A Polyglot's Daily Linguistic Workout

[@burhan8147]

Thankyou Professor Your method of working on one thing for 15-20 min and then changing subjects continuously after 15-20 min has tremendously increased my productivity.

[@ProfASAr]

I am very glad to hear it. I don't know why that is such a hidden "secret" to successful study.

[@aixzi_official]

@@ProfASAr you found the most efficient thing in language learning which sounds be create momentum and being in an adventure

[@oswaldocaminos8431]

​​@@ProfASArHas been this your method for succesfully learning that many languages, throughout all your life?

[@fsmfsm9941]

proud to say he's my professor at the american university in the emirates. best teacher ive ever had!

[@popito8366]

what does he teach?

[@hockeyme3113]

@@popito8366 everything

[@konyvnyelv.]

@@popito8366 probably Philology or something alike

[@fsmfsm9941]

@@popito8366 he taught world history, middle east history, and political science.

[@Don2006]

@@fsmfsm9941 what the f? This guy is a downright BEAST

[@poptropicano31]

Truly Impressive and inspiring. I gotta say, though, a large portion of this video felt like he was confessing to a hopeless addiction with a counsellor or something...

[@KL-xr4oz]

YES!!

[@parthbage1132]

This particularly hasn't been seen before so it seems to be crazy to us. Otherwise it is completely normal. Obsession of passion is completely ok.

[@quekbridget5988]

Parth Bage Obsession is not ok. I had obsession with piano. My hands had to touch it I grew anxious when I could not play it for two weeks.

[@Rjcuatrocinco]

True life: I'm a language addict

[@seankennedy4284]

Without knowing anything about this gentleman, I find this manic.

[@mxsantander]

62 people didn't write two pages of arabic...

[@younespl8762]

62?

[@dieweltsprachen5032]

@@younespl8762 Dislikes

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Sebastian37s]

Language learning is so addicting!!!

[@charlesbowen395]

It's a sweet addiction.

[@kiwon1974]

so true!! sadly I don't have so much time. I want so much to start a new language (Danish? Swedish?) but I need to perfect the 2 that I'm learning and always keep reading the 4 that I think I'm already fluent

[@Sebastian37s]

Rafael GS And what are those languages??

[@HellolBuffalol]

GOTTA CATCH EM ALL!!!!

[@noirblanque5324]

SWEDISH IS REALLY FUN TO LEARN!! DO IT!!

[@nortonnoble8800]

:) Wake up and start writing 2-pages of Arabic, do exercise in Chinese, read Russian, study Turkish grammar and write 2-pages of Arabic. Do exercise in Korean, read French, study Swahili, and write 2-pages of Arabic. Do exercise in German, study Bulgarian grammar, read Spanish, and write 2-pages of Arabic. Do exercise in Japanese, read Spanish, study Persian grammar, and guess what?? Write 2-pages of f***ing Arabic! God damn :)

[@YourAverageHijabis]

LMAOOO

[@Son_of_aesthetics]

Lol

[@tlilvanilla1845]

LOLOLOLOL

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@jakegaratti5374]

On May 4, 2002 he slacked off. His only day off in years.

[@mosantos2]

+Jake Garatti Hey. I'm sorry to ask you. But how do you know that? I am a admirer of Professor Arguelles and I did not know this. Thank you

[@shaolin89]

+mosantos2 if you are an admirer of him why don't you watch the whole video? Then you would know.

[@mosantos2]

Frederik Rasmussen You're right. I'm sorry. I watched this video a long time ago and I remember him talking about his routine, but there's a long time I don't watch it , so I don't remember these details. Thank you

[@JoseSanchez-xz5wt]

Probably the day he got married ;) still managed to get some work done

[@verisimilitudeteller]

When he says he "slacked off" that means he only studied 4 hours that day.

[@futurez12]

I do something similar... I wake up, watch 5 minutes of a KZbin video in my target language, then in my native language I watch 4-5 hours of KZbin instructional videos on how to learn a language. I then treat myself to an hour or so of masturbation for all my hard work, and finally, feeling exhausted, I sleep for about 15 hours straight. Rinse and repeat...

[@Parasite2]

+futurez12 sad but thats my life

[@bleakmidwinter9481]

this is fcking hilarious and true

[@Ferinoification]

I am not Alone!

[@Ferinoification]

Anthocyanins Vacuolar WTF!

[@Conero08]

One of the best KZbin comments I've ever read.

[@signmeupruss]

Alexander Arguelles, it's difficult to express just how useful this video is for me. It motivates me immensely. Thank you for all your work in supporting language learning.

[@ProfASAr]

I am gratified to have a good influence in other people's lives!

[@KL-xr4oz]

This makes me feel like my goals are possible

[@ProfASAr]

Good to know!

[@Pieishman]

I'll just do about 3 lessons of Duolingo and call it a day...

[@galileor.cuevas9739]

I make like 15 of them a day and then speak with native speakers of different languages.

