Words acquisition: a lifelong problem

[TeoLanguages]

Hi guys!

Disclaimer: probably a topic like this has been discussed multiple times, if so please erase the topic.

As someone already knows I wanna reach an advanced level in English (C1) (starting from a B2) in 2020 so I'm literally diving into the language. Now, the problem is that I jot down every single word or expression I don't know. I encounter plenty of words I don't really need or I use soooo rarely. So I have a couple of questions about this matter: do I need to jot down every single word or should I prioritize just the most useful words? Is quality better than quantity even in advanced stages?
Let me be more specific. In the past few days I watched and listened to English content for about 6-7 hours x day and I jotted down something like 50-70 words I don't know. I'm struggling learning them since they're less frequent words. I thought about putting them in Anki but I need a bit more of context to remember words in the long run. So I'm on the verge on going postal because of that.

Just one more question: is it better to translate words I don't know in my native language or is it better to look for their definition directly in English?

Have a nice day!

[rdearman]

I encounter plenty of words I don't really need

How do you know you will not need them tomorrow?

[Doitsujin]

So I have a couple of questions about this matter: do I need to jot down every single word or should I prioritize just the most useful words? Is quality better than quantity even in advanced stages?

You might want to consider getting an ereader. My personal favorite is the Kindle, because it comes with free commercial monolingual and bilingual English popup dictionaries (Merriam-Webster, Oxford UK/US English, Oxford Paravia Italian<->English).

Current Kindle models (6th generation Kindle Paperwhite or better) also come with a Vocabulary Builder app that'll remember every word that you look up.


Moreover, Amazon also offers Word Wise-enabled books that display English dictionary definitions above selected words.

BTW, you don't need a Kindle to read Word Wise-enabled books; you can also read them with the Android/iOS Kindle apps.

[TeoLanguages]

I encounter plenty of words I don't really need

How do you know you will not need them tomorrow?

Because they're very specific and less frequentely used, so I struggle encountering them in many different contexts and that is the best way I build my vocabulary. I mean, seeing words over and over again in different contexts. Flashcards don't work for me, unfortunately I add.

[TeoLanguages]

So I have a couple of questions about this matter: do I need to jot down every single word or should I prioritize just the most useful words? Is quality better than quantity even in advanced stages?

You might want to consider getting an ereader. My personal favorite is the Kindle, because it comes with free commercial monolingual and bilingual English popup dictionaries (Merriam-Webster, Oxford UK/US English, Oxford Paravia Italian<->English).

Current Kindle models (6th generation Kindle Paperwhite or better) also come with a Vocabulary Builder app that'll remember every word that you look up.


Moreover, Amazon also offers Word Wise-enabled books that display English dictionary definitions above selected words.

BTW, you don't need a Kindle to read Word Wise-enabled books; you can also read them with the Android/iOS Kindle apps.

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[iguanamon]

....I wanna reach an advanced level in English (C1) (starting from a B2)...

First, I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome you to the forum, TeoLanguages. I've seen a few of your posts already, and yes, you've mentioned this before. I think you should drop "wanna" when writing here. I am a native speaker of American English, from the upper South originally. I've lived in England, Australia and now in the English-speaking Caribbean. I have never written the words "wanna"; "gonna"; "shoulda"; "woulda"; "coulda" in my life either formally or in an informal context. This is an approximation of how some people speak when they say the words "want to"; "going to"; "should have or "should've"; etc. Not all English-speakers speak this way across the English-speaking world. As an ESL speaker, I wouldn't advise writing these words in this way, especially if some day you want to take a formal C1 exam, pass written tests in English, or be taken seriously as a second language speaker. Sure, a lot of younger people today write this way informally online and in text messages, but not everyone does. I'm sure some will disagree with me.

...in 2020 so I'm literally diving into the language. Now, the problem is that I jot down every single word or expression I don't know. I encounter plenty of words I don't really need or I use soooo rarely. So I have a couple of questions about this matter: do I need to jot down every single word or should I prioritize just the most useful words? Is quality better than quantity even in advanced stages?...

We all run up on the same issues in the languages we learn. Native-speakers acquire their language over a lifetime of exposure to their language- family, community, school, media- every single day of their lives. To think we can replicate this process in a short amount of time is lunacy.

Reading and consuming native media is a great way to expand vocabulary but it's not about how many words you have. It's about what you can do with them. Really making a word a part of your active vocabulary means using it- either in writing or speech or both. Myself, I don't use srs/anki in my learning. I have been learning Spanish since I was 12 years old and I am in my 50's now. I still learn new words in Spanish every single day. I read and I listen to Spanish every day, from several countries. Gradually, over time, I have learned words I didn't know before but it has taken a long time to get to where I can read a novel in Spanish and not have to look up the meaning of a word maybe every two pages or so.

That's because I live and work outside the Spanish-speaking world. Spanish is a language in which I don't converse with someone every day. Not everything I read, watch or listen to is in Spanish during a day. I was not educated in Spanish. So, I accept that. I do the best I can, given my situation. I was able to take a course from a Spanish writing school online for native-speakers where I interacted with fellow students (all native speakers) and held my own. I've had business meetings in Spanish. I've traveled all over the Spanish-speaking world. I have Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors. My Spanish is decent but I am not, nor will I ever be, the equivalent of a native-speaker. Don't compare yourself to a native-speaker, you will always come up short. I am more than happy to be a competent second language speaker.

