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Learning a second language?

What do mathematicians and programmers think of the implicit approach to second language learning?

  • Implicit learning seems to be exactly the opposite of what mathematicians and programmers would think is important. One might expect them not to like implicit language learning. One would expect them to want to know grammar rules explicitly. Is this the case? Background reading: http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/unconscious-language-learning/

  • Answer:

    "Good mathematicians see analogies. Great mathematicians see analogies between analogies." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Banach (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogical_models#Quotation) The role of the unconscious in pursuing mathematics is probably more prominent than it appears at first. Quite often, good mathematicians just "get" answers by looking at problems, and then use the answer they just "see" as a starting point in reverse-engineering the solution into a sequence of exact derivational steps. Unconscious analogical reasoning is most likely involved in the first step of this process, and subconscious language acquisition (implicit derivation of grammatical rules) doesn't appear to be entirely out of tune with that.

Alexei Yavlinsky at Quora Visit the source

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Yes and no. Because programmers and mathematicians are smart :), logically thinking people they easy understand that some rules better to learn implicitly, but some -- explicitly. Examples of both. Rule: In Thai adjective is going after noun. Like "car blue".  Do we need to learn this rule? Probably we don't. It can be learned from texts. Rule: In Russian diminutive form of nouns built with "-ik" ("-chik") suffix. Knowledge of this rule (and similar rules) allows to double vocabulary.  Can it be implicitly learn? No, because diminutive forms are relatively rare for displaying regularity.

Yuriy Novikov

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