The Problem With Academic Methods
I’ve studied languages virtually my entire life. The grade school I attended required mandatory, albeit simplistic, French lessons. I studied German in high school, followed by three years of Russian in undergrad. The common denominator in these curricula, and all like them to my knowledge, is that they don’t teach what’s useful, they teach what is easy to grade. Let me restate that: testability is the goal, not communication.
That’s why so much of what is taught academically is centered around activities like…
- memorizing vocabulary lists;
- memorizing grammar rules;
- conjugating verbs;
- repeating aloud sentences from the textbook;
- transcribing sentences said by the teacher or recordings;
and so on. The bottom line is, it’s simple for instructors to make students regurgitate all this during quizzes and tests and provides an unambiguous rubric by which to assign a grade. 90% correct on your vocab test? That’s an “A.” Only 62% right on your verb conjugations? That’s a “D.”
But what does this get you? The first time I met actual Russians (in China, of all places), I could barely express myself even after 30 credits with a 4.0 average. I had tremendous knowledge about the language (vocab, grammar rules, pronunciation, etc.), but I didn’t know the language. Theory, not practice. Declarative knowledge versus procedural knowledge.
Moreover, for many people the academic focus on testability teaches fear – fear of making mistakes, because after all, if you make a mistake, you’ll get a poor grade. This can paralyze some people from ever trying to speak in their target language, which is completely antithetical to the goal of being able to communicate. If someone said to you, “stomach empty food place where?” you would surely understand the message, even though it’s far from perfectly phrased.
Enter Professor Stephen Krashen
Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Southern California, is a linguist, educator, and researcher known for his theories on language acquisition and learning. His work has had a significant impact on the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and education.
One of his most well-known theories is the “Input Hypothesis,” which suggests that language acquisition occurs most effectively when learners are exposed to input that is slightly above their current level of competence but still understandable. This concept emphasizes the importance of comprehensible input in language learning.
Take a look at this brief demonstration of the concept in action:
Krashen is also known for his theory of the “Affective Filter Hypothesis,” which posits that emotional factors such as motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety can influence the success of language acquisition. When learners are motivated and feel comfortable, their ability to acquire language is enhanced. More on this later…
Comprehensible Input
A key notion within the Input Hypothesis is that of Comprehensible Input. This refers to language input that is slightly beyond a learner’s current level of language proficiency but is still understandable. It’s the linguistic material that a learner encounters and can comprehend with the help of contextual cues, without needing a constant reliance on explicit translation or explanation.
As a cartoon-like example, suppose you came across this passage in English: “There’s no way we can climb that tree, it’s too arglebargle. If we fall, we’ll die.” You may not know exactly what “arglebargle” means, but you could probably make a pretty good guess just from how it’s used in context. And if you see it repeatedly in other contexts, your guess about its meaning gets refined.
Krashen argues that “i+1” input, where “i” represents the learner’s current level and “+1” signifies a slight step above, triggers the natural learning process.
A consequence of this is that “i+1” is a moving target. As you naturally acquire Japanese, you will have to find new sources of input that keep you in what famed polyglot and coach Luca Lamperiello refers to as your “Goldilocks Zone”: input that is neither too simple nor too complicated for your current level. Simplicity leads to boredom, complexity leads to frustration, both prohibit learning.
Putting This To Work
I wanted to share this as background because among the polyglot community, Krashen’s theories are foundational to most approaches.
For you, dear reader, I would suggest the following:
- Especially as you are starting out, your focus should be primarily on getting lots and lots of comprehensible input. This will be your greatest leverage point to making rapid progress with the language.
- Be aware of where your study material fits relative to your “Goldilocks Zone.” A good target when you are reading or listening is that you understand around 70-80% of the material.
- Personally, I wouldn’t worry about speaking right away. Not that you shouldn’t, but it will be easier the more comprehensible input you get under your belt. You will have internalized more vocab and grammar patterns.
In subsequent articles, I will be posting more about how to find or create rich, compelling comprehensible input.