Professor Shows How To Learn Languages | Dr. Barry Lee Reynolds

[@loistalagrand]

I’ve got a favor to ask! If you enjoy this, please double-check that you’ve liked the video and subscribed to the channel! 🙏 That's a small way you can help me carry on doing this. Really appreciate you!

[@AAA-fh5kd]

Is he originally from the u.s. South? Sounds like a southern twang/drawl..

[@AAA-fh5kd]

Are you maybe Quebec French-Canadian?

[@FrenchCoach]

bien sûr ! :)

[@nattanunvisetsupamit4579]

😊😅😅😅😅😊😅😅 0:04 😊😅😊😊😅😊😊😊😅😊😊 0:04 😊 0:04

[@learninghistory4397]

According to the Internet, nothing really works. Specially now a days when everyone tries to gain people's attention by saying controversial things, such as THIS DOES NOT WORK, TRY THIS INSTEAD... I'm very tired of what the Internet is becoming. If any of you are interested in learning a language, let me tell you: as long as you interact with the language everyday, exposing yourself to content that keeps challenging your current knowledge, you will master the language eventually. Of course, some methods will take you there faster than others, but pretty much EVERYTHING WORKS as long as it is a bit challenging and as long as you practice daily.

[@Alec72HD]

True, but There are ways to limit yourself from ever reaching advanced language levels. The sooner someone eliminates native language from the process of acquiring a second language, the sooner they become really good.

[@peterreid9769]

@@Alec72HD So you're another expert are you? Lol.

[@Alec72HD]

@peterreid9769 Why not ? I acquired a second language as an adult. When I got my methods right, I became near native in one year.

[@LanguageMaus]

In my experience you don't need to choose between flashcards or learning vocab through content. You can do both :) I think the most effective thing is to make flashcards based on content and in preparation. For example if you are into cooking you can look up specific vocab and use flashcards for that, so that when you watch youtube videos or read books you are going to encounter those words. The content becomes comprehensible and you also reinforce your memory and actually acquire the words for good, because learning something in context (especially if it's engaging) is much more effective than mere repetition.

[@fransmith3255]

That's the only way I use flashcards. Unless you're an absolute beginner learning your first 100 words, just downloading flashcards and learning those without context would have to be the stupidist and most worthless way to learn a language, particularly a very different language. I tried it - all I got was a lot of words I knew the translation of. I had to completely relearn them the right way - in a context. Flashcards are okay, but ONLY if you make them yourself, from an initial context because it's the context that helps you remember the meaning of that word, otherwise you're just connecting words to your native language - the absolutely worst way to learn any language. I don't agree with a lot of what these guys are saying about flashcards. And I completely disagree with them about incidental learning. Words I learn incidentally are the words I remember by FAR the easiest because I remember the context and how I learned them well beyond when I've totally internalised the word. Those are the words that immediately stick more than some word I got from a website example (those aren't great either). I get most of my words from stories and podcasts.

[@mybestideas1]

Great interview! I did have some thoughts about Krashen's method and how so many people follow it. Personally, it didn’t take me to the next level in learning French. What really helped was when I started recording myself daily. That forced me to use my everyday vocabulary and expand it, which gave me a real boost. It took about a month to stop stuttering and not being confused with everything coming at me - missing words, gramatical structures and prononciation. Now with the Advanced Audio Interaction feature on ChatGPT, I use that hour (since only one hour daily is available) with an AI tutor who also doubles as a voice coach. My accent has already improved to around a 3 or 2 out of 10 (with 0 being no accent), but the best part is that my fluidity advanced immensely. As I said I was stuttering and AI gave me marks like 5 in the beginning of August, where now I'm between 8 and 9. I think the key is doing everything-reading, listening, speaking, and writing-at the same time. You can skip writing if your only goal is to speak fluently. By the way, you hardly have any accent in English! If you could just nail the "H" sound, it would be perfect! :)

[@sopanimalinga-fk6st]

Can you give me the name of chartGPT which has a power to filter voice and give marks, I'm a student learning English. I want to have a good fluent skill

[@loistalagrand]

Thanks for sharing your experience with French!

[@romanisayev4826]

The most beneficial advices I have ever seen related to foreign language learning. I appreciate it as a self learner of two foreign languages

[@UlrichSchliz]

bingo

[@LeeSohlden]

In December 2018 I began stumbling into natural language acquisition. I was interested in 12 languages at the time, concentrating mostly on Italian at the time. It started when after listening to a Greek to English common phrase video thruout a week, while totally ignoring it, I realized I now knew 80% of the words. I had very lightly and infrequently worked with Greek during the 4 months prior to that week. I had looked up each word in that audiobook, and made a notebook / dictionary from what I looked up. During this 4 months, I learned, forgot, relearned the Greek alphabet a few times. Greek was one of several languages I would do short "lessons" with periodically, as I took breaks from Italian. (Arabic, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch were the others. But, in the last month of that, I began learning three more languages - Russian, Hindi, and Mandarin, intending to do just periodic lessons, but these three soon replaced the Italian as my main study. ) (also, I would regularly do passive listening to all the languages I was interested in, which also included German, French, Spanish, languages I knew a lot better than the rest but was not currently studying.) One language I had not done any passive listening to, was Greek. The rest, I had programming on Netflix to listen to. So, on about December 10, 2018, after finishing looking up the Greek words from that audiobook, I chose to use that audiobook as passive listening to Greek. I had zero expectation of learning any Greek from just listening passively. I only thought it might help my ear for Greek some. But when it happened, I dropped everything else, and spent the next week looking up all the words in a second Greek to English common phrase video. Then I studied Russian all week, while I alternated listening to the first and second audiobook for Greek common phrases. Sure enough, this experiment worked - I now knew both audiobooks pretty well. I'll continue with replies to this.

