I don't *speak* the languages I speak

📺 Learn languages by watching Netflix with Lingopie: learn.lingopie.com/TanyaB
Hi friends! Today I'm talking about whether it's necessary to master speaking in a language you are learning.
✨ More answers from my audience: • Post (thank you so much to everyone who participated!)
Time stamps:
0:00 intro
0: is speaking always a must?
1:31 reason 1: not caring about speaking
3:46 reason 2: other benefits of language learning
6:16 reason 3: your safety and comfort
9:41 what happens if you don't focus on speaking
10:03 not speaking from day one
10:54 not speaking all of your languages
11.49 deciding what is good enough for you
13:00 other people's expectations
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✨ LINKS
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Twitter: / botanechka
💜 ABOUT ME:
Hi and welcome! I'm Tanya and the only thing I like more than learning languages is probably talking about learning languages (well, that and hoarding language books).
My native language is Russian and I'm currently in different stages of learning English, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Korean, and Japanese.

[@tbenavente]

💜Thank you to everyone who responded to my question! Find more responses here: kzbin.infoUgkxTtYDyqm0YKsbJrY_wmlCoDvyBWKsVmPj ✨ Lingopie's interactive subtitles are now available for Netflix: learn.lingopie.com/TanyaB

[@SassyStudies]

I’m an introvert and speaking is also my lowest priority. I want to be able to minimally order in a restaurant and ask directions when I travel, and that’s it. My main goals are consuming entertaining content, and being able to read signs and menus - and understand what people around me are saying, when traveling. I’m not even comfortable interacting with strangers in my native language, let alone a foreign language! Thanks so much for making the case for not prioritizing speaking when the majority of people on KZbin assume speaking is the most important, (and some say the only important!) skill in language learning. Speaking is so stressful - and I learn languages for pleasure, not stress! 😮

[@crystallam3921]

I really appreciate your perspective! My interest in language learning actually stems from an interest in linguistics, so I've never been interested in speaking the languages that I've dabbled in. Being able to read, write, and listen in my target languages is sufficiently satisfying for me. :)

[@langdinish]

You really touched in a lot of points here! One of the part I also feel about the "speaking pressure" is that anytime someone wants you to *prove* you know a language, or after you say you are learning a language, is that you need to say something, or speaking with a native on the spot, which doesn't quite help not feeling like a failure, even if you aren't actively training speaking skills - or are unable to, for varied reasons. I've even thought of just having something rehearsed, so I could "performe" the party trick and be done with it, because obviously my mind is just blank then.

[@tbenavente]

I do have a phrase like that for Korean, so if anyone asks me to say something I’ll tell them they’ll feel better if they take a nap with a fluency of a native speaker😅

[@langdinish]

@@tbenavente A very useful phrase, which seems really funny in those situations that the other person has no idea what you are saying. I need to come up with one ahah

[@bzylarisa]

This video is absolutely amazing. I could relate to so many opinions here. Sometimes people put too much focus on "speaking" and disregard these types of motive. They think verbal communication is the most important part of language acquisition, however, it is not. Learning language so much more. As for myself, I do enjoy practicing speaking, but my true joy of language lies in getting to know the language and the culture, and being able to consume contents in said language. Some of the languages I'm learning are not for "speaking" but just for overall comprehension. I'm so glad that many people share the same ideology.

[@ami4511]

Especially on youtube I think people tend to fixate on speaking because of how easy it is to test for natives and also for people on youtube where the content is auditory/visual. But it made me think a lot about how good these people were at writing/reading/listening in their target languages too. Especially in the non-indo european languages i get the sense that a lot of youtube polyglots lack any kind of real proficiency in reading and writing.