[@nonamed56]

why not? language learning is a hobby. not an obligation. if you do 3 lessons a day and do it consistently for, say, 2 year, you will definitely be able to speak the language

[@aidaeugeniaduartemarchant2943]

@Hilbert França Duolingo cannot get you to masterize a language, everyone knows that, keep doing only duolingo for 2 years and you'll be able to say senseless sentences like "the horse eats salt", you have to be exposed to a lot of listening if you want to reach a good level in the target language. 2 years have passed since that comment, I wonder how much he improved on his target languages. My bad if there are some grammar mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker

[@t3cthecrosscountrycat104]

@@aidaeugeniaduartemarchant2943 I agree. This man is truly a polyglot. He even makes strong efforts to understand the etymological roots and influences of each and every language, allowing him to see the relationship clearly between Old Danish, German, Icelandic, English and even (fucking) Latin (Jesus!!!)!!! He must be preparing for the Mental Olympics...

[@solea59]

@@aidaeugeniaduartemarchant2943and I tried duolingo , but I think you won't get to a high standard on that alone. OK for holidaymakers

[@FreyaGem]

Wow I feel like a total language slacker now.

[@nonamed56]

how many languages do you know?

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@ceruchi2084]

This could have been a comedy routine. After about six or seven languages, I assumed that was all he was learning. Then Dutch, and Danish, and the parallel Hindi/Urdu readers. This guy, omg. I love how disciplined his life is - and how he says he could do this for sixteen hours straight!

[@juliusjohnson5967]

No way I will practice my languages that long at a time. I will do it off and on all day long though.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@paulcal3500]

I've watched this video probably 40 times over the past 10 years. And I just realized that writing is a MAJOR part of this 'workout.' I wonder why. As someone aiming to become functionally fluent in two languages, I focus more attention on listening and reading, listening, and speaking. Interesting that writing is such a major part of the Prof. Arguelles' study plan.

[@collapserelapse]

Doesn't seem like his goal is to be 'fluent' necessarily in the sense that he'd be able to communicate effortlessly with natives. It seems to be that his intention is just being able to read, understand and write these languages in text more than anything else. I'm sure he speaks a number of languages fluently too but probably far from all of them. I mean you see how focused he is on the grammar side of it, normally if your goal is to speak fluently grammar is really not that big of a concern, it's just something you kinda pick up along the way. But for writing it is obviously extremely important to have proper grammar, so yeah, that's probably why he's so focused on writing as opposed to listening and speaking.

[@t3cthecrosscountrycat104]

@@collapserelapse I don't know about that. For most people, yes. But in his "Languages of the World" series, he demonstrated the ability to not only recall the translation of germanic languages in real time, but also to show the relationship between them. He has unlocked the polyglot "superpower" of what I call "etymological recognition", and in that sense, I don't think that he is the type of person to only 'dabble' in every language. People often forget that the relationship between all Indo-European languages in stronger than we like to imagine in everyday life. Also, he once said that you couldn't study Middle Dutch without learning regular Dutch in a video of the same name, proving that he doesn't just have a basic understanding of the language. Have you tried reading Middle Dutch? I have, and even though I have a decent understanding of German, I can still hardly make out a thing.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Writing is a huge part of my foreign language study, because I intend to publish in foreign languages (at least French and German, would be great to add Russian and Spanish as well). Some people learn languages more for literary reasons than being able to speak all. After all, is functional fluency really attainable for several different languages?

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

@@collapserelapse I am not sure I agree with your saying that grammar isn't that big of a concern when speaking. While I accept that you cannot be so obsessed with grammar that you say nothing (a huge mistake I made for years with German), I have tutored students who make the same errors again and again without ever seeing why they are wrong.

[@ProfASAr]

Hello Paul! I am catching up on my dormant comments more than a year later. If you see this, I take it the question has been answered now by my more recent videos?

[@3dy97]

You know, waking up and casually writing a few pages of arabic, nothing special.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@jensl5956]

To everyone saying this is an addiction, it almost definitely isnt. This is hard work, dedication and discipline. I'm learning German and I struggle to learn and practice for just 2 hours a day. Its damn hard and you need a solid bit of motivation (BTW Im not one bit trying to say Im a master at language learning, Im happy to admit my weaknesses and I have alot of them). Learning languages would be a hell of a lot easier if you could get addicted to it.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

I have to say, I am astonished at the level of snarky and shallow comments here. It seems to me that people not only refuse to sacrifice for mastery: they disdain those who *do*. Shocking. In my view, whenever I see someone who is superior to me in a skill, I aspire to be like them. I do not tear them down.

[@diariosdelextranjero]

Blame cellphones.

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for the show of support!

[@kaz9781]

Wow. And i struggle learning a third language

[@nerosonic]

kaz9781 what you learnin?

[@meisteryassine9654]

nerosonic english LMAO

[@mysticalcatnip221]

I struggle with my native!! lol

[@hikazayanikushi9086]

RELATABLE LMAO

[@rainy905]

kaz9781 have you considered learning sigh language?

