Questions tagged [learning-methods]
For questions about methods, techniques, and/or practices that assist in learning another language
250
questions
3
votes
1answer
39 views
Is the use of mother-tongue in the English class a boon or a bane?
I teach English in a government school where the medium of instruction is both English and the regional medium Telugu. The slow learners opt for Telugu medium and they are not able to follow my ...
4
votes
1answer
45 views
Is it difficult for the low proficiency learner to learn a second language like English?
As a teacher of English I have observed that any child acquires the first language naturally. But learning a second language like English seems to be very difficult for the low proficiency learners. ...
4
votes
1answer
43 views
Are learning and acquistion the same?
Many books on English Methodology treat learning and acquisiton synonymously. But I think they are different.
Some professors I know say that they are different.
Some others say they overlap and ...
1
vote
2answers
41 views
1 Month Curriculum For Learning Spanish Conversationally
I have set a goal to learn Spanish at a conversational level in 1 month, with 2 prior years of experience at a traditional highschool, with information retained but still not able to hold a ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
When studying Japanese, how much should I be able to retain at the end of a Genki textbook chapter (Self-study concerns)?
I've been studying Japanese since about January using the Genki second edition workbook and textbook. I try to get in an hour session each day but I have been a little on and off with it; I think its ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
How can I learn to speak in SOV when my L1 is SVO?
I have been learning Hindi for almost 2 years, and my mother tongue is English. I find that I can understand things in Hindi that I read or hear, and I have a working vocabulary, but I struggle to ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Way to prevent speaking fluency of acquired language to be lost or possibly enhance it further
In general fluency, there was a related question: How can I prevent myself from forgetting a language? which suggest speaking to yourself a lot. But how about your general speaking fluency? I have a ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Listening a short sentence from a movie in English and figure out what it suppose to be said [duplicate]
English is my second language and I have trouble listening and figuring out what it's said when spoken fast in English.
This is the sentence.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=...
7
votes
2answers
75 views
Should I correct my grammar mistakes or just ignore them while practice speaking?
While practice speaking a foreign language, I often find myself make a mistake during the speech and correct it immediately. The mistakes usually come from grammar, which I rarely do in writing. For ...
4
votes
1answer
45 views
How to learn the building of sentences?
Understanding a large number of words, either spoken or written, is one thing, but producing a sentence in a target language is another.
I am not referring to understanding how to read/hear a ...
5
votes
1answer
61 views
How can I avoid the huge gap between paper and oral skills?
I learned four foreign languages but all of them have one thing in common; reading is the best and writing follows it, and then after the huge gap come listening and speaking. My reading and speaking ...
5
votes
4answers
98 views
Is it possible to learn a language without translation?
Let's assume I have no knowledge in a language I want to learn. I know only some basic alphabet, but don't know any words. Is it possible to learn a language just by watching videos and reading books ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
How to learn a language for which very few resources are available?
In the past, people have posted several questions about learning languages for which very few resources are available:
How can I learn a language with little documentation/resources (Georgian)?
How ...
2
votes
0answers
48 views
How to learn Malayalam without any resources
I've been interested in learning a language called Malayalam. The problem is though, there is a complete absence of any well-written comprehensive Malayalam textbooks or grammar guides for English-...
3
votes
1answer
56 views
How can the natural approach to language acquisition work for L2?
So, I was seeing a video today where the narrator brought this approach as the best for L2 acquisition. I believe it can be useful, that's how we all learned our L1 after all, but I wonder how it can ...
3
votes
0answers
23 views
Should I mix different dialects on minimal pairs deck?
After posting this question, I investigated why I don't understand the sound difference, and I found out that one of the reasons must be the different dialects that exist in the deck. I installed the ...
4
votes
1answer
53 views
How can you understand the pronunciation differences if you don't understand them even on minimal pairs training?
The minimal pair training seems to be the best way for adults to distinguish the sound difference on a foreign language that doesn't exist in his/her native language. According to Fluent:
But it’s ...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
Learning japanese, 1 month progress (Tokyo)
I am a Japanese Language student here in Tokyo. I don't know if I'll get a downvote for this question, but might as well try. I've been studying Japanese for about a month now here in Japan using a ...
