by John Fotheringham
As a language learning addict, I follow lots (and I mean lots) of polyglot blogs and podcasts. It is always interesting to see what has worked (and what hasn’t worked) for successful language learners. While most fluent foreign language speakers tend to agree on the vast majority of language learning DOs and DON’Ts, there is one area that always seems to cause heated debate, shouting, name calling, and occasional mud/poo flinging: the importance of language input (i.e. listening and reading) versus language output (i.e. speaking and writing).
I have sat quietly on the sidelines for some time now, politely listening to both sides of the argument. But it’s time to blow my referee whistle because both teams are “offsides” (Okay John, enough sports analogies already!)
The problem with the whole argument is that input and output are not mutually exclusive components of language learning. You need both. The key is order and balance.
When just starting out in a language, it is important to get as much listening input as possible. Just like when you learned your first language, you need to first go through a “silent period” where your brain gets used to the patterns and phonology of the language. Once you have filled your teapot up with enough listening input, language will naturally want to start pouring out. That’s when it’s time for a tea party to put into practice what you have assimilated (and no, I am not promoting that kind of “tea party” as I am a bleeding-heart liberal…)
But unlike little babies, adults can also rely on reading input to back up what we listen to. This difference (along with the fact we don’t have to wear diapers) gives adults a major leg up on babies learning their first language.
To this end, try to find short, simple dialogues of actual native speakers with transcripts. Then listen and read, listen and read, and listen and read again as many times as your schedule and sanity allow. My personal favorite transcript-equipped podcasts are produced by Praxis Language (ChinesePod
, SpanishPod
, FrenchPod
, ItalianPod
and EnglishPod
) and LingQ (English, French, Russian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Swedish). I can’t stand the overly stilted, monotonous dialogues found on most textbook companion CDs and suggest you avoid them like the plague.
Once you have gone through your silent period (which will be input-centric by definition), try to spend an equal amount of time on input activities (listening to podcasts, reading blogs, etc.) and output activities (speaking with friends or tutors, writing a blog post in the foreign language, etc.). It may be nerdy, but I literally use the stop-watch feature on my iPod touch to time my input and output activities each day…
If you follow the above regimen, your foreign language skills will progress quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, enjoyably. However, if you follow the advice of the extremists on either side of the input-output debate, you are in for heaps of problems and a world of pain. Here’s why:
Proponents of the “Output is awesome; input is lame” philosophy suggest that learners just “get out there and start communicating with native speakers”. This approach, while certainly sexier than what I prescribe above, has a number of problems:
Bad pronunciation habits develop when you pronounce things how you think they should be pronounced based on your overly limited listening exposure to the language, and your logical, but nonetheless incorrect, assumptions based on how words are spelled but not pronounced.
Because you have a limited vocabulary and only understand little of what is said to you, you will likely attempt to control conversations by keeping them on topics you are familiar with, using phrases and vocabulary you have memorized. All but the most patient interlocutors will get bored or annoyed by such one-sided conversations. Don’t be that guy.
Many would-be language learners give up because they simply don’t enjoy the process. Much of the angst, tedium and phobias stem from having to speak before one is ready. Language teachers are the worst perpetrators, presenting you with new words or phrases one minute, and then expecting you to actually use them the next. Well-meaning friends or language partners are no better, trying to “teach” you new words and phrases and expecting that you can actually use them right away. Assimilation takes time and repetition, so don’t beat yourself up if it takes a few times (or a few hundred times) of hearing or reading a new word or phrase before you can actually use it.
If, however, you spend months and months diligently listening to your iPod and reading online newspapers, but never actually speaking with native speakers (by design or chance), you will understand quite a bit of what goes on around you but will struggle to actually verbalize your thoughts well or have natural exchanges with native speakers. This happens because:
You can’t think your way through pronunciation (believe me, most introverts have tried and failed!). Good pronunciation requires that your ears first get used to the new language (i.e. through getting lots and lots of listening input), and then also getting your lips, tongue and larynx used to new sounds not found in your native tongue, which of course takes lots and lots of talkin’ the talk.
Until you actually try to say or write something, you won’t know what you really know. While you may passively recognize certain words, phrases, idioms or Chinese characters, you may still struggle to say or write them. This is even true for your native language (as I found out when I first started teaching English and was confronted with such conundrums up at the white board as “Wait a second…How in the hell do you spell “misspelled”?)
The more you speak and write, the more you know where the “holes” are in your language cheese, and the easier it will be to fill them with focused study and review.
