How To Actually Learn A New Language (Hint: It’s Not Fancy Textbooks)

One of the smartest people I know, and a dear friend of mine, is an incredibly gifted polygot. She can speak 5 languages to an advanced level and continues to gain fluency in more. But what makes her so interesting as a polyglot isn’t so much the languages she speaks, as much as it is HOW she learned to speak the.

How did she do this?

Through TV.

Yes, that is right. Watching television, which is often seen as a waste of time and something to just mindlessly feed to our brains, is how she learned both Chinese and English. Rather than formal classes or structured language routines, she credits her ability to speak the two languages to all the time she spent watching cartoons as a kid.

This story isn’t all that unusual in the language learning. If you listen to the stories of polygots and language enthusiast, the idea that “just watching” TV is what helped them learn language is a frequent statement. But how does this actually work? What is the theory behind television being a key to learning new languages.

Well, it has to do with something called Comprehensible Input (CI).

Comprehensible Input is a theory proposed by the renowned linguist Stephen Krashen. Originally developed in the 70s and 80s, comprehensible input argues that language is acquired as opposed to learned. Therefore, rather than formal classroom or textbook learning, the emphasis should be on creating materials and systems to ensure a learner gets more language input.

But wait. What even is the difference between acquisition and learning a language? How does a person acquire a language vs learn it?

The key difference between acquiring a language and learning it is the technique by which learners are introduced to content. When “learning” a language, students are introduced to a language in an extremely structured manner, with emphasis on grammar work, vocabulary learning and having the language broken down into components and themes. In contrast, when a student acquires a language, they are meant to subconsciously infer the patterns in language as they are exposed to them. So, students build an understanding of the language from the patterns they notice themselves, rather than learn them from a teacher or study guide.

The Comprehensible Input hypothesis is technically made up of 5 theories, which come together to give us CI. Each of these hypotheses deserve their own time and space to be discussed, which I will do in future blog posts. For today, I will just outline the five hypothesis contained in CI.

1) Input Hypothesis

The Input Hypothesis in language learning argues that learners progress through being challenged by material that are slightly above their level of comprehension. This means that a learner who are exposed to materials in their target language that are challenging but still understandable will be able to achieve great progress in their language journey.

2) The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis sees a clear separation between learning and acquiring. This hypothesis claims that language ability is solely informed by acquisition and learning is not useful to improving in a language.

3) The Monitor Order Hypothesis

This argues that while learning tools like textbooks, grammar drills and vocabulary tests can be useful in seeing your progress in a language, they don’t actually teach you anything.

4) The Natural Order Hypothesis

This argues that language is acquired in a certain way and structured teaching does not change this.

5) The Affective Filter Hypothesis

This argues that your ability to learn a language is largely helped or hindered by your emotional state. If we are excited and positive during our language learning journey, we are far more likely to be receptive to input than if we are stressed and experiencing negative emotions.

For me, Comprehensible Input theory has been one of the biggest game changers in my language learning journey. I have seen my Spanish take huge leaps through using this Comprehensible Input, and see it as an important foundation in building a language learning framework. I am still experimenting with Comprehensible Input and my opinions on the five components of the hypothesis continue to evolve daily. In future blog posts I will definitely take time to discuss more of my opinions and experiences with CI.

Thanks for reading. Happy language learning!