Pace of learning

I think covering a chapter of the Essential Korean book is too fast. I should just study half a chapter really. I still think this is the best book for a beginner studying shadowing. Anyway, don't lose sight of things. Remember that many people have learned a language using my methods. I need to follow a systematic way of learning. I don't want to learn greetings x number of times. 

Just try and get the audios. Make separate tracks and listen to them repeatedly until you can say them off by heart, automatically, without even thinking about it. You should listen to an audio at least twenty times.

And don't look at the Korean! Go by the sound of it. Just keep doing this for the next few months, and you should be fluent after that. That's not bad for three months of shadowing. And if you can't get recordings, make recordings of your own voice.

So forget about the resources on the internet. They're free for a reason. Many people can say a few basic things fluently but they aren't really "fluent" in that they can't have a conversation about more sophisticated subjects like a native speaker. 

So don't be DAZZLED by them. That's the trouble. Just use what works for you. 

The thing that seems to work for you is listening to the audio of a sentence that has an English translation. Then keep saying it over and over again until it becomes engrained on your consciousness.

Try and choose shorter sentences to learn. You can learn longer sentences later or build up shorter sentences to become longer ones.

And try and learn sentences that will be useful to you. Use mnemonics as much as you can for words you are unfamiliar with. And then plod through a book doing this, listening to the audio, not even repeating it but trying to catch the sounds. That's the way to do it ...

I am just worried about the material that I have. Most of the material that I have lacks audio. That's the problem.

Hey! I have an idea. Just download the audio and make separate tracks of the individual sentences and get the subtitles file and then use it as a shadowing lesson! How to rip the audio file? Hmmm.  The problem is that it involves too much work. And matching the audio with the subtitles is too hard. And they talk too fast in the videos. And the translations are too colloquialized. 

Just stick to your method and try and find material that is easy. I think my new list of things to shadow comprise:

# Essential Korean for Everyday Use 

# Migrant's phrase book

# WOW comics

# Making Out in Korean

# Children's dictionary

# Korean Grammar in Use (forgot totally about this one!)

# Teenage book

# Using Korean

# Surviving in Korean

I think this list is long enough. There is plenty of shadowing there. I just need the TIME. I can learn to be fluent in Korean quickly if I have enough time. 

Basically, I am learning like the FSI method which is similar to the Pimsleur method. Both involve mainly listening. It really helps to listen without looking at the Korean!

I might not be saying it exactly as the spelling of the word but I shouldn't worry about that too much.

It's going well. I am going slower but the sentences seem to remain in my mind more firmly.

I really think Glossika has a good method. I think that's the best way to learn a language - by listening to the words and repeating them. I don't think visual learning is the best way of learning a language. I wonder if musicians have an advantage because they have a good ear. I am interested in reading about this method of learning. BY LISTENING. I really think it's the only way to learn to be a fluent speaker in a language. I will have killer pronunciation after this. I really will. I enjoy this method of learning too. I really do. It's easier than the other methods. I think I can also do revision relatively painlessly by doing this method. I think I might have to do revision after all ... 

I have a lot of material to shadow and I'm picking up a lot of grammar this way. It's great. I don't think shadowing International Learners is a useful book to shadow. The sentences are too complicated. So far none of the sentences I learned were really useful. I think I went through it too fast and also the listening component was lacking. If there was audio, it might be worth shadowing. I'm not sure about this. Here and there there might be some useful phrases. I think I need to review things too. Now Korean Grammar in Use, I am not sure about that book. Is it useful or not? Don't know. It's been a while since I shadowed that book. I might try it using the listening and translation method. I think this method is GREAT.  

The new method is very relaxing

All I have to do is listen carefully. Just forget the other methods of study, especially the online methods. They are for more advanced students and those ways of studying are very disorganized methods of studying. 

The way you are studying is very good. You have the Korean, the romanization, the colloquial English translation and the literal English translation. You have the audio too.

