Exactly!! Thanks for the comment.

Is it a break while studying or a day break? Cause I don't think it's good to take a day off from learning, your brain will forget the last thing you learn, you need to constantly learn it to make it stay in your long term brain

@@junaidywijaya6413 It definitely depends on what type of learner you are. And additionally, progress in language learning is difficult to measure. But what works best for me, is to take long breaks, sometimes a whole week. During that time I still watch movies and series in English, but don‘t force myself to learn anything new. I can‘t tell why, but it works for me.

not quite sure what you'd consider as a break but personally ive found breaks to be bad for my progress. lots of my esl classmates (including myself) would lose a lot of our english abilities during holidays and stuff, despite continuing to spend a lot of time watching youtube in english. i think it also depends on what stage of acquiring a language youre in though, i dont interact with native english speakers or have english lessons anymore but i dont think ive lost nearly as much of my english as i used to during breaks as a complete beginner

Good for you!

hahaha, it will be a thumbnail idea for my future video.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I'm very glad to know it resonates with the chart. Back in college, I wasn't a linguistics major (engineering, in fact) but it keeps intriguing me after I read through Krashen's thesis. Will keep learning and seek for ways to provide value to language learning fellows from both perspectives of a linguistics fan and a practitioner.

@@natenoto Yes. What you said resonated with me a lot and the "second brain" thing is spot on. At some point, you just start thinking in the second language - without even realizing it at first. This is when that learning plateau ends and you start to experience true fluency. Maryanne Wolf also describes this in her book, Proust and the Squid - ostensibly about reading. She said that first and second languages reside in different parts of the brain - following neuroscience, which may explain the dependence on translation for the intiial learning phase.

I appreciate it. I actually rarely get that. In the later stage of my learning journey I stayed abroad for about 9 months (English was not the 1st language there) but I had already reached B2 before that. I would touch upon that in my future videos to clarify my history.

@@natenoto Thanks, man.

すごい！New sub here. 10 seconds in, I was like, “Damn, he learned American English!” 😳 😂😂 American English is so over-rated ya know! 😜😜オ-ストラリアから 🇦🇺😎

Thank you!!

Thanks for the comment. It really means a lot!

Haha. Thanks for the comment. It's best when we are having fun with it.

Thanks for the supportive comment. The idea of "second brain" actually already exists (not my original idea) but what I wanted to do was to mention that along my own context. Congratulations on your learning as well!

Six months is a long time though. You can learn a lot in that time, especially if the language is similar to yours

I can almost guarantee you they either had prior experience in the language or they study what they watch lol a lot of people say they learned a language in a short amount of time but then you hear them speak it and it’s very apparent that’s not the case so don’t try to compare yourself to them. Everyone is different just keep learning and you’ll do amazing even if it doesn’t feel like it just take your time

No same. It's so frustrating

Language learning is a marathon, not a sprint! Don't buy into that bragging. Keep up the hard work and you'll get there!

Thank you! I really appreciate it! I'm learning Mandarin (Taiwanese) Let's keep it up!

Good for you! I’m trying with Chinese. Thanks for leaving a comment!

Thanks for leaving the comment. It wasn't easy for me either but like you say English did broaden my world. When I was learning, I never thought I would be making videos on KZfaq and communicate with people from all over the world!

Let me tell you something. As a native speaker, what is important about what you just wrote is YOU are easily understood. Was it perfect? No. Did I understand what you were saying without struggling? Absolutely. Great job buddy, keep learning 👍

​@@dt_does4998Right? Extremely impressive for only 17 months. I'll also add that every single grammatical error that he made would be immediately solved with prepositions. Words like " to, as, the, such, or, of" Which are uniquely difficult in English. No word order or vocabulary errors.

Thanks guys ❤️

I'm English and I think your English is very good 😊

Thanks for the comment. It's really encouraging!

I agree! and I learn the grammar same way. At the very beginning, I just roughly go through a grammar book but don't stick to it, and then I just move on. It feels difficult at first but by going back and forth between new input and the grammar book/a dictionary, I gradually acquire the grammar. Same here about Krashen's thesis. I felt exactly the same, "that's what I exactly did!"

Comments like this, which are abundant in the youtube sphere of language learning, are very interesting to me. I essentially did the opposite. The grammar was fascinating to me; I would study a grammar concept and do textbook style exercises, and then consciously and intentionally seek out the grammar concept in any content I was consuming. I’d also bring that grammar concept into my italki lessons and intentionally ask questions or formulate responses which necessitated their use. Worked exceptionally well for me.

@@ryanbailey44 I think what you did is perfect - you let your brain's curiosity lead you. I think that's actually what I'm trying to argue - when you get curious about how something works, go look it up. That's the right time. For many that'll be *after* they've been through some kind of input and starts to get curious about something specific. That's the time to look at the grammar. If you have the fascination already then go for it right away.

It seems like we all come to a point where we learn grammar out of curiousity

I really appreciate your supportive comment!