[@LeeSohlden]

This prompted me to change all my studying to common phrase videos, and now I included all 12 languages in my "studies." I focused primarily on Hindi and Mandarin, with Arabic, Russian, and Korean being my secondary studies. I used Brazilian Portuguese to introduce the common phrases for Arabic, Russian, and Korean, my three secondary studies. I used English for both Mandarin and Hindi. The rest were introduced by Greek. Thru February 2019 I was doing great; I knew 400 common phrases in Hindi, 130 for Mandarin, at least 40 for the rest. On March 1, 2019, my language partner for Brazilian Portuguese got back from traveling, and I repeated the 40 common phrases I had been listening to the past two months while he was traveling. He said my pronunciation was perfect, save a slight American accent. I found this odd, as my pronunciation of Brazilian Portugese was horrrible before he left to travel. I had not spoken a word of Portuguese during his absence. This got me thinking, how my pronunciation got so good. I realized my ear must have tuned in to Brazilian Portuguese from all the listening to it; after all, I was using Brazilian Portuguese to introduce common phrases for all three of my secondary studies. Indeed, what I had been doing, is experimenting as to how to absorb the common phrases the fastest possible. The system I created for this, I call readthrus. They go like this: Look at my notes, make sure I understand the common phrase. Next, listen to the common phrase three times while reading it. Next, listen 3 more times, but with my eyes closed this time. Repeat the above three steps, three times. So, that is 18 times total I listen to a common phrase, half the time with reading half the time with eyes closed. Of course, I now was using the common phrase videos for my passive listening too, and I was getting tons of passive listening to Brazilian Portuguese. There were still 3 languages, even at this common phrase level, that sounded more like a buzz to me - or at at least very fuzzy. Korean, Russian, and Arabic. I started with Arabic, upped greatly both my readthrus to it, and my passive listening to it. (7 hours per day.) Sure enough, the Arabic sounded quite crisp two days later. Russian then took 3 days, Korean two days. I thought I was all set. I now heard all 12 languages quite crisply - and I set out to learn an audiobook with 750 Mandarin common phrases; while also continuing to add common phrases for all the other languages.

[@LeeSohlden]

Getting close here to the end of my discovery of natural language acquisition. One last thing: I set out to do ear tuning to Hindi next. I mistakenly thought that my high reading level in French, Spanish, and German was why the ear tuning worked. So, I planned to up my reading level for Hindi, and then do my ear tuning technique for Hindi. But, I had an insight! I got my language partner for Hindi to write out, using English letters, the text from an audiobook in full speed Hindi. Now, people in India often use English letters to represent Hindi, because it is so much easier to tap out on their phones compared with the Hindi alphabet which is quite complex. I already knew how to read outloud anything my language partner wrote out in English letters. I had no idea what anything meant that I was listening to, but after 9 days of doing my ear tuning technique, the Hindi went suddenly from very fuzzy to crisp and clear. I had just proved, reading a language has nothing to do with getting your ear tuned to it. You just need a guide for your eyes to try to follow, as you listen to the audiobook. Since this, I've written "ear tuning syllables" for more than 22 languages. This is a syllable by syllable representation, using English letters (and a key for it) of the target language. The method is simple. Listen to about a minute of an audiobook in full speed speech, over and over again for 1 or 2 hours per day. Half the time, try to follow the ear tuning syllables as you listen, attempting to keep your eyes on the right syllable at all times. The other half, have your eyes closed and just listen carefully. This is not practicing - instead it is giving your speech center the input it needs to figure out the syllable pattern of the language. Your speech center will work with the data, especially at night as you sleep. There is more I learned, by long experimentation - Never depend on anything but ear tuning exercises, along with lots of passive listening, to improve your ear. The ear tuning exercises combined with lots of passive listening is like taking a jet plane. Hoping your ear improves by otherwise listening to the language is like walking. My system takes so little of your time to absorb an entire language, it makes no sense whatsoever not to be using it. You can use my system, and still have lots of time to find people to practice speaking the language with. About half an hour per day is all the time you need for my system. The system: Begin listening regularly to a story in your target language. And never stop this habit. Two, start doing ear tuning exercises. Lots at first, like 1 or 2 hours per day, but less and less after the first week; just never less than 5 minutes per day.