I found that my grammar is really improving when I do just listening. I really need those audios but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Don't try and take on too much. Just do a lot of listening and repeating without looking at the Hangeul.

I wish there was a book like that, that had 10,000 phrases and there was the Korean, the romanization, the English translations - both literal and colloquial. That would be great.

That would get me fluent, well sort of semi-fluent.

And then after that, I would concentrate on reading and writing. Can't spend ALL my time on speaking. After I reach the intermediate stage of speaking, it's time to learn speaking from mixing with Koreans and speaking 100% in Korean. i could attend a hagwon at that stage. And then simultaneously, I could work on my reading. I think I am getting better at reading. Got to work on the grammar book to get better at reading. That's the key to reading - reading the grammar book and reading newspapers. Translating articles and so forth. The speaking is less important to me, I think. It impresses people but I am not really improving my reading skills by that much except in the area of grammar and a little bit of vocabulary. Apparently, I need to read lots. Once again, I don't like online sources for my reading.

Some people learn a language using the piecemeal fashion like Talk to Me in Korean and LingQ but I definitely DON'T. So forget about those sites for the time being. You can look at them when you've reached a certain level of proficiency.  

LingQ and Talk to Me in Korean
No, I don't think I will progress very far with these materials as a beginner. Just forget about them and concentrate on what you are doing now. 

Studying methods

I need something structured and systematic. I don't know if I can do listening. I suppose I need to introduce that into my repertoire eventually. But I can't do everything at once. It's not my style. 

I think these things are for later. I will stick to my plan which is shadow Essential Korean. I am only a beginner so I can't expect to understand or follow these audios. These audios are for more advanced students.

And also when I practice with people later, I will get lots of listening practice.

So just step-by-step.

Go through the Essential Korean. This will ground me in the basic stuff. After that, you can try out the simple easy readers like the Migrant book and the WOW comics. You can shadow them. You can shadow the dictionary as well. Then move onto harder stuff, like the Using Korean book and the teenage book. Eventually, move onto the International Learners book. I suppose I could shadow the dialogs in LingQ but they are all over the place. 

I think I will use these sites when I am at an intermediate level. Doing all the stuff I'm doing should bring me up to early intermediate level with speaking.

Then after I've done these things, you can start interacting with Koreans in Korean.

So there is a lot to learn ...

If you get too much input you don't understand, you get stressed out. So don't try. Just know the stuff you are learning well.

Don't get too ahead of yourself.

What about reading? You have to do that eventually. And the writing too.

But anyway, spend several months shadowing stuff for a few hours every day and eventually you will get there.

So just follow Glossika's methods for the time being. I find his methods to be the best.

The ones who have become fluent aren't necessarily good teachers. And their learning styles might be different to mine.  

I feel discouraged.

I tried out LingQ and found that hard. I don't like the layout of it. But it's good for listening and for speaking. It's good for natural conversation. Talk to Me in Korean is good too. But I don't like this style of learning. It doesn't suit me. I like Glossika's method of learning. 

What to do? How exactly am I going to learn these things? The short dialogs are good because they have the audio, the English translation and the Korean as well.

I think I will use them for listening practice and shadowing practice.

The audios that have no English translation are pretty much useless for me. I can understand bits and pieces though.

I will check out Talk to Me in Korean.  

I tried Glossika's methods

and am finding that I am progressing very well. I am learning better in that the sentences get impressed in my long term memory better, my pronunciation is better and I am learning more 'naturally'. 

I will continue learning like this. I think also I will try and learn a few smaller chunks at a time. Ten sentences at one go was too much. I will learn just five sentences at a time.

I am progressing well now that I've moved onto speaking. I am picking up the grammar much better than I was before when I was just studying from books. Those grammar books don't give you a feel of how the language is used. Also, I want to move onto the Using Korean afterwards and see how useful it is.

But I want to try and stick to mostly simple short sentences with easy grammar because that is my current level.  That's why that dictionary might be useful to me. I am not sure about the utility of the sentences though ... 

