Hadithi hii inavutia. Ningependa kuborisha kiSwahili changu na kuenda huko Afrika ama Ulaya kwa kuwasaidia watu kama "John" wa hadithi. Asante sana kwa kunipa hadithi hizi zinazoandikwa kiSwahili kwa mimi niboreshe lugha. :)

Tips to Improve Your Vocab

If you’ve ever tried to learn a new language – especially a non-Indo-European, non-romance or Germanic language – you might’ve realised pretty early on that one of the main barriers to fluency is simply the staggering amount of new vocabulary. With languages like Mardarin Chinese, which don’t necessarily have difficult grammar, the main challenge is often the new vocabulary. Often the hurdle to comprehension is simply an unfamiliar word or expression.

How do I learn all that vocab?

You might have come across the oft-quoted statistic that 75% of speech is made up of only 1000 words. Yes, this is a fact. However, it’s a statistic that can be misleading! Understanding 75% of the words does NOT translate to understanding 75% of speech.

What’s wrong with that 75% stat?

For example, if you’re learning Chinese, you might come across a sentence like 去洗手间给我柱塞。 And if you’ve got a decent level of Chinese, you’ll understand the bulk of that. You’ll know that 去 (qù) means “go”, 洗手间 (xǐshǒujiān) is "restroom" and 给我 (gěi wǒ) means “give me”. However, you likely have no idea what 柱塞 is, or even how to pronounce it! (btw -it’s pronounced zhùsāi and means "plunger".)

So, as you’ve understood it, the sentence means, “Go to the restroom and give me [something].” You understand six of eight characters – or three quarters (75%) of it. You know that some item is being requested. You know that said item can be found in the restroom. However, you have absolutely no idea what item is wanted – and in the end, you aren’t able to do anything useful with the 75% that you do understand. In practice, that’s almost as bad as not having understood it at all!

So how do I reach conversational “fluency”?

The truth is, in real-life conversations, comprehension often depends on a few key words – often words that are NOT in the list of the 1000 most common. Here’s another example, in English: “The friend that I’m going to live with is a real penny-pincher.” If you don’t know the meaning of the expression “penny-pincher”, it’s really not going to help that you understood the other 90%!

So what it comes down to is that you need to increase the size of your vocabulary. Especially if you’re studying a language that doesn’t have a lot of overlap with English, like Chinese, Swahili, or countless others. A lot of your time is going to be spent learning new names for things.

Convinced that vocabulary matters? Then let’s look at some of the best ways to learn it.

How do I increase my vocabulary?

There are a lot of words out there, but no one wants to open a dictionary and memorize it from A to Z. And that wouldn’t even be the best way to learn!

A better idea is just to read. A lot. Reading will expose you to a wide range of words that you might not otherwise encounter. (See this article for some tips that can be used in not just English but any language.) Fiction is vastly superior than news articles in this effect, or narrative non-fiction, such as a memoir.

But what if my vocab isn’t good enough to read yet?

If that’s the case, you’re not out of luck. Here are some options to get you up to speed.

How to study with vocabulary “flashcards”

Originally, Vocabulary flashcards were – essentially – index cards (or something similar) with the foreign word on one side and a representation of it that you can understand on the other. As a learner, you look through these on occasion, constantly reminding yourself of something until it “clicks”. There are many ways to make vocabulary flashcards. Wikihow has an article on how to make paper ones. However, these are the 2020’s, and paper may not always be accessible or easy to find! So if you don’t want to carry around a binder of notecards, are you out of luck?

Of course not. There are a variety of online options, or Spaced Repetition Software (SRS). Gone are the days when you have to dig up a pen and stack of index cards to make notes as you sit down to rigorously pore over some material in your target language. Here are some great options that modern technology provides:

• Anki is an SRS that is extremely popular with language learners. It is extremely robust.
• Quizlet is another SRS. Like Anki, it’s functionally is similar to paper flashcards.
• There are some language-learning-specific SRS’s. Brainscope provides a number of digital “flashcards” for a variety of languages. It allows you to make your own flashcards to add into your virtual learning deck.