[@LeeSohlden]

Three, and last: Do at least 30 minutes per day of tying the target language to your known language. I'll refer to this as readthrus. For this, you work with that story you are using for passive listening. You make your own notes, or ask for help. 1- look over the notes for the first sentence. The notes should have the overall translation, the individual word translation, the translation of any phrase that is not obvious. In addition, and always last, just a bit of grammar to help understand that sentence. The student is instructed to look quickly at the grammar, but not to fret any over it. Step 2 is what the student needs to spend 90% of the time on. 2- listen to the first sentence 18 times, alternating between reading while listening, and having your eyes closed and just listening. All your listening is to see how well you understand. Go on to the next sentence, or repeat both steps for that first sentence if you wish. But for sure, go on to the next sentence after that. Don't worry whether you understand anything when you listen to the sentence for the last time, you'll be coming back to it the next day. None of this is studying, rather it is feeding data to your speech center. Overnight, as you sleep, your speech center will work on that data and create paradigms allowing you to understand better the next day. This system may sound slow - but it is lightning fast, because this is exactly how to operarate your speech center. It results in ever accelerating the learning of the language. You will gradually lower your repetitions, until you find you are absorbing the language the very first time you hear it. Generally, always spend half your time learning new material, half your time on previous material. What this system does is create comprehensible input very efficiently, and then has you listening repeatedly to that comprehensible input. Which, according to natural language acquisition theory, is the only true way you learn a language. Very important: none of this is studying - none of it is aimed at your conscious mind, So, just relax, your only role in this is to present the right data to your speech center, which will do all the heavy lifting. And lastly, If you've been doing my system for a few weeks, you should find you are ready to try speaking the language with someone. You'll be able to hear correctly what is said to you, and you will surprise yourself on how well you pronounce things, even though you never practiced speaking. You might want to shift some of your "studying" to common phrase videos, to encourage you speaking to someone, but keep most of your focus on continuing to absorb the language by my system, learning one audiobook after another.

[@mariiris1403]

We are all different. Not one system would work well for everybody. Especially the very onesided ones. To me, it's about diverse methods, to use as many parts of your senses as possible, use your interests and hobbies, use good teachers, learn grammar, read, write, listen, speak, maybe sing, etc. Not all at once, but when it's practical, at the good time, and so on. As adults, we are not children, and anyway, it's a myth that we learn our mother tongue with no problems. Children try, make mistakes, are corrected, and keep learning their language into adulthood, with increasing the vocabulary, better formulation skill, reading comprehension etc. It takes time!

[@Shumai888]

Lois, your work and this interview are really meaningful and interesting. I gladly subscribe to your channel. Please continue the good stuff. Btw I'm also french native speaker, I know how hard is it to modify our accent to make it sound more British or American, your English is absolutely amazing, congratulations.

[@loistalagrand]

Thank you so much!

[@portraitofalion]

Lots of reading as comprehensible input plus topping up as you go or later with grammar and intentional learning works well. That's sill comprehensible input as a primary and perhaps for ages only approach.

[@favOriTe-v6e]

I hate how literally everyone talks about the input hypotesis but forgets about the rest of Krashen's work that came out at around the same time. He's always said that input is the only way to acquire/process language, but he never said that input is the only thing we should focus on. I think that the idea that getting input is the ONLY thing you need is a distorted version of what he said, spread by Kauffman and Matt vs Japan on youtube and reddit.

[@favOriTe-v6e]

In my personal experience, input was by far the most important part of my journey in learning English, but I know I wouldn't have made it this far if I hadn't had formal classes in the beginning, which helped me reach a basic-intermediate level. Also, pronunciation practice and output were also key elements in getting to where I am now.

[@Drazzz27]

> getting input is the ONLY thing you need is a distorted version of what he said, spread by Kauffman and Matt vs Japan Given that Matt vs Japan literally said that input is not enough, I would say that many people have a distorted version of what these people say too.

[@run2fire]

I enjoy these conversations with professors. It’s good to hear different perspectives. Russian KZbinr NFKRZ learned English as a teenager playing video games. Learning vocabulary is a mixed bag for me. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it is not helpful.

[@loistalagrand]

Glad you enjoy these interviews!

[@Funmi-g5t]

I agree it is best to do it in the context of a sentence you heard and I like his story about his nephew really picking up English through a hobby he enjoys going to try to hear my vocab that way more hearing the same words in context over and over again appears to allow you to think in that language 🤔

[@squaretriangle9208]

Excellent presentation!!👏🏻 I'm with you when you talk about time investment on pronunciation, mostly it's people who want to show off that are keen to get the pronunciation 100% right

[@renaissanceman419]

It seems like the route of becoming good at anything, let alone languages, is simply being conscientious.

[@Reflekt0r]

And having skin in the game

[@laudermarauder]

Conscientiousness, attention, practice.

[@CaptainWumbo]

I believe language learning advice is very hard to interpret. Good advice depends on level and circumstances. Krashen makes a lot of sense if you think of learning a language is getting to B1/B2, which you certainly do best through input alone. Past that I'm not sure Krashen has ever really said you're going to be C1 C2 through reading alone, just that production of language starts to automatically occur from the base built by reading, and that grammar is best learned through mimicing what you've heard than by explicitly calculating rules as you speak. I think we tend to hear a bias of advice for A1/2 and for C1/2 but Krashen and Kaufman and the like are really the godsends to the long period of acquiring vocabulary in the between state, where A1 techniques don't work and C1 techniques don't work. And frankly for both those sides of the fence there's almost no wrong way.

