Let me tell you a story During the time I spent in Jordan
I met many East Asian workers who spoke Arabic very well
My friend then told me
"You know, they've never really studied in a language school or used books
They just learned it from work, and immersion."
This gave me mixed feelings of frustration and fascination
and of course a touch of jealousy too!
Moreover, she told me about many times
she encountered foreigners who are married to locals
They can speak fluent Arabic through immersion
and not only that, they also pass their mother tongue to their children
These children end up being trilingual
As a polyglot, I can't help but wonder
what makes immersion different from academic education
and how I could apply immersion outside the target country
You might also be wondering
can we really learn a language without studying it?
In today's video, we will be exploring
the "myth" of learning a language without studying!
I'll be sharing with you all the methods and advice
that I've gathered over the years from research
as well as from my own experiences and those of my polyglot friends
which might help you change your language learning game
According to linguist Noam Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar
humans are born with an innate understanding
of the fundamental principles that underpin language
This capacity for language, believed to be hardwired
into our brains, which forms the foundation for language acquisition
In other words
we already possess the tools needed to learn a language from day one
First, we need to clarify the difference between acquisition and learning
Learning refers to the conscious and intentional process
of acquiring knowledge through structured study
While acquisition is the natural and subconscious processes
of acquiring knowledge through exposure and immersive input
Acquisition means picking up a language
Subconsciously absorbing the language, having a feel for it
Learning means what we did in school
Knowing the rules
Acquisition is an intuitive process
According to linguist Stephen Krashen
acquisition is much more powerful than learning
Isn't it fascinating how quickly children develop linguistically?
They begin learning a language, a complex task for us adults
even before mastering basic abilities like drawing a line!
If you think about it, despite the fact that their brains are still developing
children can learn rapidly through mimicking
They exceed the daily word count of adults studying in academic settings
because of their direct exposure to language. But is it really that simple?
Studies show that children start listening to sounds even from the womb
From the day they're born, they begin recognizing sound patterns
This explains the adorable "goo goo gaga" babbling
their first attempt at mimicking sounds
So, by the time children pronounce their first words at around one-year-old
They've already spent a year immersed in listening
repeating adults and learning patterns, all without the need for grammar!
Many people worry about grammar when studying a language
However, according to acquisition theory and the success stories
of people who have used this method
We all agree on not focusing directly on grammar, at least not in the beginning
Instead, it's recommended to expand your vocabulary
and immerse yourself in listening
Given our brain's capacity and our innate ability to acquire languages
We'll start to automatically notice the repetitive patterns
in sentence structure and grammar
So, when starting to learn a language
I suggest focusing on listening and mimicking, rather than grammar
I suggest two things
Number one, wait until you speak the language fluently
Or semi fluently, then study the grammar
That’s the way children do it
or just brows grammar
Maybe one minute a day, maybe two minutes a day
Just look at it and that’s it
Another inspiring theory is the Affective Filter Hypothesis, proposed by Krashen
It suggests that emotional factors such as anxiety, motivation,
and self-confidence can significantly impact language acquisition
If you're driven by passion in studying a language
you will enjoy immersing yourself in it
Consider this: it's challenging to immerse yourself in a language
that you don't like or see no clear purpose in studying
We're simply not wired to engage in tasks we don't find enjoyable
Immersion works best when you're studying a language you love
enjoying its content as if it were a form of entertainment
This was exactly my experience when learning Persian
I was passionate about the culture and literature
and even though I initially couldn't comprehend complex content in Persian
I watched a lot of movies and documentaries
and read books about Iran, Afghanistan and other Persian-speaking regions
These activities boosted my motivation and passion
The more I progressed in Persian, the more I used this language
to consume the content I truly enjoy
and finally, travel to Iran and exchange with people!
That's why I always recommend learners at an intermediate level
to move beyond textbooks
which can often be boring and full of topics and words
that won't be useful in your daily life
For example, suppose you are learning Spanish and you love football
Watching Spanish football matches and listening to Spanish sports commentary
can significantly help you acquire the language while also providing fun
These are instances where the Affective Filter Hypothesis comes into play!
