Don’t Try to Memorize Vocabulary in a New Language
Words, acquiring words, that is the core task in language learning. Over the years, I’ve seen all kinds of theories on mastering new words, because learning words is such a big deal…
Create Your Own Dictionary
When it comes to learning a new language, some learners like dictionaries. They read them. They treasure them. They worry about getting the best possible dictionary. I don’t like using dictionaries. Using them is like one-way love.
The Seven Secrets to Language Learning Success: Part 2
Last week I wrote about the first four secrets to language learning success: spend the time, do what you like to do, learn to notice and words over grammar. Today’s post reveals the last three secrets.
The Seven Secrets to Language Learning Success: Part 1
People often ask me how I learned 20 languages. I will tell you what works for me; you’ll have to decide if this can work for you. Here are the first four secrets to language learning success…
Unpacking Justin Sung’s Language Learning Advice: A Critical Analysis
Justin Sung offers interesting advice about learning in general on his YouTube channel, particularly regarding the importance of relevance, curiosity and repeated retrieval in learning activity. However, his recent video on…
To Improve Language Comprehension DON’T Try to Understand
Experienced language learners accept uncertainty, yet they keep going. They accept that they don’t fully understand. In the above video I refer to two kinds of comprehension, listening comprehension…
Monolingual or Bilingual Dictionaries for Language Learners?
Which is better for language learners, monolingual or bilingual dictionaries? This question often comes up. A monolingual dictionary explains the meaning of a word in the language that you are learning. A bilingual dictionary provides a translation…
Chinesisch lernen: Meine Top 6 Tipps
Ich habe vor 50 Jahren Mandarin-Chinesisch gelernt. Ich habe neun Monate gebraucht, bis ich das Niveau erreicht habe, mit dem ich Zeitungsartikel von Englisch nach Chinesisch und von Chinesisch nach Englisch übersetzen,…
6 Brain-Friendly Strategies for Reading in Any Language
Reading is the ‘killer app’ for education, communication, and language acquisition in my opinion. It bridges gaps between cultures, connects us with history, and enhances our linguistic abilities. In this post I…
Similarities & Differences Between the Slavic Languages
The most popularly spoken Slavic languages are Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian in the east, Polish, Czech and Slovakian in the west and then the the languages of the former Yugoslavia in the south.
