Wow. Excellent video. Olly Richards has been my language mentor on my journey to learn Spanish and more recently Lydia. Recently I completed my second Autodidacts Academy with Lydia. Lydia provides a way whereby she facilitates a process for the participant themself to improve their target language. What I really like is that Lydia does not say you need to use this course or that course, the language learner decides what material to use. As Spanish is my target language during the Academys I used material from Olly's Fluent Spanish Academy, Olly's Spanish Uncovered, Spanish Conversations and Spanish Grammar Hero along with material from Nate Alger and Andrea Alger of Spanishland School. I can definetly say Olly's material will get you speaking good Spanish and Nate and Andrea's material along with Olly's will help push you past the intermediate plateau. I have gone from knowing no Spanish to now being a lower B2 speaker. I have never attended a language school or have lived or visited a Spanish speaking country. Thank you so much Olly, Nate, Andrea and Lydia.
The most important thing in language learning is knowing what to do. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I never learned a foreign language before. I started learning about foreign language acquisition about 4 years ago loosely. Finally, I put aside time to learn a foreign language(mandarin)early this year. I'm a member of Yoyo Chinese, Lingq, Iwillteachyoualanguage, and pimsleur(serious language learner). Everytime I purchased or subscribed to the above resources, I would then postpone using them. I would go back to studying language learning strategies for 2-3hours daily(feeling my understanding of how to acquire language and how to use the above resources needed to get better). I would study Steve Kaufman's videos, Olly's foundation's course, and from everywhere else. I've been stuck in the beginner's stage for almost a year. But this N.Y.C. kid currently feels he can learn any language on the planet. I fully expect to become fluent in Mandarin in 2019. That's my New Year's resolution. The most important thing in language learning is knowing what to do! P.S. Americans have the better accent, Olly.
No, the most important thing in language learning is actually doing something, and persevering in language learning. There is no one right strategy, and I'm not sure there are any wrong ones either. There are multiple paths to learning a language, and the same person can switch to different methods at different points, benefitting from each.
Well, I think getting started is definitely a good thing. Your first sentence describes me! However, if one is going to be a successful language learner, they will need a proper understanding of how to acquire language. This is paramount! There's a reason why 99% of language learners fail!!! In my opinion, there's no 'real' different methods. Even if there are different methods, they still revolve around some key fundamental techniques. Look at the title of this video!
Great talk which totally embraces my idea of learning in general, not only language learning, which needs to add on the persistance factor! I will definitely share this with my students who ate always perplexed at having to correct their own work and then only discuss what they didn't understand of their mistakes. That leaves class time for speaking, explaining & answering their questions. Look forward to part 2.
Wow, Olly, what an interesting talk with Lydia. For me ,the takeaway is that a teacher is just a facilitator, and the learner has to do the job. I always tell my students it's a two-way street. But as Lydia says, they are so reluctant to do their part. And the key is there. I also agree with what she said about your voice. I found it so relaxing and at the same time with " a deep content", cause what you say is always based on your experience as a language learner, and what a language learner!!!!!! Congrats!!!!
Nice! Thanks for the recommendations! The problem with many people is that they want to take a "magic pill" or get "secret knowledge" and immediately have skills and abilities. However, the truth of life is that knowledge, skills, and abilities do not come by themselves. You can't learn a foreign language without doing anything, without wasting your time and effort, just like you can't learn to ride a bike lying on a comfy couch, listening to lectures and watching videos about "modern methods of learning" on a bike. To really learn something, you have to really practice every day. You're going to fall down while you're learning, and you're going to get bumps - that's normal! The ups and downs of learning are an integral part of our lives. Motivation from success and depression from failure will always be your study companions. However, every student has problems in his or her studies that he or she lacks the knowledge to solve. It can be: poor memorization of words; no progress in language learning; the student can speak, but does not understand speech by ear; misunderstanding of grammar; incorrect pronunciation, etc. Agree that a problem you don't know how to solve is very demotivating. In order to find the answer to our question we have to spend a lot of time to read videos, articles and books by polyglots. In today's world, we have to solve problems as quickly as possible. I don't have time to study and analyze a huge amount of information. My goal is to master the basic knowledge of a foreign language as quickly as possible and already start earning money effectively in the international arena. I settled on the practical guide by Yuriy Ivantsiv " Polyglot's Notes: practical tips for learning foreign language". This book is always in my bag. If I have a problem while learning a language, I quickly find the answer in this book. There are many different techniques and tips for learning a foreign language in Polyglot Notes. I have made my own individual schedule and plan for language learning. Now I know what I am going to study, how I am going to study, when I am going to study and what results I am going to achieve. No problem could stop me! With an effective language learning plan my professional skills are more and more in demand internationally every day. Friends, don't stop there! Everyone has talents that millions of people around the world need! Learn the language and make your ideas and dreams come true! Thanks to the author of the channel for the informative and useful video! Your videos motivate me.