[@jesse_ledesma]

You raise a good point about different strategies for different levels. I'd also add different personality types/goals/interests. That's not to say that we all learn differently. No, language acquisition is a universal phenomenon that has a biological reality. But it's also a deeply psychological phenomenon, especially for adults, which leads to individual variation. The key is in understanding explicit and implicit knowledge/learning. Simply concluded, as we gain higher levels, the activities that activate our implicit learning system inevitably change as our ability to communicate increases. And activating our implicit learning system is what gives us long-lasting access to the language.

[@LeeSohlden]

There is no limit on the level a person can get by input alone. A lot of that is just what input you are getting. A co-worker learned perfect English, from just two things - reading it, and being surrounded by people having conversations. After about two years of just sitting there reading, he finally joined the conversation. Very little accent, and no end to his vocabulary, nor to how many words he could use in a conversation. Another example is my son. He never uttered a word, not even a mumble, until one day he started talking, with perfect pronunciation, and an immense vocabulary. And it does not have to be on purpose. One person I know began understanding Korean, from constantly being around a couple chatting day after day to each other in Korean. This person never paid any attention to the conversations, never for a second cared to learn Korean.

[@ムャlechat]

well good point. do natives know c1 without school? im not sure if i pass c2 test now.

[@ronlugbill1400]

I have learned 4 languages as an adult, so I was aware of my learning (or acquisition). I also taught 3 languages. I agree mostly. Learning frequent vocabulary using short sentences and phrases works well. Also, comprehensible input listening and reading works well. And conversation practice works well. Using a combination of these methods works very well. I would not recommend using just one of these alone. I take issue with the idea that pronunciation practice is not important. Pronunciation practice is very important. No, not to sound exactly like a native speaker, but to have acceptable comprehensible pronunciation. Many language learners are not comprehensible because they are mispronouncing the language. It is not worth spending all this time learning the language if you are not understood when you try to speak it. But it depends on the language and the situation. Apps are ok for beginners, but I would not rely solely on an app. Same with a class. Classes are fine for beginners but insufficient on their own. I would add explicit vocabulary learning and a conversation partner and reading and listening. Then once you get to an intermediate stage, just get immersed in the language if you can, living and working or studying in the language, in a country where the language is spoken.

[@raj8294]

Good tips, I’m struggling to learn one, and you learned 4 lol

[@mikelarrieta1]

Would you mind explaining what sort of exercises you learnt the most from? Would you say you acquired languages due to methodology or your skills?

[@ronlugbill1400]

@@mikelarrieta1 French. I took 1 year of French at an American university, then went to Paris and took classes at a language school and also had French friends that I interacted in French with. Took more classes in French at US universities and in France. German. Took 2 1/2 years of German classes then went to Germany and studied German. Took more classes in German and interacted with Swiss friends in German. Italian. Took one year of Italian classes then went to Italy and interacted with Italian friends. Spanish. Travelled to Spanish-speaking countries and could understand it because similar to Italian and started picking it up. Only had one short class. Then got an online Spanish teacher who just did conversation and several language exchange partners online and we had conversations weekly. So, in summary, mostly took a class then went to the country and did immersion. A combination of a class plus interaction with friends in the language. I find that classes or apps can get you started so that when you immerse in the language, you are only partially lost, not completely lost, so the input is somewhat comprehensible. Like one year of a class or app, then go to the country or immerse yourself online. More than a year in a class or app would not be effective. After a year, get immersed in the language or else you plateau.

[@ronlugbill1400]

@@vogditis no. I only had 2 years of high school German. So, I only had 1 language at a beginner level before age 18. Everything else was after age 18. When I say classes, I mean language classes for adults, not children. I am 65 now. Still learning languages. Children do better with pronunciation but otherwise, there is no disadvantage learning a language as an adult. You can do it at any age.

[@mikelarrieta1]

@@ronlugbill1400 Many thanks.

[@HalfAmerican1999]

In put is not enough that's correct , because I've been learning German without any kind of materials in English to help me, and even though I can understand what people is telling me that doesn't mean that I can use the language.

[@jesse_ledesma]

Hi Lois, These interviews would be clarified greatly by introducing and discussing the idea of implicit and explicit knowledge. The terms input/ouput or intentional/incidental learning, while helpful to describe our actions, don't describe how our brains process and store linguistic knowledge. By exploring explicit/implicit learning/knowledge and understanding their core purposes and limitations, we can reconcile this debate and empower learners to seek out strategies that are useful for them.

[@CleverNameTBD]

I only know of maybe one yt account (that I've actually watched) that made the argument that the only needed is input and you'll acquire the rest. I usually hear on a large scale about the 80-20 rule when it comes to learning as an adult

[@Theyoutuberpolyglot]

I agree with him- input is not enough, especially with the speaking part. Input can help you with your passive skills : Reading and listening.

[@sebastianschmidt3869]

The words and phases that you need for output are aquired through input. Speaking practice is helpful but needs input as base.

[@choibounce]

I can’t find any input base proponents completely disregard output. They just build foundation first then move on to output.

[@alexisdemoulin5514]

Exactly. People who criticise the input hypothesis, which to me is not a hypothesis but more an observation (we all know how we started to learn our first language), should first read Stephen Krashen's books.

[@tornado355]

Love your channel!! Thank you for all the hard work!

[@omarperezprada]

Definitely it's a great channel. You guys help me a lot with my journey about learning English, so thanks very much.

