This was originally posted on blogger.

Between teaching Chinese and learning, I’ve found myself spending a great deal of my waking hours thinking about language learning. It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. Language learning is rich and contains many elements. Right now, I have some sort of a system – not so rigid and not so regimented, but a system nonetheless. So I figure I’d explain it in words.

I see learning languages as a layer of practices.

Practice 1: Vocabulary acquisition. Vocabulary is the first thing you can feasibly start with in any language, and in my eyes direct focus on vocabulary ought to continue as long as you can stand it. Even being in Taiwan, I don’t feel I’m exposed to vocabulary (either in speech or writing) often enough to memorize it passively (nor is my memory that impressive). So I “go to the gym” for vocabulary. I try to do so every day using a program called Anki. Anki arranges flashcards so that you see words just when you’re about to forget them. Forcing you to recall information at this point makes it create deeper connections in your brain. And hence, at a certain point the word will be in your long-term memory. I only add words I’ve heard used in conversation or seen in a reading somewhere so that I have some association with it (more association, the easier to memorize) and know how it’s used.

Practice 2: Active reading/listening. There are many language learning podcasts for Mandarin Chinese that speak slower Mandarin (or mixed with English) and provide a transcript. Following along with both is great to create the audio-visual association (and it’s strictly necessary for a non-phonetic language like Chinese). I also try to find readings at my skill-level (recently, the Chairman’s Bao has been great for this) that also have audio recordings of their articles (or worst case, you can plug text you’re reading into the audio function of Google translate). My kids at cram school also do this for all our readings. For them (and sometimes for me), it comes along with “shadow reading”, which is repeating under your breath after a native speaker so that you get used to creating the sounds with your mouth.

Practice 3: Grammar study. Textbooks, online resources, or a language teacher are essential for building grammar concepts. I’ve found that in Chinese, grammar is beautifully elegant (and simple) but still so radically different from English that it’s hard to know how exactly to use (or when to apply certain concepts). So drilling grammar and then getting feedback on your writing from someone who knows what they’re talking about is important. I imagine this is even more true for Romantic/Germanic/other languages where grammar is even more layered, inconsistent and messy… sometimes unintuitive sentences go into my Anki, because what you can’t create from scratch sometimes has to just be rote memorize. It’s in this part that a teacher is helpful for identifying your mistakes, or at least someone who’s willing to give you feedback (on writing, for instance, since in writing you have time to be intentional about what words you use).

Practice 4: Practice. I believe this is best done at your skill level, kind of like having a sparring partner. Or if you’re like me and fortunate to live in the country whose language you are studying, “the streets” can serve as great conversation practice. It’s also important to have deeper conversations with friends or a teacher about different topics, as much as you can. It’s in these circumstances where I feel most lacking in my vocabulary, or my grammar feels overly simplistic, and I’m drawn back to practices 1-3.