Goldlist Method Discussion on LingQ Forums

– How to learn languages

Feb 15
Posted by Viktor D. Huliganov

3 Votes for this Post

Image via CrunchBase

via LingQ Forums – How to learn languages.
This is a link to a discussion on the Goldlist Method again by some pretty hardcore polyglots, most
of whom seem to like the method, although unsurprisingly there are dissenting voices. After all, the
people who have already learned a number of languages successfully will already in the main have
their pet methods, and the fact that any people in that category are willing to add the method to their
arsenal is a great boon. My main case for it rests however with the people who have written to me
getting success for the first time in language learning by applying the method and understanding the
underlying truths about language learning – which of course it doesn’t have any kind of monopoly
on – which were the reasons they failed before with conventional classroom learning, and not from
their own fault.
I don’t think I will join in the discussion on LingQ, one YT friend indicated that the discussion is
there, but on previous occasions when this has been discussed and I’ve chimed in it has put the
discussion to death a bit. And believe me it is a great pleasure for me to read intelligent, unfettered
discussion about the method.
Please go and have a look. You don’t have to be a registered member of LingQ to review the site,
although you might want to look around and see if a sub there is for you. I like Steve Kaufman and
have no qualms about plugging his place. Most people spend a lot more on Language Learning than
they’d need to spend to get a top-level membership on there, and be engaged in studying and
teaching languages all day and every day.
Here are a handful of my favorite quotes from the discussion, by various people:
The method was first invented by an English guy living in Poland (I believe his name is
David James.) He seems to be a little strange…

Heh heh.
Perhaps he is simply living proof that human genius and human madness are very close
together!?
Very possibly. Who knows?
Some of this videos are funny, some aren’t.

I cannot possibly comment. None of them are particularly funny to me, I have to say.
I have been using the Goldlist method since last December, and it seems indeed that on
average I remember 30% of the words in each list. I have only done the first distillation
so far, but it seems to work indeed, and it is faster than an SRS protocol.

It is a kind of SRS protocol, but more drawn out, more trusting of the amazing human unconscience
than either Anki or Supermemo, even though they reflect experimental findings about memory
more closely than my method does. And of course it doesn’t need a computer. We spend enough
time on them and finding diacritics can seriously waste your learning time. On the other hand just
clicking between alternatives doesn’t engage you as much in the word as actually writing it.
I didn’t know about Mr James’ contribution to the polyglot book before Sebastian
pointed it out in his post yesterday. I spent several hours last night reading most it, and I
agree it makes pretty interesting (and unusual) reading.

I liked the way he describes learning Italian in classes at school, while teaching himself
Russian at home using Linguaphone and the older version of “Teach Yourself”. The
result: he got a top mark in the ‘O Level‘ Russian Exam, and a lower mark in the ‘O
Level’ Italian exam – leaving his Italian teacher entirely perplexed! :-0

His recollections of having a little run-in with the KGB while on a student exchange in
the old USSR during the 1980s is also quite funny in the telling (although the actual
experience of a KGB-third-degree was doubtless anything other than ‘funny’ for a
student 19 or 20 years of age!)

Very true.
Those CANNOT be his own eyebrows

It’s a fair cop, I borrowed them from the Eyebrow Library. They are in fact a pair of bookworms,
and can often be found hovering over their prey.
I won’t do all of the ones I liked as I would prefer people to go and read the whole discussion in
situ.
So here’s that link again.

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About Viktor D. Huliganov

48 year old accountant who loves languages, literature, history, religion, politics, internet, vlogging
and blogging and lively written discussion. Conservative Christian, married to an angel, we have
three kiddiwinkies, and live in Warsaw, Poland. I also work in Prague, Czech Republic and
Bratislava, Slovakia.
View all posts by Viktor D. Huliganov »
Posted on 15/02/2012, in Blog only, Gold List Methodology, Huliganov's Russian Course,
Languages and Linguistics and tagged Anki, David James, goldlist method, KGB, Language
acquisition, lingosteve, LingQ, Steve Kaufman, SuperMemo. Bookmark the permalink. 7
Comments.
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Answering a person who is not attracted to the Goldlist system. →

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• Comments (5)
1.

Victor Berrjod | 17/02/2012 at 11:46 am

1 Vote on Comment

And sometimes to useful things, of course. I just think the other things are funnier.
2. Victor Berrjod | 16/02/2012 at 8:23 pm

1 Vote on Comment

I like how you put Wikipedia links in your posts. Sometimes to common things that
everybody knows about anyway, and this time to an English guy named David James.

• Viktor D. Huliganov | 17/02/2012 at 9:22 pm

1 Vote on Comment

That’s right. The wikipedia link to Steve Kaufman wasn’t the same Steve and the
wikilink to me wasn’t the same me. That was fair, and one of my attempts at subtle
humour.
•

3. kaet | 16/02/2012 at 5:22 pm

Mark Comment

I read this post and some of the stuff linked from it, and did a blogpost today
(http://kaetslanguages.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/initial-thoughts-on-a-long-term-vocab-
learning-system/) on my first thoughts on your system. In short, it may well be very good
but probably isn’t for me. I hope I’ve been fair, but if I’ve made any serious errors please let
me know. I am upfront that I haven’t examined the system in depth.

• Viktor D. Huliganov | 17/02/2012 at 9:30 pm

Mark Comment

Well, I’ll have a look at your blog post and see if you have made a case why it
wouldn’t be for you.
•
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