I've noticed quite a few posts lately discussing the whole "100% comprehensible input" approach to language learning. There seems to be this weird cold war going on between the CI purists and those who completely reject the method.
As someone who runs LingoPut website (focusing on CI materials for Polish learners), I'd like to share my thoughts – and I'm going to start with something controversial (especially for a CI advocate): CI probably isn't for you!
Here's the thing: the best method is the one you won't get bored with and can stick to consistently over the years. There's no magic button, and different things work for different people. We all have our own learning styles and personalities.
Personally, I love CI because of its flexibility. Not every day is perfect for intense studying. When I'm tired, it's much easier to watch 20-30 minutes of comprehensible content than to focus on grammar rules or vocabulary drilling.
That said, I believe "input" is crucial regardless of your method, and this input should always be "comprehensible" for better effectiveness. If you're a complete beginner, there's not much benefit in watching difficult native content or listening to radio in your target language.
I've experienced CI's effectiveness firsthand with English. In school, I studied both English and German. After years of traditional learning, I can't speak any German now (it's been 20 years since school). I can't introduce myself, can't count, nothing stuck. But English? It stuck around because I "live" in the English-speaking internet, consuming English content. Mind you, right after school, I could barely introduce myself or understand much.
A lot of my family members moved to Spain and became fluent after 2-3 years of immersion without any formal courses or theoretical study. Just natural, local input. CI materials are basically a substitute for those who can't relocate for immersion.
Should you be a purist? If it doesn't feel right, probably not. You can definitely progress faster if you occasionally look up frequently occurring words/phrases in your materials.
Also, if you don't care about having a native-like accent, I think it's fine to start speaking earlier than the method suggests. Not everyone needs perfect pronunciation. In my opinion, obsessing over how we speak rather than whether we're understood might be missing the point, but everyone needs to decide what's important to them.
The only thing I 100% agree with in CI is not focusing on grammar, especially at the beginning. Just like native speakers learn grammar rules in school after they're already fluent, it's worth postponing grammar study when learning additional languages. What's important initially is understanding the language, which you can achieve without knowing grammar rules (theory) by knowing words and being exposed to CI.
TL;DR: While CI isn't the holy grail that will work for everyone, I believe CI materials can be an excellent supplement to any learning method.
[link] [comments]
from Language Learning https://ift.tt/eyDvhPb
via Learn Online English Speaking
Comments
Post a Comment