Listen

Watch

 

In This Episode

Grammar doesn’t have to be your enemy. In this episode of Fluent•ish, we tackle one of the biggest emotional barriers in language learning: grammar dread. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, discouraged, or just plain bored by grammar, this episode is for you.

Key insights in this episode

• Why memorizing grammar rules doesn’t work as well as you'd think
• Whether grammar is essential to fluency
• What causes grammar to feel harder in a second language
• The most useful grammar points to learn first
• How to make grammar practice more engaging
• Whether speaking or writing is better for grammar development
• What to do if you keep making the same mistakes
• Which should come first: grammar or vocabulary?

We featured insights from:

 

• Diane Larsen-Freeman on “grammaring” as a practical skill
• Michael Swan on learning grammar through use, not theory
• Rod Ellis on the impact of your first language
• H. Douglas Brown on focusing on what’s actually useful
• Patsy Lightbown & Nina Spada on real-world, task-based learning
• Merrill Swain on the power of output
• Larry Selinker on fossilization and how to move past it
• Michael Lewis on learning grammar and vocabulary together

Your Joy Builder: the takeaway

Because Michael Swan says, “It is entirely possible to develop considerable proficiency in a language without much explicit knowledge of grammar at all," and Lightbrown and Spada say “Tasks that involve real-world use of language—like storytelling, role-playing, or problem-solving—allow learners to develop grammatical competence in an engaging, meaningful context,” you now know that you don’t need to rely as strongly on your textbook and it is absolutely worth your time to seek out real world activities and tasks to engage in in your target language even if you think you “aren’t ready yet”. And, as Diane Larsen-Freeman says, because it’s best to learn “through repeated exposure in context”, that “real world” context can also at times be provided by watching TV and movies, so even if some days you are feeling too lazy to use your productive skills (speaking and writing), you still have a backup - we give you permission to veg out with your favourite show or videos like the cooking show Rebecca was talking about!

Links

• Episode 8 is brought to you by Flodesk
• Episode 8 is brought to you by Shopify
• Theme music is provided by Milk Fangs
• Rebecca highlighted the Tasty YouTube channel for our “Oh La La!” and specifically recommends these two videos: Can This American Follow A Recipe In Mandarin? and
  Can Kelly Follow A Recipe In Mandarin?
• Share your thoughts and language-learning journey with us on social media: continue the conversation by connecting on LinkedIn, BlueSky, Instagram, or Pinterest
• Watch the vlog on YouTube
• Sign up for materials and resources we've created just for you!

Reminders and acknowledgements

If you're found value in this episode and you haven't already subscribed make sure you tap that button to keep on breaking new ground in your language learning. Please take a moment to review the show on your podcast app, or to send this episode to someone you think could use it: It all helps us continue to build a safe-space for the fluent and Fluent•ish that is free of snobbery and filled with joy!

Fluent•ish the Podcast is brought to you by Little Crab Educational Press. Thank you to the language learning communities on BlueSky, Reddit, and Instagram for sharing openly about the struggles that people have to overcome to persevere in the pursuit of becoming fluent (or fluentish) in an additional language. Remember to Subscribe, Rate, Review, and Share from wherever you get this podcast.

Fluent•ish the Podcast is recorded remotely (most of the time) between Victoria and Vancouver which sit in the unceded traditional territories of several Coast Salish nations, across which we are grateful to live and work.