gdp's Comments

Foreign Language Mastery : Interview with LiveMocha VP of Marketing & Product, Clint Schmidt

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:14:06 +0000

Thank you for your kind feedback, Aaron. I look forward to reading your article. Please post a link when it's available.

Foreign Language Mastery : Being Efficient vs. Effective in Language Learning

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 04:42:12 +0000

I like how you point out that "nothing is wasted" in language learning. I think a lot of people spend so much time trying to find the perfect method or material and end up never getting started. Just start something and at least you will be spending time with the language (no matter how bad your materials or methods may be). As I often say, having a strong desire to learn and enjoying the language learning process trumps all. Congratulations on becoming trilingual! It's a great place to be (and two languages ahead of most people in North America!)

Foreign Language Mastery : eBooks: A Language Learner's Best Friend

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 07:21:21 +0000

Glad you found us and happy to hear you are on the language-through-technology bandwagon.

Foreign Language Mastery : Why Most Fail in Language Learning and How YOU Can Succeed

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:29:12 +0000

"The everyday language learner needs to be trained to go out and get what they need." Absolutely. This need was exactly what inspired me to write my "Master Japanese" book and will definitely be added to the next version of this presentation (which I hope to finish sooner or later).

Foreign Language Mastery : What are the best Chinese dictionaries for Android and Apple mobile devices?

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:58:13 +0000

Agreed! I am a new Pleco convert and will definitely add it to my next "best of" Chinese app post.

Foreign Language Mastery : Empty Compliments and the Language Learner

Thu, 6 Jan 2011 07:16:51 +0000

Good catch! Just fixed it.

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:26:29 +0000

I already replied to this comment above (Mike posted the same comment twice in two different places), but thank you Ramses for helping to add some objective feedback here. I'm glad you enjoyed the guide, but even if you hated it, at least you actually read it before forming an opinion about it (unlike many of the other folks posting here). While annoying, I take baseless, hate-filled criticisms as a sign that I am doing something right. Whenever you do something of importance, a small but loud group of angry crazies always tries to pull you down.

Foreign Language Mastery : The Input vs. Output Debate: John's 2¢

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:17:42 +0000

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!

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:09:03 +0000

Mike, Perhaps you could step from behind your wall of internet anonymity and actually 1) point out exactly what, in your view, makes me or my fellow language bloggers "scam artists", 2) suggest better methods and tools that can help learners reach their goals (of course, that would actually required READING our stuff before bashing it), 3) include a profile link to your blog or site that shows an obviously FREE set of materials much better than what Khatz, Steve, Benny or I have created, or 4) continue to sling poo in secret. Up to you, sir. I find it entertaining that all the negative comments on this blog (and others like it) come from anonymous posters who seem more interested in attacking others than HELPING others. If you actually have something valid to say, you'd link to your blog, Twitter feed, messenger pigeon farm, etc.

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:59:46 +0000

He DOES have such videos. Have you even tried looking? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY1b513hIto&fe...

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:02:24 +0000

I don't get it, Mike. How am I or any of these guys "con artists"? Does charging money for something of value make my product a "scam"? If so, then I guess my computer is a "scam" because they wouldn't let me walk out of the store with it unless I paid the retail price. And how do you have any idea of my book's value if you haven't read it?

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:33:18 +0000

Well put.

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:32:30 +0000

I don't agree with everything Benny says, but having read his guide (something I suggest people do before calling it a "scam") I can assure you it does have a lot of useful tips on learning languages more quickly. And though I am obviously biased (since he is promoting my guide, too) I can't understand why you would be disappointed in Khatz for sharing useful resources. You don't have to buy them, but what's wrong with suggesting helpful tools?

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:27:04 +0000

I probably shouldn't take the bait, but the blatant inaccuracy of your comment forces my fingers to type a response. Old and outdated? Bookish? That is quite interesting since everything I am about goes against traditional, book-based approaches of old. Are you confusing me with someone else? How do you know what my Chinese skills are? I don't recall having a conversation with you in Mandarin... Regardless, the guide is about JAPANESE, not Chinese. And how do you know "there is nothing there" if you haven't read the guide? Whether it is worth the money is up to each reader, but I can assure you that it is not a "waste of time", and will in fact save many Japanese learners a great many hours (which can be applied to actually learning the language) that would otherwise be wasted trying to figure out on their own what methods work, selecting good tools, and choosing interesting, effective materials.

Foreign Language Mastery : What Makes for Good Foreign Language Learning Materials?

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:35:16 +0000

Good catch Kyo! I am famous for stupid typos and I greatly appreciate anyone who can point them out for me. Glad you liked the article and welcome to the newsletter (I saw that you just joined). Happy New Year!

Foreign Language Mastery : Master Japanese: Self-Guided Immersion for the Passionate Language Learner