[@Michelle-go4io]

No. Its not an addiction or OCD. The man works hard to be great at his job.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

It's amazing how many hate hard work.

[@diariosdelextranjero]

Yes !

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for the support.

[@laoshu505000]

Nice to see you again. I enjoyed this video very much.

[@4himsanctified]

Cool, a comment from Moses. RIP

[@wolfuryt4183]

I miss you so much T-T

[@JC-mr5ys]

aw man, this reminds me of how i used to see you in the comments of every language video i'd watch. love you. rest in peace moses

[@MShanfari]

RIP Moses you are my forever inspiration in language learning!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@ivicastojkov7270]

Every time when i struggle with motivation for learning a language i come here!

[@84071639]

Same!!!!!!!

[@The_Lord_Of_Confusion]

@@84071639 I guess for me its somewhere in between of inspiring and intimidating

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@konyvnyelv.]

When he goes to church I suppose he translates the sermon into ancient Aramaic

[@Big-guy1981]

Nah he just sticks to Ancient Greek

[@cuchicheo88]

Ge'ez is closer to Tigrinya than to Amharic, tbh.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

@@cuchicheo88 Amharic is not the same as Aramaic...?

[@konyvnyelv.]

@@Musicienne-DAB1995 aramaic is spoken in Palestine and it was Jesus's tongue. Amharic is in Ethiopia. Both Semitic

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

@@konyvnyelv. Yeah, I know. Are you responding to the right person?

[@akomoni]

That was really marvelous. Regarding me, this is the best clip I've seen Prof. Arguelles practicing languages. I learnt from this clip more than I've learn in many of other ones together. Thank you very much Prof. Arguelles for sharing this clip with us and helping us achieve our goals for multiple foreign language learning! Vielen dank und Auf wiedersehen!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@89Dustdevil]

All these people calling him obsessive and unhealthy. It’s his job and something he enjoys! I guarantee most people spend more time on social media than he does on these exercises and games.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

It's astonishing how people not only refuse to celebrate hard work, discipline, and mastery-- they actively discourage it with insults and shallow "thoughts".

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for the words of support!

[@MaximillianCallender]

This video helped me a lot. a few years ago. I decided to relax and enjoy studying languages instead of becoming a freak and trying to do everything I could in one day. This video was a nice warning of how I could end up.

[@Lacaminante1984]

Your comment is out of place. I don't understand to the people like you who can't be in peace with their decissions and need to do a sarcastic comment.

[@hbskull321]

This isn't sarcasm, it's an honest expression. Like anything, you can become so invested in something that it consumes you, to the point that you're missing out on other things, or not even enjoying it anymore. This is a fair point to make, watching this video, I know for certain that I do not want to live like this, I need time and space in my routine for other things I enjoy, and I still want language learning to be a thing I look forward to, regardless of whether I spend 10 minutes or several hours studying that day.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@iberius9937]

This man is one of my inspirations. That said, this video should be titled "A PHILOLOGIST'S DAILY LINGUISTIC WORKOUT" as this is clearly meant more for reading all these languages than for speaking them.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting, Ibericus.

[@1DNoticeMOi]

Wow. Thanks, I really needed an idea of how to structure and schedule my polyglot lifestyle :)

[@evenightshade565]

Me to.

[@testie__111]

@@evenightshade565 start with English grammar

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@superbroke]

You are legendary, my dear. Now you got me inspired to continue on my 6th language. Keep it coming!

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you kindly!

[@adamys419]

Seems like it's almost bordering on obsession

[@gredangeo]

With that many languages? Yeah. You can learn 2 or 3 and keep them, if you live in the area that speaks them. But with pushing 8 languages or more, it's a constant workout, and studying. Retaining that many just by usage isn't natural. It's also harder to live in an area that warrants that many languages at one time, to begin with. No engagement with the language, just makes the brain want to forget it more.

[@bossendenwoodconvict]

Gredandeo, I agree. If somebody happened to grow up with two or three languages , they could perhaps add another one per decade, until they had five or six. Above that, they would really struggle to maintain that number of languages, unless they were exceptional.

[@Lacaminante1984]

I don't agree, isn't an obsession it's dedication, that's all. I don't know why are you comment like his life is yours.

