different.
But language is an instinct, and in this, no one is different. Everyone is human and languages must be learned on an instinctive level, or they've not been learned.
She said something important towards the end of the video: we're all different. Also, as much as I understand the importance of comprehensible input, what’s with all this grammarphobia that has been spreading lately? For example, if you need to start speaking the language in a relatively short amount of time (for whatever reason), there’s no way you can do it without understanding how it works. I’m not a child acquiring my first language; there are certain things I know about how a language works, AND I enjoy studying a bit of grammar, so why not?
"Also, as much as I understand the importance of comprehensible input, what’s with all this grammarphobia that has been spreading lately?"
I'm not a spreader of grammarphobia.
The thing is: Humans are different in WHAT they like to do. But they are not different in how they learn languages. Languages are an instinct the same as being hungry or being attracted to people.
No one is like "Oh yeah, it's good that YOU'RE hungry but I don't like to eat, so I don't."
Any language you speak fluently is eventually learned by instinct. If learning some grammar rules makes it faster for you to acquire that instinct, then OK... but that doesn't make the grammar rules a substitute for the instinct. Just as doing leg exercises may make it possible for you to run more so that you can become a faster runner... but the leg exercises themselves are not running and are not a replacement for it.
@@daysandwords But what they like to do is not an irrelevant detail! If someone enjoys grammar more than reading a fairy tale in a graded reader, they should spend a lot of time doing grammar until they realise what might be missing in their approach. And for those who hate grammar, yes, grammar is not necessary, but it can be really helpful. Sometimes, an explanation can clear up confusion that would have lingered if you had just kept listening and reading.
Today I read Colin Gorrie's guide to his new book, Ōsweald Bera. He's a huge proponent of natural language acquisition, but here's what he says about grammar: "...sometimes having an explicit knowledge of what is going on with the language grammatically can be helpful. For one, learning what’s out there - what forms nouns can take, what forms verbs can take, etc. - can actually help your comprehension. Knowing which word in the sentence is the verb, based on an ending you learned from a chart, can sometimes help you unlock the meaning of the sentence".
"Any language you speak fluently is eventually learned by instinct". Is it learned by instinct or does it become instinctive?
This has to be the most INSPIRING linguistic interview i have ever seen in my entire life. Its so refreshing to see 2 linguists have different but also similar experiences with some of the Nordic languages.
Mostly because i feel other linguists over emphasize the mutual intelligibility aspect of Scandinavian languages. a sort of: learning one gives you all 3! which never made any sense to me given my boyfriend is Norwegian, and they had to take classes in Swedish and danish during grade school, which should emphasize this fact even more, given they are - after all - all native speakers, gradeschool be damned...
Always kinda felt like the sort of misconception that could really hurt someone who wants to learn - for example - danish, because of its difficult pronunciation. Wrongfully thinking Swedish or Norwegian is an "easier root" to the "same destination" or maybe someone who wants to get into Norwegian black metal, but doesn't want to deal with learning dialects bordering on different languages in their own right! or someone LOVES Swedish crime dramas, but there are more convenient Norwegian/Danish classes nearby ETC ETC.
I mean you said it best yourself: Learn the language YOU WANT TO LEARN. Huzzah to that!
There's a deleted bit on my channel members where we talk about the fact that both of us struggle to understand the other language.
We'd be fine with context but... then, I'd be fine with German too. Context is king.
One day I might do a "part 3" with Ilys where we speak all 4 languages: English, French, Norwegian and Swedish.
@@daysandwords Wow! i did not expect a response so quickly! (mostly because i think i accidentally sent it to early, like, during draft... and what you see now is the current version that changed a lot from the original intended message 16 minutes ago.) sorry about that, no idea how that happened. Would LOVE a part 3 though. you truly make some of the most inspiring videos about language learning.
One thing I struggle with is finding vocabulary and when people say use "comprehensive input," I'll go check it out and the videos will be very boring, which will just deter me from learning that way
Edit: My goal would to be near native in French and German after that picking up danish for fun being my family are danish/german
Do you know Deutsch mit Socke? It's for small children, not 2nd language learners, and is a good place to start for German - the best superbeginner resource I've come across for any language.