[@Rudecann]

У меня были подобные мысли, но Таня структурировала все что я не могла выразить даже сама для себя. Самая главная причина для меня лично - это то что я не люблю разговаривать даже на своем языке, я больше слушаю, и для общения мне нужен проактивный собеседник потому что я могут только поддерживать разговор, но не вести его. Мне сложно структурировать и выражать свои мысли. Я не собираюсь путешествовать, я не собираюсь разговаривать с иностранцами, мне совершенно комфортно просто понимать язык, изучать его как процесс. Большое спасибо за это видео, я поняла что со мной все нормально, совсем не обязательно качать навык которые мне не пригодится, но который тратит столько моральных сил на себя. Тем не менее, мне кажется что в ситуации когда мне придется говорить на языке, я буду чувствовать себя достаточно комфортно, я не боюсь совершать ошибки (если меня кто то не поймет-это проблемы того человека 😂). Думаю что навыки которые я получаю (в основном я практикую лисенинг) помогут мне достаточно приемлемо выражать свои мысли( хотя и на гораздо более низком уровне чем мои пассивные навыки) .

[@Katiethatgirl1993]

такой прекрасный комментарий) 🙃

[@AlbertHardyJr]

Thank you so much for this video! I love languages and learning how they work and how they are related fascinates me. I started learning Spanish online over a year ago. The primary reason I started was to keep my 75 year old brain alert and active. But after more than 500 days of studying Spanish without missing a day, i am disappointed that speaking doesn't come easier. Of course, practicing speaking would help. I am so happy you helped me understand why it is hard for me. I also have social anxiety and speaking with others in my mother tongue is hard. Many polyglots who talk about language learning on KZbin emphasize speaking as an essential skill, so it is refreshing to hear a different opinion. I'd also like to add that some of the polyglots whose videos I watch have obviously only learned a handful of phrases they can use in dialogs with people on the street. Their conversation skills would be very limited. Keep sharing your valuable knowledge!

[@tbenavente]

I’m so glad you found the video helpful! Best of luck with your Spanish!

[@atfernando1]

There is the most important reason not to focus on speaking; without listening and reading for hours, building the language in our brain and acquiring it, one wouldn’t speak at a higher level.

[@fabiookonolanguages]

Knowing another language it is magical.😌 Last semester at university I had to create an article about African fashion. I searched up and read a bunch of articles in other's languages. Then, suddenly I read a Japanese article talking about hippie movement that helped me a lot!

[@anne_idiomas]

I'm very selective when it comes to the language-learning KZbinrs I follow, but I have to say that you're definitely my newest favorite. Lately, I've been revisiting your videos whenever I feel demotivated, and I ALWAYS end up inspired and enlightened. I always learn something new from your videos, and you don't make me feel like I'm not doing enough or I'm doing something wrong, the way other content creators tend to make me feel. I rarely leave a comment, but this video is just so relatable, smart, well-articulated, and MUCH needed (why don't we see this topic discussed that much!?) that I just had to leave a few words and personally thank you. It also made me realize that you're one of my very few go-to language-learning KZbinrs. You offer valuable, no-nonsense language content, and your videos are so well-made, editing-wise. They're so pleasing to watch. Thank you so much for this; you inspired yet another person today! 🧡

[@tbenavente]

Thank you so much for your comment, you have no idea how happy reading this makes me feel! 💜 I try to make videos I myself would watch, and it's always nice to know that they resonate with other people.

[@myuniyt]

Not only do I want to travel and meet new people, I want my channel to be a multilingual channel where I share content in a couple of my target languages, explore new cultures and more. I have no idea why I understand so much more than I can speak but this video did help me start to think about my own language journey and it looks like it's time to reassess my goals and reasons of why I am learning these languages. Put my language studies prioties in check ✨It's weird cause most languages I am learning is because I wanted to consume media in the native language and understand all the little things in them (jokes, true emotion, etc)

[@liquidcrystal47]

Awesome! Some of my favorite youtubers emphasize not worrying about speaking early, love that you go further, you don't have to speak at all if you don't feel like it!

[@JustAnotherNameYo]

For the past few months I have been pressuring myself to finally start speaking in Russian. A few months ago I signed up to go to a monthly meet up and was so nervous I watched them from a far at the bar before leaving without speaking to anyone. I finally went officially last month and didn't speak a word of Russian because to made myself so nervous. All month I have been bullying myself to studying so I could speak some at the meetup next week. This video came at the right time because I'm putting all this pressure on myself for what? Whose deadline am I on? While I would like to have basic conversational skills eventually I should be ok with not being ready. My biggest desire is to be able to understand as well as read. I am massive reader so that is important to me. I want to be able to understand the things I watch and not depend on terrible translations. While I am at a pretty fluent conversational level in Spanish I regret not reading more as I was learning because my reading is painfully slow. I appreciate this video I am going to release myself from the pressure I've been putting on myself to speak right now. I will go to the meet up still but with less weight on my back. Great video, thanks!