[@chumnutzly]

almost? lol

[@dcrock8978]

Claudia Espinoza people are just hateful because they suck at everything and have to pull successful happy people down with them

[@ImAlwaysR1ght]

I used to be working on 4 languages but decided to focus on just becoming fluent in Japanese because of my Biology studies. I love your dedication Professor. Keep up the great work.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@HomeScienceNow]

This is one of most valuable vids in Alexander's uploaded set. They're all very helpful, but this one reveals an important strategic lesson: It's more efficient to learn multiple languages all at once, dividing time for each during the day, than it is to study only one until it is "mastered", and only then moving on to the next one, and so on. In 10 years time, the first, concurrent, approach will give you more polyglottery then the second, sequential strategy.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@happycat2284]

O que eu acho mais incrível é a variedade de alfabetos exóticos diferentes com os quais o senhor Arguelles lida! É simplesmente surreal, pois já é muito difícil aprender línguas distintas que usam o mesmo alfabeto.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Ponape4]

How wonderful seeing you again, and how wonderful seeing your love for personal effort and self-confidence. A thousand times thank you for sharing your videos with us. At least for me, what you are doing is of great significance and generosity.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@bossendenwoodconvict]

I admire him but....when he goes on days out with his family he should leave the books at home. Be with the family 100%, and not focussed on something else.

[@shaolin89]

hahaha good call

[@dappadondadda100]

Lidija .... hahaha that's true. In his case he is addicted to something that will expand his knowledge and benefit him.

[@mavenfeliciano1710]

Dappa Don Dadda but he would be neglecting his family in the process.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@barefootfiona]

I much prefer you when you're relaxed like this. It's much easier to listen to. You are the one who inspired me to try learning and developing my interest in some of the more obscure languages - namely, Icelandic, Scottish Gaelic, Inuktitut, Japanese and Czech. It's an ambition of mine to gain some level of profiency in these and other languages. Since I don't have to same level of perseverance as you, I think it may take a while. At least it's the learning that I enjoy! Thanks! :D

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@QuiltingCrow]

I spend about two to four hours daily with learning new languages. The languages I already speak fluently get less attention. Mostly, I like to keep my levels up by talking to natives.

[@juliusjohnson5967]

If that works for you, but I prefer to break my intervals up into maybe 30 minutes sessions up to 8 times daily.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@solisimperium1203]

for my japanese i do 5~10 minutes duolingo to review sentences. 15~30 minutes SRS with Wanikani (kanji)/ anki (vocab) (i'll write any kanji/vocab i get wrong). then after i'll make my own sentences using those words i forgot or got wrong, takes around 5~10 minutes. Finally i'll do either a listen or reading activity with 100% focus. I don't spend too much time on grammar, sometimes i'll look up the grammar i see new in my listening/reading though. My goal is to understand the japanese language and write it. Speaking too but its not top priority, so i do not mind sounding like a foreigner. But this guy is an inspiration for me. The amount of dedication and commitment he has..

[@ProfASAr]

Glad to be of service.

[@fahrmann]

to niesmaowite, że ludzki umysł może wchłonąc aż tak wiele, nabrałem nowych sił i nowych inspiracji do nauki nowych języków, dziękuje Profesorze za solidnie wykonaną robotę, czekam na kolejne wykłady ... z niecierpliwością / Greeting from Poland -Upper Sielsia

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@angelfish22093]

I'm working on Farsi, American Sign Language, and Spanish. Its wonderful learning how the different languages play off of each other, yet are so uniquely wonderful... I definitely recommend learning a sign language because of the wonderful grammar/ syntax they use... its very different than an oral language...

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@christiaan81music]

Does he ever talk to a native or doesn't he have the time for that lol

[@shaolin89]

Christiaan Haesen its just that his main focus is reading and writing languages, mainly to read great books in their original form of composition. He isn't exactly trying to speak them fluently, although he can speak many of them well. As far as I know, anyway:)

[@TwelfthRoot2]

God I’m dying laughing after reading this comment 😂

[@starvaleri8777]

Exactly! It’s not only reading.

[@full-timepog6844]

@Hilbert França you need to read and listen to build fluency. Speaking is after that

[@friendlycreature6375]

@@shaolin89 How many languages does he speak ?

[@thegoodgatsby8010]

You are so cool, Professor! I do your shadowing technique in Chinese currently and it’s been a wholesome expression!

[@ProfASAr]

Wonderful!

[@nickmayhew9722]

When does this guy have time to work?

[@GSBroker]

Does he even poop?

[@fluntimes]

Gled ShadowBroker Pooping is the best downtime for study! Does he shower is the question?!

[@zane98zane]

He's a professor so his work includes languages. He only sleeps six hours per day.

[@tauceti8341]

fluntimes are you kidding me, you gotta bring your study material in there with you, or you have inefficiency just staring at a wall.

[@KingOfClay]

Oiled Gazelles Only? Sounds like a lot to me.

[@konyvnyelv.]

Invidio la sua capacità di organizzazione e le sue rigide abitudini. Aspiro ad essere metodico come lei. Saluti da Milano!

[@ProfASAr]

Grazie mille!

