Comments on: Maintaining multiple languages

by: Miro

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:23:06 +0000

Depends on your language level, but myself I enjoy listening to podcasts from several radio stations in different languages. Every week I get a few hours of fresh interesting content and I listen to everything just once, then delete it.

by: Steve

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 04:43:50 +0000

I am interested in exchanging ideas on the use of MP3 players for language learning. Some ideas I would be interested in bouncing around here.

1) Listening to audio contents read by talented story tellers creates a stronger emotional bond to the target language and is better for language learning.
2) At times it is good to listen straight through to enjoy the sense of achievement in grapsoing the meaning of a new language. At other times we should stop the MP3 player at every phrase and repeat the phrase to ourselves 5-10 times, concentrating only on the rhythm and intonation and not worrying about words that we forget.
3) If we can reproduce the rhythm and intonation of the language our auditory perception, pronunciation and confidence improve. We also develop a better sense of the little bits, the prepositions, articles, verb and noun forms etc.
4) As much as possible we should listen to whatever we read in the new language and read whatever we listen, at least until we are past the intermediate stage.

by: Steve

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:45:25 +0000

I am not sure you need to deadfile easy conversations. The only consideration should be that you enjoy or can tolerate listening to them. Sometimes reviewing easy content is very effective.
If I start a new language I concentrate on that language. I listen and repeat to myself, trying to catch the intonation of the language. I agree with Busliman that it is essential to let words and meaning slide.
I am fluent in nine language and have been working on three new ones in the last few years, on and off. The one key priniciple of language learning is to accept, and even enjoy uncertainty. There will always be words you do not understand or thoughts you cannot express well in another language. If you do not like uncertainty stay with your native language.

by: Busliman

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:36:12 +0000

True.
I’ve applied that method for the last two years, concurrently with my studies at my university of origin (which involved options in arabic and hebrew). It proved successful and more concretely in beginning to master the languages.
I enjoyed mixing languages : classical arabic, different spoken varieties, hebrew, persian, hindi, even english to some extent… You get a feel of familiarity with the different sound systems, a way of recognition which can be most useful.
I am currently in Egypt studying spoken and written arabic and hopefully am quickly progressing.
of course it is sometimes useful to check from times to times the meaning or context of what you’re listening to, if not the translation itself.
It can prove interesting to vary between texts you’ve listened to over and over again and eventually assimilate, and new texts or even the radio bulletin, which bring variety and unexpected sentences you have to catch up with.
listen, repeat, and sometimes let the words slide without concentrating, they end up somewhere…

by: Declan

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:39:02 +0000

I think that the random idea is very good, espically when it mightn’t be a true love, but merely an interest, in a language or languages. I think though that you would be advised to deadfile conversations that are too basic after a while so that your standard would be maintained.