Alexander Arguelles - Reading Literature in Foreign Languages: Tool, Techniques, Target 

damn he's getting his steps in

I continue to come back to this talk. Best lecture I have ever heard as a polyglot myself. I use it for my own learning and as I direct my school and students.

The rare polyglot who is also a good speaker 🤣

Everyone: I listen to audiobooks. Super polyglot extraordinaire: I listen to audiobooks in FIVE WAYS.

I was falling asleep with my earbuds on the couch when I heard what the professor said at around minute 20, about the percentage of the vocabulary needed for extensive reading, how you'll lose interest in the story if you're not at %98 level. I disagree. So I got up, I lost my sleep to write this rebuttal. I started my German language study three years ago reading only one book, 1001 Nacht. 2000 Pages of heavy duty literature. With very little vocabulary. Now I'm probably at %70-80 level. I never lost enjoyment of reading these stories. Still reading.

It's worth going back to this talk for some fresh inspiration every now and then as there are a lot of useful ideas. I think the main thing is to bridge the chasm between conversational level and general reading eg of literature. Roughly a difference of 5,000 to 9,000 words so you need some techniques to bridge the gap. This amounts to an almost doubling of vocab which is quite an expectation. Anyway Arguelles has some interestign ideas for trying to do this like biingual texts, using audiobooks with translations. Some good ideas. Obviously simpler texts, shorter texts can also be used. Graded readers for example.

Everything by prof. Arguelles is always very worth watching!

I think his lecture is more relevant than ever. We are not living in a world were reading is forbidden but the Brave New World where people chose images over the written word.

What a great discussion. I have to admit, that I push through literature material that is well below 90% known over and over again. Each time I understand more and more; bringing the level of known words closer to that target 98%. I like buying used books in the target language on-line and when they show up and are way above my level, I feel obligated to work through them because of the investment. Thanks for the encouraging talk!

His wife is Korean girl. She is honor and proud of her husband. God bless her. I am envious, wishing this Professor to be my husband😘😘🥰🥰😇😇

Five methods for reading from an audio visual Assimil type of material.- 1)Translated text and listen to the original audio - for overall language knowledge 2)Read the Original text with translated audio 3)Original Text with original audio 4)Shadow - audio alone 5)Looking at 2 different subtitles at once - ex: French based Assimil to learn Serbian for an English speaker. Helps for those who want to maintain many languages at once.

proud to say i've been lucky enough to be a student of Alexander's at my university for the past two years.

What I do is that I expose myself to different works of literature in Spanish, as that is the language I am learning, and I base my conversational abilities after sentence structure from the books, as well as incorporating it's vocabulary. I am a native English speaker, and that is how I started to develop my conversational English abilities, as I am not a natural conversationalist, and I appreciate the way books structure information and ideas, too.

When I saw this on Luca's Facebook my blood started pumping. I wish Arguelles would still make videos.

Wonderful presenter. Just wow 👏🏾

Everything he said I either related to, learned from or gained a deeper understanding of my own experiences. There is definitely a lot here for me to apply to my own learning!

I watched at 1.5x speed. Thanks YT for saving me time

OMG! it's him the Legend!

Thx! I really enjoyed watching the video and i think im now getting the hang of how to learn a third language other than English. As you mentioned the values of learning a language at the end of your presentation, i cant agree more. Also, since Im looking forward to becoming a diplomat of my country, South Korea, having commands of languages as many as possible would put me on a vantage level compared to other candidates. I will try to follow the methods you mentioned in the video. Hopefully, I could reach to a master level in Spanish in less than two years, and if and only if I truly become a sort of a native speaker in Spanish, I hope I could learn either Chinese or Japanese. Maybe French or Russian too. Or all of them haha..

Great presentation by Professor Arguelles. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

These are excellent techniques. I think you have to watch this video a few times and take notes to grasp progressive approach to building vocabulary by reading literature. I used several of these methods with the last 2 languages I have learned. The hard part is finding content. I started making my own parallel texts on excel, using content from multilingual websites with corresponding audio files. I started with easy material, and progressively going to harder content. I mixed up the different exercises. Listening to English audio, while following in French, then Listening to French, while reading along in English. Then I would listen to French and follow along in French, and shadowed the reader, and finally graduated to reading the text out loud myself. I am not sure about the science, but I can tell you I learned and retained the vocabulary at a rate surprised me. I found that if you combine these techniques with speaking with natives at every opportunity, your progress will be surprising.

So interesting. The best!

@ 17:02, it's 33% faster. 9 months produces 12 months of knowledge means that at this pace, after 12 months of learning you will have progressed 16 months of the "standard" rate (12/9*12 = 16, or in words: 12 months progress per 9 months learning time for 12 months time produces 16 months of progress). When you say "percentage" it must be relative to something. % increase relative to the "normal" rate (12 months progress after 12 months of learning) is what I considered). I don't know where he gets "4 years time you'll make 5 years progress". That isn't the same rate as 9 months time you'll make 12 months progress, but nonetheless, it would be the equivalent rate of 6.25 years of progress within 5 years (5/4*5 = 6.25 years of progress within 5 years of physical time), or 25% increase ([6.25-5]/5 = 0.25). Sorry, I'm just answering his question and clarifying.

rguelles is always very worth

todo esta bien, su discurso , la pronunciacion , muy inteligente ,,,,,,peeerooooo MUCHO SE MUEVE Y ESO OCASIONA QUE SUS PALABRAS SE GOPEEN CON EL MICRO Y TODO EL SNIDO SE DIFUMA O NO DEJA ESCUCHAR BIEN POR QUE DA LA IMPRESIOON QUE SE VA A TROPEZAR CON LAS COSAS QUE ESTAN A LOS LADOS GRACIAS DE TODAS MANERAS ,,,,MAESTRO

7:10 Nativos parlantes usualmente manejan cerca de 20 mil palabras (Un nativo educado) Pero para una persona normal solo podría sobrevivir para comunicarse con 3 mil palabras. 5-9 mil palabras es el promedio de palabras que se necesitan comunicarse y hasta para leer una novela.

I'm one of the reasons physical books are dropping in sales. I read quite a lot, but I quit buying physical books years ago. I'm dyslexic and find the single page e-reader format (where I can control font, size, leading, line length, and change the page color) much easier to deal with. I read as much as ever, but I don't read "books."

13:15 Importante. Los estudiantes que dijeron les gustaba leer libros tenían promedio el doble de vocabulario y dieron mejor en la prueba. Por lo que la lectura intensiva es dificíl pero eficiente.

great

Epic! Almot can't believe this exists.

Good video! My brother studied languages at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in California. The pace of study was intense. Students had to master the language course in 36-64 weeks. Psychologically it was very difficult, but fortunately he was helped by Yuriy Ivantsiv's book "Polyglot Notes. Practical tips for learning foreign languages”. The book " Polyglot Notes" became a desk book for my brother, because it has answers to all the problems that any student of a foreign language has to face. Thanks to the author of the channel for this interesting video! Good luck to everyone who studies a foreign language and wants to realize their full potential!

I took that word-group test. Only got 15k word groups. Profound sadness. Genuinely surprised, since my main hobby is reading and I generally consider myself to have a relatively large vocabulary comparatively.

It's a matter of gaining citizenship in the vast Republic of Letters...which makes us multidimensional and quasi ubiquitous...capable now of inhabiting the ancient Latin idiom of Pliny the Elder, the modern French of Camus, or the cosmopolitan Spanish style of Carlos Fuentes. Few of the so called polyglots will ever reach this. Can you read and enjoy THE SOUND AND THE FURY in the original? Than sorry my friend, you don't know English. Great talk by Prof. Arguelles; I applaud him. He shows the road to follow.

Yes, interesting and reading is the quickest way of acquiring information. I believe that I could get this lecture in less than 1:07:12...

Audio books.. love them ocassionally but it's only passive 'reading'

16:36 Formula to improve your learning

11:50 Examen de vocabulario dió como resultado que los estudiantes tenían promedio 5 mil palabras solo suficientes para la comunicación elemental y así esperaban seguir con sus estudios superiores.

So my question is that if I can't find a book at that 98% level, or even close is it completely useless to read? I can't find/afford graded readers in Russian (I found one but it was really short and now I'm done with it). What will happen if I just keep plowing through book after book at 70-80% understanding until the end? I live next to a book store, I have a plethora of books of potential interest to me. Obviously it isn't ideal, but I've got to do SOMETHING to get up to that 98% level right? And I can't stand intensive reading, checking translators and dictionaries for unknown words. At 70% understanding it is still more enjoyable without stopping for translations and to just move on and focus on what I understand. What is recommended here? Also I often imagine what people did to learn languages way back long ago before there was anything close to language learning resources. They probably picked up a book as soon as they had a few core words and just made do. And read. And read. And read. At 20%, 30%, 50% understanding, didn't matter. Just kept reading and eventually with enough input their understanding constantly went up. That's what I'm imagining, anyway. I believe that 98% is ideal, I'm convinced, but it just seems so unattainable that you are better off using that time it would have taken you to find that one perfect book to actually just pick something up and read. I've spent an unforgivable amount of time scouring the internet for that perfect input and I still haven't found it.

16:40 tres horas de estudio por semana. En un período de 9 meses harás el progreso de 12 meses. Es decir aprenderás más del 20% que el promedio estudiante.

I would like to visit the web site he mentions and he shows in the screen but I can’t catch. I would appreciate it a lot if someone shares it. Thx!

prof

I only got 13/1400 and I'm a native English speaker study history at university. Quite surprising

Anybody have the links prof put up?

4:38 Reading is a tool for a language development 5:36 Why reading is necessary above all for vocabulary. Word families. Educated native speakers know 20+k words; basic functionality needs 3k words. 9:35 my.vocabularysize.com as a tool to identify how many word families to you know. 12:28 TOEFL 500, IELTS 5 = 5K word know families. It's enough for conversations but not for study. The distinction between Intensive and Extensive Reading 13:57 Intensive: short informative text + dictionary. 15:38 Extensive: fun, easy; no dictionary; long and connected texts. No for vocabular but for understanding a language. www.robwaring.org/er/what_and_why/er_is_vital.htm 18:15 For engaging in Extensive Reading you have to know 98% of a text's vocabulary. 6 unknown words per page. 31:20 As you type it www.keybr.com/ you read it very closely

Sermonem optimum, Magister!

I'm learning English. So can anyone tell me if there is absolutely no point to read literature if your understanding level is below 95%? I can't beleave it's true. Yes, i'm far from that level and when i'm reading original books in English i can understand 60-80% but still i enjoy reading it. So there is no point to read untill i get to 95%? I really doubt that statement is true.

Ceaseless love, Professor of languages. Jacqueline. Vietnam🥰🥰😇😇🤩🤩. Hoping to meet You soon, Prof

Change is constant,progress is not so much.

So, if I don't know 98% of the language I should go for intensive reading and not extensive? I would like to know his technique for acquisition of vocabulary if you're not fluent yet.

From Vietnamese love. Professor Polygot

27:40 Lectura en voz alta para mejorar

Me pregunto siendo ésta una conferencia de poliglotas ¿como es posible que no le hayan puesto los subtitulos a éste video en al menos las lenguas mas habladas ? mucho trabajo ? o simplemente esto es solo para que lo entiendan los angloparlantes ?

57:00 Q&A

This is why you hold the microphone under the aperture of your mouth rather than pointing it at your mouth.

9:08 How do you know how many words you know

Where can I find the slides he is using?

26:40 como sabes como leer en un idioma extranjero?

I listened to the start of this talk, and was about to give it up listening after 10 minutes or so, as I was distracted by the delivery and nervousness of the speaker. However, I persisted, and as the talk continued I found myself growing more are more interested. I'm just at the halfway point, but I can safely say that I recommend it highly.

You know, I have to say I can only focus with Audio, however when I write I forget what I write. That's odd.

9:08 test

18:20 Un libro promedio utiliza 300 palabras

So Christophe Clugston never showed up I assume.

I don't think people read less. In fact, some scientists people read even more in terms of the quantity of different articles and subtitles and texts from games... The quality might be lacking though...

Anyone else see that dude in the front pick stuff out of his ear and sniff it TWICE xD

Interesting. However, the board is not readable.

Argüelles: you must comprehend 98% of the words Latin/Greek students: well I guess I'll never be able to do extensive reading.

It's pretty in India, but not as good as in Finland or Iceland.

31:50 que leer

30:03 App

So extensive reading is not for people below a B2 level then. Because if you know 95% of the words in a book then you're already basically fluent. So why do so many polyglot teachers suggest reading books in the target language for even beginners? I'm a bit confused.

1:05:02 - Makes the claim that "reading aloud" is not a real skill that we use in real life, but think by analogy of all other types of exercises we do like martial arts katas, playing scales, jogging, and these are not skills that we use in "real life" either. Practice activities are fundmanetally different than the "real skills" that we use. For example when I learned to practice typing on a computer keyboard, we normally type a bunch of nonsense characters that appear on different rows of the keyboard, specifically designed in order to train our fingers to quickly move to those positions.

whats his first language?

Wow, this was in my city, and I didn't attend. :(

One day, I will be able to speak 4 languages, I will be a polyglot.

y es que no piensan ponerles los subtitulos ? que desperdicio ...!

French is pretty phonetic. You just need to know silent letter rules and that kind of thing and you are good to go.

Richard Simcott?

It's a conference for polyglots but it's held in English! 🤣

The guy seems tired :P

He's just 50. How's that "old"?

He says 6 out of 300 words can be unknown, meaning 6 words per page and that would come up to 2% of unknown words. I think there is a huge mistake here bexause it assumes that every word is only used one. Imagine you have a 300 page novel with 300 words per page, totaling up to 90000 words with 1800 unknown words. But the number of individual words in that book might only be half of the total number of words, since words are used repetedly. So if you don't understand 1800 words out of 45000 individual words than you are missing 4 percent not 2.

Gaining 12 months within 9 is a 33% gain not 25%.

Alex was REALLY bored.

The content is very interesting but the speaker’s pacing (movement) is very distracting.

30:10 Can't believe he cannot get "Преступление и наказание" correctly... Now that's extensive reading to the extreme when you can't get the title right!

All the air puffs that the mic picked up why he was talking gave me a headache and made it hard to focus

This guy with the brown pants, checkered-shirt, in the front row , in front of the camera, annoys the shit out of me. He is obviously out of place at this conference, constantly fidgeting and looking at his watch. Why dude?

Please do cardio

This is a talk on literature and it seems that he is taking Dostojevski et al. almost for granted? I would question the overall benefit of literature altogether. Polyliteracy even? One should make a distionction between what is worth learning and what isn't. Not all texts use colorful language, and some use colorful language even without being too snobby about it. The best example that I can give is the Triple Knowledge, meaning the recitation of 3 Vedas. It was common in Europe too for poets to recite large works. Today there is too much "literature" out there. Most of it is not worth even reading, like Schopenhauer said in his essay on reading. Maybe Arguelles is using too numeric approach to vocabulary building and language learning in general. I think Arguelles fails to make the distinction between sacred and profane languages - between philosophy and science and "literature". One should never lump these things together - and my advice is to never even begin to read "extensively".

With all due respect for Prof. Arguelles, reading is not the "best" tool for learning a foreign language. Linguists still can't define what "knowing a language" really means. Sure, you can learn, for example, 10,000 words from books. But will you recognize them when you hear them fluently spoken by a native speaker is a different question. Listening or speaking skills are just as important. And reading books is not an efficient way of training your listening comprehension or speaking ability. If I heard Prof. Arguelles speak Russian on the street, for example, just as he did in this video, I would never think he's the guy who reads Dostoyevsky. His Russian sounds way off base. If he watched more Russian movies, on the other hand, he might have developed a better feeling for the Russian accent. No offence to Prof. Arguelles intended. You can't impress anyone with your 20,000+ vocabulary if you have a terrible accent, for example. No one is going to take you seriously. I'm just saying that growing your vocabulary doesn't necessarily make you a good speaker or listener in a foreign language. Speaking, listening and reading are all quite different skills. You have to decide for yourself what's more important to you in language learning.

98% is not true. What a discouragement! Maybe 60%, obviously the grammar, but that's way too high to get the main point of a text.