So as in all things, the extremists tend to be just that: extreme. They tend to get more attention, but the efficacy of their advice tends to be an inverse proportion to their popularity…
To become fluent in a language, just consume a balanced diet, rich in listening and speaking, with plenty of reading and writing sprinkled in for flavor.
Copyright © 2010 by John Fotheringham. For more tips, tools, and tech for Mastering ANY Language, go to LanguageMastery.com
I tend to think about it like inhaling and exhaling. We always talk about not being able to breathe being a problem (inhaling), but not being able to exhale is a serious problem too!
I'd love to see even a partial listing of the polyglot blogs you subscribe to. I'm always on the outlook for more reading material.
Interesting analogy; I haven't heard that one yet.
With regard to polyglot blogs I frequent, check ou the "Suggested Sites" in the sidebar. I don't agree with everything that each blogger says, but all of them have a) demonstrated success in learning foreign languages, and b) are able to explain their views in a clear, entertaining way.
Is it just a coincidence that I brought up the input-output debate this morning, and then you penned an opinion on the matter?
I really like the fact that you pointed out the difference between input and output in one's native language. That's actually something I was thinking about this morning, with regard to how many words we can recognize or understand compared to what we actually use.
Good stuff here.
That's funny. Actually, I was just in the mood to write a post, and after scanning my list of "things to blog about" (a burgeoning Evernote list I add to almost daily), the input-output debate jumped out at me as the most interesting and relevant. My second choice was the etymology of "Halloween", which would certainly be timely, but I didn't think I could fill out a whole post with that…
Thanks for the feedback and I will be sure to check in on your blog soon… (Incidentally, I have a link to your site on my sidebar if you hadn't noticed…)
I guess it's bad of me, but I usually don't notice things like that because I read everything over RSS. Thanks for the link, I've added one to your site on my sidebar, too.
RSS? That's soooo 90s… Just kidding; I do the same. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to add an RSS link to make it easier for people to subscribe…
Loved your article "Sipping from the Language Hose" by they way. Perfect analogy.
And thanks for the link!
I'm still a little unclear about how your product really works, Arkady. But we can discuss it more in our interview tomorrow.
Interesting read, and I'm definitely going to link to the article in my next newsletter. Heck, I even based an article on it.
It funny though. People see me as an “input only extremist”, while I pretty much advocate the same as you do. My own experience and subsequent research has shown that taking in massive amount of native speech during a silent period benefits most learners.
However, what many forget to mention (or maybe even think of) is that the ultimate goal is being able to express yourself. Thus, after a silent period (which must not be too long) production is very important. You will never get a perfect accent by only listening, but after a good silent period you at least know what to work towards. Then, when you imitate native speakers and speak as much as you can (while still taking in considerable amounts of native input), you will eventually get a good accent, and will feel comfortable speaking your target language.
[...] more insightful comments about the Input vs. Output debate, read the article by John Fotheringham that inspired this [...]
[...] reading John’s (of the Foreign Language Mastery blog) post on input versus output, I was inclined to write a reaction myself for the debate. I actually had to, as most people think [...]
Just came across the site today and this article caught my eye. I enjoy your more balanced approach. One thought I want to add is that perhaps in some ways, output is also input. Albeit a sort of interlanguage input, but input none the less. Just a thought. Great site.
Thank you for your kind feedback, Aaron, and welcome to Foreign Language Mastery. Interesting point about output as interlanguage input; I hadn't thought of that before.
This is a Great article and I think that the author is 100% on track! In my case, through MY OWN FAULT, I watch tons of Italian tv but find my output skills to be lacking! My New Year's resolution is to talk more using Skype. I think that you have to use all four skills to reach fluency. I would like to add that I'm not sure if I agree with the author that reading aloud is useless, I'm still weighing in all the different sides. Thanks, Jerry Bauer, Staten Island, NY Italian speaker at level B2
Hi Jerry. I'm glad you found the article useful and wish you the best of luck fulfilling your New Year's resolution to speak more Italian. To help make things stick, I suggest making "S.M.A.R.T." goals (those that are short, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely), such as "Speak in Italian for 15 minutes everyday" and then sharing your goals with your friends, family, colleagues, etc. so that there is a layer of public accountability. You can even start a blog about your Italian adventures, which is also a great place to practice your Italian writing skills. Tumblr is the quickest and easiest way to go, while WordPress will give you more options. In addition to Skype, I also suggest looking for Italian speaking groups via Meetup.com. Good luck and Happy New Year!