These and  a number of additional iOS and Android apps have the advantage of being easily portable – so that you can whip out your phone and flip through them any time without having to carry a stack of index cards in your purse.

But I want to see these new words in action!

However, if you’re looking to learn vocab, it’s hard without context. Without seeing the words in a sentence, you aren’t going to get a good sense of how they’re actually used! And this has always been one of the pitfalls of vocabulary flashcards. This is why, more than just flashcards, actually using the language (reading, listening, conversing and writing) is required to reach a high level in any language.

Some people might try to simply plunge into material in their TL – maybe just looking up unknown words in passing, and moving on. Others might read with a notebook and religiously write down every new term. Fortunately, when it comes to reading, technology has come up with a happy compromise: reading tools.

The first of these was LingQ, with an extensive and impressive library. LWT, a free software version, came soon after. There’s also Readlang, which was recently purchased by Duolingo. OPLingo is a newer one, known for its hundreds of six-minute conversations with transcripts.

Reading tools help learners to track their vocabulary progress. For example, each word can be marked as “unknown”, “learning”, or “known” – with the language learner able to change a word’s designation as they develop confidence with it, and track the percentage of “known” words in each article.

Many learners that use reading tools like  to keep track of unknown words and review them until they become known. Others just note the definitions and move on. Either way, reading tools are dramatically changing the vocabulary learning landscape.

Work on getting to 75% phrase comprehension (or more!)

In the end, achieving a high level in a language doesn’t mean that you’ve memorized hundreds of grammar tables and can flawlessly generate the past subjunctive of any verb, even irregulars. It means that you can understand most of what you hear or read without problems.

Understanding the flow of a sentence (or a story) is a lot different than picking one apart and dissecting it like you’re in an anatomy study! Reading in your TL and using paper and online learning tools will help you move from where you can follow, say, 75% of the parts of speech to following 75% or more of what’s said. Comprehension at the phrase level is what you should strive for. So if you hear or read a word that you don’t know, look it up and/or add it to your flashcards!

leosmith wrote:

Jade.Xuereb wrote:

I wholeheartedly agree with immersion being a sure-fire way to learn

That's interesting. I think that being immersed while studying a language gives one a big advantage over not being immersed. But I also believe immersion by itself does not guarantee success in language learning. For example, in any foreign country, you can find large groups of expats who make little effort at learning the language, and as a result don't learn much.

This is very true, and good observation. This is why having a native tutor is essential!

Jade.Xuereb wrote:

Beautifully written and super informative. I wholeheartedly agree with immersion being a sure-fire way to learn, I find you throw the books out the window once you visit the country and find the people do not speak the language presented educationally any way.

Yes, immersion a wonderful way to learn a language. But it's important to have a knowledgeable tutor too!

Is Immersion Really Necessary?

If you’ve ever tried to learn a new language, you’ve probably heard about language “immersion” – probably touted as the best way to learn a new language. Maybe as the only way!

So what’s that all about?

“Language immersion” – what is it, anyway?

Maybe you’ve heard someone roll off the virtues of this method. Experts constantly tout the advantages of learning a language through full immersion. It’s also championed by students of the method. All in all, it’s generally agreed by the language-learning community that immersion is an effective way to learn a new language.

So what is it? In case you’re not 100% familiar with the terminology, here’s a refresher. The term “language immersion” means that, rather than study a language within your native language (L1) environment, you enter settings where the language is a necessary means of communication. An example of this is a home-stay with speakers of your target language (L2), where the L2 becomes a necessary part of survival.

The term “immersion” is also used in environments where, rather than being studied as a subject per se, the target language is used to convey other information. This commonly can mean using the target language for instruction in other subjects (such as a maths class taught in French). Particularly for kids, this method has gained widespread utilisation.

So that’s immersion. It changes a target language from being a subject of study to a necessary means of communication – pretty much how you learned your first language!