6
votes
0answers
48 views
What is the proper etiquette for a nonnative speaker who wants to practice Mandarin at a Chinese supermarket in the US?
There is a Chinese supermarket in the US I often shop at. I often hear the staff speaking Mandarin or Cantonese, and occasionally Hakka or Fujianese, amongst themselves and to Chinese customers. I can ...
3
votes
1answer
49 views
How should I decide the order of learning each of languages if you learn all of them in the end?
I wonder if you will have learned multiple languages in the end, the order of learning each of them has any influence and if it does, what is the most effective order to learn.
For example, suppose ...
3
votes
0answers
38 views
How can I find an appropriate image for a word on SRS?
I'm writing a script that converts my list of bookmarked words into SRS, with audio and image on it. Now, I'm writing a script to fetch an image from Google Image, but the images I got are mostly ...
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vote
0answers
11 views
Should the answers on SRS also be the target language?
I bookmarked words I didn't know while reading texts in a foreign language, and then created my own Anki deck from the list of bookmarked words. Originally I used English as the answer (translation) ...
4
votes
1answer
55 views
Does one's target level make a difference?
Learning the script for Arabic, Greek, Russian, etc. seems too expensive an investment if one wants to learn just a little of the language (say A1 in the CEFRL). Likewise grammar beyond the very ...
5
votes
1answer
74 views
How can I make sure my pronunciation based on IPA is correct?
I have read this question and answers titled "How can I learn IPA?" and now start to (finally) learn IPA and phonetics.
However, while the question asks about the way to learn the IPA, which focuses ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views
How can I get over lack of learning resources in “minor languages”
Sometimes I want to learn a language but give up due to the lack of resources available. These languages tend to be the ones that very few people learn using English.
In my opinion, one of the core ...
7
votes
1answer
93 views
How to overcome limitations of memory palace?
I frequently use the loci method (memory palace) to learn vocabulary, but I find that after 150-200 words my house is full with words/images and there is no space left.
I know of people who can ...
4
votes
1answer
66 views
Does learning a new language while in the target country instead of learning the current language reach the goal of acquiring both faster in the end?
Here is the situation:
I have now been learning French for two months.
I will start to stay in South Korea for one month.
After staying in Korea, I'll stay in France and attend language school for ...
5
votes
2answers
154 views
Are paper flash cards better for retention than digital flash cards (both self made)?
Language Learning Stack Exchange currently has sixteen questions about flash-cards, fifteen questions about anki and twenty questions about spaced-repetition. There is no doubt that spaced repetition ...
4
votes
3answers
117 views
How to get most language learning benefits from frequent casual conversations with natives?
I know several languages on various levels:
Polish native
English C1-C2
German B2-C1
Russian B1
Spanish B1
I have tons of opportunities to speak to natives:
English - quite a few people at work (...
6
votes
1answer
134 views
What is the better way for structure the learning of 5 languages in 1 year and 6 months?
It's really this, I have a dream to speak Japanese, Korean, Standard Chinese, French and Russian. I know it is hard and very difficult to learn five language at the same time.
Right now, this is my ...
4
votes
0answers
39 views
Best way to improve your ability in a language post A-Level (Exams at age 18)
It is fairly clear how to get your standard of language up to an A-level standard (exams taken at age 18 in the uk) due to clear syllabi and textbooks up to this standard. However, I find that past ...
6
votes
2answers
101 views
kannada learning - beginner's way
I am a native Marathi (Maharashtra, India) speaker and I wish to learn Kannada.
These 2 languages are totally different except for a few words in common.
To start with, I would like to learn basic ...
2
votes
0answers
21 views
What is the easy and effective way to learn in tandem live, when speaker A has B1 and speaker B barely has A1 in the language of A speaker?
I learn German (~B1), my friend learns Russian (~A1, just a little bit of the vocabulary and ability to pronounce the text). Mainly we communicate through English. Next couple weeks we live together, ...
5
votes
1answer
55 views
Do gender differences affect language learning strategies?