Watching this it feels as if they are almost talking around the core subject of what a learner has to do to learn a language. Yes, for language learning especially, the learner must take responsibility. Yet I feel the more ultimate question is - What exactly must the learner do? If we know this then I think it may be more clear why a teacher cannot do that for us. Nonetheless I found the conversation interesting, and hopefully these topics are covered in the latter parts of this series.
I heard the podcast it was amazing. The only thing I have to say is that the audio quality kept cutting in and out when you were trying to speak to Lydia. You might want to check that. Overall I enjoyed the first part of the interview. I will be interviewing her myself or my show next month. Hope you have a great Christmas and a happy new year my friend. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait to your in covert courses and I probably will buy your Italian course, and then save up and buy your Japanese and then your Egyptian Arabic course. I did find a way to read the PDF on my Mac I just have to get a program that’s compatible with voiceover on my Mac and I’ll be able to read the PDF files that you have in your courses. Talk to you soon my friend. Tootles
I have been learning Russian on my own for several years now. I took several online courses and such but still struggling with basic conversation. I recently realized that I was missing some of the basics of the language. To remedy the problem I bought a highly recommended book the New Penguin Russian Course. I agree that we need to know how to learn a language and I am not a fan of language schools because of their limitations. But for new language learners I believe they need good foundational instruction in the basics of a language. This is especially true for languages with complex grammar such as Russian. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks for this video it was very informative and interesting. I look forward to part two. -Eugene
Coaching is the perfect analogy. In the case of a sport, fundamentals can be taught, reinforced and critiqued over time (individual/team practice, camps, etc). However, the work is 100% on your end to internalize the coaching and do the things you need to do to perform. There are very few instances from beginning where someone receives all of the precise coaching that a professional athlete will receive (the sport itself, strength training, nutrition, body maintenance, etc), the vast majority will have worked hard to get to the point where they're in that position.
Even during most of the 1990's it was difficult to study on your own. I didn't start studying languages seriously until 1995. Took classes and tried to find books at the library. I wasn't very successful but to be honest few people are. They take a few classes in French and German and end up knowing a few words but give it up after a while. I live in Sweden where especially the young generation speak English very well. It's rare to speak any other foreign language unless you have parents from another country. So even if you only know English and French you are quite unique in my country.
That was very interesting. As a language learner, and a language teacher, much of what she said I agreed with, although there are points I would argue against such as Duolingo. Looking forward to the next podcast. Thank you both.
I would go further and say that most learning takes place during sleep, and in proportion to the amount of effort made during waking hours to comprehend and retain the skill or knowledge to be acquired or learned.
I think Duolingo is good in that in can give someone the language learning bug like it did for me. once I started duolingo I wanted more so I went looking for better methods
Hey Ollie. I've been following your channel for some time now. Love your stuff, and I'll keep watching as long as you make videos. That being said, do you mind adding some more channels you recommend or enjoy in the "Channels" tab on your page?
lol I forgot you produce this in podcast version. 10/10 turning off the computer and breaking out the podcast app. Being able to do things while listening is so much better than staring at a pair of faces haha
You cannot, on the one hand, criticize duolingo and other comparable resources and simultaneously say, "there's no right or wrong path; whatever works for you is fine." This is not to say that there is only one way, but surely some approaches are more effective than others.
BTW, the above comment isn't meant to be directed towards either Olly or Lydia. I highly doubt either of them what tell you to just go do whatever, and it's all the same.
