Is the plateau effect in foreign languages real?


There is a saying among sports coaches: If you are not becoming better, you are becoming worse. In learning foreign languages, however, many believe that they can reach a plateau and remain at that level for the rest of their lives.

For some, this is something positive. They say: I have learned enough. My level is now good enough. I do not need to attend more language courses, nor train specifically at home.

For others, this is something negative. They say: Even though I make great efforts, my pronunciation/grammar/vocabulary does not improve.

My personal theory goes like this. In our native languages, the older we get, the more words we can understand. However, for most adults, the older we get the more negligent and less flexible we become in the way we formulate our sentences – compared to the time we were at school. This is why, often, schoolchildren speak more beautifully than their parents do. As we become older, we settle for our own comfort zone: our family, friends and job. We adapt to the way they speak. Moreover, we become less able to adapt to other people´s way of speaking.

Language learners often look for general trends about what other learners can or cannot do. If there is a plateau effect for most students or not. The question is totally irrelevant, since everybody is an individual. Even if 99,9% of other students have reached a plateau, and are able to maintain it, it does not mean that it will be your case. Therefore, you need to get objective data on your personal situation. You need to establish some objective indicators, measure yourself over time, keep track of the results and analyze trends. Almost no language learner does this.

What could you do?

·         Record regularly samples of you speaking freely.
·         Write regularly improvised texts (a journal, comments on anything).
·         Try to establish the number of mistakes, ideally according to categories and subcategories: spelling, pronunciation, syntax, declension, vocabulary, style).
·         Introduce those numbers into a spreadsheet (Excel, or any other program allowing for statistical analysis).
·         Try to discover your strong and week areas.
·         Plot graphs for each indicator over time.

Then you will have both the answer if you are really stuck, and in which areas you need to improve specifically.



The GO Method
“I have been living in Germany for years. I have gone through all the levels and sustained the necessary exams. Nonetheless, I still make too many mistakes as to get a serious employment in my profession.”

It is easy to start a foreign language. It takes only practice and living abroad to get fluent. To learn the last (!) 5% and to speak without mistakes, however, you will need completely different approach.

The GO Method helps you get rid of your chronic grammar and pronunciation mistakes by applying psychology and principles of quality management.

We offer corrective courses for some languages, as well a general system for improving your use of any language. We support companies in improving the language proficiency of key employees.

Gerhard J. Ohrband
Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg /Germany (*1979). Married, one son. MA in psychology from the University of Hamburg. More than 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in psychology as well as a consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU and private companies. Coordinator of the GO Method network, with representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide.

Contact
Send us an e-mail: Gerhard.j.ohrband@gmail.com
If you want to save time in learning a foreign language without a teacher, please check out my book “The GO Method” on Amazon.



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