Language Learning is Colorful

In nature things are often influenced by more than just one factor. A flower needs more than just water to stay alive. It may grow well in one place but withers when you plant it at another place. There are many factors that determine the development of a living being. Our world is not only black or white. It's full of colors. 

Unfortunately, humans tend to think in black or white. "Y is good, Z is bad!" People often discuss which opinion is "right" and which is "wrong". In some cases, friends became enemies because they couldn't accept another opinion. 

Many people also confuse opinions with facts. They defend their opinion even if they have no proof. And they refuse to change their opinion even if there is evidence that their claims are not correct.

Language learning is colorful

I don't like "black-or-white-thinking". And I'm not interested in "language gurus". The language learning community is full of many different people from all over the world. Everyone has a different culture, a different background, a different life situation, a different personality, different interests, ... Every language learner makes different experiences. The world of language learning is colorful.

Yet, it happens that people argue about the "right" method. "Y is more effective, Z is useless." Who is right and who is wrong?

There's no "right" or "wrong". The only thing that matters is what works for you. 

There are basic factors that are necessary to learn a language (similar to a flower who basically needs water, air, light and earth to stay alive), of course, but you really don't need to follow someone's method from A to Z. Try different things and see what works for you.

Either you are a "cool" input-based learner or you are a "lame" traditional learner? (how do you define "traditional learner" anyway?) Most people are probably not 100% the one or the other, anyway. I think that there is no either-or in language learning. You can enjoy your language class AND watch your favorite TV show in your target language at home. You can be a fan of grammar who loves using text books AND read Harry Potter in your target language from cover to cover. You can combine input AND output activities. There is no reason to think in black or white.

Combine whatever works for you

You can combine language learning activities the way you like. And if you notice that something doesn't work for you, then you can change it anytime. There is no need to stay a "100% X - learner". You can also be a "X-learner who also does a bit of Y and Z". It's your language learning journey after all. Trust your gut feeling and do whatever feels right to you.

I know, there is this awesome guy who learned language X to a very high level and everyone is talking about him and wants to learn with his method. Ok, but what about another guy who used a different method and reached exactly the same level in this language? Who is right? The one who is more popular?

Of course it can be helpful to learn about other people's experiences. They can be a great inspiration. But don't feel discouraged or insecure when your language learning journey is different from someone else's. It doesn't mean you are doing something wrong. This is absolutely normal because everyone is different. One person is a student, another person is a mother of two young kids or has a full-time job. Maybe you have a lot of free time at the moment and in 3 months or so you have much less time for language learning than now. Life is constantly changing.

Language learning is a constant learning process. It's not just about learning new words but also learning what works in your current life situation. There's no need to believe that you shouldn't learn a language if you can't spend X hours minimum everyday. Language learning is not a race. To me, it's important to learn at a pace that I can maintain in the long-run. I don't care about speed. My number one goal is to enjoy the learning process. I make one step at a time. As long as I'm moving forward my language skills will improve. But above all, I enjoy what I'm doing.

Everyone's path is different

Many paths can lead to your goal. Maybe your path leads not directly to your goal but this doesn't mean that you will not be able to reach it eventually. I learned English at school in a "traditional way", how some people call it. We listened to our teacher, the teacher encouraged us to speak very early, we learned words from vocabulary lists and we did grammar exercises. But this is only one side of my English learning story.

After graduation, I watched my favorite TV series in English because the new seasons were not available in German. I read lots of forum posts about language learning in English because I didn't like the german forums. I watched english YouTube videos about language learning because there was so much more information available in English than in German. I also read novels and non fiction books in English. It wasn't my intention but my English improved a lot over time. 

So, why not doing only immersion from the start? Because it's not the only reason why my English is what it is today. Immersion was crucial to improve my English but I learned the basics before I started to watch series in English.

It doesn't have to be either-or. If it works for you, you can do both. Language classes and textbooks have their place. Maybe they are not enough to reach a very high level, but I think that most people do more than classes and textbooks  anyway. A great teacher can be more helpful for some people than watching anime all day long. It's absolutely possible to learn the basics of a language at school AND improve your skills through input. In my case, the input was so effective BECAUSE I already understood a lot. I didn't start from zero.

Now I'm learning Japanese and I focus on reading. From time to time I also practice writing and ask native speakers to correct my texts. I noticed that input alone is not enough for me. Writing helps me to become aware of details and nuances. 

. . .

I think that the language learning path should be colorful as well. Doing only one thing probably isn't enough. No single activity is better than another in my opinion. Try to combine reading, speaking, writing and listening in a way that works for you and change it whenever it's necessary. Similar to a flower who needs many different things to stay healthy, it's the combination of different activities that will make your language skills grow.