Another excellent immersion exercise is watching series and movies
in your target language
Here, I recommend a platform called Lingopie
which allows you to learn a language in an engaging and enjoyable manner
They have a vast catalog of TV shows and movies
including those linked to Netflix series
Just select your target language and start watching your favorite TV shows
When you encounter a new word, you can instantly click on it to see its meaning
Even better, it creates a memorable learning experience
Each time you encounter a new word, you understand it in context
aiding memorization and comprehension
This even applies to slang, which typically requires
a high level of language proficiency
and exposure to a foreign country to pick up
You can also save new words and review them later
with interactive games and flashcards
It’s one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a language
If you're interested in Lingopie
please click the link in the description box to get a 55% off discount!
According to Dr. Krashen's Input Hypothesis
language acquisition occurs when learners are exposed to comprehensible input
that is just a bit above their current level of understanding
We acquire a language in one way
And only way
When we understand messages
We call this comprehensible input
This means that simply immersing yourself in the language
through random exercises isn't sufficient
True language acquisition relies heavily on meaningful
enjoyable, and comprehensible input
But what does comprehensible input really mean?
Dr. Krashen defined it as language instruction is most effective
when it's used to transmit meaningful and relatable messages
not when explicitly taught for the purpose of learning
Therefore, the information provided should be within grasp
and relevant to the learner
For example, traditional textbooks often offer synthetic scenarios and sentences like
"I enjoy going for walks" or
"The weather is sunny today."
However, the problem with this approach is that it's out of context
and doesn't relate to your own experiences
Linguists, including Chomsky and Krashen
argue that language should be experienced
in real-life contexts rather than in isolation
I consistently recommend against the simple memorization of words
Instead, I suggest "using the words" to construct sentences that relate to your life
For instance, if you're not fond of walking, instead of parroting the textbook sentence
adapt it to fit your reality
I don’t like to go for walks
Similarly, when studying phrases about the weather
make them relevant to your current situation
If it's rainy, say “The weather is not sunny today, it's rainy.”
The goal is to practice with language elements
that resonate with your lifestyle and interests
This makes the learning experience more relatable and enjoyable
hence more effective
As adults, we may not always have the time to completely immerse ourselves
the money to travel to the target language's country
or the luck to be surrounded by natives
So, the question is, how can we find a balance
and create an optimal environment
where we can utilize the benefits of both learning and acquisition?
This is where I find the hybrid method to be the best approach
I believe that language learning occurs on both conscious and unconscious levels
and each time we perform a specific exercise, we target a specific skill
The surrounding information is input through our senses
and the most important senses to acquire a language are sight and hearing
The way we input this information is very important
so please take into account these matters:
Immersion level
While most resources about immersion will tell you to jump in head first into
the language, I personally disagree to some extent
I always believe in balance and resiliency
When I read about acquisition and
while I believe that the theories are quite right
just from looking at the many cases
where people acquire a language without studying
I still find it difficult to rely solely on this approach
for my own language learning journey
Acquisition is, after all, an unconscious discipline
Children learn with a blank slate, without any interruptions
in an extremely immersive environment
A foreigner who travels to another country
would have to automatically dive into the language
especially if they don’t have a bridging language
between their mother tongue and the host country's language
However, we often find ourselves in less than 'ideal' circumstances
So, we have to actively study the language at some point
and combine those immersive methods
Keep a handy dictionary
Looking up words on a case-by-case basis will help you memorize these
words better and understand them in context
Personally, I believe it’s better than memorizing random lists of words
Speaking to yourself
There have been many successful cases
of people who have immersed themselves in the language
but have never actually spoken with natives Yet, they reached a very good level of speaking
only through mimicking sounds
creating imaginary scenarios
doing shadowing exercises
and repeating what they hear
You will be your own best friend in this process
and should keep practicing by yourself
until you have an opportunity to travel or speak with natives
You will be surprised by how quickly you will improve
If you are planning to fully immerse yourself in a language
I don’t recommend combining two languages at the same time
As part of immersion involves putting yourself in a language bubble and
creating a simulated environment, it requires a lot of time and energy
It is best done with one language only
Finally, invest in a good pair of headphones
as you will be doing a lot of listening
Make sure the sound quality is good
and that they are comfortable for long-term wear
Conclusion
While I do believe that anyone can learn a language through acquisition
there are some things we should consider:
The success rate depends on how much
you're willing to immerse yourself in the language
There's no definitive timeline; this process could take one year or ten years
It all depends on the amount of effort and dedication you put into it
If you plan to take an official language test in the future
you may need to attend some academic classes
to address specific areas of weakness
I don't believe that there's a one-size-fits-all approach to language learning
That's why we should always explore different methods and theories
acquire applicable knowledge, and create the best strategies that work for us
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See you in the next one, bye!