Reading alone...

[xxxxxx]

Do you think that reading alone can store knowledge in your brain with regards to a language you are studying?..

[caparica007]

What do you mean reading alone? If you're studying a language by your own?

I think that everything you study and understand is not lost, the brain keeps that information. You just have to use it often so that the information is easily accessible. 

[Kotro]

Yeah, not sure about what's implied in "reading alone". Do you mean reading aloud instead of just for yourself? If so, I think learning a language is one of the few cases when doing so is better than reading silently, as you can better grasp the flow of the words and compare what comes out of your mouth with what you hear from others.

[caparica007]

That might be it, reading aloud. To be honest I never tried reading aloud when studying languages by myself, but it's pretty common in classrooms and it's essential when you want to grasp the spoken language... 

[SirTenenbaum]

I think the original poster meant "just reading" or "only through reading" when she said "reading only" as in "Only through reading one can learn a foreign language."

Reading for pleasure in the target language is an excellent activity a person can do to increase their vocabulary and to make their grammar more sophisticated. But while reading is excellent, reading alone isn't enough. If somebody wants to improve their speaking, speaking cannot be absent from a person's involvement in the language. Listening to the language is also important, especially if the target language has a very nontransparent orthography like English (compare the pronunciation/spelling of words like head, meat, meet, bed, bread, bead, deed). If one is reading the language and understanding it but pronouncing the words incorrectly in his or her head, there are going to be lots of problems when he or she needs to use the language in a real-time conversation.

Again, reading is great, but it's not enough unless your goal is specifically just to read the language well. The helpfulness of reading alone also depends on the spelling/pronunciation of the language. For orthographically transparent languages like Spanish it's great, but with a language like English you're going to need some extra help with pronunciation and listening.

[Expressionism]

I've interpreted the question as "do you think that reading (books, magazines, etc.) by yourself can help?".

I think it can, it'll give you more practice in figuring out unfamiliar vocabulary, how the grammar works, and so on. Depending on what you're reading, you may also come across certain words multiple times and that can help you memorize what they mean if you have trouble remembering them. It's slower than hearing someone speak so you can figure it out at your own pace. It's certainly helped me very much in the past and I really recommend it.

That said, unless you're aiming for reading knowledge only, I'd still recommend doing other stuff to practice, like listening to that language, speaking, etc.

[Kotro]

I think the original poster meant "just reading" or "only through reading" when she said "reading only" as in "Only through reading one can learn a foreign language."

Ah, yes, that makes much more sense. Well, in that case, I really don't think so, one should also hear how a language is spoken to get a proper grasp of it. Pronounciation goes a long way into helping you remember words, reading them alone won't cut it.

[sidney]

I think if you are only starting to learn a new language, then I think that reading a whole text of foreign language is not gonna help unless you already understand what it means. So I don't think that it's recommended for beginners.

[Baburra]

I don't think you can retain as much of the language with only reading, and even then, you'd still have to practice the pronunciation out loud enough times for it to be integrated onto your habits unless you are only planning on using the new language in writing form, which I find unlikely. It's much easier to remember a new language and its words when you use it for daily communication.

[Trellum]

I guess you meant reading on my own and only that?  Well, I suffer from ADD, so isn't that easy for me to actually memorize or pick words by just reading. I need to be even more engaged in the process.  Reading won't just do it, I need more than just reading!  I need to use the language, and make a lot mistakes in the process.  So nope, no excessive reading in the language I'm learning, at least not for now.

[pandandesign]

I usually read alone because that's how I can focus better. I don't read aloud but I like to read books in a quiet place without any disruption. I tend to think as I read because that how my imagination comes to alive. I can think of a lot of things based on the story and characters, but I cannot do that if I read in a place where there's a disruption.

[1inamillion]

Do you think that reading alone can store knowledge in your brain with regards to a language you are studying?..

Sometimes reading alone can help you to store information and get more knowledgeable. Studying a language does required peace and quietness most times, in order for you not be distracted. Becoming an effective and efficient reader you need to improve your focus and structure your reading time and this doesn't happen overnight.

[Rosa]

:party:Reading alone will not be enough to have you mastering a new language. You'll need to hear how certain words are pronounced and how the language flows. You may also run into grammer problems and need answers.

[sillylucy]

At first I thought you were talking about solo reading vs. group readings. I think that you can't really learn a language just through books. You have to hear it and practice speaking it with others. That's why I prefer instructional videos in addition to readings.

[lizbeth19hph]

Specifically what do you mean by "reading alone"? Do you mean learning a new language by just focusing on your reading skills?If you mean it that way, my reply would be: All areas reading, writing, speaking and listening skills must all be developed when learning a new language. Each skill compliments the other skills.

[True2marie]

It all depends on your style of learning.

If you learn best by reading alone in a solitary place, then this method is great for you.

If you learn best through interaction with others or writing down information, then this method won't work for you.