[@UlrichSchliz]

I have seen a lot of expositions about the subject of language learning and I am always seeking for the right method. I am studying Russian. I have heard a lot of contradicting opinions and have made my own opinion about it. I guess the key word is "combination." It is nearly identical to what Dr.reynolds says. I must say this is the best and most helpful video, that I have ever seen about the subject and I am very thanful for this. It cleared a lot of doubts for me. Thank you. Ulrich Schliz.

[@loistalagrand]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@rpg9392]

I disagree with most of his core points, but that's okay! I love hearing everyone's ideas.

[@rihablouiza639]

Why ? I'm just interested

[@marcojuarez6243]

You don't know what the fuck you're talking about

[@RayMin-kt4iw]

This guy knows whats up! great interview!

[@lucianoftyre]

So basically: comprehensible input plus some grammar and vocab intentional learning

[@GaryGruenhagen]

I find your interviews very informative and would be very interested in hearing an interview with a proponent of the lexical or "chunking" methods of language learning.

[@machiavelZongo]

AMAZING VIDEO LOVE HIM SERIOUSLY

[@DougalBayer]

I have made rapid improvement in half a dozen languages including Japanese by shadowing audiobooks. I choose interesting content, detective and thriller novels, and nonfiction, including popular science and guides for first year employees. And voice talents who I would like to sound like. I start at playback speed 0.5x and use EQ to dampen bass and amplify midrange and high- like the voice setting on many TVs and media players. I repeat aloud as close to simultaneously as I can. I focus my conscious attention to matching sound - which is the hard part - and let my imagination dream meaning - which is actually the easier part. By imitating simultaneously, I am not just doing input. In order to keep up, I am constantly guessing the next word. So in a sense I’ve co-written every book I’ve shadowed. In addition to shadowing 500 hours a year, I also read a million words a year - about 15 books. My reading speed tripled in 2-3 years. But I never multitask, by reading while listening, which only distracts me from total listening. My shadowing is pure Flow of focused listening and speaking.

[@peterreid9769]

I'm starting to get somewhere in Korean after 16 months of persistence but it's been a tough gig and not an enjoyable process. I'm too invested to stop now but I wouldn't recommend language learning as a hobby. It's not fun and there are more enjoyable or more productive ways of using your time.

[@Alec72HD]

For a native English speaker, it's most likely a frivolous hobby. There has to be a reason, like living in that country. On the other hand, 90% of school children in the world 🌎 are learning English because it became the international language. Granted, most of them won't acquire much English, but it's a start

[@conorbarrett507]

You sound like a native US English speaker. Subbed. Thanks

[@Reflekt0r]

That was really good, thank you for making and sharing this video. ❤

[@loistalagrand]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vanessasanchez9220]

Thank you very much. 🎉🎉

[@loistalagrand]

You're welcome 😊

[@espanol9498]

The way he would learn a new language is basically the same way I'm doing. I'm using a 2k deck, I use mnemonics to memorize them faster and I review them. I had this idea of trying active recall too, English to target language so I could at least be able to spell/pronounce the 2k words I was memorizing (probably will try implementing that into my schedule). I got a native speaker to talk to me in my target language (text only) and I try saying stuff here and there. Maybe I'll grab a phrasebook and work on it, but I don't know if I'll like it lol

[@BeyondMediocreMandarin]

This is an amazing channel. Students get an opportunity to hear from experts that they might otherwise not hear from. It seems many people have heard about Krashen, without knowing there's a whole lot more to the story. Nowadays, I feel if a researcher gives the same advice for a 9-year old Chinese girl learning English in school and a 70-year old Canadian man learning Portuguese for fun, then the advice is unspecific (like "read more"), and probably not especially useful (especially for my unique situation and goals). If the researcher doesn't know a single word in Chinese and gives Chinese-learning advice, I'm especially skeptical.

[@loistalagrand]

Thanks, I try to get a vast array of researchers on the channel.

[@DBoone123]

I still agree with the language Steve’s and with Pablo

[@田兵-u7m]

Thanks for your content. I think the video stutters a little, and it is a bit weird to listen to that soundtrack.😂

[@rauschma]

* Loïs, I’m curious: Why do you think that the Chinese writing system is more difficult than the Japanese one (which has Kanji + Hiragana + Katakana)? * I’m learning Mandarin and I (as a native German speaker) do indeed find that words are difficult to remember. I initially thought I wouldn’t have to learn vocabulary but I now use Anki and that’s helped a lot. * When I listen to Japanese (which I know nothing about), I can occasionally make out words. That’s much more difficult in Mandarin (which I’m learning). I’m guessing that’s due to the tones but also due to the unusual rhythm of mostly two-syllable words.

[@loistalagrand]

In Japanese, hiragana and katakana are very easy to learn. They also allow to better understand the start and the end of words. Chinese, on the other hand, only has one type of characters. In any case, this is pure conjecture, I am not learning Chinese! I think the tones are much more problematic.

[@rauschma]

@@loistalagrand Makes sense, thanks!

[@arccosinusopinion2323]

Great vid. Keep up the good work

[@loistalagrand]

Appreciate it

[@FrenchCoach]

I personally found learning 0 grammar worked the best for me. I just focused on French conversations and stories and allowed the language to come to me. I now help my Students do the same, and they are liking it way more than the traditional methods which focuses on memorization. Good video here.