Hey man, can you look at this msg and give me ur thoughts abt it? I would be continuing on german to reach intermediate level and going for chinese or korean. Guys i need help i still couldnt make a decision between chinese or korean, im equivalently exposed to both languages, preferably i like chinese bc of the sounds, grammar and characters i find it as a challenge and smethng i like to study. I have chinese friends to practice with and if i continue with these i might get better with it, but there is korean and advantages for me is that i know the alphabet, really exposed to it from kdramas and kpop, ttmik coursebook(finished that level 1 just saying) and have friends whos also interested in learning korean. What do yall think? Please just honest opinion, its been keeping me up so late at night and i dont know yet. Im plannin to go 60/40 on it. German 60% of my focus and 40% on one of those languages i mentioned.
There is a colour to her voice that suggests slavic, apart from that it is amazing, vowels and consonants are so clear and well articulated. And her grammar is perfect. I bet after a week in a America she would sound native with no colour in her voice.
so what others call a 'talent' for languages you're basically calling it a set of skills and attitudes. which leads me to this 'talent for sounds' you mentioned. isn't it the same story here? i mean, in high school ай вут спик фром май харт лайк зыс. but now i'd say i'm much more at ease with different kinds of sounds you could find across languages. and i'd never consider myself 'talented' for that. makes me wonder how much of this 'talent' thing is just people not being able to break it down to skills and attitudes that can be acquired by anyone. in any sphere of human life. music. personal communication. math. politics. running industries. biochemistry. what-have-you.
Knowing your own learning style and being self motivated is key. Sadly that’s not what schools do. They make kids sit passively to lectures and then force them to do oral drills without context. So I gave up on language acquisition through schools and teachers. I choose to instead focus on the best self-study books and podcasts. And I do a very small amount of study every day, rather than marathon sessions. I say everything aloud, targeting mimicking the sounds of native speakers. It really does help! The best podcast for Russian is “Russian Made Easy.”
Sorry, you two talented and accomplished polyglots are quite mistaken about the importance of teachers and schools. Of the many Europeans whom I have met who speak English quite well, often more grammatically correct than Americans, they all learned it at school or uni with teachers. By contrast, here in Thailand there is an endless influx of optimistic foreigners arriving every year who imagine they are going to learn Thai from Duolingo or Rosetta, whichever is cheaper. They all fail, of course. The typical foreigner here has lived in Thailand for ten or twenty years and can barely order in a restaurant. So, in my observation the highest success rate in learning a second language comes from a well-designed course with a good teacher. The lowest success rate comes from self-study. But most students, particularly monolingual adults, vastly underestimate the difficulty of learning a new language, especially one as linguistically remote from European languages as Thai. Then, when they have to confront that difficulty, they find that they lack sufficient motivation. After all, it's quite possible to live as an expat in Thailand without speaking Thai. So, they quit. In your critique of foreign language teachers, you assume that the student begins by abdicating his own responsibility for learning. If so, that is the fault of the student alone. So, your case against teachers amounts to a straw man argument. For students who avoid that fatal pitfall, a competent native-speaking teacher is the best possible tool for learning the language. The simple reason is that she can correct you, which you just cannot do for yourself. Especially, for those languages that have phonemes not found in the student's mother tongue, getting feedback from the teacher speeds up the process of recognizing and producing the strange new sounds immeasurably. The native speakers whom the student may encounter in daily life will not correct him consistently, if at all. Nor will any of the teaching materials available on the internet provide correction. Here in Thailand the foreigners who do succeed at becoming fluent in Thai have almost all studied either in the Intensive Thai Program at Chulalongkorn U. or at Sumaa Institute. There are a few others who managed it, like Chris Baker, who had already learned several second languages at uni and married a highly-educated Thai, who, we can assume, fulfilled the role of teacher. So, in my opinion it is a high-risk strategy to adopt the language learning methods of the polyglots who are probably more than three standard deviations away from the average student in motivation or talent or both. But, if you can pull it off, more power to you.
Listen to english songs and get the lyrics follow along and repeat, practice. Find a good 1 on 1 english tutor. Look up and practice english idioms and figures of speech. Hope this is helpful! Good luck! 🍀
There's a lot of criticism towards duolingo and similar "language teaching" resources. However, I'm curious what your thoughts are towards lingq, which attempts to provide "raw content", at an appropriate zone of proximal development? Would you still criticize lingq because it's still "language teaching," or do you think it might be an exception?
