Why Learning a Language by Reading a Book Helps
If you’ve ever tried to learn a language, you know it’s difficult. Sometimes, the more you try, the more frustrated you feel. Especially at the beginning, it’s difficult to put the language in context, and it just feels like words on a page. That’s where my language tip for today comes in. Learning a language by reading a book will take your language journey to the next level. Here’s why.
#1: It puts the language in context
When you work in a language textbook or take a language class, you learn the concept. You become familiar with language structure and rules. However, you don’t always truly understand what this looks like in practice until you find yourself in a situation.
In teaching another language, we use two general types of materials: materials made for language learners and real-world materials. Most often, you will probably interact with a material made for language learners. This might look like a video for Spanish comprehension, a short story in French with vocabulary assistance, or an audio practice in English. These are great to help you get started.
However, you can take it to the next level by finding a book in your target language. Here, you won’t have the additional supports that the first category offers you. You’ll see your language in context: all the grammar rules, slang, and punctuation included. This will also teach you so much more about culture and underlying values than you could learn in a class.
Learning a language by reading a book might not be easy. It’s a jump from materials meant for language learners. But it will be worth it in the long run.
#2: It ties language learning to your interests
Even if you love learning a language, it can be draining to always work on workbooks and grammar practices.
Think about it–you do your grammar exercises. You practice your speaking. You read the selections provided to you. All of it is helpful, yes, but it’s not necessarily something that you’re interested in.
Reading allows you choice. Choice provides buy-in. Buy-in leads to more progress.
Why? Because you’re interested! You get to read about what you already enjoy, and you feel like you’re knocking out two things at the same time. Not only do you get to practice your language learning, but you also get to keep learning about something you enjoy. This prevents it from being too laborious or dry, and it helps to encourage your progress.
#3: You learn more vocabulary–naturally
The fastest way to attain vocabulary is by reading.
Think about it–how did you learn most of your native language? You read and you listened to others speak.
Now, as a language student, you want to do the same thing. Learning a language by reading a book works by almost overwhelming you with content and new words. As you sift through the avalanche of words and figure out a meaning, things start to click in your brain. Whereas you might otherwise remember vocabulary by memorizing it from a list, you will now determine it based off of context. This allows the word to stick in your brain so much easier, and you also automatically assign it meaning.
So, although it might be intimidating and frustrating at first, you will ultimately save yourself time in the long run. Reading is also an excellent place to start because it doesn’t have the same stress that speaking and listening do. You can review what was written as many times as you want, and you don’t have to adjust for accents. You also can pause to search a word if necessary, which makes it a great foundational block.
#4: It allows you to get familiar with grammar
Similar to vocabulary acquisition, reading lets you see grammar in context.
You’ll see it in your workbooks and exercises. No doubt about it. But it can be difficult to assign meaning to these things when they’re not relevant to you. This ultimately results in you not mastering them all the way.
If you’ve ever been to a country that speaks your target language, you’ll know what I mean. You do your grammar exercises, practice speaking, and feel confident in your language abilities. Then you get there, and it’s like everything flies out the window. You forget basic grammatical structure, and when you hear someone else say a sentence, sometimes you forget the simplest of things!
That’s why learning a language by reading helps. It’s a low-stress way to let the grammatical patterns sink in naturally. You see the same structures over and over again, which ingrains them in your brain. Before you know it, you’re able to transfer your knowledge to other areas like writing and speaking.
#5: It builds your confidence
Finally, learning a language by reading a book can greatly boost your confidence. Language learning can be incredibly frustrating. It’s totally normal to plateau and have dips and rises. However, reading a book in your target language will be so satisfying. As you finish that last page, you’ll be so proud that you made it through an entire book in a different language. Yes, it was difficult, and yes, you got frustrated. But you persevered, and you learned so much along the way.
Conclusion
Learning a language by reading a book is just what you need to take your language learning journey to the next level. Once you feel confident enough, find a book. It can be anything, from picture books to novels. Then, take a deep breath and start reading. It will be difficult at first, yes, but as you start to naturally acquire vocabulary and grammar while delving deeper into your interests, you will build confidence. Now, the question is: what book will you start out with? Let me know in the comments.