[@KCL_Oryx]

This video explains exactly how I feel! This was such a well put together video too! ❤

[@lucca3371]

This is probably the best language learning video I've ever watched. Truly amazing content!

[@tbenavente]

Happy to hear that!

[@KeySpanish]

Very interesting video! The students I work with always have the main goal of oral communication, so it's good to see other perspectives. I can definitely see the use of language just as an amazing way of keeping your mind sharp as one ages. Thanks, Tanya, for your great content.

[@seykai]

Omg love your video!! Thank you! :)

[@polynotte]

I love this video! It was so interesting to see everyone's opinions, especially since I could relate to so many of them. I've been a part of the language learning community but up until a while ago I always felt like an imposter for not having the same 'speak first' approach that all of the prominent content creators had for a long time. It even put me off making youtube videos because I thought nobody was interested in anything else. Your channel is such a refreshing sight and has inspired me and many others. It's so great to see so many people that I can relate to :)

[@tbenavente]

I'm happy you liked the video! Thank you so much for your original comment, it had so many good points! And, by the way, your channel is exactly the kind of channel I love watching, so I really hope you keep making videos (also because introverted language learners definitely deserve more representation on KZbin) 💜

[@Kasiarzynka]

Finally a KZbin recommendation of a fresh video by a channel I've never seen before, without tens of thousands to millions of views, that I'm interested in. Already liking it, too.

[@user-gh9cx7td1t]

К "обязанности говорить" принуждает еще, имхо, экстраверто-центричная культура, которая десять лет назад принудила меня к мысли, что "у меня нет таланта к языкам". Только сейчас, открыв гипотезу Крашена и ее последователей вроде Кауфмана, я поняла, что можно учить английский, не мучая себя говорением. И сильно продвинулась за полтора года в аудировании, что мне прежней показалось бы невероятной фантастикой. Да, адептов must-спикинга очень много, но уже немало и последователей инпут-подхода. Вот и ваш канал есть))). Но это в англоязычном пространстве. В русскоязычном, кажется, по-прежнему превалирует не-бережный "must"-подход. Ну или мне так не везло.

[@sheeliekittie9298]

Wonderful video!! I agree. As an introvert and very cerebral, thinking person:) I think polyglot channels don't talk enough about reading and writing. I study arabic and want to improve russian so I can write journal entries and read books in the language. And that is more important than speaking based on my personal goals!! Thank you so much for your videos!!

[@joreneelanguages]

What a great video!

[@w1311]

i forced myself to speak english because everyone says i must. but i haven't communicated with natives or other learners so i had to talk to myself (sometimes i have some topics to discuss but not every day). and this was really hard. recently i've thought about not practicing speaking skills but i couldn't connect the dots and express my thoughts🥲 thanks for such a useful video!!!🙌🏻

[@annikam8147]

This video is soooo important!!

[@hannofranz7973]

I perfectly understand whatever reason and focus when it comes to language learning. Speaking a language is by far not everything and learning languages is often reduced to: Do you speak ...? Even though, communicating in foreign languages is definetely what I most enjoy. The feeling to be able to have a conversation beyond languages and borders that makes you feel a citizen of the "world".

[@raquelbarbosadasilva704]

Excelent video. This discussion is so important. We are the only one who knows what we need.

[@levananoir8175]

For me is speaking and understanding my priority, im really shy but somehow when i speak in other languages, even if i make mistakes, i speak more than in my mother tongue

[@AubreyElmostakshefa]

Honestly, I had never considered this perspective. I thought you "had" to speak a language if you were going to _speak_ a language. I am just beginning my journal on aquiring my 4th language (Japanese), but I have no reason to speak it at this point. I don't have Japanese speakers where I live. I don't have plans to travel to Japan. I don't have Japanese friends (yet). So you're perspective here is refreshing! Yes, why don't I focus on the other aspects of the language, at least for now. I get to speak English, Arabic, and Spanish to people that I interact with in person, so for now those can be the languages that I SPEAK and I can work on Japanese via non-speaking methods.