Aaaand that part about Duolingo is simply irrelevant. You can perfectly speak a language without actively learning how to speak, at least for languages without a tonal system (unlike mandarin for example). And still I'm pretty sure it's as well possible for tonal language. The best way to learn a language is to read, but you'll firstly need a base and Duolingo is the easiest way to provide a good base, a good grasp of the language grammar and conjugation as well as some vocabs. You don't need to waste time training at speaking to speak in a language, everything is included in the words and letters and if you basically correctly learned every sounds with phonetics you'll be able to passively learn while reading, even deciphering the language simply using your inner voice. I mean once adult you can't speak without any accent anymore, not like a child can, so why loosing time to try to sound like a native ? I mean I know you're not a native English speaker, and that's fine, that's even not an issue in most untonal languages so why bothering ? I'm strongly advocating for Duolingo, it is a way out, a stepping stone. To be honest I don't think you even have to train your ears to decipher people speech, knowing how the words are supposed to be said is enough to deciphering a speech. I will even be a little mean with that sort of people who are claiming to be polyglots without knowing how their brains work. Eyes, mouth and ears are all connected to our brain hence language learning is foremost a brain thing not an ears, eyes or mouth thing. The principal challenge of speaking is to overcome our self shame and apprehension of speaking to one in his language using his accent etc... Lots of people will not be able to overcome their shame thus they'll remain in their comfort zone resulting in butchered accent or no accent at all. I don't think this kind of itw as any kind of interest in itself, at all. It strongly lies on our cognitive bias, mostly authority bias and for that reason it may do more harm than good.
Wow. Excellent video. Olly Richards has been my language mentor on my journey to learn Spanish and more recently Lydia. Recently I completed my second Autodidacts Academy with Lydia. Lydia provides a way whereby she facilitates a process for the participant themself to improve their target language. What I really like is that Lydia does not say you need to use this course or that course, the language learner decides what material to use. As Spanish is my target language during the Academys I used material from Olly's Fluent Spanish Academy, Olly's Spanish Uncovered, Spanish Conversations and Spanish Grammar Hero along with material from Nate Alger and Andrea Alger of Spanishland School. I can definetly say Olly's material will get you speaking good Spanish and Nate and Andrea's material along with Olly's will help push you past the intermediate plateau. I have gone from knowing no Spanish to now being a lower B2 speaker. I have never attended a language school or have lived or visited a Spanish speaking country. Thank you so much Olly, Nate, Andrea and Lydia.
The most important thing in language learning is knowing what to do. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I never learned a foreign language before. I started learning about foreign language acquisition about 4 years ago loosely. Finally, I put aside time to learn a foreign language(mandarin)early this year. I'm a member of Yoyo Chinese, Lingq, Iwillteachyoualanguage, and pimsleur(serious language learner). Everytime I purchased or subscribed to the above resources, I would then postpone using them. I would go back to studying language learning strategies for 2-3hours daily(feeling my understanding of how to acquire language and how to use the above resources needed to get better). I would study Steve Kaufman's videos, Olly's foundation's course, and from everywhere else. I've been stuck in the beginner's stage for almost a year. But this N.Y.C. kid currently feels he can learn any language on the planet. I fully expect to become fluent in Mandarin in 2019. That's my New Year's resolution. The most important thing in language learning is knowing what to do!
P.S. Americans have the better accent, Olly.
No, the most important thing in language learning is actually doing something, and persevering in language learning. There is no one right strategy, and I'm not sure there are any wrong ones either. There are multiple paths to learning a language, and the same person can switch to different methods at different points, benefitting from each.
Well, I think getting started is definitely a good thing. Your first sentence describes me! However, if one is going to be a successful language learner, they will need a proper understanding of how to acquire language. This is paramount! There's a reason why 99% of language learners fail!!! In my opinion, there's no 'real' different methods. Even if there are different methods, they still revolve around some key fundamental techniques. Look at the title of this video!
I agree 100%.
Fluent in Mandarin in one year 🤦♂️
Great talk which totally embraces my idea of learning in general, not only language learning, which needs to add on the persistance factor! I will definitely share this with my students who ate always perplexed at having to correct their own work and then only discuss what they didn't understand of their mistakes. That leaves class time for speaking, explaining & answering their questions. Look forward to part 2.
Wow, Olly, what an interesting talk with Lydia. For me ,the takeaway is that a teacher is just a facilitator, and the learner has to do the job. I always tell my students it's a two-way street. But as Lydia says, they are so reluctant to do their part. And the key is there. I also agree with what she said about your voice. I found it so relaxing and at the same time with " a deep content", cause what you say is always based on your experience as a language learner, and what a language learner!!!!!! Congrats!!!!
