24 The Linguist Vol/63 No/2
ciol.org.uk/thelinguist
FEATURES
What is the most efficient way to learn a language? Petar Milin
and Dagmar Divjak are turning to an algorithm to find out
Learning a new language is an incredibly daunting task
for adults. While newspaper headlines may give the
impression that the interest in language learning is on the
wane, fluency in a foreign language is something many
aspire to. Over the past decade, language learning apps
have gained immensely in popularity, with the industry
leader alone attracting nearly 10 million active users daily.
Taking their cues from the gaming industry, these
apps offer a high level of user engagement and
retention but fall short when it comes to helping users
achieve mastery. What is it that makes learning a foreign
language so challenging? At the University of
Birmingham, we use artificial intelligence to understand
how languages can be taught more efficiently.
Grounded in two disciplines – linguistics and
psychology – we rely on mathematical algorithms
modelled on research into learning to develop a new
account of what needs to be learnt. The aim is to offer
The best way to learn
Table 1: Traditional grammar table of tense/aspect
Table 2: Context-based grammar table
(includes lexical items and contextual cues, e.g. 'recently')
Simple
Perfect
Progressive
Perfect progressive
Past
wrote
had written
was writing
had been writing
Present
writes
has written
is writing
has been writing
Future
will write
will have written
will be writing
will have been writing
Simple
Perfect progressive
Past
She nodded; he replied; they
remarked
since then, so
far, recently
Present
I bet; you know; I mean
I have given; he has left; they have
sold; it is bleeding; I am starving
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PEXELS