[@Garc1993]

If you're considered a "pathetic hack" by previous centuries' standards, then the masses are dust in the wind. I thank you greatly for answering all of my petty questions, and I want you to know that you're a role model and even a historical figure in Polyglottery. We all know you'll be able to accomplish that goal in some years. Perhaps the book may even be published.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@HomeScienceNow]

I think this is one of the most valuable videos in Alexander's uploaded set. They are all quite helpful, but for those who want to seriously embark on a personal project/journey of learning multiple languages, this vid reveals a most important strategic lesson: It's more efficient to study multiple languages all at once, dividing time during the day to each, than to study one for years until it is mastered, only then moving on to the next one on your list.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@charlesbowen395]

I would encourage professor Arguelles to use the languages he has learned to communicate with people around the world. I think he will discover a new dimension to his language learning.

[@annasamek5179]

Yes, I was thinking the same. Although it is impressive how many languages he is learning, he is mostly teaching himself how to read, write and listen, but speaking with native speakers is a completely different activity, way more stressful and adds another level of difficulty...

[@ProfASAr]

Are you unaware that I have spent more than half of my life living in Germany, Korea, Lebanon, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, interacting with people from all over the world? What more do you want?

[@anstuya]

Wow, amazing dedication. His passion for language is inspirational!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@alros1212]

I do maybe a half an hour for each language I work on, and I’m quite pleased with it. This is high level stuff, quite beyond me. There’s definitely something about needing to learn another form of writing that keeps me away from Asian languages. Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, they’re all beautiful languages but don’t really connect to my brain the same way.

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for the comments.

[@arivas713]

every time i get discouraged that my progress in language learning isn't progressing as quickly as i would want, i just turn on my computer, go to youtube, click on my favorites and watch this video. believe me you help immensely.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@jeannaimarre]

Inspiring, but not encouraging. Encouraging to me would be to see that he actually has a life outisde of languages. Say, other hobbies, sports, interesting interactions with friends / strangers, etc. To me, to fun of speaking a language lies in the possibility of meaningful interactions. With so much effort on keeping track of and adding data, you might miss the point of speaking a language = human interaction about all the things you do and feel in life. I myself do study language, working on French (my fourth), with the intention of adding Spanish and then calling it a day for this life. I too have a schedule, but I toss it every month and start with a fresh one, not keeping track of hours spent as I do not dwell in the past and others shoudn't care about what I studied that one day at which hour either. If you, like me... 1. need 7-8 hours of sleep per day 2. have a 4 or 5 day job 3. like to go out in the weekends or chill with friends / meet new people 4. try to stay fit 5. have hobbies (for me: swimming, dancing, drawing) 6. see a girl who likes sex and other fun activities (dealbreaker!) 7. have other studies (for me: sports massage / anatomy) ...it will be hard to be this dedicated to studying all these languages every day. Best of life to you my man.

[@anyu]

Michel Belgraver You don't have to take it to this level. :) I'm coming up on two years of studying German (more like 1 1/2 years because I had lots of little motivation lapses) and I'm now 1/3 through my first German novel and can understand or at least get the gist of almost all newspaper articles and magazines. Don't get discouraged! There are TONS of language learners who don't take it to this level. Heck, even to be a "polyglot" if you go one language at a time you can achieve a lot without sacrificing all the things you mentioned. What language are you interested in?

[@justanotherweirdo11]

Agreed

[@shawnhanes9148]

Intense study routine. It just shows me why I'll probably never know more than 3 or 4 languages.

[@Lacaminante1984]

@@shawnhanes9148 ok

[@jeannaimarre]

@@anyu Heya, Spanish is what I'm now aiming for, but I'm piggiebacking reading Italian and Portuguese, because they are so similar. How's your German going, two years later?

[@halfstepdown88]

Same here, I've been doing Pimsleur Spanish for about 30 min a day, every day. In a month I almost tested into second semester college spanish. Language learning is fun, this guy is just crazy passionate and knows a million languages

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@nicholashethersay70]

Your so determained to contstantly learn at every possible moment and its very commendable. :) :) Great video!!:)

[@zane98zane]

You're*

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@UnclePolyglot]

Wow, this guy is so disciplined! He must be really good at these languages! I want to see more videos on him!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@kylel.2138]

You mention many times throughout your day that you write two pages of _____, and then do something else followed by writing two pages of _____. If I may ask, what are you writing? I'd like to write things in my target language to get used to interacting with them and thinking in them and whatnot, except I haven't the faintest clue as to what to write...Are you just translating something every time? Writing a story? Journal? Constant grammar exercises? Thanks!

[@JackDamjien77]

Copy from the book in your language about 9 pages then write the english version underneath study each word than you write 34 times per day then try the attack each word 68 times per day if you have no time aim for the middle for a number of months each time absorbing more vocabulary.

[@pauldavies9360]

@@JackDamjien77 What do you mean by "copy from the book in your language"? you mean write the target language from the target language book then translate/learn words. thank you

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@mokkrit1]

i love the way u use that notebook as a habit tracker!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@seop1721]

What I have in common with him is I have the 'Irish conversational dialogues' book. ;-)

[@The_Lord_Of_Confusion]

xD

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@xxMariaAthenaxx]

This video has inspired me to get way more serious about my language learning. I've been stuck in a rut for a while with learning Russian and Latin.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@mamushi72sai]

When he says he's writing, what is he writing? I would like to emulate some of this but I don't know if he's free writing or writing a story or what?

