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I have achievedvarying degrees offluency in 15
languages, and lookforward to learning
more. To me, there arethree natural stages inlanguage growth,which I outline here.
- Steve Kaufmann
Billions of dollars are wasted on
ineffective language and literacy
instruction programs, which ignore
these natural stages.
Connecting with the language
60-90 hours
THE FIRST STAGE
Goal: To become familiar with a strange language.
Measurable: Learn to recognize 1000 words.
Task: Listen repeatedly to short, simple content.
The First Stage
When I begin, Ineed to “connect”with the newlanguage.
Overcome myresistance to its
strange sounds andstructure.
I don’t need tospeak. I don’t needto understand any
grammar.
I am not interested in mastering a few
phrases or simple greetings. I want to get into
the language, to get a feel for it.
Getting comfortable in most situations
180-360 hours
THE SECOND STAGE
Goal: To understand ordinary conversations andmost everyday language.
Measurable: Less than 10% unknown words inmost conversations.
Tasks: Listen to natural conversations; Work onvocabulary; increase speaking and writing
activity
The Second Stage
Now that I no longer find the
language strange, I want to
deal with the language as it is
usually spoken or written by
native speakers. This is
sometimes referred to as
“authentic” language.
Conversation is theeasiest “authentic”
content to understand
Most commonly used wordsof a language account for90-95% of conversations.
Commonly used wordsaccount for 70-75 % ofmore written material.
95%
75%
Constant improvement
180 hours to forever
THE THIRD STAGE
Goal: To continue to enjoy the language, to learnmore words, and to use the language better.
Measurable: Less than 10% unknown words incontexts that are of interest to me.
Tasks: Follow my interests
The Third Stage
This is the most rewarding stage.I can travel to the country where the language is
spoken, or meet with native speakers.
I know I will enjoy the experience, even though Imake mistakes.
I can maintain the language, even if I go for longperiods without using it.
The Third Stage
CONCLUSION
Having done it a few times, I know that I can learn a newlanguage, or improve in a language I already speak
well, including my own. So can anyone else who wantsto. The key is motivation and enjoyment, not a school
or a diploma.
I know, as well, that
the pursuit of
perfection in any
language is futile, so
I am happy to make
mistakes and do not
really ask to be
corrected.
