131–140 of 221 posts
Learning a language requires immersion. That's why classes with other students are more effective than flashcards. VR has potential to really make a difference here. Imagine you load a VR level. It's a busy outdoor market in Taipei. In your inventory you have some cash. NPCs with AI and chat logic are around you interacting. Your goal is to buy some bread and get to the subway. You see a vendor with some bread, but d…
Anyone else feel like language learning is overrated? (Yes I’m an uncultured provincial American and I’m sorry). Unless you frequently travel somewhere where another language is spoken, have family that speaks another language, or want to travel places like that, it’s hard for me to see why learning more about your own language, math or something, socializing, learning about how your government and society work, or s…
I've used Duolingo for several months (a year ago) to learn Spanish and when I visited Barcelona for the first time I was impressed by how I was able to put some every day phrases in use, things like "How are you? Can I have a coffee?" etc.. The thing I don't like about Duolingo is its curriculum and the way they structure their lessons. I found it very difficult to go from the early beginner stage to the more advanc…
Those weird sentences make for a good laugh though. I was asked if I speak spanish, I've answered with a confident "El gato beben leche"
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is no discussion permitted except presentation of double-blind, appropriately sized studies?
If you re-read my comment carefully, you will find that I am presenting another anecdotal counterexample, so I don't see where your coming from with that comment. Also, we can discuss, but we should be aware that we can draw little to no conclusions.
Learning a language requires immersion. That's why classes with other students are more effective than flashcards. VR has potential to really make a difference here. Imagine you load a VR level. It's a busy outdoor market in Taipei. In your inventory you have some cash. NPCs with AI and chat logic are around you interacting. Your goal is to buy some bread and get to the subway. You see a vendor with some bread, but d…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Learning a language teaches you deeply about that culture and gives you perspectives on your own culture from the standpoint of another.
Maybe, but if that’s the sole purpose I would prefer to follow the traditional route of Latin/Greek classics
I'm learning Italian right now since I live in an Italian speaking country, but I would probably recommend Spanish or French if you want to pick a language with more geographical diversity.
Learning a language requires immersion. That's why classes with other students are more effective than flashcards. VR has potential to really make a difference here. Imagine you load a VR level. It's a busy outdoor market in Taipei. In your inventory you have some cash. NPCs with AI and chat logic are around you interacting. Your goal is to buy some bread and get to the subway. You see a vendor with some bread, but d…
There's no reason that needs to be in VR right?
But immersing yourself in the environment in which you’ll use the language should eventually help with cued recall.
I'm using Duolingo to learn my 4th language. My previously recent language was studied in the early 90's, for perspective. Currently, I'm taking on Japanese. Becoming fluent with this app (or any other single app) is going to be just impossible. In isolation it will be a haphazard collection of phrases picked up at a glacial pace. The pluses to Duo are huge, though. What some see as repetition to gain master on a min…
I'm using Duolingo to learn my 4th language. My previously recent language was studied in the early 90's, for perspective. Currently, I'm taking on Japanese. Becoming fluent with this app (or any other single app) is going to be just impossible. In isolation it will be a haphazard collection of phrases picked up at a glacial pace. The pluses to Duo are huge, though. What some see as repetition to gain master on a min…
[1] https://djtguide.neocities.org/guide.html#Now%20what%20do%20...?
Learning a language requires immersion. That's why classes with other students are more effective than flashcards. VR has potential to really make a difference here. Imagine you load a VR level. It's a busy outdoor market in Taipei. In your inventory you have some cash. NPCs with AI and chat logic are around you interacting. Your goal is to buy some bread and get to the subway. You see a vendor with some bread, but d…
1) Classes with other students are just about the least effective way to learn a foreign language. You just reinforce each others' bad accents, grammar mistakes, etc.
2) Duolingo is okay for some things, but not for others. But discounting all apps after having tried one or two, though, is a lot like the famous Gates quote: "640k should be enough for anybody" (which he claims to have never said), or the nineties articles as to why no one would shop online.
3) Pimsleur is brilliant for developing basic conversational ability. It works really, really well.
4) The Pimsleur model could take you all the way to fluency, but it stops at a half-year of lessons for the most developed languages (and 2 weeks for some of the less developed ones). Developing four years of lessons at this level of quality is hard and expensive.
5) BUT: Moving on beyond Pimsleur, there is a range of tools which are passable. Things like Duolingo, Memrise, Supermemo, etc. can help build vocabulary. There are apps for watching movies for language learning (which adds subtitles, dictionaries, etc.) which can help build comprehension. Etc. Picking-and-choosing, you can get something which, while not as good as going there, is much better than classes.
6) This field is progressing super-quickly on the whole. What we have today is much better than five years ago, and we'll have much better things five years from now. I'd be surprised if apps weren't the best way to learn a language in not too long.