Questions tagged [self-learning]
Questions regarding self-learning, i.e. teaching oneself a language with minimal or no prior experience with it.
136
questions
2
votes
1answer
22 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?
2
votes
1answer
33 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 ...
12
votes
3answers
195 views
How can I improve the listening and speaking skill as a self-learner?
I learn any languages mostly alone, without any school or tutors (as it is insanely expensive and also quite inflexible). I learn it mostly online, starting wit apps like Rosetta Stone and Memrise as ...
5
votes
1answer
90 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,...
0
votes
0answers
10 views
What 's the difference between 'It was starting to rain' and 'it started to rain'? [migrated]
In grammar- momentary verbs such as 'start,finish,marry,put up...' are rarely used in 'continuous tense'.
But there's an example in dictionary - It was starting to rain.
So.
What's the difference ...
1
vote
0answers
16 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
4answers
1k views
Improving a language at B1 level
I am learning Russian and English. I speak in English and understand everything most of the time when my friends talk. I understand about 60% of the words in movies and news. I also struggle with ...
0
votes
2answers
170 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
68 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....
3
votes
0answers
23 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 ...
7
votes
1answer
123 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 ...
2
votes
0answers
22 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
183 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
72 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 ...
4
votes
0answers
30 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
34 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
1answer
76 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
62 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 ...
0
votes
5answers
263 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
1answer
45 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 ...
58
votes
10answers
2k views
How can I prevent myself from forgetting a language?
Many people forget languages entirely after enough time. I've become fluent in Spanish, but I haven't used it in over a year, and most of my family and friends don't speak it fluently. With all the ...
4
votes
1answer
70 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 ...
10
votes
1answer
93 views
Grammar and language learning books/software for Irish
I am currently learning Irish with the help of the Android application "Duolingo". It doesn't teach me the grammar; it works with translating sentences. I don't think the app is very useful; ...
11
votes
3answers
114 views
Improving my English Skills (CAE) without a language trip
I'm learning English in my 8th year now and want to take the CAE exam (Cambridge, level C1) in one year. I am already taking an extra course at school; in normal lessons we are between level B1 and B2....
2
votes
1answer
97 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
69 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, ...
2
votes
2answers
37 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
185 views
Learning Persian with Latin alphabet
Is there any free online resource for learning basic Persian without learning arabic script? I tried several online courses but they all begin with teaching script first. This is very demotivating to ...
10
votes
2answers
391 views
Are there any free online resources for learning Tamazight?
I'd like to learn Tamazight or any related Berber language by self-learning, in a first step. As far as I know they are similar to some extent, therefore I'm not excluding the possibility to use ...
4
votes
0answers
82 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 ...
8
votes
1answer
140 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 ...
19
votes
4answers
323 views
How can you verify your grammar during self-study?
This similar question regarding pronunciation made me think about verifying other aspects of language when you do not have access to a native speaker frequently or at all.
I have many self-...
2
votes
2answers
4k 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
229 views
Learning Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia) on my own
I have decided to try to learn Indonesian on my own, so I have a couple of questions. For starters, what (ideally free) resources are available to one who wants to learn Indonesian to college class ...
3
votes
1answer
23 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
757 views
Is it possible to learn grammar through spaced repetition, and if yes, how?
Spaced repetition is mostly used for learning vocabulary, but learning vocabulary is not all there is to learning a foreign language. Grammar also needs to be acquired, one way or another. Since doing ...
5
votes
1answer
106 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
88 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
How much time will it take a beginner to reach a B2/C1 level Russian language proficiency by self-learning?
Is it possible to reach a B2/C1 in Russian in 4~5 years, when I have no prior experience with Russian or any related language?
I'm studying Russian 1 hour a day every single day. Is this enough? I'm ...
0
votes
2answers
79 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, ...
6
votes
3answers
230 views
Latin, Italian, or French?
(I hope this is on-topic.)
I am deciding which language to learn next. I am a native Spanish and fluent English speaker. My three options are Latin, Italian, and French. I would like to receive your ...
4
votes
1answer
57 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 ...
3
votes
0answers
53 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 ...
2
votes
0answers
29 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,
1
vote
2answers
53 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
votes
3answers
49 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'...
44
votes
6answers
1k views
How can I verify my pronunciation without a native speaker?
I've been learning Japanese for a short while, and it uses some sounds that aren't in my native language (English). (For example, the "r" sound, which has been described to me as a combination of "d", ...
1
vote
2answers
221 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
0answers
27 views
How can I efficiently find lists of chance correspondences?
Where can I find such compilations or lists systematically?
This Japanese-English example is from
John McWhorter PhD Linguistics (Stanford)'s The Power of Babel (2003), pp. 226-227.
I'm aware of r/...
12
votes
2answers
3k views
How did Cardinal Mezzofanti learn foreign languages?
Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti (1774-1849) was an Italian cardinal who also became famous for his language skills. According to his biographer Charles William Russell, he spoke at least 30 languages very ...
