Language Learning is Like an Iceberg - Steve Kaufmann

[zoran]

I like analogies, they help us understand. An analogy I thought of recently was how our knowledge of a language is like an iceberg: what we can produce or think we know at any given moment is just the tip of the iceberg and there is deep familiarity with the language underneath.
YOUTUBE

[mayebarkley]

@zoran

I like analogies, they help us understand. An analogy I thought of recently was how our knowledge of a language is like an iceberg: what we can produce or think we know at any given moment is just the tip of the iceberg and there is deep familiarity with the language underneath.
YOUTUBE slope game

I liked the comparison to a tree. You have to grow a lot of roots to capture water and nutrients - similar to language learning, you have to have a lot of roots to capture comprehension. Eventually, the tree/plant will grow enough to bear fruit.