Effective Language Learning

[Phi]

Aloha,

Does anybody have some tips on how to learn languages really, really fast?

I know that I should focus on learning the most common words first, so I have found some frequency lists with the most common words for different languages.

I also know that I should try to speak the new language all the time - preferably by living in a region where the language is being spoken by the natives.

Great tips as far as I can see it, but there are probably tons of other tips that I don't know about.

Care to share your favorite tips for effective language learning?

Thank you, phi

[Swede]

I read a few pages every morning of a novel in the language I wish to learn. To make it easier, I have a Swedish translation (in my case) next to it.

Try to combine reading with listening to radio, watching movies etc. Use two or more study guides to get a broader vocabulary.

I think frequent sessions is the key here.

[kat]

Get a copy of "The art and Science of Learning languages". Pay close attention to what they say about 'crawlspeaking', etc.

Frequency lists are the wrong approach - you can survive with a few hundred words, but they'll be scattered throughout the first 15,000 or so most common. You also need a minimal 'crawl grammar'.

For really quick tourist-survival-level speech, for people without a background in studying languages, Pimsleur is probably the best.

To get to an intermediate level quickly, Assimil or FSI is - budget 3-12 months, minimum.

For quick fluency (as opposed to being able to get by, get the gist of things, etc - actually understanding several thousand words, and using them actively, with largely appropriate grammar, understanding literature and spoken conversations in crowded rooms with background noise) - it just doesn't happen. Budget a couple of years, unless you speak something closely related and/or already speak half a dozen+ languages.

[kat]

Originally Posted by Swede

I read a few pages every morning of a novel in the language I wish to learn. To make it easier, I have a Swedish translation (in my case) next to it.

Try to combine reading with listening to radio, watching movies etc. Use two or more study guides to get a broader vocabulary.

I think frequent sessions is the key here.

These are solid techniques, and helpful, but they're not really really fast. I've been using them for years, with some success, but they're limited.

[Phi]

I'm not sure I agree with you, but maybe you can explain a bit more about why you think frequency lists are a bad idea?

Originally Posted by kat

Get a copy of "The art and Science of Learning languages". Pay close attention to what they say about 'crawlspeaking', etc.

Frequency lists are the wrong approach - you can survive with a few hundred words, but they'll be scattered throughout the first 15,000 or so most common. You also need a minimal 'crawl grammar'.

For really quick tourist-survival-level speech, for people without a background in studying languages, Pimsleur is probably the best.

To get to an intermediate level quickly, Assimil or FSI is - budget 3-12 months, minimum.

For quick fluency (as opposed to being able to get by, get the gist of things, etc - actually understanding several thousand words, and using them actively, with largely appropriate grammar, understanding literature and spoken conversations in crowded rooms with background noise) - it just doesn't happen. Budget a couple of years, unless you speak something closely related and/or already speak half a dozen+ languages.

[kat]

Originally Posted by Phi

I'm not sure I agree with you, but maybe you can explain a bit more about why you think frequency lists are a bad idea?

There are several problems. One is that the lists vary widely, beyond the first thousand words or so - classical literature, everyday conversation, and webpages use fairly different words, for instance.

More importantly, though, is that the words -you- actually need, at a beginner and intermediate level, are scattered throughout the list. When you're advanced, you'll need to know ~10,000 words, give or take some thousands, but you can communicate basic needs adequately with more like 400, and express yourself coherently with ~800-1300, though you'll have some difficulty understanding other people. Take a look at 'basic English' for an example of this; by choosing a small vocabulary of words very selectively, they go a lot farther than just taking the raw 'most frequent' ones.

The most frequent words include some synonyms, and quite a lot of words that you can explain in terms of others; these words can be put off until later in language learning if getting a basis quickly is your goal.

Another issue is that you don't get a sense of how a word is used from a frequency list. If you're using other material in parallel, which gives you this sense, that's helpful. Are you at at least an intermediate level in any languages other than English? If not, you may also need to be introduced to the idea that words in one language -do not- correspond 100% to words in another, and possibly to the idea that you can't just translate sentences word-by-word.

Frequency lists are useful, to some degree. There are certainly worse approaches. However, they're neither necessary nor sufficient, nor quick.

Another book that helps with this is "The Loom of Languages", but it's much heavier going than the other one I recommended. It is, as far as I know, unparalleled if your goal is to have an active reading and writing knowledge of -several- languages in the Germanic or Romance groups in an absolute minimum of time, and it has some useful advice even if not.

If you tell me what language(s) you're interested, and your current experience, I may be able to give you more specific advice.

[Phi]

Thanks for the explanation, I'll take a look at what you recommend.