From studying to living a language...
The other day, I was writing about the key to languages being not to learn them but to live them. Edwin from Tower of Confusion has been doing just that: He's been hanging around some Francophone cities in Canada. He's back and reports having found the language to come more naturally than he'd thought. Part of what he attributes it to: His time with LingQ.
Now, I've never been to Montréal, but I have been to Paris. And it beats the hell out of LingQ - sorry, Steve. But that's not to say that LingQ isn't without its charms. If one of the forms of communicating in a foreign language is to read, taking a speaker's message off the printed page, LingQ can be a handy device for doing so more easily and effectively than the old style - book in one hand, dictionary in the other. (And you can listen to a lot of the stuff too.)
I think that to get a handle on a foreign language, it's a good idea to learn a bit about the grammar, and about how the language works. And it doesn't hurt to encounter some vocabulary in a more orderly fashion before hitting original texts. It's nice to have a head start on knowing what you're deciphering. So I'm not sure that I would start learning a language with LingQ. But as I noted in my earlier post, we shouldn't confuse language learning with becoming a speaker of a language - one focuses on the learning process, the other on living the language. LingQ is good for helping you interact with the language for real, which is a good step toward being a real speaker. So if you're looking for something to read in your language and readers or foreign magazines aren't doing it for you, give the site a visit. It might just be what you've been looking for.
LingQ, of course, isn't the only tool for getting at home with the language you're learning. Some of the Transparent Language programs are also worth a look. And online programs like ChinesePod and SpanishPod also have a lot to offer (though in different ways). Also, surf around to find online music, or YouTube videos in the language you're learning. Try things out and see what works for you. But if you find a program that, for you, makes the language less a thing you study and more a part of you, know that you've found gold and run with it.
Now, I've never been to Montréal, but I have been to Paris. And it beats the hell out of LingQ - sorry, Steve. But that's not to say that LingQ isn't without its charms. If one of the forms of communicating in a foreign language is to read, taking a speaker's message off the printed page, LingQ can be a handy device for doing so more easily and effectively than the old style - book in one hand, dictionary in the other. (And you can listen to a lot of the stuff too.)
I think that to get a handle on a foreign language, it's a good idea to learn a bit about the grammar, and about how the language works. And it doesn't hurt to encounter some vocabulary in a more orderly fashion before hitting original texts. It's nice to have a head start on knowing what you're deciphering. So I'm not sure that I would start learning a language with LingQ. But as I noted in my earlier post, we shouldn't confuse language learning with becoming a speaker of a language - one focuses on the learning process, the other on living the language. LingQ is good for helping you interact with the language for real, which is a good step toward being a real speaker. So if you're looking for something to read in your language and readers or foreign magazines aren't doing it for you, give the site a visit. It might just be what you've been looking for.
LingQ, of course, isn't the only tool for getting at home with the language you're learning. Some of the Transparent Language programs are also worth a look. And online programs like ChinesePod and SpanishPod also have a lot to offer (though in different ways). Also, surf around to find online music, or YouTube videos in the language you're learning. Try things out and see what works for you. But if you find a program that, for you, makes the language less a thing you study and more a part of you, know that you've found gold and run with it.
4 Comments:
My problem with LingQ specifically is that I *don't* think it's better than the "old way", or at least "my way." I just use a software dictionary coupled with Anki. I've tried LingQ (a few times, actually) and found a lot about it that I just didn't care for. The dictionary seems particularly weak, at least in regards to German; there doesn't seem to be any way at all to deal with separable verbs, as you obviously can't highlight the stem as well as the prefix simultaneously. The whole system seems clunky and slow.
Most software dictionaries offer a pop-up search, or even a highlight+shortcut key to look stuff up. The dictionary I use lets me highlight a word in *anything* on my computer, hit Ctrl+G, and the definition pops up.
Sorry for the off topic mini-rant, but I've read about LingQ over and over on different language sites, and I just don't get it. Why people are paying for memberships there, when all it does is basically stuff you can do for free (or a hell of a lot cheaper) on your own computer... well, it's beyond me.
To each their own, I guess. :)
While I have not yet tried LingQ (I plan on it soon, though), I know that when I studied at the University of Granada in Spain -- I was around a lot of American college students, so we did not speak much Spanish. My most recent trip to Spain though was a lot more fruitful, as I was traveling alone and encountered many people that cannot speak English, or have a very minimal command of it, so my motivation to speak more Spanish was much stronger the second time around. I think if I lived in a Spanish-speaking country for a while, I would be so much more confident with my language abilities than I am now.
For me, I am looking for the right opportunity (time and place) to "live the language". In the meantime, I continue using all of the online resources at my disposal, as well as trying to study Portuguese and French to supplement what I already know about Spanish.
Learning a language - and getting comfortable using it - is a personal thing. Whether it's LingQ, or podcasts, the Transparent Language programs, or even the Topics Entertainment Instant Immersion CDs and CD-ROMs, some things work for some people, other things for other people. If LingQ doesn't work for you, check out Josh's site for his suggestions on what works for him - maybe it will work for you.
And if you can set aside the time and money, maybe you can learn abroad at Jeffrey Hayes' link!
Just make sure you're doing something that, for you, has you making the language a part of your life, not just a thing that you study.
Geoff,
Thanks for mentioning LingQ. Obviously it is not for everybody. And it works better for some languages than for others, since we are still working on improving the functionality and have not been able to focus on the needs of individual languages.
On the other hand,Josh,the speed has been considerably increased so it is less clunky. We are looking at better dictionaries, and greater ease in saving words and phrases.
So while it does not work for you, the full range of functionality is quite attractive to many people,such as Edwin for his French. I may not be objective but I, and others find it great for Russian. As long as you do not need a tutor, it is FREE, contrary to what you implied in your rant.
Steve
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