Preparation
Preparation
Preparation is a short orientation to the sounds, words, characters, grammar, and tools of a language, done before a stretch of immersion. Its purpose is to make the next stretch of immersion noticeable. It does not replace immersion. Immersion becomes usable once the learner can pick out those sounds, words, characters, and patterns in running speech or text. Time spent in the language stays the main activity.
Preparation is one mode of Three Pillars of Language Learning, the three-mode system it belongs to.
Core takeaways
- Preparation is a short orientation before immersion. It covers sounds, words, characters, grammar, and tools.
- The test of preparation is whether the next session of real language is easier to start and follow.
- Preparation ends when the next session can be entered, or when a short fixed slice of time is used up, whichever comes first.
- There is no verified best ratio of preparation to input.
- Two weeks in which most time went to decks, tools, or grammar is the signal to quit. Preparation has replaced immersion at that point.
The forms preparation can take
The forms below are a list. The list is not a course to complete, and no order among the forms is set.
Sound and writing-system work means learning a phonetic spelling until it can be heard and recognized. For Mandarin this means enough of a system like pinyin that the sounds and their spellings can be recognized when they appear.
Word review means a few high-frequency Vietnamese words, reviewed before a beginner video, so that fewer items in the session are unknown. The number of words is small. The job does not call for an afternoon spent building a deck. An SRS is the class of tool for that review. Anki is one free SRS. No particular program is required.
Character orientation for Mandarin or Japanese is covered at Character Primer.
A grammar primer is a short tour of common patterns. It is incomplete on purpose. Its use is that the patterns can then be noticed in input. The method is a short grammar point, then a search for that pattern in real speech or text. The Vietnamese Grammar Primer is the worked example of such a primer, rebuilt around Vietnamese.
Lookup and subtitle setup is covered at Immersion Metalayers. That page covers popup and subtitle tools as a class. The setup should be in place before a session, so that a lookup during the video does not interrupt the video. This form is the one that can turn into tool fiddling, the third failure in the table below.
Choosing catalogs and content is the last form. It means knowing where the next session’s language will come from.
How to tell whether preparation worked
The test is whether the following session of real language is easier to start and follow. A week of preparation is judged by that test. After the week, one of two things is true: the next stretch of immersion was more noticeable, or the week was only preparation.
Three ways preparation fails
| Failure | Signal | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation replaces immersion | Most of the week goes to tools, decks, or grammar about the language | Set a cap on preparation time and require input time |
| Too little preparation | Every session is hard to follow and discouraging | Add a small amount of sound, vocabulary, or grammar preparation aimed at that session |
| Tool fiddling | Tool setup keeps growing and language exposure does not | Name the exact problem the tool must fix |
How much preparation is enough
The cap in use: preparation ends when the next session can be entered, or after a short fixed slice of time, whichever comes first. There is no verified optimal ratio of preparation to input. The cost of preparation is that slice of time. Preparation should not grow into a separate activity with its own weekly hours. Two weeks in which most of the time went to decks, tools, or grammar is the signal to quit. In that case the next session had stopped being the goal.
Calling preparation a pillar is a naming choice within the three-mode system. The label is not a research finding.
How to practice this
- Before the next session, spend a short fixed slice of time on one form: sounds, words, characters, grammar, or tools. Stop when the slice ends or when the session looks enterable. Notice whether the session that follows is easier to start and follow.
- Learn enough of a phonetic spelling such as pinyin to hear the sounds it writes. Then listen to Mandarin speech. Notice whether you can match the sounds you hear to their spellings.
- Review a few high-frequency Vietnamese words before a beginner video. Notice whether the session is still mostly unknown words.
- Read one short grammar point from a primer. Then look for that pattern in real speech or text. Notice each time the pattern appears.
- Set up a popup or subtitle tool before a session, and name the one problem it must fix. Notice whether a lookup during the video still interrupts the video. If setup time grows and language time does not, that is tool fiddling.
- At the end of each week, note where most of the time went. If most went to decks, tools, or grammar, the week was preparation. Two such weeks in a row is the signal to quit.
Related pages
- Three Pillars of Language Learning: the three-mode system preparation is one mode of
- Character Primer: the character-orientation form for Mandarin or Japanese
- grammar primer: a short tour of common patterns, incomplete on purpose, used so those patterns can be noticed in input
- Vietnamese Grammar Primer: the worked primer, rebuilt around Vietnamese
- Immersion Metalayers: lookup and subtitle tools as a class, and the form that can turn into tool fiddling
Open questions
Is there a prep-to-input ratio that holds across languages, or only a cap that keeps most of the week from going to preparation?
Sources
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press. A small high-frequency vocabulary makes a large share of running text accessible.
Nation, I. S. P. (2007). “The Four Strands.” Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 1(1). Language-focused learning is one strand, not the whole.