Good question, azarya.
In general, I´d say “(ultra)reading while listening” works for all languages that have a writing system.
However, about half of the languages on our planet are only spoken so (ultra) reading isn´t an option in this case.
A case in point: Japanese
I´ve been learning Japanese for about 2.5 years now, and I´d say the basic approach remains the same. That is:
- Start with slow reading-while-listening based on audio reader software at the beginning stages A1 and A2 (Note: I´ve used some warm-up approaches first, e.g. Michel Thomas, etc.).
- Practice ultrareading-while-listening based on audio reader software at the B1 level - for example by reading “light novels”, “graded readers”, etc.
The problem with Japanese is that there are three writing systems:
Learning Hiragana and Katakana is relatively straightforward, but learning ca. 2000 Kanji is a challenge.
Basically, there are (at least) two main strategies for learning Kanji:
either by learning them separately, e.g. by means of the popular Heisig method - see: Koipun - How to learn Kanji: A visual method with Heisig's RTK)
or by reading, using mnemonics, and listening in context. See, for example, these readers by Roger Lake and his Japanese wife, Noriko Ura: How to Read Japanese and Learn Kanji at the same time
I prefer the latter strategy because it combines context-based reading, audio / audio flash cards, and SRS decks (on Memrise).
As soon as learners have mastered many of those Kanji, they can practice “ultrareading-while-listening” as usual.
Note: Apps such as “Satori Reader” can make the whole reading process easier:
"Perhaps the most challenging aspect of learning to read Japanese is the chicken-and-egg problem of kanji.
Before you’ve reached a critical mass of knowledge, it’s easy to feel swamped by all the characters you don’t yet know.
Satori Reader solves this by dynamically choosing to show you words in kanji, kana, or kanji with furigana (readings) based on your knowledge and preferences. This allows you to challenge yourself for words whose kanji you should know but not get bogged down by the kanji you haven’t yet learned. Or, have Satori Reader show the kanji as written but include furigana over words that contain characters you don’t know. Or show everything in kana.
It’s completely customizable and you can try different settings instantly." (https://www.satorireader.com/)
Mutatis mutandis, this approach should also work for Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, etc.
Note: For Mandarin, for example, “ultrareading-while-listening” should be possible from level HSK5/5-6. See: How Many Words do you Really Need to Speak Fluent Chinese? – I'm Learning Mandarin).
Have a nice evening
Peter
