How to Prioritize Language Learning Skills

[Carmody]

I am very much invested in my French language learning effort but I am still feeling challenged by the fact that I should be simultaneously:

1-Oral comprehension
2-Reading
3-Vocabulary
4-Grammar
5-Pronunciation
6-Writing

I would be curious to learn how people prioritize their language learning studies.


Edit:the addition of 6-Writing
Edit#2: for clarity

[iguanamon]

Pronunciation should be taken care of in the beginning. With good courses, that's where they're going to start. Using Pimsleur (if easily available) alongside a good course helps to reinforce pronunciation. Reading is something that I do as I start learning. I usually start with something as short as a tweet, or a song's lyrics (sometimes just the refrain)... just trying to figure out the words by making my own connections, which includes looking up words in a bilingual dictionary. Building vocabulary is something I do all along the way as my reading increases. As my conversational ability begins to grow, I need more vocabulary. I may purposely look it up- like vocabulary related to what I do to earn a living and where I live and for how long, but mostly my vocabulary grows by listening to, and reading, native materials... especially after finishing a course.

Grammar study is something I divide between basic grammar and advanced grammar. Basic grammar I define as what I need to construct a basic sentence- verb conjugation, pronoun placement, reflexive verbs, etc... this is done in the early stages. Advanced grammar comes along as my abilities grow and I begin to need more advanced grammar. Writing and speaking help to inspire a need for more advanced grammar, as well as reading and listening to more advanced materials.

My multi-track approach to learning helps me to do this in what, for me, is a logical progression. I try to make sure I'm doing all this alongside my courses, instead of separately. In this way, it isn't such a shock to my system because I've already been exposed to it and I'm not "trying to do it all at once" or sequentially. The abilities are integrated into what I do as I move along. My language-learning experience also means that I know a difficult concept or usage is a necessary component of learning another language because I know how languages work. I accept it. Of course, I still make plenty of mistakes, but most of them will work themselves out over time.

[heartlandexpat]

I know this probably isn't the intellectual response you're looking for, but I literally just stick em in a numbered list and then randomize that sucker.

If I feel like anything's behind where I want it to be or behind my other skills then I'll make sure I do at least a little bit of that each day and then still randomize the rest of my time. Or if I feel like I only want to prioritize it a little I might just assign it extra numbers (ie there's 5 things on the list but I draw from 1-6 and both 5 and 6 represent listening or whatever).

As iguanamon pointed out some things should be taken care of first, so I do it a bit differently when very first starting a language, but for that I typically just curate a few really good sources (which might be one textbook, one app, one podcast, etc) and then randomize from those.

It's not fancy, but it makes sure everything gets covered and that I don't get bored, so it works for me. I can't handle structure

[smallwhite]

I should be simultaneously:

Google search results [urgent important]:
http://www.google.com/m?hl=es&source=an ... +important

At uni we learned to look at tasks with this 2x2 urgent or not x important or not grid. What do you do first if the phone is ringing, the tap is leaking, the doorbell is ringing, nature is calling, etc, all at the same time.

[PeterMollenburg]

I should be simultaneously:

Google search results [urgent important]:
http://www.google.com/m?hl=es&source=an ... +important

At uni we learned to look at tasks with this 2x2 urgent or not x important or not grid. What do you do first if the phone is ringing, the tap is leaking, the doorbell is ringing, nature is calling, etc, all at the same time.

Exchange all these for health ailments of differing degrees of urgency, and there you have gone and done it, that is, reminded me of work on a day off with the kids! How dare you

[renaissancemedici]

Iguanamon pretty much said what I wanted to say, only better.

When I read your question I thought that these elements shouldn't be seen as seperate but as complementary and we should take our time with the language as we deal with all of them at once. But not in a frenzy or in a hurry, but in a soft flowing wave.

Of course ther is no should in learning, or maybe there should be....

[tarvos]

I do all of these in any given order depending on how I feel about doing them and how I feel about how much I suck at them. If I suck really bad at something, time to fix it. Except for pronunciation - that one ALWAYS comes first.

[garyb]

At the beginner level, a good course like Assimil will cover most of what you listed: listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar. It doesn't go really in-depth into any of them, but it's enough at that level and you can always supplement with more listening or more grammar study (for example) if you feel the need. Pronunciation is the big exception: courses generally pay little or no attention to it so you usually need specific material. Pimsleur can work if you're lucky enough to have the talent to accurately reproduce what you hear, but the rest of us need something that actually explains the sounds.

At intermediate and advanced level, I think listening is very important so I make it a priority and try to do some every day. Everything else I just do when I feel like it or (for speaking) have the opportunity.

[tarvos]

I use IPA and then the recordings and people to imitate prosody.

[Carmody]

Please note my edit to the OP:

6-Writing