Lately, I challenged myself to learn forty German words a day. I write them on the computer and print them out. Yesterday I looked on a page like that, and I felt I don't memorize much. I need to look at it everyday and keep repeating words like a parrot, hoping that finally all will be stored in my brain. And it's boring, and ineffective.
The tricky part about word list is, that you can make a lot of effort and learn, for example, 2000 words, and still not be able to use it in a conversation or writing. So first thing to do, is to completely drop the word lists. Even if it's a frequency list.
You need to focus on learning patterns. If you know a lot of patterns, you will be able to easily place every new word in a sentence. And this is a skill that you really want to have.
Another thing that struck me was that we only need 1,000 words to be able to communicate . So basically, if I would be able to actively use 1,000 words I would be able to get a job in my chosen language. All the rest is patterns. You need patterns. Therefore, never learn words in isolation. Also, just doing pattern recognition and absorption doesn’t solve the whole language-learning problem.
You need to be active all the time, actively build sentences and patterns every day. And by adding a few words and three patterns each day, you will have 21 patterns after seven days, and 90 patterns after one month. You can do a lot with that. You can create an almost infinite number of different phrases.
Another surprising thine I heard was that reading and listening do not improve our active language skills at all. Basically speaking, reading 100 books will not make us a better speaker or writer. To become better at speaking or writng, we need to speak, and we need to write.
However, Chris Lonsdale, does not exclude how important it is to surround yourself with the language. He calls it "brain soaking". It's mainly a subconscious process, it's a powerful learning addition. But let's not forget, it's still just an addition, and should be done last, as it requires the least energy.
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Based on:
Lonsdale, Chris. The Third Ear: You Can Learn Any Language (S.79). Third Ear Publishing Ltd.. Kindle-Version.
Great piece of writing Monika! I completely agree about making a habit of active language learning, rather than passive ones.
thank you a lot! :)
What an illuminating post! Back in school, we were exposed to the passive skills pretty much but the active skills were completely ignored. That's why the responsibility of becoming fluent in a targeted language falls upon none other than us if we really wish so.