[@loistalagrand]

Thanks for sharing!

[@norabalogh5910]

I disagree regarding grammar. As an adult learner, I find that taking a close look at descriptions of structures is incredibly helpful in noticing and understanding. Just knowing a bunch of words without understanding the structures doesn’t do it for me. As an example, I tried to read the Hungarian version of Harry Potter at a very early stage of my language learning process. It was way above my level, but there wasn’t a vast array of learning resources available. I used translation tools heavily as a support because otherwise I wouldn’t have understood anything (automatic translators, translation dictionaries and an English version of the text if worst cane to worst). In parallel I was working my way through high-quality language learning books (the Magyarok series) via private online lessons. I found that I picked up a lot of vocabulary through my reading of Harry Potter but I picked up very little grammar. I would only understand a grammar structure once I’d been exposed to a description of it. Prior to “studying” it, I would not be aware of it, wouldn’t understand it and absolutely could not use it. I also found that as my understanding of the grammar improved, my overall understanding greatly improved. Based on my experience, I disagree that vocabulary acquisition is more important than understanding how the language is put together. I think it’s all important!!!!

[@musashidanmcgrath]

I don't agree at all with that. I've found that understanding the grammar helps tremendously with learning Spanish. Especially as you push on to an upper intermediate level. Understanding the structure of sentences makes everything easier because you understand the why, rather than just mimicking what you hear.

[@blotski]

Personally, I find the grammar helps otherwise I'm just trying to memorise long phrases I don't really understand the structure of and feeling things are more complicated than they really are. One example, when I was first learning Romanian I used to find adjectives confusing. Adjectives can have 1, 2, 3 or 4 forms and I used to find it really hard to remember which adjectives had what number of forms. Then I was doing some grammar practice from actually quite a fun book and in it the author just explained quickly and easily how you could predict the number of forms. I was kind of angry that no course book I'd ever done had just explained this. What I thought was a task to remember was actually quite easy to predict if you just knew the rule. And that sums it up for me. If you know the rules you don't have to memorise by heart so much. So I find your way focusses just as much, if not more, on memorisation. Knowing the grammar allows you to create more independently.

[@saintsalieri]

It's possible to have reading comprehension in a language just from knowing vocabulary, but I can't imagine intuiting something like the subjunctive mood if your language doesn't have it. You will be able to recognize a form of a verb and therefore get the meaning, but you will never be able to produce it correctly unless at some point you study it and then future exposure is a reinforcement of some unambiguous explanation you've encountered. I'm talking here about English to Spanish experience, but this is even more the case with less related languages. I don't feel like there's anything too tricky about learning a language. Buy a textbook and work through it, find input and use it. I think the big question is whether to try to produce the language early, I feel like that's more a matter of situation and personality and it won't matter in the long run anyway.

[@instantpotenjoyer]

Excellent content

[@loistalagrand]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@user-bf8ud9vt5b]

Anyone learning English: don't worry about your accent if you are understood. Native English speakers usually find it virtually impossible to accurately imitate the accent of other native speakers (Scottish, Australian etc.). If we can't do it, if will be much harder for you and no one minds your accent anyway.

[@kieronhoswell2722]

That's not true. We imitate each other's accents accurately all the time for fun.

[@user-bf8ud9vt5b]

@@kieronhoswell2722 It is true. Most people, without a lot of training and practice, are lousy at imitating accents convincingly. As an Australian, I can count on one hand people (a couple of actors and a voice coach) that I've heard speak with a virtually flawless fake Aussie accent.

[@Alec72HD]

Indeed, is Aussie passes for English language, any other foreign accent is good enough.

[@Mhxue2024]

Subscribed❤

[@ernstkrudl4895]

German native speaker, plus attending an English kindergarden from the age of 4. Well, the method to learn German in a year at the end of the year would make only sense to me, if the prof would have done it himself and reported about his experiences. But altogether the opinions in the video were more open than in videos of other "gods" of language learning.

[@emadabuhagag222]

thank you

[@rainerschnelle1]

Loïs, did you grow up bilingual or did you learn english as a second language later in life? I am asking because, as far as I can tell, your english pronunciation seems to me to be perfect. If you learned to pronounce this way as an adult learner I'd be really impressed and would like to know how you did it.

[@Alec72HD]

Indeed, his English pronunciation is better than an Australian or New Zealander may have.

[@ДаниилМедведев-ч5л]

You mentioned that you are a Japanese learner, so I have a question related to this. The most frequent phrases in Japanese when you come to Japan would be keigo - in shops, town halls, doctors’ offices, etc. Do you really think it is sensible to start learning Japanese with these frequently used, but unbelievably complicated phrases?

[@itsameamarioyaplumber3981]

Yes.

[@Ali-mx5se]

Lois kindly when can i find your english flashcard that you made

[@DarklightSpirit]

i always thought that these "input only" hardliners on youtube most probably used to learn vocabulary on the side, because... how do you even start coprehending anything beyond "hello" and "goodbye"???!

