In today's episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, Kerstin Hammes talks about the real meanings of fluency and memory. Kerstin provides us with a number of fresh perspectives on what is really involved in learning a language and is a very inspiring figure in the language learning world. Tune in now to learn:
* Exactly what it feels like to know multiple languages.
* How learning a language can be just like putting up a little shelf to place books on.
* Kerstin's thoughts on the one-upmanship in the polyglot community and why it is often more destructive than it is useful.
* Why language learning is sometimes like entering an discouraging gym ad how to overcome some of the more prominent challenges.
* Why "fluency" is a funny word and not something one should really aim for because it is a mostly "meaningless" goal – and what you should be shooting for instead.
* Exactly where the title of Benny Lewis' title "Fluent In 3 Months" come from and why it isn't sales pitch flim flam.
* The various personality aspects that can create barriers to your language learning experience and how to overcome them.
* Why spaced repetition learning software most likely cannot teach you a language.
* "Vocabulary curation" and how to maximize your efforts in gathering the most useful and important words quickly.
* How to play "Sherlock Holmes" while learning a language and use other people to effectively speed up your learning process.
* Why most of the problems people face with language learning really have nothing to do with the languages themselves.
* The relationship between time signatures and culture and how the way we learn our culture effects our ability to understand others at a deep level.
* Why language learners need a structure to follow and usually do not benefit from "random acts of learning" like watching foreign language films from time to time.
* Why Kerstin finds mnemonics helpful and why they are one of the best ways to experience contextualized learning (as opposed to decontextualized learning and semi-contextualized learning).
* Why leaving stickers around the house to the label your furniture with what these items are called in your target language is a kind of Memory Palace and how Kerstin uses the physical layout of the objects in her home to "see" words she wants to recall in her mind.
* Why Kerstin finds spelling to be a "visual" aid to recalling vocabulary.
* Why Bon Jovi might be the best way to learn English in context because they are a "piece of reality."
* The specific benefits of blogging about your language learning experiences.
* The relationship between memorizing names and foreign language vocabulary and how the stems and origins of words can help you draw connections between your mother tongue and the target language.
* Why grammar is more like a map, rather than a set of rules.
* The four skills you need to achieve language competency and how they will build your confidence and move towards greater fluency.
* … and much, much more!
Further Resources:
Interview with Kerstin Hammes on Published on 11 years, 4 months ago
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