It is an honor to receive such a comment from a certified teacher! I will keep trying to make good videos!

i wonder if this is because video content is removed and isolated

Great to hear that!

I really appreciate it!

Thanks for leaving a comment. Nate is just an English name that I made up from Noto. Japanese would be a challenging one!

Thanks here again. I really appreciate your comment and wish you a good luck to your Japanese!

Thank YOU!

Yes I agree with more of a jagged line -and it always seems more straightforward at the start.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Agreed. Things started getting rolling once I accepted the fact that it takes time. And that enabled me to enjoy the learning process. Thanks for the comment.

@@natenoto Thank you for taking your time to share your experience with us! 😁

Thank you!

Thanks for the comment. German sounds more complicated, so my experience may not resonate perfectly but I did struggle acquiring new words in English. I combine various elements to make the words part of myself like auditorily (listening to the words), physically (pronouncing the words myself), visually (remembering the words with the scene from a TV show), or contextually, and then gradually the new words become part of myself over time. I also pay attention to the balance between the motivated myself and burnout, because I need to keep learning for a long time and the burnout is something I need to avoid anyhow.

Thank you!

I agree, I always choose the one to watch that arouse my curiosity. Initially I need to look up many words but gradually become able to understand more as I review and re-watch over and over again. Thanks for leaving a comment!

Thanks for sharing your precious experience and such an encouraging comment. It makes me feel so much effort put in each video has been paid off. Wishing you a good luck on your Japanese learning!!

Thank you!

I really appreciate it!

Wow! 57 y/o and learning a new language! I'm so not sure if I can do that in my 50's. I respect that. I agree it's important to produce utterances. And as you mention, it comes after a certain period of comprehensible input phase, and the bigger problem is that majority of language learners would probably not reach the phase where utterances get important, so I just wanted to focus on that problem in this video. but thanks for sharing anyway, I just roughly knew about the thesis. I will take time and try to read thoroughly!

Thank you 🙌

Excellent Japanese! こちらこそ、コメントを残してくれて本当にありがとうございます。コンテンツの制作を頑張ります。語学の勉強、一緒に頑張りましょう！

Glad you think so!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you! I'm building mine in Chinese. Let's keep learning.

@@natenoto我也在造中文的第二脑海. 加油！

Sounds great! Let's keep it rolling!

The same ''but in my case reading is very boring for me at the same time I like reading comments on KZfaq ''I prefer so much listening and speaking

youre doing great so far, remember that it’s normal to hit walls, but sometimes it’s better to because then you can look up all of the new words that are giving you trouble and climb that wall also i want to correct two mistakes in this comment (the only two mistakes) since it’ll help you get further just a little easier “[…]learn english on my own[…]” instead of “by my own” “[…]seeing films and…it works.” instead of “it work” if you have any questions please feel free to ask

thx !

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing your precious experience and thoughts. I respect an enormous amount of you put in language learning. My way of learning is "to learn like a child with adult's wisdom" in a nutshell. I look up many times but the focus is always to understand in the target language as it is as you point out. I agree with your thoughts on the school system as well. It is helpful at the very beginning, but we need to take off from that at some point of our learning journey if the purpose is to become fluent, not getting a good score on exams. Luckily KZfaq or any other online learning platforms are getting influential more and more, so I'm hoping that I can be part of the sources that share what's beyond the school system.

That's a common situation in the 19th century, all the immigrants to USA, never had a course or class in English, they just learned it, by listening, repeating, talking on the streets. It's about the same, as learning piano without reading notes, still common today. For a dyslexic you are writing kinda long texts .. can't be that bad with you.

Thanks for leaving a comment and pointing out the pronunciation. I think my pronunciation wasn't clear enough because I never meant to say "comprehensive." I will pay attention to it!

Sounds more academic and precise. Interesting...

@@natenoto CEFR Spectrum - Eaquals

@broccolihikicks thanks!

Thanks for the comment. You can find the thesis in the left column on Krashen's website. It's free. www.sdkrashen.com/ Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Stephen D. Krashen Posted: 2004-03-20 You can find the same link in the description box as well.

Thank you so much Nate! I am happy to come into your channel, a humble and genuine sharing on your language journey. Good job and hope to see more postings.

Sounds interesting. Thanks for letting me know and leaving a comment!

Good for you!

我以前的阅读老师还经常说 “态度是一切” 💪

Here are some key points from the original thesis. | Comprehensible Input | -Language acquisition occurs only when comprehension of real message occurs. -The best method: input methods supplying comprehensible input in pressure-free situations. -With the help of context or extra-linguistic information, we acquire language that contains structure a bit beyond our current level. -Production ability emerges.

www.sdkrashen.com/ Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Stephen D. Krashen Posted: 2004-03-20

@@natenoto Many thanks!

