Questions tagged [self-learning]
Questions regarding self-learning, i.e. teaching oneself a language with minimal or no prior experience with it.
150
questions
-1
votes
1
answer
13
views
Which of the world's written alphabets use at least 20 letters from the same alphabet as the English language? [closed]
Motivation for the Question
As an exercise for students learning over the internet, I was trying to construct a computer program which took some European words using the letters A-Z as input and the ...
-2
votes
1
answer
34
views
Beginner resources for learning Korean?
I want to learn Korean. Can anyone suggest me any good resources for that?
- 1
2
votes
1
answer
46
views
How to Know if a Movie/Show is Translated Well Enough to Help in Language Learning?
As addressed in questions like this, watching movies and shows in your target language can be a good way to practice your listening skills, while also being exposed to new vocabulary and spoken ...
- 163
0
votes
0
answers
25
views
Polish learning roadmap
I'm at the beginning of learning Polish. Currently I know Russian and Ukrainian, but I don't have an experience of learning a new Slavic language as an adult. I have learned English and swedish, yet ...
1
vote
1
answer
63
views
Are word translations adequate when starting to learn a new language?
Being a native Spanish speaker, I've learnt English as a second language since I was a child, starting at age 5, (I'm 23), and when I was 14-15 I started to learn German at a language school, with ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
36
views
Resources to learn Norwegian grammar, conjugation and vocabulary?
I want to learn to write and read Norwegian. And of course to hear and pronounce it.
I would like to do this in a safe way, that is to say, to learn Norwegian as it is currently written and spoken. ...
0
votes
1
answer
67
views
Improving English language at B1 level
I'm an English learner, starting from two years ago and with self-study and want to know how? Just with Google Translate when reading articles and translating words I don't know, and after some time I ...
- 101
3
votes
1
answer
61
views
How can I practise my French with inaccurate subtitles?
I speak French but want to improve my listening ability and learn some new words (maybe to put into Anki). I decided I would watch one of my favourite Netflix shows in French, however the subtitles ...
- 33
2
votes
2
answers
31
views
What are some effective options for an American with no nearby Korean-speakers to learn Hangul?
After studying the evolution of language at a very superficial depth I've decided that I want to be able to communicate using Hangul at something like the conversational level. There seem to be no ...
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
How can I squeeze language practice into small chunks of time?
Since my time is very limited, the most success I have had with learning
languages has been with the Babbel app; its focus on
small lessons (around 5-7 minutes) works well for me. However, there will
...
0
votes
0
answers
70
views
Is there any research on "natural" language learning methods?
All the language learning material I see seems to follow the school example of just throwing information at you. Sure it works but I have seen something that works better. What I mean by better is ...
2
votes
1
answer
53
views
How to master English prepositions?
I have been trying to learn English prepositions so many times but so far I have failed. It is the only thing that gives me so much pain. I have watched so many movies or videos and also read many ...
2
votes
1
answer
89
views
Minimal pairs for Danish u and ø?
I'm trying to learn Danish [ø] myself. Is there an example of minimal pairs for the Danish vowels [ø] and [u]? By minimal pairs I mean, for example, "beat" and "bit" which exhibit ...
- 123
2
votes
1
answer
67
views
In what order should English grammar be revised?
I am currently 3rd in my college and I am planning to prepare for competitive exams. I plan to revise my English grammar as I sometimes find sentences wrong, mainly because of grammatical mistakes.
As ...
2
votes
1
answer
172
views
Which dialect of Coptic makes the most sense to learn?
Recently I've become quite interested in Coptic language. I've done some research and found that, although the language is more or less dead and not used for day-to-day communication any more, there ...
- 23
5
votes
1
answer
87
views
How can I know that I am making progress?
I learn English everyday. I keep on reading, writing, speaking and listening. How can I know that I am making progress? Is there any quantitative standard?
