How To Learn More Vocabulary With Narrow Reading

You have probably heard that in order to expand your vocabulary in a foreign language, you have to read a lot. You might have even tried reading material in your target language, only to realize that your vocabulary isn't expanding much this way. Yup, reading random things doesn't really work.

But hey, don't get distraught. There's a way to achieve both: read in your L2, increase your word count, and even have fun while doing so. How?

Well, you want to try narrow reading.

What the hell is narrow reading?

It's another piece of linguistic terminology that seems inexhaustible... I know, sorry.

Nevertheless, the idea behind narrow reading is not that complicated. Basically, instead of trying to read everything written in your target language, you narrow your choice down to one genre, one topic, or even one author. Oh, and wait for it... it still has to be in the language you're learning.

This method will be different from the typical extensive reading "for fun" that is usually prescribed to all language learners. It's prescribed because it's believed that reading extensively on a wide range of topics allows you to get exposed to as much new vocabulary as possible. And yes, you do come across a lot of new words. But when the game is solely about vocabulary, this type of reading turns into an "exercise of deliberate decoding," as Stephen Krashen puts it. I'm sure you know this feeling: crawling from line to line and checking every second word in a dictionary, right?

Well, that's not very fun.

The reality is that this type of "reading for vocabulary gains" simply doesn't work. Your brain won't even bother to remember a word you've just checked and written down. You may come across the same word in the next paragraph but still have no idea what on earth it signifies. Research actually has bad news for you here: you need to encounter a word about 16 times in order to memorize it from reading.

Your usual reading routine will never provide you with such a high rate of repetition, so you won't really learn a decent amount of vocabulary. And that's where narrow reading comes in.

How does narrow reading help you memorize vocabulary better?

Keywords and “author’s pets”

Every topic and genre has its own keywords. You're more likely to encounter words such as "handcuffs" and "investigator" in a detective story... or maybe in Fifty Shades of Grey, as well.

In any case, subject-related words will flash here and there all the time throughout a book. You still might have to check each of them twice or thrice, but after that, they'll become so familiar to you that you'll recognize them automatically. Moreover, as you'll have encountered them in a variety of contexts, you'll have absolutely no problem using them yourself.

And when it comes to narrow reading by the same author, you get additional bonus points. Here, you discover that each person has their own writing style. Certain turns of phrase favored by one writer will never occur in the work of another. Furthermore, each person also has their own list of favorite words that they use in all occasions. So, guess what? They will use them over and over again, providing you a good base for painless vocabulary review.

Author vs. Topic: How to Narrow Down Effectively?

Reading one John Grisham novel will make subsequent John Grisham novels more comprehensible.

Stephen Krashen in “The Case for Narrow Reading”

Author-narrowed reading has proved to be more effective than topic-narrowed reading. So, once again, everything is in the hands of the writers. Even if they write about the same floating piece of wood, one might call it "a boat," while another might use "a dinghy," "a wherry," or "a skiff." That's why topic-narrowed reading can be somewhat hit-or-miss (although still more effective than extensive reading).

However, when you narrow down both the author and the topic, the benefits multiply. You'll encounter the same subject-specific words and phrases repeatedly throughout the author's work, which will help you internalize them more easily. Additionally, you'll become familiar with the author's unique writing style and favorite words, which can further aid in vocabulary retention.

Are you confused? What about rereading seven books of Harry Potter in Spanish?

Background knowledge

When you read narrowly, whether author-narrowly or topic-narrowly, you automatically acquire knowledge about a chosen field. So maybe the first book won’t go that well because of the "first few pages effect", but if you read a little further, you'll enter calm waters where things go smoothly.

After reading the first book, you become more familiar with the author’s style, learn a bunch of their favorite expressions, and get really engaged with the story. Now, when you take the second book by the same author and/or on the same topic, it's so much easier! You have a much wider context to retrieve the meaning of new words, and you understand the follow-up much better!

And while you're reading, your brain gathers new language samples and dusts off old ones. You unconsciously acquire new vocabulary and structures while reviewing already-known stuff. Isn’t that a dream?

Motivation

A bit later, another amazing thing happens: you get hooked on the story.

If you've ever read Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Lord of the Rings (ok, Tolkien is probably not the best example for reading in a foreign language), you know that it's like Netflix. The story always ends at the most interesting place, so you become obsessed with "what's next?!" And if your curiosity is high enough, you'll swallow the next book despite the lack of vocabulary or grammar competence.

I'll tell you more. The real transformation happens when you depart from your initial goal of "reading for language learning" to "reading for fun and meaning". At some point, you start actually enjoying the book as well as the fact of reading in a foreign language. The latter is a real self-confidence booster: you immediately feel smarter than half of the world's population.

These feelings push you to read further. And as you read more, your language proficiency automatically goes up.

Narrow reading: how to make it happen

These techniques can be really amazing, especially if you're reading something that genuinely interests you.

But hold on a second.

Let's say you're very interested in finance and investment. Should you immediately buy all books by Robert Kiyosaki in Spanish? Probably not. If your Spanish is at A1-B1 levels, you might want to put Kiyosaki on a shelf and grab something less demanding. Any comic book, romance, or children's detective story will provide you with a stable vocabulary base without giving you carpal tunnel syndrome from excessive language journal writing.

Your self-esteem will suffer.

But in any case, clench your teeth and keep reading "El maravilloso mago de Oz". Show some stoicism.

Also, the point of narrow reading is to read for interest, not to learn 100 new words. So if it's becoming too much, just admit that the book you're struggling through is too difficult for you. This would be the case if you're still holding onto “Padre Rico Padre Pobre“. Whatever this book is, if you find it way above your level, close it and take something else.

Finally, just keep it around. If you don't naturally identify yourself as a vivid reader, you'll tend to procrastinate and find excuses like "I don't have time". Nevertheless, when you have this book with you wherever you go, you'll find yourself reading a lot and in very exotic places.

Bonus: the narrow reading technique doesn't apply only to reading. If you get the principle, you can use it to boost any other language learning skill, like improving your understanding of speech!

Try this technique out when choosing language learning podcasts, TV shows, or even YouTube videos. You will begin to understand the speech of a single speaker much faster than if you had to deal with multiple speakers.