4 Unconventional Language Learning Methods Approved by Scrappy Language Learners
Think of people you know who are highly fluent in another language. Did they study the traditional way – grammar drills, textbooks, and tests – or did they use unconventional language learning methods?
Chances are, it was the second.
Whether out of rebellion or necessity, people have always come up with their own language learning strategies – many with great success.
Hungarian interpreter Kató Lomb famously learned Russian in a bomb shelter, with a single novel and a dictionary as her only resources. AI Language Club co-founder Kerstin Cable herself learned English by translating song lyrics from the British rock band Pulp.
Today, independent language study is easier than ever. More and more people are ditching conventional methods for alternatives that keep them engaged and help them achieve their fluency goals. Here are some of the most talked about in online language circles.
Watching shows to build vocabulary
Listen to South Korean artist RM speak English, and you’ll never guess he learned it from Friends. His mom bought him the entire DVD collection (all ten seasons), which he used to master the language from scratch.
“First I watched them with the Korean subtitles, and then the next time, I watched with the English subtitles, and then I just removed them,” he told Ellen DeGeneres.
Turns out it’s a solid strategy – one that language learners online put their own spin on. For instance, while most use the built-in subtitles on Netflix or YouTube, others turn to resources like the AI Language Club’s AI Shortcuts for Listening Practice.
For content, some start with kids’ shows – mirroring singer Ricky Martin, who learned English from Mister Rogers. Others prefer to watch content that’s less accessible but more compelling.
Do they end up losing the plot? “For long shows, after about 12 episodes, I find I finally start to adapt to it,” one Reddit user shared. “It’s as if my comprehension suddenly jumped from 40% to 70%.”
Shadowing actors for better pronunciation
Solo language learners also use movies and TV shows for shadowing, or mimicking someone’s speech in real time. “Even five minutes of shadowing a show or a YouTube video every day can completely change your accent and your flow in a short amount of time,” YouTuber Elysse daVega said in a recent video. She shadows while reading subtitles on the screen, turning down the speed when necessary to keep up.
The creator behind the YouTube channel Language Lords also uses shadowing, taking breaks from reading articles out loud to mimic celebrities with his desired accent. “This refreshes my accent and gives me a model to strive for,” he said.
Mastering a skill in the target language
Another strategy the Language Lords creator recommends is parallel language learning, in which you learn a new skill in the target language. For three weeks, he committed to studying filmmaking using only online videos in French.
This, he said, forced him to give the videos his full attention and watch them multiple times. It also gave him a sense of progress he wouldn’t have gotten from language learning alone. “By learning a tangible, high-level skill through French, I stayed fully engaged.”
Role-playing with AI chatbots
AI chatbots might be the perfect conversation partners. As one Reddit user wrote, they have both “the competency of an educated native speaker” and “infinite patience” – a rare find in the real world!
There are other benefits to bots: you can talk to them at any time, anywhere, about any topic. You can switch topics on a whim or stop a conversation altogether, and they won’t get offended. And you can role-play different scenarios based on your needs, like rehearsing for a job interview.
Or even just for fun: one of our favorite activities here at AI Language Club involves asking a chatbot to act as a celebrity or historical figure. (We call this Talking With the Stars.) We’ll ask them things we’ve always wanted to know – or even for life advice.
This is an example of the talking with the stars tutorial from AI Language Club, a language learning community for online learners
Best of all, they never judge your mistakes – although they can correct you if you ask them to, effectively helping you improve your speaking skills.
“I have noticed that my speaking flows so much better and I feel a lot more comfortable when I speak,” one user said of practicing with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode.
Like the other strategies on this list, using AI puts you in the driver’s seat, helping you learn in a way that works for you – and keeps you coming back.
