Helen Abadzi - Efficient language learning for all: What your brain needs to do

It greatly helps to learn the languages we need for work. But how to bring this about given hectic schedules and uncertain language learning capacity? Cognitive science and neuroscience offer research that facilitates the process. Dr. Helen Abadzi, a Greek cognitive psychologist, became a polyglot of 18+ languages during her 27 years at the World Bank. At age 65+ she keeps learning the new languages she needs. The topics will include the challenges and opportunities of memorization, pattern recognition, interference from other languages, the value of etymology, the benefits of songs, the problems of automatizing new scripts, and technology that can assist. Various marketed methods and publications will also be discussed.

The Language Event

Filming & Editing: Simos Batzakis

[femmeNikita]

One of the best talks on the main topic I have watched so far. In years. Should be recommended to: learners, educators, tutors, language schools, researchers in neuroscience, to people who complain "I'm too old to learn a foreign language" or "I do not have a talent for learning foreign languages". I would welcome any other form of follow up to this talk from this lady. But maybe with some notes or slides downloadable for everyone as well. Anyone who is both learning himself and teaching others as well has a lot to learn from her in my view. She did for sure put some aspects of teaching others and refreshing my own knowledge into perspective for me. I'm would like to thank You her for making to see at some problems I have encountered from a bit different angle. What is amazing given that I keep up to date with latest research in neuroscience as well. So I agree with her, we do need more of good neuroscientific research and we do need it badly. And it cannot be done without an insight like this talk from people like herself. I guess we all should say "thank You" to her husband as well. If he was the one who encouraged her to participate and to present this talk at the Polyglot Conference.

[M_SC]

This is a crazy efficient summary of a lot of stuff. And wow, I’d never heard of the “use your old textbooks” thing before. I knew I hoarded old books for a reason.

[tullochgorum]

Perhaps the single best source I've found on rational language learning - especially her advice on the importance of grammar and categorisation. So refreshing to hear someone who's prepared to build from established first principles and call out the bullshit. And she knows her stuff - she's a highly credentialed cognitive psychologist with a lifetime of experience in developing literacy programmes around the world.

As a relative newcomer to language learning with a background in training, I've found it surprising how much of the trendy current advice flies directly in the face of everything that we know about the psychology of skill learning. Helen's advice here is grounded on the principles that we've learned work for other skills. I was wary of the idea that language learning is some kind of special case where these insights don't apply, and this talk gives me more confidence that I'm on the right track. Three hearty cheers - I hope that this authoritative talk reaches a wide audience.

[teo]

Hello, great talk, I want to mention to Helen that VLC slows down audio quite well

[kingpamintuan]

50:30 - there is such an app. I'm using one called tc.audio (available in iOS). You can upload an audio file, select a portion of it, speed up or slow down that portion, play it on a loop, adjust the pitch, etc.

[tullochgorum]

To slow down playback, I use Transcribe! by Seventh String Software. Designed for transcribing jazz music, but ideal for this purpose too. You can quickly highlight sections to loop at any speed you want. The sound quality is pretty good down to at least 70%.

For getting native audio, why not find a teacher on one of the many exchange sites and ask them to edit and read your text. It won't cost much - no more than the cost of buying most prepackaged courses. Or many text-to-speech voices becoming pretty good these days.

[logothaironsides]

for slowing down your own personal recordings, put them in audacity and slow the tempo, it preserves tone and everything else.you can also cut pieces of the audio and have it repeat for tricky phrases and save it for practice on that particular phrase.

[tullochgorum]

A quote from Helen's Udemy literacy course that helps address criticisms here that grammar-based teaching doesn't work:

"Just because something is new does not make it effective. Demands for innovation are
propagated by the belief that ‘traditional’ methods have not worked. However, the culprit is
lack of knowledge about the variables that matter the most ... Some
‘traditional’ activities work well with human memory, but it is important to know what these
are. "

[michaelxshi]

Should i use e-textbooks to learn a new language?

[CoffeinshockDe]

I use parlatype. (unfortunately linux only)
The only thing missing is the auto repeat. You have to press the play button for every loop.

[johnperrett]

This is a really good talk is there a transcript for this I would like to have it if that is possible.

[teo]

What was the most important point of the talk for you?

[squaretriangle]

She's the strict one, because old school and her motivation stems from her professional requirements, must sound terrible to all the young free time polyglots😅
I'm between both groups (like language but do no want to sample languages and have no time constraints, but need a strong personal motivation to stay focused) so I take everything with a grain of salt😂🎉

[russelsmithard]

But this is the method used in public schools in the United States and it has not yielded any noteworthy results 🙁

[YogaBlissDance]

Watch the very end where she summarizes the entire hour! Her cadence and word choice is still a bit odd in English, like anohter language is dominating her English syntax etc.

[juliayv]

So it's impossible to learn a foreign script at all after age 18? Figures.