[@lilbabykitten]

+mamushi72sai5575 Probably like a journal, or whatever pops into his mind. It's good to write out conversations, as well :)

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@mamushi72sai]

@@ProfASAr happy to

[@spacevspitch4028]

I have a similar odd kind of endurance when it comes to this kind of thing. Though the materials I've gotten into using are much more simplistic because I'm still at a foundational level (Pimsleur and Memrise mostly until I can move up to heavier stuff), I can spend about 3 - 4 hrs straight going through modules of the various languages I want to work on. Currently Spanish, Japanese, and Romanian. So I'll do a block of Memrise Spanish which includes the standard Memrise course as well as a verb conjugation course I found, then move on to the Pimsleur reading and "premium" materials before doing a Pimsleur audio lesson. Then, I'll switch to Japanese and do the same. I found a Kanji course on memrise, so I do a block of that followed by the standard Memrise Japanese course. Then I did the same for Japanese Pimsleur as I did for Spanish. Then, I switch to Romanian and I have a few things with that including Pimsleur. If I had more time, I'd also be working on Russian in earnest as well and beginning to work on Ukrainian phonetics/script. It's interesting to compare the phonetics of Russian and Ukrainian. In addition to all of that I also study music. I think of it as just another language that I love to study ❤ Anyway, it's always nice to come back to this video for inspiration to keep studying!

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for your substantive comment. It is always nice to find kindred souls!

[@jaw0449]

How on Earth can you switch languages like that? I have a hard time going from language to language, especially if in different families, like going from French to German. I'm going back to school to study Philology (Classical), so I could use the help on switching from one language to aanother

[@MrNaTs24]

Really? I find it easier to switch between languages if they are from different families, because if the vocab and grammar are very different, I don't get confused between them and say words wrong.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Blady99]

“He eschews them.” is the sentence I remember most from the book of the guy filming about Alex. He was talking about protein bars I think. He also told an interesting anecdote about Alex getting lost while going for a run.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for the memories.

[@ln6427]

Me da pena que la gente no le tome en serio, se le ve realmente abnegado. Cualquiera que muestre semejante esfuerzo en algo....no se , pero me parece la ostia.

[@diariosdelextranjero]

La gente es envidiosa. 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

[@ProfASAr]

¡Gracias por el apoyo!

[@toffeeliz]

If I may say, the way you spoke in this video was a lot easier to listen to/understand than in the videos where you explain Shadowing etc. :D I'd love if you did more videos like this. Could you post scans/explanations of the book project in detail on the forum?

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Doubledig]

Amazing effort but could it this be a form of OCD?!

[@NinuRenee]

I'm highly positive you aren't going to achieve anything in your lifetime if you think rigor motivation and commitment equals ocd

[@zane98zane]

If genuine passion and dedication equates to O.C.D. then yes.

[@Lacaminante1984]

Average people see like an obsession a true passion. Average people is sick.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@neebeeshaabookwayg6027]

Wow--- I started doing all this.. 27 languages, but I had children and a family.. so I gave it up.. but I LOVED IT ... it is wonderful!! 🥰...it is like a duck taking to water, and splashing happily, never a burden...thank you for sharing... yes-- I greatly MISS it.. but-' I loved beig a mom.. am doing only Spanish and French, and ASL, right now... I gave all my books away, years ago...hope for Portuguese and Italian in the future 🥰

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for sharing your story!

[@neebeeshaabookwayg6027]

@@ProfASAr you are so very welcome..

[@cherylchew2839]

This guy is an alien. I love him.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@bluppfisk]

I know my methods are slower and they require a certain freedom but I prefer to just travel to the country where the language is spoken, live there for half a year to a couple of years. That has so far worked for Swedish, German, French, Portuguese, English, Dutch, Danish. Chinese is my first serious challenge. The advantage is that I will also learn a lot of colloquialisms and culture-related expressions that I feel I would miss out if I studied at my desk.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@AquaBubblez13]

I'm learning Japanese, Spanish, Pashto, and Gulf Arabic. After I know those, I hope to learn Punjabi- (Shahmukhi & Germukhi), and Dari/Farsi. Possibly an 8th one- Swedish, Korean, or Greek.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@alannicholson]

Fascinating and enlightening to see the effort required to maintain so many foreign languages. Great video.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@nerosonic]

he kinda sounds like a mad man

[@AugustasKunc]

well he is

[@Lacaminante1984]

???

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@km6543]

I have studied German, Mandarin, Japanese, and Russian. To me it seems the best strategy would be to focus intensively on one or two at a time, and take breaks. Working on several a day as suggested in the video may be appropriate if you have already gained some competency in those languages and need a refresher, but I suspect it could easily lead to burnout and you wouldn't learn as much. We all want the big enchilada but, one bite at a time right? :D

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@briang3881]

while I have much respect for his achievements I'm not super impressed with his dragged out writing based methods. all the evidence shows that SPEAKING constantly is vital. once you reach high intermediate levels, it's better to make efforts to speak speak speak and make the written stuff more of a side thing. so from a perspective of OPTIMAL strategies, all this writing is not efficient.

