How much input do we need?

Here is the podcast

Ak, another regular contributor of comments to this blog has asked how much content is needed to really achieve a high level in a language. Obviously this all depends on what level you start at, and what you want to achieve. What you want to achieve is also probably a moving target. I always feel I want to get better.

I enjoy my language studies and as long as I enjoy what I am doing I continue to improve.

Having said, that, and looking at my experience in various languages including Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, German and now Russian, to name a few, I would say the following. Your learning is divided into phases.

Phase 1.  You go from zero to the ability to understand simple words and phrases. You can distinguish sounds, words and phrases. You are amazed that you can make out some elements of the language.

This takes 3 months of daily listen and reading and word study. Minimum one hour a day.

Phase 2. You listen to and read simple short articles and work towards a level where you can begin to read material intended for the native speaker. This takes another 3 months of listening, reading and word study. You start to write. You start to speak but only a little. Minimum one hour a day.

Phase 3. You are now into authentic content. You are interested, You are motivated by the sensation of weightlessness. You can function in a new language. You still do not speak well but you can read and listen. You continue to read and listen a lot, broadening your range of content. You start some novels which you do not complete. Another three months of heavy listening and reading and word study.

Phase 4. You continue your input activities but you are now ready to speak. You want to show off. Your first efforts at showing off end in defeat but you keep coming back for more. You notice where you have trouble. You are about to take off in the language.

Comments

[Ak]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
I do all my activities at home and then I force myself to be in a real situation where I interact with native speakers. As you know, speaking is divided into two sub catagories.

1. When you answer to a question. In other words, when someone is asking you something.

2. When you are asking something from someone. (they are responding to your question).

After facing many encounters with native speakers in real life, I notice that my mind does well at point 1. I suck at point 2. I have a problem asking questions with proper wording in the real life situation.

Does our mind work differently when we are answering to a question or when we are asking a question from someone?? I don't know where to find an answer to this question. It seems to me that our mind requires two different sets of techniques.

Here is a question for you. Initially, were you good at responding to a question or asking a question in all those 9 languages when you had tested your spoken skills?

I want to know the mechanics of our brain - how does it function? Steve, can you recommend me a must read book on this particular subject? I am very much interested in this. I did not find what I wanted to know in the articles I had read. I am interested to know what changes exactly happen in what part of the brain when one is exposed to visual or audio senses?

[Steve]

Ak,
Personally I do not find this to be the case. If anything I find it easier to ask something, when I can control what I am going to say. In replying to a question there seems to be more pressure and you can control the subject.

On the other hand I can think of some theoretical reasons why what you say could be true. When you hear someone speak the language this gives you clues, a context, maybe it triggers the mirror neurons and jump starts you in your new language. But as I say I do not experience this.

I suspect that you are too self-conscious or too much of a perfectionist when it come to your language skills. Probably you do equally well in both situations, and just think that you do not do well when asking.

Next time you have difficulty asking a question note down what the question was. Working on developing standard phrases to deal with that situation.

I am usually working from phrase patterns that I have heard and read many times. they are available to me when I ask a question or answer a question.

What do others think?

[Steve]

I meant that when someone asks you something you cannot control the subject.