The language learner's approach has significantly evolved over two decades, with a stronger emphasis on audio books, self-conversations, and reading aloud.
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Audio books: The use of audio books has become an integral part of the learner's approach, allowing for a deeper appreciation of literature and the narrator's interpretation. This is a shift from using native materials and advanced textbooks, highlighting the value of a good narrator in bringing a language to life through intonation and interpretation.
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Self-conversations: The learner enjoys speaking the languages they know to themselves, having conversations in different languages without the need for constant reading or listening. This self-conversation is seen as a form of exercise or practice, promoting comfort and fluency in thinking and speaking the language.
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Reading aloud: Over the years, the learner has increased their focus on reading aloud and hearing themselves read aloud. This practice helps bring literature to life, particularly in languages like Latin where intonation can change the meaning of a sentence. Recording oneself while reading aloud has also proven to be beneficial in improving articulation.
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International conferences in the head: The learner aspires to have what they call "International conferences in the head," where they start a conversation in one language and then switch to another, maintaining the conversation flow. This practice is particularly helpful in understanding the connections between different languages.
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Memorization and recitation: Memorizing and reciting profound poems and short excerpts has become an essential part of the learner's approach. Reciting learned material under different circumstances and with different nuances helps interpret the material differently, building a larger repertoire inside oneself.
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Physical exercise and language learning: Integrating physical exercise with language learning is important. The learner often goes on energetic hikes while shadowing all the languages in a branch, followed by a conference or congress in their head later in the day.
In summary, the language learner's approach has evolved to incorporate audio books, self-conversations, reading aloud, and memorization, with a stronger emphasis on understanding the connections between different languages and integrating physical exercise into the learning process.
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