And I need a recording because my pronunciation and intonation are not good enough. Have to study like crazy ...  

Using this method, I have to try and get the stuff recorded. Also, cannot go too fast. I think the maximum is 100 sentences a day. Beyond that, I get a bit confused and forget things.

I have to think about revision. I hate revision but might need it.

I don't want to spend hours learning things and find that I can't recall anything ...

Yeah, so got to try out things, test them out, and see how they are.  

I think Glossika's methods (it's not only he who advocates this method btw but I just use his name for easy reference) are the way children learn a language, and perhaps it's the ONLY way to learn a language (to become fluent in it at least). So ...

As an adult learning a language this way there are pluses and minuses.

I also think the teenage book is good to shadow. Anything with expressions that are used in every day conversation is good.

I won't do the Barron's one because that's a bit old-fashioned. The romanization is good in that one.  

He also says in a Wiki site that: 

"Foreign language research, learning and training. I promote what I believe to be the most effective methodology to acquire new languages. I use a process that makes active use of stimulating the hippocampus creating synapses for long-term memory, and a methodology for students to build their working memory more effectively. It requires daily training and I rid all use of visual materials during class--everything being via aural training, in order to more effectively stimulate the hippocampus. In discussion with Professor Baddeley about incorporating a kinesthetic aspect into his model of working memory, largely based on my experience with music, memory, and languages.

My methodology is largely based on the following process: for acquiring any new piece of information, whether vocabulary, phrase, or sentence, requires 5 consecutive days of training and repetition. No use of reading or writing is used during the training and I encourage students to do this in free time." 

I am not sure what he means by "it requires 5 consecutive days of training and repetition". 

Perhaps he means the same material is gone over for five days. It seems a lot of repetition actually. I hate revision. I wouldn't want to revise the same material over and over again for five days.

I will also look at a guy called Devereux's methods. He seems to have taught himself Korean pretty fast (in about a year) and is self-taught. I don't really like the method he uses not because I doubt it works but because I don't like too much of an unstructured method - it doesn't work for me. I don't like learning from websites.

But I will have a look at it. I will look at other successful learners' methods.

I really want the stuff I am learning to stick in my brain! I want simple useful phrases to stick in my brain and for new vocabulary to stick in my brain. I want to know what the romanization of new words are too. I find the romanization sticks in my brain better than the Hangeul.

I really don't like Hangeul as I've said. Essential Korean Everyday is a great book. Pity Business Essential isn't as good.

Mrs L postponed the meeting for today. I guess I will have to wait to get the stuff translated until Tuesday when D or Mrs L can do it for me.

Revisions to study method

When shadowing, I will do smaller blocks. Maybe about five sentences - one side or one page only of the Essentials book. I will cover up the Korean at first. I will try and repeat what I hear. 

I will write down mnemonics and try and learn them at the same time.

How annoying. I might have to study Essentials Everyday again and learn with the new method ...

Because with the old method, I forgot A LOT!

With the new method, I am remembering a lot. I really can recall things better when I learn them aurally.

Language is really with sound most of the time except with deaf people who have to rely on visual inputs.

So ... I need to concentrate on those things. I need to look at sound of sentences and focus on memorizing the various sounds. My pronunciation improves too when I do that.

Anyhow, it's not too late to discover this method of learning. It's rather like the Pimsleur method, actually.

I will go through everything slowly and forget about everything else. These phrase books are great! I really like the ones with audio. I don't think my own readings are reliable. Looks like I will have to pay people to read things. What I can do is do exchange with Mrs L. I will read things out in English and she can read things out in Korean. I might do simple stuff like the kid's dictionary.

What do I need the audio for?

# Making out in Korean

# Kid's dictionary

# Migrant's phrase book

I had a look at the Essential Korean and the sentences are hard and not useful.

That's for very very advanced Korean learners. I am nowhere near that stage. So just forget about that book. I was only interested because it had audio for it. Actually, I have a few language books with audio. I will make sure to shadow all of them.  