[@SB-qo3bf]

Speaking is not everybody's main goal, some people want to be able to just read and write proficiently in a foreign language (especially when they don't live in the country where their target language is spoken). Language competence consists of at least four skills (listening and reading comprehension, reading and writing) which affect one another to some degree, but are also independent to one another. Obviously, if one aims to become a fluent speaker they will have to speak a lot, as you said, but if their goal is to become proficient readers and writers (for professional or personal reasons), then the best thing to do will be to read and write a lot. This man specifically focuses more on written language because that's his job, he's a philologist. Besides, it's fairly easy for a proficient reader and writer to become a fluent speaker, provided they start practicing the written language skills they have mastered with real people.

[@ibarix]

Brian, you need to research more. Constantly speaking is NOT the way to go. But loads of comprehensible input IS. In some methods you don't even need to speak until you feel the need (no matter how long it takes). That's how children learn a language also. They have sooooo much comprehensible input and once the sounds are mapped to meanings, they start to think in a language and just feel the need to output. For more on that - google "comprehensible input" or "krashen method". But if I had to chose between speaking and writing, I'd also pick speaking.

[@BrianWellness]

ibarix we are probably 100% in agreement. i really liked the way you explained that. EXCELLENT! my post doesn't reflect my deepest opinions because it's hard to capture that in a short comment. All i was saying was this video makes it seem like being a polyglot is all about book and paper nerd and I feel thats not an accurate impression, but, YES, you described it well and i agree that one needs to fill the brain with much content (vocab/grammer)to have a foundation. In my own language studies, my insticts are as you described. i try and fill my head with a lot of content and then step into speaking. The trick is not waiting too long to try speaking either. And, I am very interested in the info you provided and I will definitely research it because it confirms my own insticts. THANKS : )

[@ibarix]

BrianWellness What language are you studying? Maybe I can help even more ;)

[@BrianWellness]

ibarix japanese

[@ABOUJAD123]

J'admire votre votre dévouement. Vous avez la chance de pouvoir y passer votre journée parce que c'est votre métier. Ce n'est pas évident pour les polyglottes "amateur" (cest-à-dire ceux pour qui l'apprentissage de langues n'est qu'une passion et non pas leur travail) de prendre autant de temps dans la journée. C'est frustrant de vouloir avancer dans une ou plusieurs langues et que la réalité (travail, contraintes familiales...) ne te laisse qu'une petite heure par jour de temps libre.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@slothfromthegoonies8201]

Isn't unemployment great?

[@zane98zane]

He's not unemployed haha. He's a professor. He just wakes up early and is highly productive.

[@slothfromthegoonies8201]

Zadle Leach He needs to get more sleep. Maybe then he won't be so crazy.

[@cherish2559]

Sloth from The Goonies if by crazy you mean dedicated and talented

[@slothfromthegoonies8201]

Her H There's a fine line between dedicated and obsessive.

[@benhood885]

Sloth from The Goonies Gotta give u that much, the dude is a dedicated nut case...

[@Lacaminante1984]

In my case I don't want to learn all the languages that he studies but I agree with his practice of writing in the target language (in my case English). In the future, I want to learn German and French. At the weekends I can spend a lot of hours studying English and I enjoy it, sometimes much more than go outside, I like more reading and writing. Speaking is important too, however is annoying for me because I'm not a talk-active person indeed in my first language. Be quiet is my way of being.

[@languagelearningdabbler]

What’s your native language?

[@Lacaminante1984]

@@languagelearningdabbler Hi, it's Spanish

[@languagelearningdabbler]

Claudia Espinoza Genial! Estoy aprendiendo español. 🤗🤓

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

I can strongly recommend writing in the target language. I keep language journals, and it has massively improved my French and German writing. Also, your English is very good.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Dragonflight203]

I watch this video whenever I need some motivation. Haha

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@dudeonthasopha]

what do you write like two pages of? translating?random sentences?reflections or diaries? i run out of stuff to write lol

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@eyelashz9136]

the best way to learn a language is read a book on their phrases, expand your vocabulary then read about their culture to stay motivated

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@BMtodaP]

My daily language study sessions and long term goals are quite different. For the most part, it's all about what I feel like doing. I have an inner drive which keeps me going, and then when I get tired of it for the day, then I stop.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@iwasdruggedandleftfordeadi815]

I wonder if he's ever written two pages of Arabic before

[@anyu]

Exactly what I was left wondering... Could've been much more clear on that. 🤔

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@LinguaGenesis]

Thanks for the video link to the critique, Professor. Also, Michael Erard has been in touch and is in the process of reviewing the site.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Man11121315]

and I can't learn French for 6-7 years now :)

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@ex0rdium]

Professor Arguelles, do you think in all of human history anyone has ever studied such a wide variety of languages, for so long and with such intensity? Very fascinating. I am 25 now and only started learning languages a little over a year ago, but it has ignited a passion and now I spend hours every day studying. Does it all get easier or harder as you get older? Thank you for your videos.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@MikeR.1986]

He is the one of that honest polyglots who really works hard every day on his active languages. The majority of them are frauds.

