Language Possible

Tag: input

  • The Case for Massive Input

    The Case for Massive Input

    The first ingredient for learning a language is massive input. Massive input is so effective for learning languages, that you don’t even need to understand it to benefit from it!

    Does this mean that listening to German music will help you learn German, even if you have no clue what the words mean? Yes! In fact, exposure to new sounds actually makes the language part of your brain grow, just like exposure to stress makes your muscles grow.

    Does this mean that listening to German music will help you learn German, even if you have no clue what the words mean? Yes!

    This doesn’t mean that you should never think about what you hear or read in another language, though. To take full advantage of input, you should train your brain to notice and remember language patterns. Your brain will develop its own rules for how the language works as you listen to it, but you can streamline that process and avoid a lot of misunderstanding if you review the rules of a language as you go. The more attentive you are to the patterns of a language, the more you will notice and remember.

    Not all input is created equal. The best input is meaningful input. By meaningful, I mean both understandable and interesting. We learn best from content that matters to us, so find something you actually like to read or listen to. In short, do things you like. Emotion is a powerful memory catalyst, and positive emotions are the best.

    The best input is meaningful input. By meaningful, I mean both understandable and interesting. … Emotion is a powerful memory catalyst, and positive emotions are the best.

    You can also increase the effectiveness of any input if you combine audio with text (notice I said text, not pictures) whenever possible. Read out loud. Read the lyrics to a song as you listen to it. Write what you hear and compare it with a transcript. You will find that your brain remembers better if it hears, sees, processes, and produces audio and text together.

    Click here to read about the second ingredient for language learning: Compelling Motivation.

  • How People Learn Their First Language

    How People Learn Their First Language

    How do people really learn their first language? We don’t know everything about how infants learn their first language, but there are a couple of things we do know for sure. Beyond these, all we can really say is that people construct understanding from experience.

    First, they spend years literally immersed in the sounds of the language, starting before they are even born!

    Second, they have very compelling reasons to learn a language (e.g.: survival). You could even say that they don’t have any other option but to learn it.

    These two factors (massive input and compelling motivation) are not only a part of learning a language, they will determine whether or not it happens at all.

    These two factors (massive input and compelling motivation) are not only a part of learning a language, they will determine whether or not it happens at all.

    You may have heard people claim that learning a language is easy for young children. It’s not true. Learning a language requires a tremendous amount of focus and practice at any age. So what does that mean for adults? Can they learn a second language “the same way they learned their first language”? My answer: only if they have compelling motivation that makes them want to endure massive input.

    For some people, their curiosity provides enough motivation to learn a new language. Others may have external circumstances that make learning a new language a necessity (like immigration). But you don’t have to fit into one of those two categories to have success learning a language.

    The trick is to use existing interests to motivate yourself. You don’t have to focus your energy on learning to parrot dialogues, memorizing different names for all of the countries in the world, or endlessly conjugating irregular verbs in the pluperfect. You should do things you already enjoy, like: listening to music, watching movies, reading books, and talking to real people.

    So where do language learning programs fit in all of this? Well, the only ones worth your time are the ones that help you get the most out of the music, movies, books, and relationships that you really want to enjoy. That is why Language Possible courses are designed to prepare you for authentic experiences and make sure you get the most out of them.