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:13:27 +0000

Thank you for your interest. The guide will of course still be available in May, but the "Ninjetic Bonus" (getting the book, video tutorials, and interviews for just the price of the book) ends on New Year's Eve. I'm not trying to hard sell you; I just wanted to make sure you know about the offer. With regard to your questions: 1) Japanese has indeed gone through many rounds of simplification and standardization, usually in a very rational and predictable fashion. Many of these changes mirror those that were adopted in China (e.g. 學 became 学) while other characters adopted simplified versions different from their Chinese counterparts (e.g. 澤 is simplified as 沢 in Japan and as 泽 in China.) But the vast majority of modern Japanese kanji and traditional Chinese characters overlap. This was one reason I chose to study Mandarin in Taiwan instead of China (having learned Japanese already I could already read much of the signs, books, and subtitles I encountered in Taiwan from day one.) 2) Formal classes have a lot of inherent disadvantages: they must create standard curricula and utilize a finite set of standard materials, they tend to be either too slow or too fast for many learners, and they almost always focus too much on declarative (as opposed to procedural) memory tasks. However, a good teacher can bypass (or at least mitigate) these weaknesses. For example, they could present students with a list of suggested podcasts, movies, or articles, and then have individual students choose which one's they actually want to spend time on (this could even be made into a raffle or "white elephant" style game to make things more exciting). Students would be expected to go through their selected materials at home, and then use class time for discussing the content with other students who chose the same materials, asking each other (and the instructor) for help on words, phrases, or structures they don't understand. At the end of the class, each student would then summarize the material they chose or create a short story or skit using key words or phrases. On selected "free" days, students could spend their time with any target language materials they want, asking the instructor questions that may arise (basically a language lab with a "lifeguard" on duty). But having been a teacher and school manager myself, I can tell you that most faculties, teachers, students, and the parents of younger students, would never go for this as they have been conditioned to expect teachers to "teach" the language, though languages by definition cannot be taught.

Foreign Language Mastery : What Makes for Good Foreign Language Learning Materials?

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:11:09 +0000

Yes, formal courses are usually worthless, as are most of the materials they supply. Fortunately, you don't need a class or a textbook because you have the best tool of all right around you: native Serbian speakers. While living where the language is spoken is not a requirement (especially for languages like Japanese that have so much audio and text content online and lots of tutors available via Skype), it certainly is an advantage, and in your case (with so little Serbian content available), perhaps the best way to learn. It can be difficult to spend enough time with the language around when you teach English, but try your best to spend every minute you can with Serbian. Instead of hanging out with English speakers, make friends with those who don't speak your native language. In the beginning, just focus on trying to understand what they saying, and then start jumping in once you can say a thing or two (even if it is only a few words). It will be a little rough in the beginning, but you it will help you make real progress far faster.

Foreign Language Mastery : What Makes for Good Foreign Language Learning Materials?

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:05:56 +0000

Absolutely. I am a big fan of the "SMASHIN SCOPE" concept promoted by Tony Buzan. Here is an excerpt from my new book, Master Japanese: Self-Guided Immersion for the Passionate Language Learner on just that: Synaesthesia. We have multiple senses at our disposal: vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and kinesthesia (where your body is, where it’s moving to, etc.). Deploy all of these senses in language learning. Learn hana (花・はな, the word flower) as you smell one. Sear the Chinese character for wasabi (山葵・わさび) into long-term memory by putting a dab on your tongue (but not too much lest you want to forget it). Lock the term tsurigane (鈴・つりがね, “temple bell”) into memory forever by actually hearing one. Learn the words migi (右・みぎ, “right”) and hidari (左・ひだり, “left”) while doing the hokey pokey. You get the idea. Movement. When creating mnemonics, especially in your kanji stories, try to imagine that people and objects are moving. Our brains are evolved to detect movement, and even the imagined variety will help make information stick. Association. We learn new information by attaching it (and comparing it to) what we already know. Every life experience provides yet another foothold for future information and experiences. Try spending time with Japanese in different environments so that you have more sensory input and visual contexts to attach new information to. Sexuality. Our brains tune into sex-related stimuli like mosquitos to a porch light. Make your mnemonics as sexually explicit as possible to help you retain information. Don’t worry, nobody needs to know what associations you make… Humor. As Buzan points out, “The more ridiculous, absurd, funny and surreal you make your images, the more outstandingly memorable they will be.” Imagination. Contrary to popular belief, adults actually have (or rather should have) better imaginations than children given how much more experience we have to draw on. Sadly, however, our ability to imagine begins to be marginalized once we start school, thrown out in favor of memorizing cold, hard facts. Try to bring back some of your childhood penchant for daydreaming, coupling it with your now vastly larger pool of experience and ideas. Number. This relates to order and sequence below. By adding a number to information, it makes it more concrete and easier to recall. Symbolism. Replace boring, every day images with more exciting equivalents. Do the same for vague, intangible concepts. Color. Adding color to your imagery doesn’t just make them pretty. It also improves retention and recall. Order & Sequence. While rote memory certainly doesn’t work very well to recall information on command, you’ve probably noticed that once you are prompted with a word from a list you’ve previously memorized and forgotten, you suddenly remember the words before and after that one. The same thing happens when you hear a certain song on the radio and expect to hear the next song that was on that mixed tape you’ve heard a zillion times. This tendency is really just “association” by another name, but it can be used to great success in language learning. The key is to combine it with the other memory principles here, so that it doesn’t face the same inherent weaknesses of pure rote memory. Positive Images. Our brains like to remember the positive side of life, which is why we tend to recreate overly rosy versions of history once enough time has passed. “She was such a great girl! I can’t remember why we broke up...” Use this tendency to your advantage by making happy, happy, joy, joy images whenever you can. Exaggeration. Make small things extremely BIG in your mental imagery, quiet things L-O-U-D, skinny people fat, etc.

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:00:19 +0000

Thank you, Ramses. I look forward to reading your guide as well.

Spanish Only : The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Language Learning

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 09:12:03 +0000

You're right, Ramses, you do not NEED to buy any product, course, book, class, or language guide (including mine). But I do believe that some "learn how to learn" products are worth the money. It all depends on what value you give each hour of your time. Personally, I'd rather pay $39 for something that will show me the way and save me hundreds of hours searching for effective methods, materials, and tools. But if someone can't afford my guide (and I know that some really can't), they can always spend the time combing through the mountains of free content available today. What I can't understand are people who complain about the cost of a materials that will actually do them LOTS of good, but don't blink an eye at spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on formal classes that will do them virtually NO good.