When you start using a monolingual dictionary, it will take extra energy. You don't need to move 100% to the monolingual dictionary overnight (or ever, really). The monolingual transition is a gradual process. If you try the gradual approach below and it doesn’t work for you, wait until Stage 2C where we’ve provided a more structured tutorial. Trying to use the monolingual dictionary before you have a solid foundation in the language is too overwhelming.īy waiting, you will make the transition much easier. The gradual transition guide we’ve provided below should be sufficient to make the switch.įor more distant languages, we recommend waiting until Stage 2C. The monolingual transition is more difficult for some languages than others.įor related languages, the transition is pretty easy and only takes 1-2 months.įor these languages, we recommend making this shift towards the end of Stage 2B. When you translate from TL to NL, you force the TL to fit into the paradigm of your NL which distorts the original meaning of the TL words.īy using a monolingual dictionary instead, you can learn your TL directly without distorting the meaning.īy forming this new mental paradigm early, you will dramatically accelerate your journey to fluency. Up until now, you've been using a bilingual dictionary to translate the meaning of TL words into your NL so that you can comprehend. Using a monolingual dictionary also gives you a more accurate understanding of a word or concept. This allows you to describe a TL concept using your TL.Īs an added benefit, reading a monolingual dictionary is a form of active immersion and allows you to accumulate additional time in your TL.

When you learn new words and concepts, you associate them with other TL words and concepts rather than associating them with your NL. Immersion alone is enough to untangle the languages and build this new mental paradigm, but you can accelerate the process by adopting a native (monolingual) dictionary as your primary reference guide for the language.īuilding this new mental paradigm unlocks the ability to think in your TL. Unfortunately, it also tangles the two languages together and distorts the meaning of your TL.

This scaffolding accelerates your comprehension. Using a bilingual dictionary is a great tool when you first start learning a language because it uses your NL paradigm as a scaffolding for learning your TL.

To be truly fluent, you need to build a new paradigm for your TL. Unfortunately, if you attempt to force your TL to fit into the paradigm of your NL, big parts of the TL will get distorted in the process. When you first start learning a language, the natural inclination is to translate between your native language (NL) and target language (TL) because you have only ever seen the world through one lens. Language is a tool that we use to understand the world around us.Įach language is its own paradigm: a lens through which we see the world.

Monolingual definition