Why is language immersion so great?

It’s a highly-effective method of language acquisition. Here are some of the recognised advantages:

• It forces you to need to know the language, not just want to know it. With immersion, “you use a foreign language to do everything, from buying coffee, meeting people, getting directions…” (https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-student-blogger-the-value-of-language-immersion/2017/09)
• Immersion for kids is a great way to expose them to a different culture. “If you want your children to be global thinkers who are more accepting and understanding of other cultures, then language immersion is a gift you can give them.” (https://www.washingtonfamily.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-language-immersion-programs/)
• Unlike mere classroom study, immersion teaches your brain to adapt to a new language’s patterns. “Adults who undergo immersion, where they are completely surrounded by language examples, tend to have brain processes similar to that of native speakers.” (https://expathealth.org/healthcare/foreign-language-immersion-brain-processing/)

But is immersion the only way to learn a new language?

However, maybe you don’t have the time or resources to go and live for six months in China. Maybe you have ailing parents, or little kids. Maybe you’re lucky to get two consecutive weeks off work! If, for whatever reason, you’re not able to enter into a full immersion programme, are you cursed to never fully learn your L2?

Of course not! There are actually quite a few ways that you can immerse yourself in a new language without having to actually travel to a country where it’s the only thing spoken!

• Join an online group where ONLY your target language is spoken. These don’t have to be certified language teachers (though obviously it’ll help if they are!) but there are plenty of groups – through WhatsApp and such – dedicated to sharing new languages and cultures. These are often geared towards speakers of other languages (often English) so you’ll receive plenty of help and support from the native speakers of your L2 – but ideally without resorting to translations into English to explain things!
• Label things in your house. It sounds silly, but this is a great way to learn vocabulary. As you walk outside, if you’re learning Russian you’ll remember that you’re walking through the дверь, turning the ключ in the замке and checking the ручку to make sure it’s locked! And if your language, like Russian, has different forms depending on the word’s position in the sentence, include these on the card, along with any genders. e.g. “замок (м.) в замке” or “ручка/ручку (ж.)”. Do not write any English on these, though!
• Watch TV shows (or movies) in your target language. Here is one method of doing this: watch it three times. The first time, watch it with foreign audio but English subtitles, so that you understand everything. The second time, watch it with audio AND subtitles in your target language. You’ll be able to follow it because you already know what happens, but you’ll be immersed in your target language. Then, if you have time, watch it a third time, cutting the subtitles completely. It’s as immersive an experience as you can get from home!
• Then team up with someone in your language-learning community, and do the “24 hour” challenge of only speaking in the new language. The advantage of this method is that it’ll move L2 acquisition from the “want it” to the “need it” category in your mind. Temporarily forget English, and you’ll be forced to express yourself and communicate entirely in your L2!

All of the above methods are great ways to have a language-immersive experience without having to travel far – or at all!

But that’s still all immersion. Are there other ways to learn?

Granted, all of the above-outlined strategies, while achievable at home without travel to China, are still, fundamentally, methods of language immersion. Are there other ways to learn a new language?

Yes, there are. And, furthermore, depending on your preferred mode of learning, and the time you have, they might be more effective! Immersion might not be the best way to learn a new language if you’re just starting out.

As an article from the Go Overseas website states, even people with the means to travel may want to opt for a tutor. “Trained, experienced teachers know how best to structure a class so that students can make progress in steps. They’ll teach you the necessary grammar so you understand why you say things the way you do” (https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/language-learning-immersion-versus-classroom). Granted, we all learned our L1s through immersion. But it takes babies years to learn how to speak effectively. As adults, we can use well-guided study to shorten that time frame.

In the end, immersion is a good way to learn a language, but it may not be practical. Having an experienced second-language tutor may be a better option for you. However, if it is an option, combining tutoring with an immersive experience, such as a language-immersive classroom, would be even better. This will get you both the exposure and guidance that you need to become truly fluent in a second language.

So let’s go, allons-y, and empezamos!