When I was younger, I wanted to capture everything I heard and read in L2. I soon realized it was an impossible task given my circumstances as I've described. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try, but you will have to accept that some (perhaps most) of the words that you want to acquire are going to pass you by. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Gradually, over time, by reading widely, by listening widely and doing so every day over years, you will acquire a lot of these words just as you have done in Italian. Can SRS/Anki help? Sure, I've seen learners here use it to good effect. The most efficient learners seem to use SRS not as the primary tool in their tool box but as one of many tools. It's just not my thing.

Reaching C1/C2 is not a vocabulary test. Yes, your vocabulary must be adequate in order to communicate and understand communication, but the real test is what you can do with the vocabulary you have. Can you manipulate English words in a way that is coherent with good grammar and communicate your thoughts in an effortless way in English. I think you are mostly already there. My advice is to keep reading and listening. Look up unknown words and idioms when necessary and don't stress too much about them. Concentrate on grammar and keep writing and speaking. When you listen to a podcast or watch a television show in English, write a review of what you read or listened to in your own words. It can be just a few paragraphs in a journal you keep or even here on the forum. This process forces you to use vocabulary and further consolidates it in your mind.

Please remember, the race to learn a language is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Sure, everyone wants to do things quickly, but that's not always possible. We have a saying in English- "Rome wasn't built in a day".

...Just one more question: is it better to translate words I don't know in my native language or is it better to look for their definition directly in English?

I've done both. I use both monolingual dictionaries and bilingual dictionaries. In some languages, I don't have much of a choice- I have no access to monolingual dictionaries in Djudeo-espanyol and Lesser Antilles French Creole. The monolingual Haitian dictionary I have has a lot fewer entries than the bilingual dictionaries I have. So I rarely consult it. My knowledge of Catalan, at this point in my studies, is not sufficient to allow me to use a monolingual dictionary at this time. Still, I prefer a monolingual dictionary, when available, as it helps me to keep thinking in the language, but I've discovered over years of experience that using a monolingual or a bilingual dictionary doesn't really make that much of a difference in my learning.

You are probably well on your way to C1, if you're not there already- based upon what I've seen of your writing so far. Keep up the good work. Are you planning on taking a formal exam? I wish you the best of luck, TeoLanguages!

[TeoLanguages]

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Thanks for the warm welcome and the valuable advices. Yes, I know that language learning is a marathon and not a sprint but I can't find a balance between them. I mean, since I want to pass the C1 exam (Cambridge Advanced Exam to be precise) I feel like how I have to know every single new word I encounter in order to be well-prepared and since I want to pass it relatively soon (within 6 months) I think that maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself, just because my plan could be overwhelming in the long run (maybe you read about it in the other section of the forum). Of course you're right, I can't know every single word in English but even though I can express myself quite clearly about a bunch of topics now I always feel like I make dumb mistakes, I lack of grammar structures or words so I'm not 100% satisfied and I'm afraid of not being satisfied after this period of time as well.

[rdearman]

You know it's estimated that English has somewhere between 600000 and a million words right? You might miss some... Just saying...

[TeoLanguages]

You know it's estimated that English has somewhere between 600000 and a million words right? You might miss some... Just saying...

Ahahaha maybe
Joking apart, I feel my vocabulary is too much skinny so I try to embed every word I don't know in my active (or at least passive) vocabulary. Maybe trying to learn so much vocabs in such a short time could be inefficient.

[iguanamon]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the valuable advice s. ... I can express myself quite clearly about a bunch of topics now I always feel like I make dumb mistakes. I lack of grammar structures or words so I'm not 100% satisfied and I'm afraid of not being satisfied after this period of time as well.

You're welcome! First, since you are trying for a formal C1 exam, there are no "advices" in English. If I advise you multiple times in one conversation, it is all just "advice". "Advice" is not plural in English (common error for Romance speakers learning English). You can also say "Thank you for advising me." Don't worry about not being satisfied about your language abilities. I'm still not satisfied with mine and probably never will be. Not being satisfied is part of language-learning .

Some further advice, definitely drop "wanna" from your writing! The examiners will not like its use in formal writing. Concentrate on improving your English grammar. You can do this in many ways- by reading regularly, reading widely (even topics that you wouldn't ordinarily choose, an example would be a random wikipedia article of more than a couple of paragraphs in length- just keep clicking "random article" until a sufficiently lengthy one appears); do formal grammar study; use a monolingual dictionary with example sentences or a good bilingual dictionary that also has example sentences. Linguee is a decent, free online bilingual dictionary with plenty of example sentences (the examples start to lose relevance the further down the list you go). If you are unsure about whether or not a usage you are thinking about is grammatically correct, try googling the phrase or word in doubt.

You can also use an online spell-checker in many browsers. I use Firefox and it has many of my languages available for checking spelling. Of course, you won't be able to use a spell-checker in the exam, but using one as you write online will help train your spelling. Get copies of some practice exams and study them. There's a difference in being C1 and passing a test for it. Practicing the exam will help.

You can let people know here that you are available for a free language exchange. A language exchange can be done via email and/or chat/audio/video. You can advise people of your Language Exchange (LE) availability in your signature block- which you can edit in your forum profile. A tutor with exam experience can really help, but will be expensive. There are probably several learners of Italian here who would welcome a chance to practice Italian with a native. Again, vocabulary is important but it is not so much the amount of vocabulary you have that matters but how you use the vocabulary you have.