What is ‘sentence mining’? What are the pros and cons?

On Langua, we make full sentence translations available after you click on a word. So you can either save the word, or the sentence, or both. You can also generate simple sentences that utilise the word by selecting ‘Usage examples’. Then learn the vocab via flashcard exercises.

The option to save sentences is likely to be particularly popular with proponents of ‘sentence mining’.

Sentence mining is a technique where learners focus on collecting, studying, and memorizing full sentences rather than individual words in isolation. This method is especially popular among self-taught learners and those who use flashcards.

Here are the pros and cons of sentence mining versus focusing on individual words:

Pros:

• Translation accuracy
  • Translation tools can struggle to translate individual words accurately. This is because they lack the context of the sentence. And even if they get the meaning right, the word may have multiple meanings depending on the context. Translation APIs like Google & Deepl do not take context into account. By viewing and adding the full sentence translation, you get to learn the word and its correct translation, based on the context.
• Contextual Learning:
  • Sentences provide the context needed to understand how words and grammar structures are used in real-life scenarios, aiding in practical understanding and usage.
• Enhanced Retention:
  • Learning in sentences helps you retain words due to the association with other words and the context they are used in. Our brains are wired for stories and patterns. Sentences, which have meaning and structure, are more memorable than isolated words.
• Exposure to Real Language & Syntax:
  • Sentence mining helps learners absorb the natural way of constructing sentences in a new language, facilitating more fluent and native-like speech. It also exposes learners to colloquial language, idioms, and expressions.
• Comprehensive Vocabulary:
  • Sentence mining encourages a more extensive vocabulary as learners are exposed to a variety of words used in different contexts.

Cons:

• Time-Consuming:
  • Searching and creating sentence cards can be time-intensive, potentially detracting from other valuable learning activities. Side note: in Langua, this is not an issue as you can instantly see sentence translations and generate other usage examples using AI.
• Lack of Focus on Grammar:
  • The focus on sentences might lead to neglecting structured grammar study, possibly resulting in incorrect usage of language rules. Others argue that you learn grammar intuitively through learning sentences with varied grammatical structures.
• Potential for Overwhelming:
  • The vast amount of information in sentences might be overwhelming for some learners, especially beginners, possibly leading to confusion and frustration.
• Context Ambiguity:
  • Some sentences might lack sufficient context to convey the correct meaning or usage of words and phrases, leading to misunderstandings.

Over at Langua, we believe that the pros massively outweigh the cons, particularly when sentence mining is done on Langua (given how easy we make it). Try it and see if it works for you!