How Reading Boosts Language Learning

The Reading Series: The Impact of Extensive Reading 📚🧠

When I started learning Japanese, I displayed classic signs of a reluctant reader. The commitment to learning kanji and vocabulary was there via Wanikani, but having to decode sentences with a mix of words was intimidating. I thought I wasn't ready yet, and believed learning more kanji would make reading easier.

After receiving nudges and guidance to pick up native material, I now regret not taking the plunge earlier. What I’ve learned is that reading in our target languages is less about testing our existing knowledge. It's about having the opportunity the language dynamically. The best way to achieving this is through extensive reading.

What is Extensive Reading?

Extensive reading, also known as “reading for pleasure,” is a method of language learning that motivates learners to consume a substantial amount of comprehensible reading materials, such as books or articles. These materials should be below our present reading level, enabling us to read at a smooth pace without the need to consult a dictionary often. It emphasizes on grasping the overall content rather than achieving precise comprehension of every individual word or phrase. 

Four Crucial Benefits of Extensive Reading

🧠 Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible Input is a linguistic term that describes language input that is understandable to learners, even if they don’t understand all the words and structures used. This concept is vital for language acquisition and was defined by Stephen Krashen, a linguist and educational researcher, in his Input Hypothesis theory. 

Extensive reading helps learners by immersing them in the language and improving their vocabulary, understanding of context, and grammar. It exposes them to new words in actual situations, helping them remember the words better. It also allows them to see how grammar is used in everyday life, making it easier to understand grammar rules. Extensive reading also improves reading speed and comprehension and it gives an insight into the cultural nuances of the language, making the learning experience more enriching.

🎯 Develop Language Competence

Extensive reading is an important part of developing language skills, as emphasized by Grabe (1991) and Paran (1996). It involves reading a lot of texts, often for enjoyment, to improve word recognition, decoding skills, and developing automaticity. This allows learners to quickly and easily recognize words, so they can focus on understanding rather than on reading mechanics. It also helps learners understand grammar, vocabulary, and idioms naturally by exposing them to language in authentic contexts. Interesting materials can motivate learners to read more and improve their language skills.

☀️ Increase Language Exposure

Extensive reading improves language exposure for learners. It exposes them to a wide range of vocabulary, sentence structures, and language nuances, helping them understand and master the language. This goes beyond just recognizing words, as it provides context for effective language use. Elley’s (1991) research showed that extensive reading also supports the development of writing, speaking, and syntax control. Overall, extensive reading is a valuable tool for bridging the gap between first and second language learners and enhancing language proficiency.

🪢 Consolidate Learned Language

Extensive reading plays a pivotal role in consolidating learned language. It provides a way to reinforce and recombine language components through repetition (Wodinsky & Nation 1988). By immersing themselves in various contexts, learners can understand the appropriate use of words, phrases, and grammatical structures. Their vocabulary naturally expands as they encounter unfamiliar words and phrases in a more organic and less strenuous manner compared to traditional learning methods.

Through extensive reading, learners can observe grammatical rules in action, strengthening their grasp of these rules. The practice also enhances reading and speaking fluency, while high-interest reading materials can fuel motivation, leading to more effective learning and better retention. By internalizing the language patterns and structures through reading, learners can improve their own spoken and written communication in the target language.

I hope you like the first article in the reading series! The biggest challenge for me when it comes to extensive reading is to find material that counts as comprehensible input. Sometimes the books I pick up are either easy and boring or interesting but overly difficult. The elimination process has resulted in a growing collection of unread books on my shelves, all of which I aspire to read eventually. Do you have a stack of books in your target language as well?

TL;DR 📝

Extensive reading is highly beneficial for language learners. It helps with vocabulary, grammar, reading speed, comprehension, and cultural understanding. It improves word recognition, grammar understanding, and familiarity with idioms. It exposes learners to the language, helping them become more proficient and bridging the gap between first and second language learners. Additionally, it reinforces learned language through repetition, expanding vocabulary and enhancing grammar, resulting in improved fluency in reading, speaking, and writing.

Key points (infographic link here):

• Extensive reading helps language learners by providing understandable material that improves their vocabulary, grammar, reading speed, comprehension, and cultural understanding.

• It helps develop language competence by improving word recognition and understanding of grammar and idioms.

• It increases language exposure and bridges the gap between first and second language learners, enhancing language proficiency.

• Extensive reading consolidates learned language through repetition, expanding vocabulary and strengthening grammar rules, leading to improved fluency in reading, speaking, and writing.