[@igorfazlyev]

My five kopeks: grammar is king as it creates the underlying structure of the language that vocabulary items have to be inserted into for them to make sense. People have a tendency to neglect grammar and will then end up speaking their native language just using words from the target language and when there's limited overlap between the grammar of their native language and that of the target language, it can be almost impossible to understand what they're trying to say. What worked for me in English has been deliberate learning of grammar coupled with incidental pick-up of vocabulary as I started using English to learn English grammar as soon as I was able to so I ended up 'picking up' a bunch of vocabulary in the process and then I started reading and watching videos/listening to podcasts on topics I was interested in in English.

[@Alec72HD]

In English we say "my 2 cents".

[@vogditis]

I don't support judging others on how they use their non-language. Meanwhile, they could have used the sound of English with the grammar of their native language, then you would understand them. The problem is in the sound of the language, which they don't have. I'm sure you don't know the difference between monolingual and bilingual.

[@vogditis]

@@Alec72HD Is it a strict rule? 5 kopecks costed a bus ticket within the city in the Soviet Union.

[@Alec72HD]

@@vogditis History of the Soviet Union isn't the topic of the video. Why impose this foreign expression on a language where it doesn't belong?

[@vogditis]

@@Alec72HD I am not sure which expression belongs to the English language which I have at a basic level. Somewhere I saw about 5 cents... I am a little bit confused about which is right...

[@MsTranthihai71]

Thanks ❤

[@WHIVIX]

Your English pronunciation is good 🎉

[@vyacheslavbrodovoy2039]

Concerning some of the languages I try to study, I just don't need or want anything BUT input. For example, I want to read German literature fluently and watch some German shows, but I have no plans and no wish to communicate with any Germans live.

[@junglefrancais]

Anyway, there is no 1 good way. Every single person has to explore his/her best way to learn. Depends on the person, on his/her goals, his/her habits, on the context, and also on the language. (and the money available). As a French speaker, I do not learn chinese the same way that I learn italian.

[@andreaswtorow5570]

Why is the video so choppy? It skips here and there some milliseconds and sounds unnatural because of this... But the content is great.

[@loistalagrand]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll keep this in mind for the next videos.

[@erlismaerlisma6982]

can you tell me the difference between incidental learning and intentional learning? and which one is the best?

[@loistalagrand]

Intentional: activities where the goal is to learn the language (flashcards, textbooks, ...) Incidental: activities where learning the language is a byproduct (reading a book, watching a movie, ...) You need a combination of both.

[@Alec72HD]

Regarding one year challenge. Matt vs Japan and his Refold have this well covered. I will add, that in one year with PERFECT conditions I progressed from A1 to C1.

[@Reflekt0r]

Congrats, very impressive.

[@Alec72HD]

​@@Reflekt0r I wasn't following Refold or knew about Refold. But I was in a situation that Refold or AJATT is trying to recreate. I was in a 24/7 immersion environment with zero exposure to a Native Language.

[@igorgoliney9494]

It seems that 1) the clear head is not necessary, 2) emotions are not important, 3) the flash cards are not boring,

[@Stupendomarveloso]

I'm lost in my language learning. I go from one thing to another. It is difficult to be confident in my own method

[@gabrielgallardo5824]

I learned English literally without study grammar, so is not imposible just slower

[@Taichientaoyin]

For me input is the best.

[@arccosinusopinion2323]

Interesting video. But input is absolutely crucial. No way of avoiding it

[@junglefrancais]

I never heard someone saying that input is enough. Never. Maybe you speak about people who says that is not necessary to learn the structure ? ?? It's possible to acquire the language structures by just lisntening-practicing, without to do written exercise and grammar tables... but just input, really I never ever heard someone pretending that. Children learn without "lessons" but : they practice !!! And they learn in interaction.

[@jcvp2493]

One thing to really keep in mind when thinking, "What is the best way to learn a language?" is to consider the context: Is it for mass education? Is it self-taught? Is it the best method for youngsters or adults? How much time do you have? What are your goals? All of these questions lead to diverse answers.

[@Alec72HD]

Indeed. What is the goal ? Does a learner even need that language ? For example, Spanish is taught to a majority of American school students, but they don't need it whatsoever.

[@wiru1111]

Amazing that you can be an expert in SLA and not have really thought through the practical implications of your field for teaching and learning. “Input is not enough” to achieve a really high level of communicative competence. Most people could agree with that. But his conclusion - therefore beginners should go for a “balanced approach” and list-learn high frequency words - what? And he obviously isn’t very familiar with Krashen or any foundational works of SLA. I wonder if you could find a sociologist with an equally vague idea of what Max Weber wrote.

[@jasonjames6870]

The problem with flashcards is they bore me to tears and nothing ever sticks

[@allafleche]

Same here I tried and it's just so boring I never stuck with it. Also the spaced repetition is very annoying cause you realize you forgot lots,

[@jasonjames6870]

@@allafleche yep the only thing that has ever worked for me is lots of input

[@allafleche]

@@jasonjames6870 Personnaly, I started russian with a series of guided audio lessons that are each time , a little vocab, a little grammar point, and input/comprehension explanation. Now that have this basic understanding of the language, i concentrate on audio/video input and it does work. It takes time though, but that's normal I guess, I don't have a lot of time to do it .

