41–50 of 57 posts
I wonder to what extent using several programming languages has the same effect. If the hypothesis about language switching as an inhibitory mental exercise is correct, then polyglot programming should have some of the same benefits.
Probably not, most programming languages boil down to the same thing with different syntax.
My "nights and weekends" project for the past few years has been writing iOS language learning apps. The niche that I'm looking to fill is to create enough "games/drills" to help alleviate the incredible repetition needed to learn another language. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions so I can find my niche in a really crowed market... https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/h4-spanish-lite/id388918463?... I'd really apprecia…
As someone who spent years studying and teaching languages, my single biggest advice is to remember that learning a language is not simply a matter of learning words . Don't fall into the trap of throwing a dictionary full of words into an SRS and hoping for the best. Focus on input, not production. Include phonetic training. Make the user distinguish between each minimal pair in the language, possibly even every sin…
I have so much trouble spelling words like definately^W definitely, because they sound the same to me ;)
My "nights and weekends" project for the past few years has been writing iOS language learning apps. The niche that I'm looking to fill is to create enough "games/drills" to help alleviate the incredible repetition needed to learn another language. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions so I can find my niche in a really crowed market... https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/h4-spanish-lite/id388918463?... I'd really apprecia…
At the very beginning, it's very hard to find texts I can grasp, given limited vocabulary. A collection of interesting texts that ease in vocabulary and grammar would be a godsend. Forget formal grammar training, forget spaced vocabulary repetition. Vocabulary extends naturally when reading texts, formal grammar is much more obvious after I've spotted the pattern on my own (and a drag before).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who spent years studying and teaching languages, my single biggest advice is to remember that learning a language is not simply a matter of learning words . Don't fall into the trap of throwing a dictionary full of words into an SRS and hoping for the best. Focus on input, not production. Include phonetic training. Make the user distinguish between each minimal pair in the language, possibly even every sin…
>Make the user distinguish between each minimal pair in the language, possibly even every single syllable in the language I have so much trouble spelling words like definately^W definitely, because they sound the same to me ;)
What I was suggesting was aural training—learn to distinguish words such as "his" and "he's", to hear the differences between bat, bet, bit, bot, but, bait, beet, bite, boat, and boot, etc...
Various idiosyncrasies of an orthographic system are far less important than being able to hear difference between the sounds of a language.
If there is any good at all in being bilingual, what does it mean to be trilingual? Let alone pentalingual? Does the law of diminishing returns apply?
My "nights and weekends" project for the past few years has been writing iOS language learning apps. The niche that I'm looking to fill is to create enough "games/drills" to help alleviate the incredible repetition needed to learn another language. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions so I can find my niche in a really crowed market... https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/h4-spanish-lite/id388918463?... I'd really apprecia…
As someone who spent years studying and teaching languages, my single biggest advice is to remember that learning a language is not simply a matter of learning words . Don't fall into the trap of throwing a dictionary full of words into an SRS and hoping for the best. Focus on input, not production. Include phonetic training. Make the user distinguish between each minimal pair in the language, possibly even every sin…
I believe that this is very good advice.
The realization there are actually different sounds in different languages has came as surprise to me. I always naively assumed that the same sounds where just combined differently. Obviously this has had a negative impact in my learning.
I am somewhat amused by the multiple studies and articles on Bilingualism. Simply because I happen to be just one of the many pentalingual (if that's a term) people I know. My entire family speaks five languages. English, Hindi, Marathi, Kutcchi and Gujarati. Kutcchi and Gujarati are what I was born into. The rest are mandatory through school here (Mumbai, India). So anyone who went to school is at least trilingual.…
Anedoctal evidence: I'm 37, italian, always been good at speaking english (since I was 7). In the past few years, my command of english improved so much that I started forgetting words both in italian and in english. /facepalm
I've been around a lot of people who were raised bilingual in English and an oriental language and most of them complained that it was too hard. They felt that at the high school and college level it's not possible to fully develop advanced vocabulary and usage in both languages. You can risk coming across as non-native or stupid in both languages. I think a lot of this stuff about bilingualism is biased toward peopl…
I think my English vocabulary is large and nuanced. Spelling and pronunciation can be a bit of a challenge at times, however. :)
I am somewhat amused by the multiple studies and articles on Bilingualism. Simply because I happen to be just one of the many pentalingual (if that's a term) people I know. My entire family speaks five languages. English, Hindi, Marathi, Kutcchi and Gujarati. Kutcchi and Gujarati are what I was born into. The rest are mandatory through school here (Mumbai, India). So anyone who went to school is at least trilingual.…
Aside from English, they're all closely related languages (Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati). I wouldn't really expect knowing related languages to give the same payoff as say knowing languages from different groups or families of languages.
((Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese),
(Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati),
(English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Latin))
Are you saying that knowing one from each set is more beneficial than knowing three from any one set?