Excellent video! I love his accent. He talks like a lord. It is just so beautiful.😊
Nice! Thanks for the recommendations! The problem with many people is that they want to take a "magic pill" or get "secret knowledge" and immediately have skills and abilities. However, the truth of life is that knowledge, skills, and abilities do not come by themselves. You can't learn a foreign language without doing anything, without wasting your time and effort, just like you can't learn to ride a bike lying on a comfy couch, listening to lectures and watching videos about "modern methods of learning" on a bike. To really learn something, you have to really practice every day. You're going to fall down while you're learning, and you're going to get bumps - that's normal! The ups and downs of learning are an integral part of our lives. Motivation from success and depression from failure will always be your study companions. However, every student has problems in his or her studies that he or she lacks the knowledge to solve. It can be: poor memorization of words; no progress in language learning; the student can speak, but does not understand speech by ear; misunderstanding of grammar; incorrect pronunciation, etc. Agree that a problem you don't know how to solve is very demotivating. In order to find the answer to our question we have to spend a lot of time to read videos, articles and books by polyglots. In today's world, we have to solve problems as quickly as possible. I don't have time to study and analyze a huge amount of information. My goal is to master the basic knowledge of a foreign language as quickly as possible and already start earning money effectively in the international arena. I settled on the practical guide by Yuriy Ivantsiv " Polyglot's Notes: practical tips for learning foreign language". This book is always in my bag. If I have a problem while learning a language, I quickly find the answer in this book. There are many different techniques and tips for learning a foreign language in Polyglot Notes. I have made my own individual schedule and plan for language learning. Now I know what I am going to study, how I am going to study, when I am going to study and what results I am going to achieve. No problem could stop me! With an effective language learning plan my professional skills are more and more in demand internationally every day. Friends, don't stop there! Everyone has talents that millions of people around the world need! Learn the language and make your ideas and dreams come true! Thanks to the author of the channel for the informative and useful video! Your videos motivate me.
Watching this it feels as if they are almost talking around the core subject of what a learner has to do to learn a language. Yes, for language learning especially, the learner must take responsibility. Yet I feel the more ultimate question is - What exactly must the learner do? If we know this then I think it may be more clear why a teacher cannot do that for us.
Nonetheless I found the conversation interesting, and hopefully these topics are covered in the latter parts of this series.
Yes!!!!! So excited to listen to this. Hope it’s on the podcast!!
It is indeed. Episode 292. (I think)
I heard the podcast it was amazing. The only thing I have to say is that the audio quality kept cutting in and out when you were trying to speak to Lydia. You might want to check that. Overall I enjoyed the first part of the interview. I will be interviewing her myself or my show next month. Hope you have a great Christmas and a happy new year my friend. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait to your in covert courses and I probably will buy your Italian course, and then save up and buy your Japanese and then your Egyptian Arabic course. I did find a way to read the PDF on my Mac I just have to get a program that’s compatible with voiceover on my Mac and I’ll be able to read the PDF files that you have in your courses. Talk to you soon my friend. Tootles
I have been learning Russian on my own for several years now. I took several online courses and such but still struggling with basic conversation. I recently realized that I was missing some of the basics of the language. To remedy the problem I bought a highly recommended book the New Penguin Russian Course.
I agree that we need to know how to learn a language and I am not a fan of language schools because of their limitations. But for new language learners I believe they need good foundational instruction in the basics of a language. This is especially true for languages with complex grammar such as Russian.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks for this video it was very informative and interesting. I look forward to part two.
-Eugene
Давай я тебя русскому буду учить, а ты меня англ?
Coaching is the perfect analogy. In the case of a sport, fundamentals can be taught, reinforced and critiqued over time (individual/team practice, camps, etc). However, the work is 100% on your end to internalize the coaching and do the things you need to do to perform. There are very few instances from beginning where someone receives all of the precise coaching that a professional athlete will receive (the sport itself, strength training, nutrition, body maintenance, etc), the vast majority will have worked hard to get to the point where they're in that position.