コメントありがとうございます！応援してます！

Such a tough question...as long as a dictionary is provided, I would start with books considering how introverted I am. I would first try to decipher the most frequent grammar and vocab, and then aim to being able to pronounce them by looking for people who can teach me that. And then, hmm...probably keep doing that, and also would try to directly learn from native speakers? even though I'm not really good at it. TV series are not specifically made as comprehensible input material, and I just decipher and make them comprehensible for my own sake. So, the principle seems to be the same, but things wouldn't be as simple as the ordinary cases...I'm not sure I can manage to make it through. If the target language exists only as a spoken one (like a bunch of Chinese dialects), then the only way I can think of is to live in the place, but again, I'm not positive I can make it through. Interesting question, though, as I may come across that situation in the future.

What is the alternative?

@@StillAliveAndKicking_ - Studying the language rather than acquiring it: Getting a textbook, a grammar website, a course, or a tutor, then using those resources to explicitly study the rules and vocabulary.

@@StillAliveAndKicking_ I crammed for the DELF B2 exam, and it definitely helped me with conjugating irregular verbs, spelling challenging words, and memorizing specific expressions for the written portion of the exam.

@@Spence-from-Seattle Perhaps that is because the DELF exam is more about learning rules than understanding the language? I’ve heard you can get people with a high DELF level who can’t communicate in the target language. I can only say that for me studying grammar doesn’t work, memorising rules isn’t the same as knowing how to use them. Of course a grammar book can be useful when you don’t understand something.

@@StillAliveAndKicking_ I know that I'm not going to win an Internet argument about Krashen and CI. (I've tried many times on #langtwt) But I will say that the DEFL exam requires writing a formal letter, giving a speech, and orally defending an argument. None of those are tasks that could be completed without the ability to communicate fully in the TL.

Oh ok that’s not so bad

その方が長い目で見た時に上手く行く可能性が高いのではないかと個人的には考えています。次回の動画で言及しますが、私は中国語を急いで習得しようとして一度失敗しました。コメントありがとうございます！

Thanks for the comment. I listen to myself over and over again through the editing process, and there are parts that I can definitely tell I sound unclear and different from what a native English speaker with an American accent would pronounce, but there are also parts that I kinda feel different but can't figure out what it is. Thanks for pointing out. I never lived in the U.S. American English has always the inspiration and encouragement for me. Will try to figure out how I can improve my accent.

​@@natenoto OMG that is insane you never lived in the U.S.!!!!! If you tell me you lived here since around age 10 to 30.....I will probably believe you........ You have some serious hearing talent. I wouldn't care too much about your minor accent, but if someone can point you where, I think that will be perfect. For me, for example, was "mouth" and "mouse. I was good at "making it sound native" but until my friend pointed that out to me, I never noticed that I didn't distinguish the two. I think something similar is happening with you. It really does sound native American English, but there are just parts that isn't right........ Putting all those aside....I've come to accept that accent isn't necessary a bad thing either. I live in part of the country where it's majority minority race and we are so used to hearing different accents that accents are almost becoming a norm. You're an anomaly if you speak with perfect American English LOL So.......don't get too bogged down with the accent part....unless you're doing it for hobby like me and some other language :)

No one speaks any language PERFECTLY, but my point is your accent doesn't necessarily determine how fluent u are in a language. 21 countries speak Spanish & they each have their own accent. Doesn't make anyone's accent more correct than another. Someone speaking fluent English in Jamaica is going to have a different accent than someone from Texas, USA & that's Texas persons going to have a different accent to someone from New York.

​@@finalboss7956 Agree. I don't think there isn't a "perfect" accent and not necessarily a need for it so working hard to be able to utilize another's accent is very admirable work.

Thanks for leaving a message. Those who would click on this video are probably struggling with their language learning, so from that perspective I assume their target languages are not close to their native ones which they can acquire quickly. In that case, I think the progress can be slow until we hit a certain point. At least that was what I went through with my English learning. After we get to an advanced level, the progress will be like a logarithmic curve as you point out.(In fact, I make little progress in English now.) But this point (making less progress at a very later stage) is perhaps not a high priority for the viewers of this video because they are probably struggling at the beginning/intermediate stage and wondering how they can break through. Once I start trying to explain everything, people would stop watch watching the video and I am not able to convey my message/experience. For those who are already at an advanced level, and click on this video looking for how they can improve even more, I assume this video would be a complete disappointment. From A0>A1>A2, it probably won't take much time as you point out. In that respect, perhaps I should've define X as, say, Communication Fluency, instead of just fluency. I don't think A2 is what people imagine being fluent is. Steve Kaufmann said being fluent is B2. I wanted to describe communication fluency wouldn't increase as fast as we imagine from my English learning experience. As I did mention in this video, I basically agree to the CI approach. It's about understanding messages from communication with various elements. So, just "personally" I think learning from TV series could be considered as CI (and I hope so), but as far as I know, it's not officially/publicly acknowledged. If you say it's a non-CI approach, I believe that is correct. People have different preferences/personalities and there are many ways to put CI into practice. I'm not trying to justify/generalize my way of learning or apply it to everyone. Learning from TV series is tolerably comfortable for me and improved my English a lot.

corrected. Thanks for point it out.