Language acquisition Platforms: German

I would like to focus on language acquisition of German and Spanish in this post. I will reflect on four useful websites for this purpose and at the end I will evaluate and compare all four. The websites that I will be analysing cover the aspects of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. It is important to incorporate language learning platforms in the study of langauges as “there will be little of the traditional approach in future classrooms as information in instructional technology approach continues to rapidly grow…” (Reference: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306119651_E-Learning_as_a_Platform_to_Learn_English_among_ESL_Learners_Benefits_and_Barriers , Research in Language Teaching and Learning, Chapter: 5, Publisher: Penerbit UTM Press, Editors: Mahani Stapa; Haliza Jaafar, page 80)

 

Memrise:

I have come across this website by accident while I was looking for any resources to help me enrich my vocabulary for German. Vocabulary is provided on this website according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). As I would like to be an independent user of this languages I chose to start with vocabulary for level B1.I have found thirty eight categories for word banks for German. It is a free account and it gives you the access to fulfilling content along with the English translation and it uses audio to improve pronunciation. Memrise is accessible through a website and an app which is ideal for students. Memrise has helped me to enrich my word bank in German and Spanish. It is worth to give it a try if you want to acquire lots of new vocab.

Pros:

• It is free.
• Supports over one hundred languages.
• Provides useful expressions.
• Can be downloaded from app store.

Cons:

• Vocabulary based only, words and phrases don’t help in real life situations.

Netflix

I believe that one of the best ways to learn a language is to incorporate it into our daily routine. Language acquisition is a difficult and long process but it can become easier and more fun by watching our favourite tv shows in that particular language. In my case its German and Spanish. Netflix gives me the advantage of watching movies and my favourite tv shows with subtitles. To improve my German language skills i watch “The Crown” with English subtitles and “Narcos” to improve Spanish. In this way, i learn a language without even realising this as I get more and more engrossed into the plot.

Pros:

• Large variety of movies and tv-shows
• Provides the opportunity to hear native speakers.
• Learning comes indirectly through visual and audio media.
• Enjoyable platform to learn a language.

Cons:

• Can be hard to acquire a language without making notes at the beginning.
• Time- consuming.

WordReference

There are many online translators and by far WordReference is my favourite. It provides a way to look up words and not phrases which gives more accuracy and less space for mistakes. I find it very useful when writing an essay because there are examples of how the word can be used in different meanings. I have learned to double check myself using this tool. I do not have any suggestions for improvement as it satisfies all my expectations.

Pros:

• Provides examples, part of speech and gender.
• Provides synonyms to help expand vocabulary.
• Free dictionary for my core languages.

YouTube(music platform)

Learning  a language through music is a smart way to self-study by joining it to your hobby. At the start I thought it was weird to listen to songs in a foreign language as I was not used to it. Then I figured out that music is sticky. Think of the amount of times a song is stuck in your head for the whole day. This helped me to memorise new words. I already have a few songs that I could classify as being my favourite and as I listened to them over and over again, I can say that I have learned a few single words. I found that some YouTube videos have subtitles in English which is an extra help. Additionally, I found that it improved my grammar skills also as I learnt how to use complex grammar without memorising all the rules listed on a white sheet of paper.

Pros:

• Music is portable, can use it anywhere
• Singing improves pronunciation
• Quick acquisition of new vocabulary

Cons:

• Some songs can have slang.