Key principles

Here I'd like to acknowledge the work of Stephen Krashen. His ideas, especially his acquisition-learning hypothesis, helped chart the course of the Voyage of Languages. Let me explain his hypothesis in simple language.

He claims that there are two ways in which we develop our language skill. We can learn it, or we we can just sort of 'pick it up'. The first happens consciously, usually at school. The second happens unconsciously--on the street, on the job or, dare I say it, between the sheets.

The scholarly way is respected. The rough and ready way is sneered at.

But guess which way is better? Which of the two does the job more quickly, more efficiently, more effectively and more enjoyably, do you think?

Basically, you need a lot of authentic input that you pay light attention to ("massive exposure" Stephen calls it). As long as you have a method to instantly understand what you are listening to or reading ("comprehensible input"), you brain will make sense of it (without anyone knowing exactly how).

You learn without knowing you've learned - as if by magic! This is similar to the way in which young children learn their first language.

My main maxims are these:

• No one can 'teach' you a language, and neither can you 'learn' them
• You get used to a language by pattern recognition
• Languages ought not to be broken down to be absorbed; keep them whole
• Use real texts that you listen to and read alongside translations in your own language
• If you haven't absorbed a new language within a year you ought to change your methods
• input before output