What Should You Be Reading To Maximize Your Language Learning?

What should you be reading to maximize your language learning?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of literature we can learn from. Baby books bore you, but you’re not ready for any type of novel, so what’s left?

Here are some tips 

For beginner/A1/A2 learners

Watch a YouTube video in your target language, then read the comments

you’ll already have vocabulary from watching the video, most of the comments will probably use that vocab

it’s a short enough text that you won’t get fatigued

the only downside is that sometimes people utilize abbreviations and slang terms, but even these are good to know

Read news headlines and if you find one you understand almost fully, try to read the full article

sometimes the vocabulary used is not common in everyday usage, but it’s a total win for an A1 learner to fully read and mostly understand any text

while vocab is not used everyday, it will give you the ammunition to talk about that particular topic

Watch Netflix in target language with subtitles in the same language

believe it or not, you will learn to read better, especially because you don’t have to understand written description of visuals (usually uses very niche vocab) or emotion

and now you can slow down or speed up 

I watched DARK in German before I felt like I could read a book, and I understood 85% of it. This is because I looked up some vocabulary in the first episodes and they continued to use it throughout the show so it really cemented in my head to the point where I don’t even think about it. Now, I had to rewatch some conversations the characters had, but that’s much better for understanding than switching it to English or looking up full phrases and sentences. 

For intermediate/B1/B2 learners

read fanfiction

it’s ALWAYS good to read about something you’re interested in so if you like any major movies, books, television, this is the perfect option for you

most people use relatively basic language and you can choose the length 

find a comic book or graphic novel

like watching tv, that visual aid really helps with understanding of the plot without all those tricky descriptions

read a book in your target language that you’ve read and loved in your native language

this is by far my favorite way

you don’t have to worry about trying to understanding the bigger picture because you already know what’s happening/what will happen, you really have to discover the meaning of each sentence and then you begin to picture the scene using only your target language

Check out my other post for methods of how to get the most out of reading !

this post is meant to be a directory of every resource I come across for Mandarin, often referred to as Chinese or Standard Chinese. It will be a continuous work in progress so thank you for your patience! if you have any issues or things to add, please reply to this post!

info

history of the chinese writing system

“in mandarin chinese, we don’t say…”

language learning profile

playlist of samples

the languages gulper

wikipedia

Weiterlesen

how to self teach a new language 

have contact with this language by hearing it on movies, tv shows and music. this will help you with your pronunciation skills and with your vocabulary

learn vocabulary and grammar at the same time

read kids books and translate what you don’t know. it might be hard at the beginning, but keep trying 

speak to yourself will help you like crazy. I like to pretend that I’m acting or that someone is interviewing me hahah see the magic happens 

READ AND WRITE. this is as important as speaking. It used to be so hard for me to write in English and I felt awful because I could actually speak very well. But my writing skills were just a lower level than my speaking level. Thankfully it’s getting better with practice. 

try to study a little everyday. if you don’t have time to do so, watch a movie or something, but have this contact with the new language at least once a day

be persistent because the processes of learning a new language can really piss you off. sometimes you will understand nothing and that will drag you down. the difference is to keep pushing until it doesn’t bother you anymore! 

Fuck it

*get distracted by the productivity app*

some study/homework tips for y'all :)

keep a clock in front of you. to keep track of time. I like to use an app on my phone so that I’m not tempted to scroll on tumblr instead of studying. it’s also for aesthetic purposes. here’s the one I use.

do the most difficult projects first. this might seem like a daunting task, but getting the hardest things out of the way will clear up your mind for the rest of your work. unless of course something else is more time sensitive, then do those things first.

take purposeful breaks. when you’re studying or working on homework, it can be easy to want to do something more enjoyable; but doing those things can often lead our minds astray. when you take a break, try to do something healthy (i.e. read a chapter of a book, take a walk, make a cup of tea, etc.) of course, it’s ok to take a few minutes to scroll on your phone, but try not to let it take up the majority of your break

some ADHD/ADD specific study tips:

motivate your brain. before I start working on a big project or a lot of studying, I get a bag of skittles/m&m’s/some small candy or treat. whenever I finish a small task (reading one page, answering three questions, finishing one problem) I eat one piece of candy >don’t ask me for logic behind this one because I have no clue but it works I promise<

use a calendar or study tracker journal to stay on schedule. especially with ADHD, it can be really easy to procrastinate. using a calendar or journal helps you to stay focused on your goals and organize your study time.

some depression specific tips:

(disclaimer: depression is a serious mental illness that effects so many other people out there. if you’re struggling and need help or just someone to talk to, please feel free to message me)

don’t set timers. I know in the first paragraph I talked about using a clock, but setting timers makes me feel like the tasks I have to complete are insurmountable and I’ll never finish them. instead I try to chunk my studying/homework by category; it makes the whole thing so much more bearable.

reward yourself. try to come up with some good thing to motivate yourself; but set it for after you finish. [when I get done with my math assignments, I’ll make tea. when I finish studying, I’ll go to the bookstore.]

get out of bed. even if it’s not for studying, even if it’s just for depression. go get a whole glass of water and drink it. go put on new clothes and drive to McDonald’s. please just take care of yourselves <3

my most valuable tip:

you know what motivates you; use that as a tool. for me, it’s aesthetic*. I like organized laptop desktops and put-together outfits and beautiful paintings (probably why I spend so much time on studyblr). so some things that motivate me are organizing my desk before I work, or changing my laptop wallpaper to my favorite painting.

no matter how you study, you are all doing great my gals and pals. keep up the hard work and go drink water (that was a threat).

For more studyblr, follow my blog! //beauty is terror//

*a morbid longing for the picturesque??? richard papen WHO

A very useful demonstration of the importance of sentence length.