The Key to Language Learning: Vocabulary

How to improve your language skills using vocabulary words

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! One of the age old debates amongst linguists and language enthusiasts around the world is whether vocabulary or grammar is ultimately more important when thinking about second language strategies. While both certainly have their place, it is my personal belief that vocabulary is far more important than grammar and in this post I will attempt to explain why.

As always, everyone is unique and if vocabulary is something you struggle with finding the desire to work on, you are not alone. Lean into and maximize your strengths, that is the best way to minimize your weaknesses. That said, I am interested in your opinions and reasoning so if you disagree please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Foreign language mastery

When you are getting started on a new language, most of the things you will be focused on are basic The reason behind this is that you will be using the basics all the time and only rarely will you need to access a more advanced lexicon.

While mastery of the basics is important, without providing opportunities for growth momentum can easily be stifled. In fact, the most prevalent complaint about Duolingo tends to be that it focuses too much on repetition of the basics. Yes, repetition is vital for language learning success, however it is not the only thing that matters.