¡Hola, todos! (Hello, everyone!)

I haven’t posted as much as I should lately simply because I’ve been engrossed in this whole language-learning thing (and incredibly tired all week). And I just learned how to make an awesome chocolate martini (mmmm, Godiva liqueur and vanilla vodka). Ain’t learnin’ fun?!

But yes, I’ve been busy playing with new toys and reading a LOT. My main focus has been on spaced repetition systems, like SuperMemo and RecallPlus. But before I go into software, I’d like to go into the theory behind using them.

As a side note, if you have any interest in languages and want some reading material, any of the sites mentioned on here and www.how-to-learn-any-language.com are GREAT resources that are overflowing with things to think about and consider. It’s amazing how many languages some of the members of the How to Learn Any Language forums know.

The Sentences Method: Basics

The authors of websites like AllJapaneseAllTheTime.com (AJATT), Spanish-Only.com, and AntiMoon.com promote a system of language learning that involves using flashcards of sentences instead of simple words. This teaches you the structure and grammar of the sentence along with the word in context as many words can have multiple meanings. It also makes it more fun to learn since you can make the sentence whatever you want instead just word after word after word…

But to make the most of this, a system of flashcards that sends to the back the cards you really don’t need to practice every twenty minutes, but frequently asks you the ones you have the most trouble with. You rate how easily you answered the question and then the program does the rest.

Spaced Repetition Software

Before looking around these language sites, I only knew of RecallPlus and SuperMemo. I had actually tried SuperMemo and thought it to be pretty neat but hard to keep everything in there like it recommends. The lack of ink support made it hard to use for equations and formulas which is what I wanted at the time. RecallPlus has ink support but is, well…if you figured out how to use it well, please let me know. It’s just…odd.

So all I really want is a simple program for inputting Spanish sentences and their translations or explanations of certain words. It didn’t need to be fancy, but I’m a fan of stats, reliability, free-ness, and portability. Ink features would be a bonus but not necessary at the moment. OK, I’d really like ink support, but again, not necessary.

Anki seems to fit all these categories. It’s small, free, reliable, and has a lot of stats on each deck of flashcards for me to play number games. It also has a setting for big buttons if you’re using a touch screen (good for us MultiTouch tablet users), which is neat. Even better, it has a free online version so I can sync on my personal computer then study on my iPhone or work computer (during lunch, of course).

The Sentences Method: More

I was skeptical about this whole sentences method since it doesn’t seem much different from regular, single-word flashcards. But I’ve been using it for a week and already there is a significant increase in my comprehension and vocabulary. I was actually able to go to Barnes & Noble and read the titles and descriptions on most of the books in Spanish they offer while last week I only could understand a few.

Here’s my theory behind it:

• Picking sentences to put in you “SRS” (spaced repetition system) forces you to actually look at full sentences in your target language and gain an understanding of that sentence so you can put something in the answer box. I’m sure many students have found how the biggest benefit of making a cheat/crib sheet is the studying you do while making it. It forces you to grab the most important things, the same as how picking out sentences forces you to study words you don’t know and then find their meaning. It’s an active process, not just reading a grammar book.
• As Khatzumoto on AJATT points out, finding sentences and using your SRS is so much more enjoyable, for most, then studying grammar rules and doing worksheets from textbooks. You can read whatever you want to, search whatever you want to, add whatever you want to, etc. Every sentence ever written in that language you’re studying is up for grabs and you get to choose your favorites from all of them. Cool, hu?
• For those of us who really like playing number games, AJATT calls it the 10000 Sentences Method because that’s how many he used to become fairly fluent in Japanese (in 18 months). While it’s emphasized not to painfully search for 10000 sentences and then feel bad when you only have 50 (10000 was a result from collecting, not the reason for collecting), it does give the freedom to add as many as you want, since you can make this database pretty big and then you can look in awe at how much you’ve acquired. Some may find data mining activities like this tedious and would much rather just listen to a language tape, but I LOVE “data mining” or rather, data selecting, and have fun finding fun sentences and their meaning to add to my SRS. This contimues the process.
• Sentences teach you the language just as little kids learn. Not many four year olds know how to conjugate irregular Spanish verbs but they can still speak it just fine simply by imitating those around them. That’s all this method does. It teaches you how to mindlessly mimic native speakers, which helps you improve dramatically.

So yeah, that’s what I’ve been up to lately. I have a three-day weekend to celebrate (OK, it’s just a normal 9-80 work schedule but I celebrate every three-day weekend I get) so I’ll try to get some more posts up. I have a bunch of things on my list to talk about!

Other posts that may interest you:

1. Study Smart With Your Tablet
2. RecallPlus officially has ink!
3. TabletFlash v1.1 Available
4. NaturalReader: Let your tablet do all the reading
5. On The Lookout: RecallPlus to Add Ink