I remember when I first used SSiW 5 years ago or so (a looong time ago ) that there was a guide to gaining fluency; one of the tenets was to NOT learn the written vocabulary until at least challenge 6. Iāve read Aranās HILT book, so I understand the method behind SSi and I LOVE it.
However, when I learned German a few years ago I learned by extensively using it in the written form. Iāve noticed that since learning Welsh this time, Iām remembering the vocabulary so much easier than ever before by learning the written form from the beginning! Having tried the Cornish, Manx, Dutch, and Welsh courses, this go at learning Welsh has so far been the far best Iāve done at using SSi.
But Iām not sure, since Iām still early on into the L1 course, if this will have negative long-term effects. When I learned German, after having used it in chatrooms/messenger I noticed my spoken German flourished then, and only then. Iām wondering if thatās simply how I learn, but this raises the question if this is worked with a traditional language learning course (I took it in my undergrad ) and wonāt work with the SSi method.
Now, even not having studied Welsh nearly at all in between those 5 years, I still remembered tons of the vocabulary, so the traditional SSi definitely works (I remember I really impressed a non-Cymraeg-speaking Welsh coworker of mine when I spouted out some Cymraeg to some Welshmen we met at a bar), so needless to say if I can stick it out I can learn using the traditional SSi method. But Iām just curious if by using this non-standard SSi approach, if Iām doing it āwrongā, which will lead to poor results down the road.
Iām not sure if thereās been an updated āmanifestoā on gaining fluency, or if itās still around the site somewhere. So, my main concerns are 1)am I mitigating the quality of SSiW by learning it this way? And 2) will it impact my spoken Welsh? I know this is a very subjective predicament, but maybe some of you lovely learners out there have participated this way (or have any observations based on your experience(s). Any thoughts or questions are highly encouraged, as Iām a little nervous proceeding with how I am learning.
Diolch!!