The Case for Massive Input

The first ingredient for learning a language is massive input. Massive input is so effective for learning languages, that you don’t even need to understand it to benefit from it!

Does this mean that listening to German music will help you learn German, even if you have no clue what the words mean? Yes! In fact, exposure to new sounds actually makes the language part of your brain grow, just like exposure to stress makes your muscles grow.

Does this mean that listening to German music will help you learn German, even if you have no clue what the words mean? Yes!

This doesn’t mean that you should never think about what you hear or read in another language, though. To take full advantage of input, you should train your brain to notice and remember language patterns. Your brain will develop its own rules for how the language works as you listen to it, but you can streamline that process and avoid a lot of misunderstanding if you review the rules of a language as you go. The more attentive you are to the patterns of a language, the more you will notice and remember.

Not all input is created equal. The best input is meaningful input. By meaningful, I mean both understandable and interesting. We learn best from content that matters to us, so find something you actually like to read or listen to. In short, do things you like. Emotion is a powerful memory catalyst, and positive emotions are the best.

The best input is meaningful input. By meaningful, I mean both understandable and interesting. … Emotion is a powerful memory catalyst, and positive emotions are the best.

You can also increase the effectiveness of any input if you combine audio with text (notice I said text, not pictures) whenever possible. Read out loud. Read the lyrics to a song as you listen to it. Write what you hear and compare it with a transcript. You will find that your brain remembers better if it hears, sees, processes, and produces audio and text together.

Click here to read about the second ingredient for language learning: Compelling Motivation.