- 51
3
votes
2
answers
131
views
Learning a language without studying grammar
I'm more or less capable of explaining my thoughts in English and I've recently started learning Spanish. Of course, there's a bunch of various articles/videos/posts on how to do it.
But one thing I ...
- 31
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
Bibliography for self-study, after having completed Поехали 2.2?
Let's assume I've solved all exercises of Поехали, Поехали 2.1 and Поехали 2.2. What books would you recommend me, in order to continue my studies of the Russian language? So, what's next?
I don't ...
11
votes
2
answers
344
views
How do I learn to read and write a language I can already speak fluently?
Born and brought up in the city of Kolkata, I've been surrounded by people who speak Bengali almost all my life. We speak a different language at home and my schooling has been in a different language,...
- 211
3
votes
2
answers
144
views
Spanish verb tenses cheat sheet?
This is rather embarrassing, but I lived in Spain for five years from the age 9 to 14, and I also went through their education system, but I still do not know when to use which of los tiempos verbales....
- 191
3
votes
0
answers
32
views
EFL / ESL language study books based on historical topics
I like history. Is there any EFL/ESL method which teaches English with historical subjects like WW2 or history in general?
I am looking for a book that is professionally designed for language learning ...
- 31
2
votes
0
answers
71
views
Russian Book Recommendations - Self Study
I’m looking for books to learn Russian, specifically the overall grammar “rules”: conjugations, declensions, etc. Level: Beginner up to advanced. The books should be for self study. For reference, I ...
- 21
5
votes
2
answers
78
views
When the Foreign Services Institute says "X class hours" are required, how many hours of self-study are assumed?
From the Foreign Language Training website, we find e.g.:
The following language learning timelines reflect 70 years of experience in teaching languages to U.S. diplomats, and illustrate the time ...
- 2,027
0
votes
0
answers
54
views
How to force youtube site auto-generated to create closed caption for an uploaded video on its site
I have an idea for intermediate language learners who want to improve their languages skills by using video on youtube. Learners could improve listening skill by watching videos in target language. If ...
1
vote
1
answer
118
views
Learning to speak without thinking about grammar
I recently started learning (modern) Greek. As this is the first time I've tried to learn a second language, I have a question about learning to speak more naturally. Because Greek has such a ...
- 111
2
votes
1
answer
67
views
How can one acquire a language just by listening without the visuals?
I have watched Stephen Krashen's talk on language acquisition.
And I learnt that according to decades of research and experience, the best way to pick up a new language is to acquire - just like ...
- 123
-1
votes
2
answers
114
views
Struggling with learning, especially without outputting
I'm trying to learn Japanese, and I know quite a bit already (I used rtk to learn the meaning/ stroke order or about 2200 kanji, know over 1700 vocab, listen and watch a lot of videos constantly ...
3
votes
2
answers
245
views
Language learning seems tough and a long process
English is not my mother tongue, but in my country it was compulsory for all the schools to teach their students English right from KinderGarten. I remember we used to have a picture book of English ...
8
votes
1
answer
196
views
Is there any such paper that shows passive listening helps language learning?
I have been searching on Google Scholar to find a paper presenting research results on whether passive listening helps learning a language, but I could not find any. Is there any such work that shows ...
- 159
2
votes
5
answers
520
views
How old is too old to learn Japanese?
How old is too old to learn Japanese well enough to have meaningful conversations?
I am not even dreaming of learning any language fluently at my age however. In my opinion, 27 is generally too old to ...
2
votes
2
answers
134
views
Examples of short English presentations about computer science with advanced English
I will have English exam in few days. I am preparing for one part of exam – 12 minutes long oral presentation. Presentation should summarize some text with topic connected to computer science based on ...
- 23
5
votes
1
answer
128
views
When is it best to add another language to the mix?
Little bit about myself in case that helps: I'm a 17 year old living in England. I'm fluent in English (of course), have a good understanding of several South Asian languages because of my ethnicity, ...
