Techniques
13Oct
13 Oct 2020
Learning Languages in the Moment
This post is a transcript of a video on my YouTube channel. Studying English? Here’s the transcript as a lesson to study on LingQ. *** Hi there. Hopefully, this is going. Let me see. Yeah. I can’t really see too well because the sun is in my face. Today, I want to talk […]
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30Jun
30 Jun 2020
Comprehensible Input and Compelling Input (CI)
What is CI? What is meant by comprehensible input in language learning? Stephen Krashen uses this term, as well as the term compelling input, to refer to the kind of language exposure we need in order to learn a language. The term CI, in language learning, can apply to both. What do they mean? Comprehensible […]
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31Dec
31 Dec 2019
Can We Sound Like a Native?
Today, I’m going to talk about speaking like a native, sounding like a native, because it’s a discussion that showed up sort of in response to my latest video, which I did in Japanese. Sometimes I study on LingQ using the computer. Mostly, however, I use my iPad because it’s more comfortable […]
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03Dec
3 Dec 2019
Learning Three Languages a Day
Some people will say, geez Steve, you used to say you should focus entirely on one language. I did used to say that, but a number of things have changed. I have come to realize that the more you focus on one thing, you try to nail one thing, you stay with one […]
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13Aug
13 Aug 2019
My Method for Learning Languages from Scratch
How do you start a language from scratch? What is your process to learn a language? Obviously, right now I’m focusing on four Slavic languages. I have studied all those four languages to varying degrees before, so I’m not starting from scratch. In fact, the last language I started from scratch I guess was Ukrainian, […]
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08Aug
8 Aug 2019
Language-Learning Basics, Again and Again
I want to talk about language learning, the basics that is. The basics in a language are important. It is important to speak correctly, it is important to focus on key patterns, key phrases, key ways of saying things, phrases and patterns and structures that come up all the time, it’s just not possible to […]
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06Aug
6 Aug 2019
The Most Effective Language Learning Method
I want to talk today, in the subject of language learning, about something that’s kind of been running around in my mind. I come up with all these things that are the key to language learning and I may have used this before, I don’t know, but it suddenly dawned on me that the most […]
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11Jul
11 Jul 2019
The Language Learning Tripod: Attitude
Today I want to talk about what I’ve call the three keys of language learning. Let’s call them the tripod, the tripod of language learning. It’s ‘A’ – Attitude, ‘T’ – Time and ‘N’ – the ability to Notice. You could also call it attentiveness, but it’s the ability to notice, which is something we […]
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05Jul
5 Jul 2019
Should We Read, Listen, or What?
Yesterday, July 4th, was the American national holiday. July 1st was the Canadian national holiday. Since I’m retired, I’m not much affected by holidays. Amongst the various activities that I enjoy, as you probably know, is language learning. When it’s sunny I have less time available for language learning, I’m doing other things, like golfing. […]
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27Jun
27 Jun 2019
Do We Need the Language Classroom?
This video was first published on 29 Jul 2012 First of all, I should say that I have my son and his family visiting from London, so I have two additional little grandchildren. I have one son, Mark, who lives here and he has three kids and my son, Eric, who lives in London, has […]
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