[@WhiteBorr]

I've tried learning Cantonese for 7 years (on and off). I used flash cards.. It didn't work for me... The problem with flash card, is you're spending that time "translating" the cards into your native language. I never go out of translation mode when trying to speak or listen. On the other hand, I've spend 250 hours learning Thai purely watching "Comprehensible Thai" channel. I already feel like I can converse decently (but I don't yet. That will start at around 600 hrs of comprehensible input). But I can understand 80-95% of lessons that go for 30mins. I think in the language and don't do any translation. This is king of learning and it's how we all learnt our first language. Look, Listen, Guess. David Long explains it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYfKY3ieZ7GCiac

[@loistalagrand]

Regarding flashcards, I recommend people watch my interview with Paul Nation.

[@nevillelongbottom106]

Is it just me, or did the dr have some chinese inflections in the way he speaks english? Did years of speaking chinese influence his English?

[@jacksonklinger4398]

Elohim bless Ecuador.

[@allafleche]

Clickbait title, the guy basically has the exact same recommendations a Steven Kaufman has, it's mostly input and having an interest in what you do.

[@loistalagrand]

He literally said, "input is not enough". Did you watch the video?

[@BlackCodeMath]

Loïs kicking this video off with a straw man argument about comprehensible input-- that side says ALL you need is CI; they say ANYTHING else (like flash cards) is "not really good"-- is a poor way to begin. It's great that Dr. Reynolds corrected that, even though he seems to agree with the thrust of Loïs's argument.

[@BlackCodeMath]

But overall, still a very thoughtful conversation.

[@loistalagrand]

@@BlackCodeMath Thanks for the feedback!

[@BlackCodeMath]

@@loistalagrand 100%. Quibbles aside, you have put together a very thoughtful channel. I am following now.

[@gemela777]

i think flashcards are good the further the language is from your native one, but unless you’re learning specialized/industry vocab i find it useless for spanish. input through multiple sources (audio, visual, reading) has been the way to go for me to grasp advanced grammar functions and the like

[@niyasniyas2051]

It's malayalam bro

[@davidbrisbane7206]

Think about it folks. If teaching a language didn't work, then people running language Schools for a profit would go out of business after a few short years. They are not trying to trick you into parting with your money for no value. They are genuinely trying to teach you a language. This is how reputable companies operate. Comprehensible input is just one form of learning and it isn't sufficient to ensure you master a language in any reasonable amount of time.

[@KagayaitaTamashi]

The AI art on the anki core decks is in incredibly bad taste, imo. I recommend going out and taking photographs of your own for the cover art.

[@loistalagrand]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@KagayaitaTamashi]

@@loistalagrand sorry if my comment came across bitter, but AI really is affecting a lot of artists, writers, photographers, teachers, etc in a bad way, and it can be controversial to use ai art on your decks. I like your videos a lot, and I think using your own headshot for the Anki decks would be perfectly good

[@AntiTheBird]

@@KagayaitaTamashiWot? Going out and taking his own photos wouldn’t do anything to support artists lmao it would be no different than just using ai but far more inconvenient.

[@KagayaitaTamashi]

@@AntiTheBird at least his cards won't look gross tho

[@readtalkenglish]

Where's the research supporting his claim? Maybe you should talk to Beniko Mason, who's done the actual studies that support Krashen's hypothesis and she has the actual numbers to show for it. Not just vague statements.

[@alaa-xw1jz]

I think that sufficient input is enough to make a person fluent in any language, but it takes a longer time.

[@robertgross9580]

Dude seems like he thinks I took his stapler.

[@maninaussie2347]

Wish all the input only fanatics like Krashen followers listen to this and admit they were wrong. However they are so dogmatic that they are not gonna change their minds. Nobody suceeds in language learning with input “only”. Input and output should go together.

[@Alec72HD]

Matt vs Japan, AJATT and Refold have it well covered. Input, especially listening Input is the FOUNDATION of a Second language. Nobody suggests not speaking, rather to concentrate on the foundation at first.

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

@@Alec72HDI disagree. I tried CI for German over a year and it didn’t work, words weren’t sticking, I couldn’t say anything. I switched to traditional methods, and started learning words. I found output was essential to teach me the structure. Passive listening just does not work for adults, I doubt it works for children either. CI is BS.

[@13Zeberdee13]

@@StillAliveAndKicking_ The big part is about having some instant feedback. Children have that in their environment because they are urged to communicate successfully to get what they want. It's fun to watch kids, who don't share a common language, playing together. Also, the immersion schools aren't the same as the so-called immersion in the form of watching youtube, etc. The latter lacks that factor. Retrieval also brings some useful intensity. The universal advice would be to assure yourself to have enough listening material because it facilitates learning but it's harmful to restrict people to just that. The other overlooked feature is that watching random artificial videos doesn't give the same natural distribution of words.

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

@@13Zeberdee13 I agree. I have a good comprehension of intellectual and formal French, but I’ll struggle with day to day French once they use ‘ordinary’ words and expressions.

[@Alec72HD]

@@StillAliveAndKicking_ Passive listening is when you listen while doing something else, like driving or doing chores. But Listening Input in general definitely works for Immigrant Children. And when conditions are right it works for adults. Starting as a 19 year old, In one year of 24/7 immersion I progressed in a second language from A1 to C1. It was mostly listening.

[@carlperl412]

He is crazy. Doea he has the nerves to argue against Crashen? Where are the thousands of investigation by this so-called "doctor"?

[@carlperl412]

*Krashen