Language learning is a popular topic, and as such, there’s plenty of content out there that covers different aspects of it and that provides a variety of advice to help people communicate in a foreign language in a quick and effective way.
But beneath all these recommendations lie some core principles that have revolutionised how we understand language acquisition.
This knowledge comes largely from the research of American linguist Stephen Krashen, whose theories have fundamentally changed how we approach learning languages. Rather than focusing on specific techniques or tools, Krashen identified the essential bases that determine whether any learning method will actually work.
Let’s explore them in this blog post!
Input that you can comprehend
Input refers to receiving information (hearing or reading), as opposed to producing it (speaking or writing).
The principle of “comprehensible input” was popularised by Stephen Krashen, whose Input Hypothesis has become one of the most influential ideas in language acquisition.
You’ve probably experienced being at the beginner stage of learning a language, looking for some content to listen to in that language, and finding that you can’t understand anything at all. This is very discouraging, as you’re taking the time to do this and it seems like you’re getting nothing in return.
This is because the gap between your level and the difficulty of what you’re listening to is too large. Think for example of how we talk to toddlers who are learning their native language. We talk slowly, and we use short and straightforward sentences, because we want to keep the attention of the child and we want them to feel good as they learn and participate in the conversation.
As adults we’re not much different than that. We need a challenge that we’re able to conquer, not one that makes us want to give up.
Krashen’s theory suggests that the ideal spot lies in “i+1”, “i” being your current level and “+1” a level that’s just slightly above yours. This way you can understand some things, but not everything, which means that you’ll kind of figure out what you don’t understand because there’s a considerable proportion of words that you do understand.
Output that you can produce
Krashen argues producing output of the language you’re learning isn’t a way to learn the language, but rather the result of it.
He advocates for a “silent period” when learners initially focus their energy on mostly listening and reading, and only after that widely incorporate output activities, meaning speaking and writing.
As you can see, output is still one of the essential bases of language learning, the reason for this is that while output isn’t the primary driver of language acquisition, it does serve critical functions that accelerate your overall learning process:
- It uncovers gaps in your knowledge. When you try to say something and you get stuck, you quickly realise which words you need to learn to complete your sentences. This realisation can guide your next learning session.
- It helps you use language automatically. When you consistently practice producing language, you’re making your existing knowledge more accessible, as in easier to retrieve on the spot.
- It creates opportunities for interaction and feedback. This also applies to writing, but the clearest example is when you speak with someone. An organic conversation is unpredictable; it makes your brain work hard to find the right words in real time to respond, clarify, or rephrase.
Memory and repetition
Turns out our brains are designed to forget. When we receive information, our brains categorise it and decide if it’s worth keeping or not.
This is not an issue though when it comes to language learning, because what we can do is to become exposed repeatedly to the language so that eventually it can get stored in our long-term memory.
The recommendation is to practice spaced repetition. It means to review the new words and sentences you learn at increasing intervals just as you’re about to forget them. For example, the first review might come a day after the first exposure, then three days after, then a week, and then a month. Each time you remember successfully the memory becomes stronger.
TIP: Identify the highest-frequency words in your target language plus their translation into your source language (take the top 500 if you’re a beginner, or 1000 if you’re on intermediate level), and have a look at them every single day for 2 weeks (no need to read the whole list, just read as many words as you have time for). The goal is not to memorise what they mean, but to guarantee enough exposure to the main vocabulary of the language, which will help you a lot in your language learning journey.
Your emotional state
There’s an element that matters a lot when learning languages: your mental state. Krashen refers to it as the “affective filter”, specifically referring to a metaphorical filter that goes up when our mental state is not ideal, for example when we feel anxious, embarrassed, or under pressure.
Sometimes learning in a classroom can be difficult because it’s an environment where some people feel these negative emotions that prevent them from learning in a state of comfort. Many students report finding it hard to focus in class and to make the most of their learning experience, but then they find it a lot easier to learn a language when listening to music or watching videos in that language that genuinely interests them.
It’s for this reason that it’s advisable to take the affective filter into account, and that we try to learn in an environment that makes you feel at ease. If this environment is a classroom with your friends, great. If it’s listening to music through your earphones while commuting, great too!
Pattern recognition
Language acquisition is entirely based on the ability to recognise patterns. Your brain is great at it, it can recognise and internalise patterns in such an efficient way, that you’re currently able to generate any sentence you want to, even one you’ve never heard before.
Say you’re learning French, and as you’re studying one day you learn that adjectives come after nouns. At the beginning this is something you need to memorise, but as your brain absorbs this pattern through multiple exposures, you eventually get a sense of the right adjective-noun order.
This is so important because it means that you don’t have to memorise and retrieve every possible rule every time you use the language, but instead, you get used to the patterns that exist in the language, which makes things a lot easier.
Here’s a practical takeaway: prioritise getting massive amounts of exposure, because that gives your brain the necessary raw material to detect patterns naturally. When you do study explicit grammar rules, treat them as signposts that direct your attention, and not so much as things to memorise and apply consciously.
As your brain collects more and more samples, your pattern recognition skills in the target language will become stronger.
Conclusion
Learning a language isn’t so much about finding one perfect method or resource, but about understanding how your brain naturally acquires language, which gives you the opportunity to create the best conditions to support your learning journey.
If you’re curious about the work of Stephen Krashen on this topic, you can read more here:
