The myth of input | How NOT to learn a language

Anyone who has tried to learn a language knows that there are a million different learning systems and methods out there, and a million different people trying to sell them to you. But after a while you will probably notice one idea that everyone seems to believe in, and that is the importance of input, based on the input hypothesis of Stephen Krashen. But does this idea have any evidence, or any value for learners?
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[HM-huhu]

I am nearly fluent in a second language because I watched tons of TV in that language as a kid. Much more than in my native language due to more and better content in the language. I have never practiced speaking it. I never spoke it to a native (I was shy about it). And yet, to this day I can produce it on a nearly native level. Despite never actually practicing or speaking it actively.

Input works.

[gatanonimo]

As someone who magically became fluent in English just by consuming YouTube, I can confirm that input does indeed work.

[Williamottelucas]

I am a bilingual offspring of immigrant parents. I'm also a language teacher. I've worked to acquire other languages. And I respect the work of Krashen. I believe that input comes first. It is the clay you need to do something with. After you have that clay, you then go on to do something with it. I see the language-learning process that way.

[NaturalLanguageLearning]

Consistent input + conversation is infinitely superior to traditional grammar rule based, classroom learning. That's not only my own experience, but also the experience of every other polyglot I know. Lots of reading, lots of listening.

[jameezybreezy]

Comprehensible input is exactly how I learned to speak Spanish, Italian, and French fluently, and also how I am currently learning Russian at a fast pace.

[SpanishFacilito]

I achieved a C1 level in English a few years ago by reading and listening to English for three years so I am a true believer in input theory.I am learning French now and I use the same method. I think it annoys you teachers that there is a way to learn languages where you are not indispensable.

[adahunter]

English is my second language and I'm fluent in it despite the fact that I've never been to a country that can speak it. I've learned English almost exclusively from watching gameplay videos on youtube, playing games and watching cartoons on TV with audio set to EN. I remember when I first started feeling confident enough to speak, words just wouldn't want to come out on their own. I definitely believe forcing myself to speak over the years has helped improve my speaking, however I also know that if I hadn't kept getting more and more input between the rare times that I felt confident enough to speak about something in English, I would've never improved in the slightest. I know, from my experience, for a fact that input is 100% the most important part of being able to not only understand but also speak a language. Nowadays if I'm lucky even native speakers occasionally mistake me for a native speaker and I never had to study for it. I never had to prepare vocab cards, practice speaking phrases or study pronunciation and writing. But go ahead, call the way I learned my second language complete bullshit.

[DongoBongKong]

To increase your vocabulary you definitely need lots of input. I also believe we learn languages in context, whole sentences. And being continuously exposed to certain structures will help us internalize the language. This is my own experience of learning English. I consider myself a relatively fluent speaker and I got here, I believe, by lots of reading and listening. But also speaking! They do go hand in hand but I still think there is a place for the comprehensible input hypothesis. It is simply one of the most effective and organic ways to improve your language ability.

[lulu]

Then why am I able to speak in English quite comfortably?
I haven’t outputted in English so much (I guess less than 24 hours in life), but I’ve gotten more than 10, 000 hours of input.

[sunray]

i disagree, you have to be in contact with your target language as much as possible to learn it so of course input is very important, that's the way you learn, you need immersion :) eventually you will be able to use the language in your daily life, doing your normal activities, watching things you enjoy on youtube/netflix, etc.
that's how i'm learning English.

[autentyk]

Dude, I have done nothing with my time during the entire pandemic but watch series in Catalan and sentence mine there. After 15 months of nothing but input I activated the language, speaking it for the first time. Fluently. It's a new chapter for me living in Barcelona. You know nothing.

[lusitanoexponencial]

I've a simple question for you: how can you speak well something you don't understand well? The answer is: you can't! So the input comprehensible, and acquire the language, will always come first. And nobody is saying you don't have to practice. Make no mistake, you will have to speak a lot, to improve. But if you keep repeating verbs like a parrot don't take you anywhere. I'm a Brazilian who has learn four languages, and I know the input comprehensible works.

[ahmetbugrahanakbiyik]

The man was saying "comperhensible input" not only "input". I was studying for an English exam. I tried to memorize a lot of vocabulary and grammer rules and failed it. Then I decided to read a lot instead studying hard (memorizing vocabulary). After time, I realized that I had much more vocabulary than it is needed then passed the exam. The secret of language acquisition is understanding what you are reading or listening. It needs to be understood. It needs to be so understandable that it allows your brain can acquire that language.

[savsa]

The fact that this man literally compared input based methods to a “parasite” shows that he understands nothing about the topic. And outputting broken sentences into the world as a beginner who knows nothing is somehow “generous”? These arguments make no sense.

[helbert.epbrazil]

🇺🇸🇧🇷 It's totally understandble that it's hard for any English teacher, who were created in a formal system, listening and teaching complicated stuff, to accept S. Krashen ideas. They may never accept that learn a new language can be much more easy! I can say it! I'm learning using input method in a country were traditional methods are almost 100% failure!

[nomindashtsengel]

I think you misunderstood the input method. The main concept of the method is to get enough input in your target language so that you can produce it. Just think about how we learn our native tongues. We listen every single day, right? And after like several years, we start to speak even though we make tons of mistakes. It is the same principle. How can you speak a language if you can not understand a conversation? How can you write a language if you can not even understand what you read? And of course once you reach that certain level, you should speak and write as much as possible. But without listening and reading, the output is not going to be good because reading and listening are the foundation of the other two skills.

[bennigan]

Mr. Canguro, with respect I think you are very, very far afield. My experience as a teacher has taught me the opposite of pretty much every argument you've made here, so I really hope for the sake of your followers that you put some serious time into upgrading your understanding of language acquisition.

[Enis]

I'm not a native English speaker, I learned English from watching TV, youtube videos and gaming. I never really practiced speaking it, but when I suddenly needed to for an English assignment, when I opened my mouth:
there it was.

I'm bilingual, my native language is Dutch even though my parents are both Turkish. I can speak Turkish fluently and understanding does seem to come easier than producing the language, but it's hard to say by how much.

I'm still a believer of comprehensible input.

Good to hear a sceptic voice though.

Thanks

[lewessays]

You can't really compare brain surgery to language learning; they are very different things.
I agree people have different learning methods. And yeah, method might not be perfect but, it's how some of us learnt languages.

[charlestims]

Hi Christian, I very much like your charismatic vlog. Nevertheless, today I wouldn’t agree with your theory that much, no matter how attractive it is. In my view if someone starts learning a language, he/she has to acquire A BIG ESSENTIAL INPUT FIRST (vocabulary, basic grammar, pronunciation, for example) to be able to speak, write and understand - as well as to be understood by others in the same basic way at least. Unfortunately, there is no way round it. Until after a student has gone through this, he/she can actively focus upon an area of the given language he needs to improve or likes and really enjoys.