[@stephanybomba]

Thank you for the video! This is truly helpful and takes off the stress of having to be able to speak a language! 😊 Maybe this a silly question, but when you have learned the skills like reading, listening, and writing, and after a while of studying you decide to start practicing speaking as well, would it then be easier to learn to speak? Or would it still be very challenging even tho your vocab is broad and you learned some grammar along the way?

[@levipierpont]

I’m learning Tagalog, and I’ve chosen to speak fairly often. Early on, I pushed myself to speak, and I actually think now I might change that. However, speaking helps someone else understand your level in the language. When I speak Tagalog to someone now, they’ll often start speaking to me in it, or stop translating for me when I’m in a group. This helps me get more input. In the future, I want to learn Spanish, French, and maybe (Brazilian) Portuguese. I’ve decided that for all of these, I’m going to let myself go a long while without even attempting to speak. Spanish, this will work fine since I don’t have any friends that prefer Spanish over English. French, honestly, part of me doesn’t want to attempt to speak, especially early on, because of the (often true) stereotypes about the French. I love that this is something people are talking about more. When I finally could understand Tagalog better than I could speak it, I was so happy. To me, it’s sort of embarrassing if you can talk about yourself but can’t understand when someone talks about themself in turn.

[@andrianaowo]

I am quite an introverted person and sometimes it might be challenging 4 me to interact w other ppl, but I enjoy very much speaking the languages I learn, trying to improve my accent and etc. it makes me feel much more confident. but I do understand such ppl like you, yes.

[@Realmariah510]

For me, I speak the way I think, and I have a strong inner voice. So the output is important to me, if not I'll still pronounce things wrong if I didn't specifically learn the correct pronunciation and good speaking habits. But.. these are good tips and reminders because everyone's goals are different. I am learning Spanish and speaking is super important because throughout the USA it's very prevalent. My listening, writing, and reading comprehension is much higher tho. I'm challenging myself to speak every day to improve.

[@softsuny]

im autistic (semi verbal, often non verbal with strangers!!! which means i become neurologically speech disabled) and this pressure about speaking always made me feel like "ah.. okay, i can't be good in any language then" but.. my main goal is watching and understanding stuff in my target languages.. i will never put myself purposely in this kind of situation where i have to speak properly..

[@leesiahng]

💜i have been feeling a bit setback recently in my korean class bc my classmates from the same batch has korean spouse or friends to speak to wherelese i found myself lingering in korean supermarket trying to work up the courage to ask about one food item. I guess this video has opened my eyes to more possibilities that interest in a language does not necessarily mean i have to be conversant in it. Love your message.

[@ShivamSharma-jp2xk]

Can you make a video where you're speaking all the languages you speak?😢

[@TheEmmaLucille]

I just don't CARE about speaking Korean! My goal is to be able to read it.

[@Erika-pq7ip]

Personally I have this fear of sounding foreign...I want to 'blend in etc..when for example I speak Korean and they get surprised and compliment me , same with Spanish speakers telling me I sound Argentinian it makes me really happy and accepted. I think the phonetic aspect is one of the principal ones if you wanna sound native and if that's important to you (I know some don't mind because of ethnic affiliation or what not buy I personally don't care being passed as Argentinian, French or whatever) ..I enjoy playing the language game 😂 but I tend to be hard on myself to speak better or else I feel embarrassed that they'll say I suck

[@shay259]

Это видео просто как бальзам на душу, честное слово! I always say that I don't really speak German, because we never practiced speaking at uni and I am really bad at it. But in all other aspects I am great, near C1 - I listen to podcasts about science, politics without any problems, read news, can write essays on complicated topics, etc. But it all seems pointless if I can't express any of that verbally. So I am very self-conscious about my German, although it is my favorite language. I don't plan on living in any German speaking country and I am not interested in finding new friends just so thar I can practice speaking German with them. I prefer to make new friends naturally based on their personality, not nationality. So I doubt that I will speak better in the future. However, I also don't really need it, I guess. I work at a German company in Poland and I do have contact with the language. E-mails, obviously, some meetings, trainings in German, etc. Sometimes, but very rarely, I need to say something on my own and so far I have been doing okay. Not perfect, could be better, but it will do. But nevertheless I feel ashamed that I can't speak according to my level :(

[@dinasaad8528]

I love learning languages, but the problem is the people that around me always say that it's not important thing because I can't afford traveling, or it won't help me to make money, so i kind of depressed. Now my question is what should I do?