If you like a challenge you can learn vocab from anything, including native videos, if there's a visual aspect to link the audio to. It's much less efficient and you may only be able to figure out a word or two per video, but it's there if you want to. You can also force yourself through the boredom and watch beginner content, as this is the least fun stage and it gets better when you are intermediate. Even when you can understand everything your brain is doing a lot of work with comprehensible input in a new language, and that feeling of effort can be similar to boredom, regardless of content. PS "Comprehensible" input, not comprehensive.
@@87advil Ich spreche kein Deutsch, and thanks ill try it out.
Oh geez, The broadcast interviewer is almost as bad. Like like like like like. Come on people! If you're going to broadcast about language, you need to speak your language, and any language you claim to be fluent in, properly first.
Righto bud. I'm sure your channel is going great guns.
Someone left this comment more recently and has you pegged perfectly:
"To the people leaving inelegant comments about her repeated use of “like”. This is a verbal tick that some native speakers also have, this does not demonstrate in any way that she is bad at learning the language. Quite the opposite, bad language learners will never immerse themselves enough to pick up these “bad habits” and idiomatic filler words. It can also be fixed rather quickly once she notices it."
You only wish that you could be anywhere near as fluent as Ilys is in English in your second language.
If she says like a lot she learned it from native speakers not a language book or teacher so like blame your peers like😂
Jag kan inte förstå dig för, uh… du är en dum person?
Why does she like Norwegian so much even Swedish is 1000x more interesting. Norwegians don't make UA-cam videos it fees like a pre internet society when it comes to media .they do have internet ofcourse but they just use it to watch stuff in English not to make things. the country itself is very rich so its nice to live there but there are so downsides compared to other European countries too .
Yeah it's almost as though she didn't consult you on what language to learn or something... the audacity!
Bro, there are a lot of Norwegian lesson videos on UA-cam.
@@MyTurtleApril yea but what do you do after that
@@belstar1128 you speak the language with natives?
@@MyTurtleApril no because you probably won't meet any unless you go to Norway. and if you do meet them they will probably just start speaking English when they notice you have a slight accent. and refuse to switch back to Norwegian.
Good content, even tho it feels like simping very much
Thanks for the comment on the content but just to check:
- In your world, the only people who can respect the achievements of a woman, is other women... or they are simping?
So basically, men can either completely ignore women and that would make them sexist... or they can be simping?
There's no like "Hey she did something cool, let's ask her about it..." ?
Got it.
Sorry to like comment again, but likewhen a person puts like the word like at least once in like every phrase, and they're like going to be in any way like broadcasting, they like need to get this like corrected. I'm like almost like ready to like turn off this video because like I can't stand it. I've never like heard like a person use like this many times, like this often.
You do you, but I find that when people speak English improvised on the spot, filler words are inevitable. Would you prefer a bunch of "well", "um", or "I mean"?
People who comment multiple times on the same video in reference to their previous comments give away their level of intelligence instantly.
Unfortunately she did Not learn English correctly. Like like like like, ugh.
Filler words serve important functions in processing speech and framing things in an easy to understand, empathetic way, so researchers actually have found a connection between their use and being a conscientious person… unlike you :)
@joreneelanguages
- this guy is just "one of those". He's already commented 3 times saying how he wants to stop watching... funny how he can't stop, like, commenting.
Filler words are a really good tool to have a more fluent and native-like speech. That is, as long as you don't overuse them to the point of being difficult to listen to.
21:25 relatable! One minute you’re bilingual next minute you’re bye-lingual. 👋
Great video Norwegian (Bokmål) is such a great language w/interesting culture and people 😍 It got me over my french high school experience. It was the first language that convinced me I could easily self study. I agree it felt so intuitive as a native English speaker. 💯 I’m now learning Spanish but that love for Norsk also helped French eventually click! 🫶