The Rationale for SRS

Spaced repetition systems. Who needs 'em?

Think about the rationale behind them. They are to remind you of words or phrases (sometimes even whole sentences) of what you want to learn, right?

So why do people need reminding?

Because otherwise it would take too long before they encounter those words again, by which time they will have largely forgotten them.

So SRS are good then, right? They serve a useful function.

But here's the thing: why would too much time elapse? It's because most people do too little. They process too little language. 

So what happens if they do the opposite. What if they get mega-dose exposure? They'd come across the words more frequently. Especially the most frequently used words i.e. the most useful. The ones that are worth internalizing.

Therefore, if you do enough reading and listening (or ListenReading) then there's no need for an SRS.

Internal grammar and spelling

Internalize the grammar and the spelling too.

It’s a fallacy to believe that you can learn a language by studying its grammar. And to a great extent the same applies to spelling, despite the fact that schools try to teach you with spelling lists and spelling rules.

The truth of the matter is that you mostly just develop a sense what looks and feels ‘right’. This happens when you see the same forms again and again. You get used to seeing words spelled in a certain way, and words arranged in certain orders. (People who read and grade papers with a lot of mistakes find that they begin to lose that sense!)

The thing then is to get a lot of exposure to the language that you want to learn. Automatically you pick up grammar and spelling along the way. There may be a few gaps left over, but you may learn them as exceptions. It’s not the rule to learn the bulk in this way.

Even if you could learn all of the rules—quite impossible, as no one has ever managed it!—it wouldn’t do you any good, as you wouldn’t be able to retrieve and apply them rapidly enough for even ordinary conversation and texting.

Get used to the basics

Get used to the basics, I say.

Don’t be in such a rush. Don’t overdo it. Language takes time. You eat an elephant one bite at a time.

It’s important for your confidence and motivation not to do too much. Language is all about exposure. You get used to it by exposing yourself to mild doses. Certain words and word patterns come first. You need to get comfortable with them first, and get them right. You need to be able to perform them well, by which I mean automatically.

That’s what is meant by getting used to the basics, in my opinion. Exposure is the key. Not practice, not dills, not exercises, not tests, not lists, not memorization. Exposure to real and authentic language meant for native users of your target language.

So that’s a bit tricky at beginner levels, because not much is written in really basic language that is directed at adults. There’s stuff for children, sure. But it isn’t usually of interest to adults.

Probably, to gain exposure to a lot of basic language, one needs to develop the ability to ignore language at a level that is still too difficult to comprehend or absorb. That’s counter-intuitive.