Use this chrome extension I built to get exactly what you are looking for: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/lingq-chatgpt-assistant/jphlijnomckienellojelnjehkfdkdoa
1 Like
No research papers to share but my own method has been to read on kindle and listen to the audiobook at the same time. For me, listening has been essential because I’m not always sure of the pronounciation and I tend to skim over the words I dont know without sounding it out if I’m silently reading. I quickly highlight words and sentences I can’t seem to grasp and then go back slowly and add those words to my anki deck. But I have a massive backlog of highlights! I want to enjoy the books i’m reading though, and intensively reading feels like a chore, versus just adding some words now and then to my decks. I figure while learning I can also just enjoy books the way I do in english. I’ve noticed that intuitively I pick up very few words unless they’re repeated A LOT in a novel. But my grammar is improving. The rest of the vocabulary i’m reinforcing through flashcards. I’ve read about ten spanish books this year though! which i never thought would be possible even a year ago. And the audiobook adds such a great dramatic aspect, if its a good voice actor. And maybe I am learning more than I think I am - in terms of vocabulary - but its just not obvious to me?
2 Likes
For French - B2+ - my current method is to spend one hour listening to a podcast while out walking or driving, sometimes rewinding, but no dictionary lookups, and one hour a day with LingQ, reading while listening to videos. I prioritise hearing rather than reading, in part because I can listen while doing other activities outside. In my experience just listening on its own doesn’t work. Hence I also use reading while listening to train the brain to recognise the words in speech. As for vocabulary acquisition, reading words often simply doesn’t work. I have to pay deliberate attention to the word, the degree of focus is key. Spending a little time looking the word up in Google, finding associated images, is useful. I can sometimes remember a word after one exposure if the associations are strong enough. I believe we do that in our native languages. I don’t mind spending some time on one word, it’s no different from spending a little time on many occasions on one word. I don’t use LingQs, I hate the clunky interface. My French is now good enough that I can often listen to a podcast as if it were in English, and that builds up a deeper understanding, it’s not just about learning a dictionary definition, it’s also learning how and when to use that word. I still struggle with some speakers, one in particular - Christopher Hondelatte - who sounds like an old man mumbling, but that’s most likely just my modest level in the language. So overall in French my method for vocabulary acquisition is extensive listening to create implicit knowledge and intensive reading with deliberate focus on unknown words to create explicit knowledge.
For German - lower B1 - I study lessons in LingQ. I don’t use LingQs, I find there are so many associated meanings that I get lost, and LingQ handles separable verbs very badly. The sentence translations are useful. So overall for German I would say my method fits intensive reading and I’m not sure LingQ adds much value, apart from acting as a work organiser i.e. I know which lessons I have studied, and I can store them in convenient folders.
I also use Anki for both languages, mostly with sentences. I find it very useful as many words don’t occur very often in videos and podcasts.
I don’t accept the idea that I can learn unknown words through context (extensive reading). And I don’t accept the Krashen model, at least not in my case.
2 Likes
Semi intensive with a slight bias to extensive reading? This may sound sacrilegious but I’ve - turned highlights off - no blue words, no yellow words. Just text. My reading speed has doubled because my brain is naturally figuring out / ignoring words I would have been otherwise too tempted to click and procrastinate on (of course I’m still clicking on words I know I won’t get from context or that I’ve seen before and don’t remember). The tradeoff is a slightly inflated known words count but I’m getting through more content, which in the long term I expect will be more beneficial than intensive reading alone.
4 Likes
LingQ should keep track of number of times we click on words for look up. For those who read without highlights this can useful especially if i we can later sort/export all words by number of time we click on them.
More clicks means more look up were made and it appears often enough but the meaning never sticks.
Such a word is similar to a leech in ANKI terminology, Words that just refuse to stick.
In this way we can give special attention to them by creating more sentence ANKI cards in various context or just practice using them in other areas like writing, speaking.
Sometimes just looking up the historical origin of a leech word makes it stick for me, it is like giving it a little story, trivia.
A counter for each word that keeps track the number of clicks could be useful for identifying such leech words.
There is an ereader that takes a similar approach, the more you click on a word, it eventually becomes highlighted. That specific highlight color indicates a recommendation that this word needs to be studied more. That you have looked up the meaning of this word too many times.
1 Like
A very useful message, thank you. @charrich87
1 Like
Your point is interesting. Audiobooks are pretty good options, and these contents improve skills in few levels. On otter hand, despite the advantages of them, it is something unquestionable that to LISTEN audiobooks aren’t READING. It doesn’t mind anyone opinion about this, because formally and sensitivily the definition is clear. But, this is unimportant for our case: listining is good, whatever.
1 Like
If you’re understanding “enough”, then you should only look a word up after it’s appeared several times and you still haven’t understood it from context.
You will, eventually, infer a totally wrong meaning due to not looking words up. However until you’re at a very advanced level, the time saved in NOT looking up words and just continuing to read, is worth more than pausing every two seconds to look up words and grammar.
Your brain learns by experience, or by connecting something new to a previous experience. So with anything you do, you want to involve as many senses as possible making it as close to a real life experience as possible, because that gives you more “memory hooks” for each little thing.
Real life (immersion in the country) - has sound, movement, smells, tastes, etc.
TV - has sound, movement, and text (subtitles in the target language).
Audiobooks with the text book - has sound and sight but no movement (text).
Audiobook only, or text book only - has just sound or sight without movement.
So just an audiobook, or just text, is the “worst” tool to learn with, because it involves fewer senses, thus fewer memory hooks.
Some people have the idea that you should always be “testing” yourself. No, it’s harder to learn and remember when learning feels like a test. You should give yourself the most sensations and make it as easy as possible, and that is how you will pick up more words and grammar naturally.
2 Likes