Even during most of the 1990's it was difficult to study on your own. I didn't start studying languages seriously until 1995. Took classes and tried to find books at the library. I wasn't very successful but to be honest few people are. They take a few classes in French and German and end up knowing a few words but give it up after a while. I live in Sweden where especially the young generation speak English very well. It's rare to speak any other foreign language unless you have parents from another country. So even if you only know English and French you are quite unique in my country.
It's wonderful. Maybe sound quality is not good. But the rest is perfect. Great ideas to practice. Thank you for share with us this conversation.
Love this too. When is part 2 scheduled?
One every week!
That was very interesting. As a language learner, and a language teacher, much of what she said I agreed with, although there are points I would argue against such as Duolingo. Looking forward to the next podcast. Thank you both.
I would go further and say that most learning takes place during sleep, and in proportion to the amount of effort made during waking hours to comprehend and retain the skill or knowledge to be acquired or learned.
Hey guys. Lovely to see you both :)
I think Duolingo is good in that in can give someone the language learning bug like it did for me. once I started duolingo I wanted more so I went looking for better methods
6:45 what happened there ? LOL
good interview
One minute in and I was like, When’s the wedding already? ! 🤣🤣🤣
I did not hear wedding bells but I thought it was nice to hear about your friendship to put the conversation into context.
Love Lydia 🤗
3:42 Olly, you should consider starting an ASMR channel! :D
Hey Ollie. I've been following your channel for some time now. Love your stuff, and I'll keep watching as long as you make videos. That being said, do you mind adding some more channels you recommend or enjoy in the "Channels" tab on your page?
I'm beggining to suspect this goes beyond to learning anything.
Subtitles in Portuguese, Spanish, English please. There are many beginners or elementaries students here
good
lol I forgot you produce this in podcast version. 10/10 turning off the computer and breaking out the podcast app. Being able to do things while listening is so much better than staring at a pair of faces haha
She looks like Clemence Poesy the same smile 😮
You cannot, on the one hand, criticize duolingo and other comparable resources and simultaneously say, "there's no right or wrong path; whatever works for you is fine." This is not to say that there is only one way, but surely some approaches are more effective than others.
BTW, the above comment isn't meant to be directed towards either Olly or Lydia. I highly doubt either of them what tell you to just go do whatever, and it's all the same.
Hey man, can you look at this msg and give me ur thoughts abt it? I would be continuing on german to reach intermediate level and going for chinese or korean. Guys i need help i still couldnt make a decision between chinese or korean, im equivalently exposed to both languages, preferably i like chinese bc of the sounds, grammar and characters i find it as a challenge and smethng i like to study. I have chinese friends to practice with and if i continue with these i might get better with it, but there is korean and advantages for me is that i know the alphabet, really exposed to it from kdramas and kpop, ttmik coursebook(finished that level 1 just saying) and have friends whos also interested in learning korean. What do yall think? Please just honest opinion, its been keeping me up so late at night and i dont know yet. Im plannin to go 60/40 on it. German 60% of my focus and 40% on one of those languages i mentioned.
+john ligsay Go for Chinese, the language is now being in demand around the world, American schools are now beginning to teach it.
Being Greek, I believe Machova's pronounciation is at a native-speaker level.
There is a colour to her voice that suggests slavic, apart from that it is amazing, vowels and consonants are so clear and well articulated. And her grammar is perfect. I bet after a week in a America she would sound native with no colour in her voice.
so what others call a 'talent' for languages you're basically calling it a set of skills and attitudes. which leads me to this 'talent for sounds' you mentioned. isn't it the same story here? i mean, in high school ай вут спик фром май харт лайк зыс. but now i'd say i'm much more at ease with different kinds of sounds you could find across languages. and i'd never consider myself 'talented' for that.
makes me wonder how much of this 'talent' thing is just people not being able to break it down to skills and attitudes that can be acquired by anyone. in any sphere of human life. music. personal communication. math. politics. running industries. biochemistry. what-have-you.
Knowing your own learning style and being self motivated is key. Sadly that’s not what schools do. They make kids sit passively to lectures and then force them to do oral drills without context. So I gave up on language acquisition through schools and teachers. I choose to instead focus on the best self-study books and podcasts. And I do a very small amount of study every day, rather than marathon sessions. I say everything aloud, targeting mimicking the sounds of native speakers. It really does help! The best podcast for Russian is “Russian Made Easy.”
