The Measure of Language Learning Progress
Two things we all need to watch on our road to language success
How do we know we are progressing? This can be a real challenge in self-study language learning and acquisition. If we are in a formal language class we may rely on the teacher to tell us whether we are progressing. Or we may rely on test results, although what test results are directly measuring is how good we are at taking tests.
Most of us have language learning goals other than that. Another challenge with tracking language learning progress is that the results accumulate very slowly. It takes time to see the real results; the ability to make sense of and communicate with language in new ways evolves over time. Some people might call this “delayed gratification”.
We are left hoping that what we’re doing now is actually leading us towards our language learning goals. But how can we really know? We end up relying on indirect measures that claim to be pointing us in the right direction. “If you pass this grammar or vocabulary test, I promise you’re on the right track!”
Additionally, we end up relying on others to design the path that should lead us to our goals. In order to measure our own language growth, we’ll need to be observant of ourselves, but first, we have to take back control of our own path.
Control
Oftentimes folks propose completing a course or finishing a textbook as a measure of progress. If we temporarily set aside the question of measuring progress, my concern here is that this demands that we as learners give up all control of our own learning. I’m left trying to complete all the activities in a textbook or course, regardless of whether they interest me, align with my own learning goals, or even help me.
I think the concern that people have when they give this advice is that we should stick to our language learning goals, and that we don’t give up soon or easily. I appreciate this sentiment. I imagine the vast majority of people who begin a language learning endeavor never meet the goals they set for themselves. But I don’t think that ceding control over our own learning is the key.
Learning a language because we are inspired is a beautiful place to begin. Making the first step of this to then cede all of our inspiration to a textbook writer or a course creator is to replace inspiration with discipline. It’s a sad variety of bait-and-switch. Are you excited, fascinated, and inspired to grow your linguistic horizons and explore new languages, cultures, and ideas?
Then the first thing you must do is suppress this, and do as you’re told. Follow orders from your language learning course. Force yourself to work through things that you dislike and bore you deeply. For anyone who has not had success in studying new languages in the past, I understand how this message can be depressing. The joy and excitement of the first step become the suppression of emotion and discipline of the imperative: I must finish this course or textbook in order to be pursuing my goals.
I think Duolingo’s most recent update is an insightful example of this question of control. The previous version of Duolingo was organized progressively into more and more difficult lessons. But if I completed the first level of activities in any lesson I could move on before completing the rest. As I progressed in this manner it allowed me to spend time on the lessons I preferred.
Duolingo is certainly limited thematically, but it would offer some thematic lessons now and again that could capture my interest. Soon after having access to them, I finished up the lessons on history and politics in the Russian Duolingo tree (not that the lessons actually taught me anything about history or politics, mostly they just taught me words for wizard and dragon, which seemed rather ahistorical). There was limited choice in how to use Duolingo, but at least there was some choice. I pointed out the limitations of Duolingo back then as well, but, unfortunately, the most recent update has resulted in “one path” and further weakens the app.
It is the classic “one-size-fits-all” approach to learning: “Follow the path we have assigned you or go someplace else.” In essence, it is the same as the “finish one textbook” approach to language learning. If we aren’t disciplining ourselves to follow someone else’s rules for our language learning, then we might as well quit. You’ll be unsurprised to hear that I disagree with that sentiment.
But if I’m arguing against what we all “know” is right — we must discipline ourselves to progress in language learning — then what are we left with? How do we know if we are progressing in our language learning journeys? I propose there are two key fundamentals to recognizing one’s own positive journey in growing one’s language repertoire.
Making Sense of Language
The first is something I’ve written about lots of times before: making sense. I think it’s not just a question of “Are we making sense of language?” but “Are we making sense with language?”. Most language learning programs direct us to make sense of the language. How does it work? What are the rules we can abstract from its usage? Can we repeat the language patterns over and over and over again? Then we’re making sense of the language.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with making sense of the language if that’s what your goal is. If you love linguistics and comparing the structure of languages, you do you. But I doubt that is the language learning goal most of us begin with. I think we begin learning because we want to watch movies, listen to music, read books, travel, hold conversations, expand our horizons in all sorts of different ways, by using the language, hence by making sense of movies, music, etc. with language.
The beauty of “making sense” as a measure of language is that it is something we all do intuitively and we all immediately recognize. I know when something makes no sense, when it makes a little sense, or when it makes a lot of sense to me. And this internal measure is fundamental for self-study in language because language is primarily (some might even say completely) about making sense. It’s about successful communication. And if my goal is to broaden my language horizons, this means making sense of language that I hadn’t made sense of before.
So, given that this is an intuitive measure that we recognize without trying (and can’t stop ourselves from recognizing), I believe the first step in measuring language learning is finding a language we can make sense of. Great teachers can simplify the language so that we start making sense from day one. Even watching videos with our first language subtitles can help us start to make sense. There may be words here and there that start adding depth to our understanding of what’s going on. But of course, that is barely scratching the surface. There is so much more to understand as our linguistic horizons continue to expand, as we are able to make sense of more and more.
Now, I’m not suggesting we must ban grammar or any making sense of language. In the process of reading or listening there can often be structures or words that continually come up. Looking into these in order to make more sense of what we’re engaged in can be a helpful supplement to whatever we’re working on. What I’m suggesting is that a regimented approach to memorizing grammar is not making sense with the language. Now, of course, if you enjoy a very regimented approach to language learning this is a different story. Because now we’re talking about joy.
Joy
Now is when I horrify you with all sorts of touchy, feely, emotional shit. But seriously, let’s go back to the question of inspiration. What does it feel like to be inspired to learn a language? It’s certainly exciting and hopeful. I think it is also joyful. It is a hope of all the experience out there that this new language can bring us. All the new things it can add to our lives: friends, music, food, travel, etc. This inspiration begins our journeys, but unfortunately, it can be quashed by the immediate messages of “discipline yourself or you’ll never learn”, aka, remove your positive emotions and replace them with a steely sense of self-resolve, and a compliant do-as-you’re-told submission to the textbook, language program, or app. On the contrary, we need to hold on to that beginner’s inspiration.
Joy, like making sense, is another thing we notice intuitively, but I don’t think this is a passive process. We need to actively seek out joy in our language learning. What brings you joy? Understanding the lyrics of a song so you can feel it even more deeply? Successfully ordering food in a new language? Learning about the history or culture that a language exists in? Even, and I say this seriously, learning grammar? If it brings you joy in your language-learning endeavors, do it! Whatever it is, we need to hang on to this joy, because I believe that’s where our most powerful inspiration comes from. If we want to stick through difficult times, I believe inspiration is the most solid foundation.
Because language learning gets difficult. When I say joy, I don’t mean everything will be easy. Making sense of language can be hard. There will be confusion, uncertainty, and even embarrassment or anxiety sometimes. The question is, can we return to the things that give us joy in the language often enough to stay inspired while we take on the challenges? There is some truth to the idea of “delayed gratification” in language learning, but the answer isn’t discipline, it’s learning over time that sometimes the greatest joy is a result of working through some of the most perplexing challenges. I suggest you observe your joy in language learning. Where does it come from? When does it arrive? Hang on to that. It can guide us to more and more language growth.
So, where does this leave us? I believe that if we want to expand our language horizons, and use new language in new ways to explore exciting new experiences and ideas, we need to observe ourselves in our language learning. When and where are we making sense of language? Maximize those experiences. When and where do we experience joy with language? Maximize those experiences.
We may not experience them all the time, in fact, we certainly won’t, but if we are not only striving for our personal language goals but also perseverance and stick-to-itiveness in our language journeys, these guiding lights will keep us headed in the right direction.
