Photo taken in Nanking Town, Kobe
I’m not going to lie to you: the best way to learn a language is to have it taught to you by a native speaker. You will have someone to correct your mistakes, and learning the language in a classroom setting will force you to get used to studying it regularly if you find you don’t have the discipline to do it yourself.
The downside to learning a language with in a classroom setting is that how quickly you pick up the language depends on the pace of the course. Which, of course, could mean semesters and semesters of paying for courses and going at a snail’s pace.
If you aren’t lucky enough to know a native speaker that will kindly take the time to teach you one-on-one, you will have to turn to other resources that will be your guide. Books are, in my opinion, by far the second best way to learn a language (but it won’t help with speaking and pronunciation–that will come in a future post.)
But where to begin? I would like to think that the basis for learning any language is to learn the words. Obviously, this is where dictionaries come in. But which ones to look for? Which ones are a waste of time? This post will cover different types of dictionaries and how they might work for you.
Dictionaries
A dictionary could arguably be the most important tool in your language-learning arsenal. Put a lot of thought and research into what kind you buy and the company that publishes them. Visit your local bookstore and flip through their selections. Not all dictionaries are created equal–see if you can find ones with color-coded words and definitions you can understand. The ones with simple layouts are good for learning from because you don’t have a bunch of footnotes, references and sidenotes distracting you.
Electronic Dictionaries
If you are lucky enough to find one, invest in an electronic dictionary and make it a habit to carry it around with you. They are lifesavers when a word you just can’t remember nags at your brain, or if you want to see variations of a new word you just learned. I would use this instead of a pocket dictionary, and as either a supplement or a replacement for a big honkin’ dictionary. The top-of-the-line ones include an area to write for kanji look-ups and most of them include headphones so that you can hear what the words sound like.
Big Honkin’ Dictionaries
If you study at a desk all the time, it might be worth investing in a big honkin’ dictionary. They will have words that pocket dictionaries will omit and give you nerd street cred when friends are over. Don’t be a jerk and carry it around all the time–that’s what pocket dictionaries are for. Use these if you want a thorough resource for words (which I assume you do.) Look for the latest editions. You might be able to find some good ones at a used bookstore, but they might contain dated words that will make it harder to look through.
Pocket Dictionaries
If you can’t find an electronic dictionary, these cute little books are worth the pricey investment if you study on the go. You can fit them in your bag or jacket and carry them around for quick references. These are great for learning new words throughout your day–stop yourself often and look up words you encounter in your day such as car, drive, work, boss, etc. Use these as a supplement to your bigger books, since they often omit a lot of words in order to make it pocket-sized.
Grammar Dictionaries
Grammar dictionaries are helpful in learning new patterns of speech or as a guideline of how to apply grammar points that you’ve learned. I strongly suggest getting one as a supplement to your textbook or whatever you decide you want your primary book to be.
The Internet
You might find this an obvious resource, but don’t rely on it too heavily. Even with our space age technology, we have yet to perfect a translation of a webpage without it turning into something you could find on engrish.com. Instead of consulting websites like you would a normal dictionary, look for Firefox plug-ins that are specifically for the language you are studying (I highly recommend Rikai-chan for Japanese learners.) That way when you visit websites in the language of your choice, you will continue to learn new words as your browse.
Kanji Dictionaries
For those learning Chinese or Japanese, kanji dictionaries are insanely helpful if you see a character but can’t read it. These are organized by numbers of strokes, radicals, and complexity. The goods one will include example uses of the kanji characters, and ideally they should be color coded for easier look-ups. Of course, if you can get your paws on an electronic dictionary then you can skip this altogether since a kanji dictionary is included by default.
Nintendo DS Games
I don’t have a Nintendo DS, but many of the students here who do swear by Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten, which is a kanji dictionary in the form of a DS game. The advantage this software has over buying a book version is that you can actually write the kanji you see instead of trying to look it up by stroke order. The software will then look up the kanji for you–probably the fastest way to look up a character you can’t read.
I’m sure you’re all absolutely enthralled by the concept of getting a dictionary by now. Be patient, though–it takes a good foundation to learn a language, and once you’ve got the basics down you will be learning things at a breakneck speed. Stay tuned for the next article on learning a language for beginners!
Other Articles in Learning a Language for Beginners:
- Part I: Getting Started
More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can
- Learn Gestures to Improve Fluency in a Foreign Language
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