The Four Strands of Language Learning with Paul Nation (Part 1 of Biblical Language Pedagogy)

April 5, 2021 // The Biblical Languages Podcast

In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, Kevin Grasso interviews Paul Nation on his famous "four strands" of language learning, as well as many other second-language acquisition principles and methods.

Paul Nation is Emeritus Professor in Applied Linguistics at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (LALS) at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His specialist interests are the teaching and learning of vocabulary and language teaching methodology. He has taught in Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, Finland and Japan. His resources (publications, word lists, graded readers, free books, language teaching videos, vocabulary tests, vocabulary analysis programs, vocabulary bibliography) can be found at https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-resources. These include a free book called "What do you need to know to learn a foreign language?" (look under Publications), and most of his articles for free download.

Here's a snapshot of what you can expect in this conversation:

• The four strands of language learning an how they relate to the four skills of language proficiency.
• The importance of repetition and review to develop fluency at every stage of language learning
• How to structure your time in a language course to achieve both short-term and long-term success for your students
• The difference between extensive reading and intensive reading, and the benefits of each
• The role of the teacher in a language course
• And much more!

Show notes

Paul Nation's resources (publications, word lists, graded readers, free books, language teaching videos, vocabulary tests, vocabulary analysis programs, vocabulary bibliography) can be found at: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-resources

This is Part 1 of our series on Biblical Language Pedagogy. Check out the other episodes in this series:

• Part 2: Comprehensible Input and Communicative Methods with Bethany Case
• Part 3: Speaking the Biblical Languages with Christophe Rico
• Part 4: Biblical Language Pedagogy in Crisis with David Miller
• Part 5: Current Trends in Biblical Language Pedagogy with Rob Plummer
• Part 6: The Future of Biblical Language Pedagogy

Where to listen

The Biblical Languages Podcast hosts discussions and interviews related to learning the biblical languages and issues relevant to biblical exegesis. Episodes cover topics in 4 major categories: language acquisition, linguistics, cultural backgrounds, and exegesis.

Listen & subscribe here: https://biblingo.org/podcast/