Using Glossika's methods

I really like his methods. He said something on his Facebook page which really struck me: 

Quote:

"And the other great thing is that I'm learning sentence structure the way native speakers use the language and that's what I like the best. It means after all this practice I will inherently know how to structure a sentence. I know that my time words feel natural coming before the verb (Chinese) or at the end of a sentence (English).

One of the most important goals of the mass sentence method is to be able to mimic the whole sentence after hearing it once. Not only can you write down all the sounds and group them into words, but you can also repeat it at the same speed and naturally without looking at any text. If you have to look at some text, then you're not training your ears well enough. Keep away from the text, listen and repeat. The greatest advantage to this is that you'll be able to repeat and understand any conversation you ever hear in that language for the rest of your life. In fact, repeating all the conversations you hear people saying is the same as the Mass Sentence Method, only you're doing it conversation by conversation in an easily understood context, and you basically become just as fluent as a native speaker by doing this. Knowing the characters for each word should be a lower priority. I made it a higher priority to get the characters for everything I heard early on, so that everytime I heard or said something I was always connecting it visually in my mind with a character. But after a while, I realized that I was using Chinese so naturally that I never was thinking in characters, I was thinking in ideas and outputting messages directly in Chinese from those ideas. Only then did I discover that I actually say things that I'm not sure what the characters are. That means I was learning the language much quicker natively than I possibly could from studying it."

I forgot the details of his method even though I was vaguely trying to follow it, calling it "shadowing", so I looked up his YT videos again. I agree with his methods and so far have been impressed with the results. 

I wondered how he got over the problem of shadowing when there were no pre-prepared recordings available. What he does is he makes his own recordings and listens to them. I don't want to do this because I don't like listening to my own voice. But it does make sense. I might have to get over the squeamishness of listening to my own voice. No one likes to listen to their own voice actually. It's quite a common phenomenon. I sound much different to how I thought I did. I get quite a shock actually, an unpleasant one. 

So ... I tried using his methods, listening a lot more, and it worked! Also, I worked on mnemonics a lot harder.

His ideas about imprinting words in the hippocampus are interesting.

I think his method is the best way to learn languages. I just have to make time to make those recordings!

I think his emphasis on the number of phrases he learns is important. I think it's more about the number of phrases than the number of words when one aims to become fluent in a language. The number of words is important when it comes to learning reading though.

So I think one needs to cover about 10,000-20,000 phrases in order to achieve native-like fluency in a language.

He likes phrase books as well. I really like his approach and will model my learning methods on his.

Less emphasis on seeing the written word and more on the spoken word. 

I really have noticed a difference when I do this.

I will keep up with his FB page and his YT videos. I find them tremendously helpful.

Also, I wonder how those people who became fluent in Korean became so. I know they spent a few years doing full time study of Korean. Did they use some variation of Mike Campbell's method? 

I know one of them went to a classroom with a Korean teacher; also, came to Korea and spent one year here.

Got to re-think my study methods. Got to get those 10,000 phrases.

The Essential Book is about 1,000 phrases. The Migrant phrase book has 1,000 phrases. The Using Korean has about 2,000 sentences. International Learners has about 2,500 sentences.

I just had a look at "Making Out in Korean". That book seems useful and easy. I think I will shadow it.

The Business Essential book has about 1000 sentences.

Studying just these books will get me to the 10,000 phrase mark. So don't worry! Just study the easier stuff first and become proficient in them. Then move onto the harder stuff.

I think the children's dictionary is good to shadow. I might do that. I might record in English and get Mrs L to record in Korean and we can practice from that book.

So I think that's enough. You can't be too ambitious. And also after you reach a certain level, you will start conversing with Koreans and pick up more Korean that way. So just try and finish your first book. There is a big psychological boost after you master your first book. 

What I might do is cover up the Korean and only read it right at the end.  

 

I think I will just stick with the Everyday Essential book

If I try to do too much I get burn-out. So I will just stick with the Everyday book until it's finished. Then I will decide what to shadow.

That's my plan.