- 294
4
votes
1
answer
80
views
Is it possible to become fluent in pre-12th century English?
I would really like to learn to speak Old English, but it seems that spelling and pronunciation weren't exactly standardized in the early medieval times. In fact, I'm not sure we know much about Old ...
- 173
4
votes
0
answers
93
views
The "fully grammatical" approach towards learning Indo-European languages
I have stumbled upon this video on Youtube (sorry - it is in Russian).
Here's a short summary:
The spokesperson introduces the following scheme of learning an Indo-European language:
"Learn by ...
- 173
2
votes
2
answers
30k
views
Difference between C1 and C2
Lovely community, what's the difference between the advanced and the proficient levels of English (or any other European language)?
I have calculated the cumulative hours of my language learning: it ...
- 123
3
votes
1
answer
30
views
How can I prepare for a discussion involving pre-specified Chinese words with my teacher?
Like a lot of learners, my Chinese reading and writing abilities far exceed my speaking and listening. As a result, my teacher says I should study a certain page (高级口语（I） p.8) in a textbook, and be ...
- 2,027
2
votes
1
answer
136
views
French pronunciation
I'm looking for a guide to master my French pronunciation.
Ideally, pictures with proper tongue positioning inside the mouth.
For now, after 10 years of living in a French-speaking country, I ...
- 43
1
vote
2
answers
189
views
Why is it that I can understand German when I have had low amount of exposure to it?
I have noticed something interesting to me. Over the past 10 or so years, I have been exposed to German in 2 main contexts, studying German vocabulary and seeing German words in music. This exposure ...
- 111
1
vote
2
answers
112
views
Resources for self-teaching spanish
I'd like to use free resources learn enough Spanish that I'll be able to understand menus, ask basic questions (e.g., where is the train station, how far is the whatever), not butcher pronunciations, ...
3
votes
0
answers
70
views
How important is to find language exchange partner?
Currently, with all social networks and internet, it seems that everybody suggest [citation needed] that the primary way to learn a language is to find a language exchange partner.
Beyond the obvious ...
4
votes
1
answer
65
views
How can one learn to be a professional translator on their own time?
Is it possible, with a high-level study of grammar and a deep knowledge of the terminology used in whatever area you intend to translate in (obviously not in medicine or law, where such things are ...
user7430
2
votes
0
answers
36
views
How can I identify a Youtube video URL for a lesson's video from FluentU?
I'd like to track down a URL for a video for one of the lessons on FluentU.
What, if any, means exist to find out a video URL for a YouTube video used as a lesson video within FluentU?
Thanks,
- 171
1
vote
3
answers
78
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 ...
- 19
-1
votes
3
answers
68
views
How to choose a foreign language to learn based on my interests? [closed]
I already know Russian and Ukrainian, I study English.
I'd like to find the next language to learn.
In fact, I'd like to know all the Romance languages, but I should start somewhere.
To begin with, I'...
1
vote
2
answers
879
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 ...
- 119
5
votes
1
answer
120
views
Good text-to-speech resource for learning Hebrew
So I was sent here to ask my question from here.
I'm currently into my third month of learning Hebrew. I have been using the very limited text-to-speech dictionary from hebrewpod101.com to look up ...
- 61
3
votes
2
answers
97
views
Can Speak Chinese; Need Learning Resources to Bring Reading Skill to Same Level (HSK4)
Good Day!
I have an interesting conundrum - I can speak Chinese just fine (in fact I just took an HSK placement exam at the local Confucius Centre and was ranked at 4 for listening and speaking). I ...
user7196
7
votes
2
answers
133
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 ...
- 1,258
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
Do most language learners use a tutor/teacher?
I had a language tutor for a number of years and did not progress to fluency.
I've seen that many language learners, once they get convinced that they can learn a new language, go on to learn ...
- 151
6
votes
2
answers
143
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 ...
- 1,258