[@jonathanm5446]

Do what makes you happy. If you enjoy learning languages, any you want to use it to speak to natives, the internet is an excellent tool. You don't have to travel to benefit from learning languages and cultures

[@eire02]

I was looking forward to this after your community post! Loved this and the points you made - I totally agree with them. I just hate the pressure people put on speaking, especially as non-learners in particular seem to use it as a way to prove you actually know something it that language. I think this alone puts a lot of people off from learning a language or keeping up with it - they get worried they’ll not be able to speak or don’t feel comfortable, and then that fear takes over and stops them from doing it. That said, I’d rather look unimpressive to people who know nothing about a language, purely because I don’t speak it, and go home and read and watch my intermediate-advanced content in peace 🤍 I highly recommend the channel “Livakivi” for a living example of someone who purposely didn’t try to do output (speaking or writing) but later started speaking, without actively working on it, and vastly improved!

[@Lillyyss63]

personally, i really want to learn italian and i will start doing so in a few months but, there is a little something that is bugging me. and it is the fact that as a muslim woman who will potentially wear hijab, i will always be perceived as a stranger if i go to Italy.

[@SWilla00946]

Reason 3 is super interesting and I'm happy to see other people finally mention it. There's so many languages that i think are beautiful and i want to go to those countries. But looking at which i want to learn and to what level is different Your native for example, i think russia is a super cool country with a great history. I like books and music by russian creatives but the thing is, i don't have a good reason to speak it. I can't live there anytime soon as a gay latino. I've also dealt with enough racist and homophobic russians where i live. Traveling there is a little questionable rn but i can see myself doing it one day. I think similar of a couple other languages. Maybe ill learn some of these later on but for now i wanna get advanced in a couple languages that i know im going to use

[@SWilla00946]

This video also makes me reconsider how serious i am about japanese. I love it and i think some japanese music and media is great but i don't need to be a fluent speaker in 5 years.

[@e-genieclimatique]

in brief : 1. **Introduction**: Tanya starts by questioning the necessity of mastering speaking in a language you are learning. She notes that speaking is often the most highly valued skill in language learning, but it's also one of the hardest to master. 2. **Reason 1 - Not caring about speaking**: Some people might not be interested in the benefits that speaking a language has to offer. They might be more interested in reading, writing, or understanding the language, rather than speaking it. 3. **Reason 2 - Other benefits of language learning**: Learning languages can be beneficial even if you don't speak them. It can improve cognitive skills, give access to more information, and even open doors for work, education, or self-development purposes. 4. **Reason 3 - Your safety and comfort**: Some people might choose to prioritize their comfort and safety over speaking a language. This could be due to social anxiety, or potential negative experiences related to interacting with people from a certain culture. 5. **What happens if you don't focus on speaking**: Tanya explains that not focusing on speaking doesn't mean completely discarding it. You might not need to speak a language right now, but you can always change your mind later. You might also choose to speak some of your languages and not others. Or, you might be okay with your speaking not being as good as your other skills. 6. **Other people's expectations**: Tanya discusses the pressure to speak a language due to societal expectations and the desire to impress or not disappoint others. She encourages viewers to distinguish between their own goals and those imposed by societal expectations. 7. **Conclusion**: Tanya concludes by reminding viewers that speaking is not a must in language learning. She encourages them to be easy on themselves, stop comparing themselves to others, focus on their achievements, and enjoy learning languages. The video also includes a promotion for Lingopie, an online video platform made specifically for language learners.

[@tbenavente]

These summaries are really good! If you don't mind me asking, what do you use to make them?