[@bluechiefawesome5587]

"I learned Portuguese in 7 days" "I memorized the dictionary and became fluent in Spanish in 3 days" "This is how learned 50 languages, buy my program".

[@MikeR.1986]

@@bluechiefawesome5587 exactly... and there are a lot of naive learners who buy.

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you.

[@m.neuville5389]

Astonishing. Great source of inspiration.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for the appreciation.

[@ILoveMySillyBanana]

Dude...Latin and Greek aren't he only languages out there. You could speak 15 languages from Africa fluently and not know any European language, and still be a polyglot.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@archa000]

Very interesting, although his learning techniques are very hard for me. I usually study one language for 40-60 minutes. The first thing I do is check the grammar for about 15 minutes, then I do some exercises, which include grammar, vocabulary and writing exercises. I takes about 30-40 minutes to do the grammar checking and doing exercises. Then I move on to listening. I usually like listening to real conversations, like interviews, radio, TV etc.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@miloanubis]

a real homo universalis

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

The reason we never meet a polyglot who has anything worthwhile to say in any language whatsoever is that when they met each other they were so amazed that they retired to the bar and haven't been seen since.

[@ProfASAr]

If you are saying that I have nothing worthwhile to say, then is it worth your time to say it?

[@cuchicheo88]

Mmm, no. I could not do this much, on a regular basis. His dedication is admirable: I usually limit myself to four "active" languages at a time (out of eight), so seeing people tackle so much more than that is impressive. But I can't cross back and forth like that, even when I'm fairly confident in a language. My Malayalam block is my Malayalam block, and it's very separate from Mongolian, and so forth. Otherwise, I find myself randomly inserting Indic words into Japanese, or what have you, because the sentence structure is superficially similar. I need much firmer boundaries between my languages.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Nice. I focus on languages that I intend to write in, as I am an exophonic writer. However, I cannot allocate time blocks to each language, so some languages get more attention than others. French is my main tool. That being said, one can learn a great deal from Arguelles' discipline.

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for commenting.

[@chiguirojaguar]

Professor Arguelles, very impressed by your work. Have you written a primer on your study methods that is publicly available? I would be highly interested in reading it!

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you for asking. I have been working on the Principles of Polyglottery for ages, but not yet published it.

[@NellieKAdaba]

I'm glad to be a polyglot in French, English, Spanish, Italian. I'm a translator/proofreader and consecutive interpreter. The people who dislike this video must be monolinguals. Thank you for sharing.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@blahblah2018]

really good time management, and A LOT of motivation.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@LinguaGenesis]

Professor, As you suggested, I placed a video response as a means of linking the methodology overview to one of yours (I chose this one). Do you link it up at your end now? Carl Dundas

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@yacubfahmilda9238]

Hi Mr Alexander Arguelles! I am wondering, what was your job at that time? And, how much did you spend to access those books as practice sources? I am asking this because I am thinking that learning a language costs a lot, especially in my country. I think that it is inevitable to learn a new language without taking classes with a teacher as they have a well-structured curriculum. It comes to me that it is not only about allocating time and energy to become fluent in some languages, but money also plays a role. Hope you are willing to reply to this question. Thank you in advance!

[@ProfASAr]

I kindly ask those who are interested in my life story to read the biographical section on my website: alexanderarguelles.com/about/

[@hackingpalabrita]

I just kissed the screen! Thanks, Alex, for being a human.

[@ProfASAr]

Thank you!

[@dannytibi]

He is a language specialist in the department of applied linguistics of a language study centre in Singapore. (SEAMEO-RELC)

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Lacaminante1984]

If this video would for video games, how he plays all day, the same people who critize him, would call him a hero.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Agreed. He's not committing crimes, taking drugs, watching porn, or wasting hours on video games. Instead, he is improving his mind through study. People are not only criticising this-- they are denigrating it.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for the words of support and understanding.

[@Balenciaga5150]

i can't belive somebody can study like you amazing!

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@inkstersco]

Using a workout similar to yours, I have set myself firmly on course for mastery of Spanish and Latin, and now that I feel that my Spanish and Latin are secure and destined to increase with further reading and listening, I am tempted to move on to Italian. But isn't there a danger of cross-contamination between Italian and Spanish?

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.

[@mokkimheng2728]

I really wonder how long he spent with these daily activities to be familiar with the languages he learnt, especially speaking. This man is amazing.

[@ProfASAr]

Thanks for commenting.