Rosie Treanor
Millions all over the globe make it their daily routine to click on the green owl app to continue their streak in whatever language they are learning. Whether that’s one of the most popular language pathways like Spanish or French; dead or barely spoken languages like Norse or Latin; or even music lessons – Duolingo is there to encourage you to log in and do at least one lesson a day. However, whilst manipulation tactics of the dying bird work wonders to maintain daily users, Impact’s Rosie Treanor questions whether this educating sensation actually improves our language learning and can be used in realistic scenarios.
With over 113 million monthly active users, Duolingo has become one of the most widely known apps for language learning. Many people clock in every day, engaging in fun interactive mini-games to extend their Duolingo streak and evade the threatening persistence of the iconic green owl, Duo.
IS DUOLINGO TRULY AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING OR SIMPLY ANOTHER WAY TO WASTE TIME ON OUR PHONES?
Known recently for his amusing appearances on social media, Duo has even inspired a line of Duolingo-themed merchandise which highlights the app’s ever-growing popularity. For some, the app is a relaxing and fun way to keep up with language learning or develop a new hobby, but for others, it is much more serious than that with the app’s longest-running streak being over 11 years! This shows the commitment that the app can inspire but also causes us to ask a very valid question: is Duolingo truly an effective tool for language learning or simply another way to waste time on our phones?
One of the main reasons why Duolingo is so popular is that it transforms language learning into a game. With leagues, leaderboards and friend challenges, users feel more motivated to stay consistent and compete against others. For those already studying languages, this can provide a fun break from pouring over grammar books and memorising vocab lists. Additionally, the app can motivate new language learners, which is important since language learning is on the decline, particularly in the UK.
The advantages of Duolingo do not end here. When we think of the app, we will often think of the Duolingo streak. Counting the number of days in a row the user has completed a lesson can be a huge motivator to do at least one lesson a day. This is arguably the most important feature of Duolingo; by helping learners develop habits many studies have shown that spaced repetition is a highly effective learning strategy, especially when it comes to languages. And in a world where language tutors can cost around £25-£35 an hour, we can’t complain about Duolingo offering resources in 43 different languages for free.
MANY USERS HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE APP LACKS IN-DEPTH EXPLANATIONS FOR COMPLEX GRAMMAR POINTS AND FAILS, IN MANY CASES, TO EXPLAIN WHY MISTAKES ARE WRONG.
But despite these advantages, there are still many problems with Duolingo. While the app does make language learning more fun, some of the quirky phrases it introduces aren’t useful for beginners, with some users questioning if a sentence like “I am an apple” would ever be useful in a real-life context. The app also falls short when learners progress. Many users have complained that the app lacks in-depth explanations for complex grammar points and fails, in many cases, to explain why mistakes are wrong.
Additionally, while Duolingo began as a completely free platform, many of its newest features, such as speaking and listening lessons, mistake reviews and video calls aiming to practice realistic conversations, are locked behind a paywall! While there are still basic features available for free, many users have felt that the app has become more of a money-grabbing machine than a learning tool. Other users have also highlighted the imbalance between resources for different languages. While the most popular languages like Spanish and French contain many lessons with stories, podcasts and videos about culture, other courses lack depth and variety which could limit the progress of those studying less common languages.
So, to answer our question, is Duolingo an effective tool for language learning? I would argue that Duolingo is excellent if you would like to learn a few key phrases before a holiday or if you would like to ensure that you keep up with practising every day. However, if you are planning on being fluent in a language then it is unlikely that you will achieve this with Duolingo as your sole tool. Therefore, the app is a great addition to conventional methods but will in no way replace them.
Rosie Treanor
Feature image courtesy of appshunter.io on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of ilgmyzin on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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