As far as I know, there have been many discussions and a considerable amount of research about differences in learning between boys and girls, or men and women. See for example:
Gender differences in ...
6
votes
1answer
54 views
Is it a good idea to practice American English by listening to radio from the USA?
While I was looking for a better way to practice American English I found a website, where you can find radio channels from all over the world. Do you think it is a good idea to practice your ...
3
votes
0answers
52 views
Can adults learn grammar like 5 or 6 year old kids?
As the title said. Learning a language is complicated, but children can easily pick up any languages around them. Can adults learn grammar like toddlers? and How?
2
votes
0answers
42 views
how can I structure my plan learning korean?
I am not a native speaker of Korean and not-native speaker English. I want to make a plan for learning Korean well and maybe arrive to B2 in July 2019.
I do not have a lot time because I get up 6 Am, ...
6
votes
0answers
27 views
Resources for learning the Silbo Gomero (Gomeran Whistle)
Here's a fascinating video on the Silbo Gomero, or whistled tongue of the island of Gomera in the Canary Islands of Spain. Today, it's essentially used as an encoding of Spanish that can be carried ...
5
votes
0answers
35 views
Coming from Spanish, where do I start learning English?
Is there any manual or website that I recommend to start learning English?
Honestly, with my mother tongue (Spanish) I have forgotten and sometimes left without understanding, some concepts that are ...
2
votes
3answers
129 views
What are the effective ways to learn and remember any word. And use that in the right way
I am having trouble with picking the right word for the context that I am talking about. To get rid of the problem I practiced to find all the forms of any word that I encountered ever through books, ...
7
votes
2answers
189 views
Is shadowing really a technique for interpreter trainees?
Shadowing is a technique for improving pronunciation popularised by the polyglot Alexander Arguelles. There are many YouTube videos about the technique; most of them don't demonstrate shadowing in the ...
9
votes
0answers
62 views
Learn alphabet by replacing letters in native text
I've read before somewhere about a way to quickly learn how to read a foreign alphabet. You take an unfamiliar letter and put it in English words where the sound of that letter makes sense. That ...
4
votes
1answer
67 views
How many Hanzi (Chinese characters) are theoretically possible to learn per day using Heisig's RTH?
I am currently learning three new Chinese characters per day using Heisig's Remembering the Simplified Hanzi (1 and 2) combined with Anki. This leisurely pace suits me because Chinese is not my top ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Question about Leitner box. How many cards to study from levels other than 1?
I am trying to learn Tagalog. I have made around 1500 flash cards and I am about to start using the Leitner box.
If I choose to learn 10 new words every day (from level 1) when I am in the ...
6
votes
1answer
47 views
Learning Tahitian, having issues with comprehension
I'm taking a class at my school in Tahitian, it is the beginning level. However, I am having trouble with understanding and memorizing the words. I am a native English speaker and know Mandarin to a ...
7
votes
1answer
93 views
How does language learning in a classroom affect self-learning?
Circumstances require me to take a ~3 month break from my formal/classroom/directed language studies soon. Prior to studying my L2* under a teacher I was learning independently. How will my classroom ...
6
votes
0answers
61 views
What sequences of learning kanji characters, their readings, meanings, and related vocabulary tend toward longest retention?
In Japanese, many words can be written both with just the kana (phonetically) and with the kanji (Chinese characters).
For example, the character 年 (ねん - "nen") means "year". In other vocabulary it ...
5
votes
0answers
56 views
What are general cognitive principles that could explain why Heisig's method works?
This is a follow up to this question on Remembering the Kana.
James Heisig is author of a famous series of books involving learning Chinese and Japanese characters. These books are
Remembering the ...
5
votes
0answers
20 views
About Inductive-Contextual method [duplicate]
I am currently reading Lingva Latina per se illustrata, by Oerberg. It follows the Inductive-Contextual method, which I find quite pleasant and effective. I have not found, however, books using this ...
9
votes
3answers
174 views
Should I learn English from the UK if am I learning English from USA?
I'm learning still English and in some blogs and friends always tell me that I should I learn English from the UK and American at the same time, but for me it is something hard to learn both ways of ...
