Wow! That a lot to digest but in the final analysis it seems to me that everyone has a distinctive path in language acquisition. I might add that for me I have noticed a huge improvement in my enjoyment and appreciation of learning a language when I removed a particular emotional block I have been carrying as well.
I have a sibling who is a polyglot and put him on the proverbial pedestal for his language acquisition talents. I often picked up on his disgust when I wasn’t able to communicate in another language. Additionally, he would make fun of me when I attempted to ask reasonable questions on grammar in a language I was studying or thought me lazy because I didn’t prioritize the time to study. It was only after we became estranged and I took a closer look at this relationship that I realized I had internalized narratives toward me, including the ones I just described.
I felt a certain level of freedom when I finally gave myself the permission to recognize that there wasn’t anything particularly special about him when it came to learning languages and I can do it too.
Would you have any particular advice to someone who has a high level of understanding (C1ish) but their speaking is severely lacking despite thousands of production-driven flashcards and therefore is uncomfortable to have a basic exchange in the language? Curious to hear what your approach would be with such a student.
production-driven flashcards are ok, but they cannot replace messy conversations- you need to speak, make mistakes and repeat! There is no way around it...
Wow! That a lot to digest but in the final analysis it seems to me that everyone has a distinctive path in language acquisition. I might add that for me I have noticed a huge improvement in my enjoyment and appreciation of learning a language when I removed a particular emotional block I have been carrying as well.
I have a sibling who is a polyglot and put him on the proverbial pedestal for his language acquisition talents. I often picked up on his disgust when I wasn’t able to communicate in another language. Additionally, he would make fun of me when I attempted to ask reasonable questions on grammar in a language I was studying or thought me lazy because I didn’t prioritize the time to study. It was only after we became estranged and I took a closer look at this relationship that I realized I had internalized narratives toward me, including the ones I just described.
I felt a certain level of freedom when I finally gave myself the permission to recognize that there wasn’t anything particularly special about him when it came to learning languages and I can do it too.
Would you have any particular advice to someone who has a high level of understanding (C1ish) but their speaking is severely lacking despite thousands of production-driven flashcards and therefore is uncomfortable to have a basic exchange in the language? Curious to hear what your approach would be with such a student.
production-driven flashcards are ok, but they cannot replace messy conversations- you need to speak, make mistakes and repeat! There is no way around it...