Sorry, you two talented and accomplished polyglots are quite mistaken about the importance of teachers and schools. Of the many Europeans whom I have met who speak English quite well, often more grammatically correct than Americans, they all learned it at school or uni with teachers. By contrast, here in Thailand there is an endless influx of optimistic foreigners arriving every year who imagine they are going to learn Thai from Duolingo or Rosetta, whichever is cheaper. They all fail, of course. The typical foreigner here has lived in Thailand for ten or twenty years and can barely order in a restaurant. So, in my observation the highest success rate in learning a second language comes from a well-designed course with a good teacher. The lowest success rate comes from self-study.
But most students, particularly monolingual adults, vastly underestimate the difficulty of learning a new language, especially one as linguistically remote from European languages as Thai. Then, when they have to confront that difficulty, they find that they lack sufficient motivation. After all, it's quite possible to live as an expat in Thailand without speaking Thai. So, they quit.
In your critique of foreign language teachers, you assume that the student begins by abdicating his own responsibility for learning. If so, that is the fault of the student alone. So, your case against teachers amounts to a straw man argument.
For students who avoid that fatal pitfall, a competent native-speaking teacher is the best possible tool for learning the language. The simple reason is that she can correct you, which you just cannot do for yourself. Especially, for those languages that have phonemes not found in the student's mother tongue, getting feedback from the teacher speeds up the process of recognizing and producing the strange new sounds immeasurably. The native speakers whom the student may encounter in daily life will not correct him consistently, if at all. Nor will any of the teaching materials available on the internet provide correction.
Here in Thailand the foreigners who do succeed at becoming fluent in Thai have almost all studied either in the Intensive Thai Program at Chulalongkorn U. or at Sumaa Institute. There are a few others who managed it, like Chris Baker, who had already learned several second languages at uni and married a highly-educated Thai, who, we can assume, fulfilled the role of teacher.
So, in my opinion it is a high-risk strategy to adopt the language learning methods of the polyglots who are probably more than three standard deviations away from the average student in motivation or talent or both. But, if you can pull it off, more power to you.
Hey! I know it is your mother tongue but do you have any advice about learning english? I mean about improving my english skills
Listen to english songs and get the lyrics follow along and repeat, practice. Find a good 1 on 1 english tutor. Look up and practice english idioms and figures of speech. Hope this is helpful! Good luck! 🍀
I can’t understand English . I speak Japanese .
I hope you're learning,it's hard but it rewards you very well
There's a lot of criticism towards duolingo and similar "language teaching" resources. However, I'm curious what your thoughts are towards lingq, which attempts to provide "raw content", at an appropriate zone of proximal development? Would you still criticize lingq because it's still "language teaching," or do you think it might be an exception?
Slovakian Accent prevalent
You sure know a lot about Slovakian accent... 😆😅🤣
@@AdamDylanMajor sure I do. I was born there.
Aaaand that part about Duolingo is simply irrelevant.
You can perfectly speak a language without actively learning how to speak, at least for languages without a tonal system (unlike mandarin for example). And still I'm pretty sure it's as well possible for tonal language.
The best way to learn a language is to read, but you'll firstly need a base and Duolingo is the easiest way to provide a good base, a good grasp of the language grammar and conjugation as well as some vocabs.
You don't need to waste time training at speaking to speak in a language, everything is included in the words and letters and if you basically correctly learned every sounds with phonetics you'll be able to passively learn while reading, even deciphering the language simply using your inner voice.
I mean once adult you can't speak without any accent anymore, not like a child can, so why loosing time to try to sound like a native ? I mean I know you're not a native English speaker, and that's fine, that's even not an issue in most untonal languages so why bothering ?
I'm strongly advocating for Duolingo, it is a way out, a stepping stone.
To be honest I don't think you even have to train your ears to decipher people speech, knowing how the words are supposed to be said is enough to deciphering a speech.
I will even be a little mean with that sort of people who are claiming to be polyglots without knowing how their brains work. Eyes, mouth and ears are all connected to our brain hence language learning is foremost a brain thing not an ears, eyes or mouth thing.
The principal challenge of speaking is to overcome our self shame and apprehension of speaking to one in his language using his accent etc... Lots of people will not be able to overcome their shame thus they'll remain in their comfort zone resulting in butchered accent or no accent at all.
I don't think this kind of itw as any kind of interest in itself, at all. It strongly lies on our cognitive bias, mostly authority bias and for that reason it may do more harm than good.