How to learn a language - Listen or Read first?

How to learn a (human) language? This is the first article of the series ‘How to learn a human language’?

I am creating this series because I want to build a map for myself how to learn a human language and then use the methodologies/techniques that I found suitable for myself to learn a language. The first target language is Dutch.

I follow some advices from Steve Kaufmann once in a while on YouTube. His methods seem sensible to me.

Some videos I’ve followed so far:

• Should we listen or read first

Suggestions from Steve summarized:

1. We should begin by listening first before reading; because reading is subvocalizing, so you need to know how to pronounce that word first.
2. We should apply different strategies based on your level of efficiency of the language:
   • At beginner level, go over setences and listen to those sentences and read those sentences out loud; try one sentence at a time.
   • Still at beginner level, but then read more texts (like one story, and reading them out loud) before listening. This is to accelerate the process listening and reading, gradually building up your capability in the language.
   • At intermediate level, it becomes easier to listen first. After listening to some texts, if curiosity comes, read the transcript (if available) for the texts you listened to. And reading can be extensive reading (where you read as much texts as possible without looking up words) or intensive reading (where you look up to many words). If you’re more advanced in the language, then you can do extensive reading more easily without repeating reading the same texts.

In short, as also mentioned in the last part of the video:

Trying intensive reading or listening as a beginner, and switch to extensive learning as you progress.