Linguistics can feel really great at first. You learn a few rules about sounds, you learn a bit about how prefixes and suffixes work, and suddenly parsing a sentence doesn’t feel quite so daunting. But then you hit a point where you’re not picking up new concepts as quickly as you used to. It takes you a bit longer to write up your notes, and each problem seems harder than it needs to be. If you feel like this, don’t worry. If this is happening to you, it probably doesn’t mean you’re just not cut out for linguistics. It probably just means you’ve reached the point where merely getting the right answers isn’t enough anymore. Now you need to start getting better answers. Now you need to start asking better questions.
One of the most common reasons that this happens is simply that you’re not actively applying the concepts you’re learning. If you find that you’re reading the textbook and mostly thinking “this all makes sense” then you’re probably not doing it right. For instance, you might know what morphemes are, but you might not be able to identify them in words that you haven’t seen before. You might be able to follow an explanation of a sentence, but you might not be able to parse a sentence when you’re not expecting it. So, instead of reading about linguistics, start playing around with it. Take one concept that you think you understand, and try to apply it to 5 new examples. If you find that the answer isn’t consistent each time, then that’s a good indication that there’s still a bit of a grey area for you. That’s good information! Now you know where to focus your efforts.
Another reason for this to happen is that you’re not challenging yourself hard enough. For instance, you might say to yourself “I’ll just study some syntax for half an hour” but you won’t define very well what you’re going to do in that half an hour. Instead, try to define your task more specifically. Maybe you’ll try to take 2 sentences that are almost identical, and try to figure out why one works and the other doesn’t. Maybe you’ll try to find 5 words that are similar in some way, and try to figure out what the difference is. Try to make this as specific as you can. Studying in general may leave you in a rut, but studying something in particular will help get you out of the rut.
If you’re having trouble with a concept, try to make it more manageable. For instance, if you’re having trouble parsing sentences, try working with a sentence with a simple nucleus. Mark the nucleus, then the core, then the periphery. Try reading the sentence aloud, and paying attention to which words you put the emphasis on. If you’re having trouble with morphology, try working with just 2 or 3 words at a time. Try to find words that are similar, and figure out what is changing and what is staying the same. A lot of the time, getting unstuck is a matter of just narrowing things down until you can get a handle on them.
If you’re trying to study when you’re in a rut, then a good 15 minute study session should feel much more focused than your earlier study sessions were. Try spending 5 minutes reviewing a note from the day before, and see if you can find a way in which your explanation was a little bit vague. Try spending 5 minutes trying to apply that concept to one new example (just one, not 5, not 10, just 1) and write down how your answer differs. Try spending 5 minutes rewriting your original note, and see if you can’t find a way to make it more precise. This is important, because when you’re in a rut, progress often doesn’t come from learning new things, but from defining old things more precisely. You’re not trying to cover more material, you’re just trying to get a better handle on the material you’ve already covered.
Getting feedback from other people is also a good idea when you’re in a rut. But for this to be helpful, you need to ask a very specific question. Instead of asking if your analysis of a sentence is right or not, ask if a particular phrase is acting as a modifier or a complement, and why you’re not sure. Instead of asking someone to explain phonology to you, point to one specific sound that you’re having trouble keeping track of in your notes. Getting feedback is only helpful if you can show that you’ve tried to think it through. The more information you can give about your thought process, the more useful the response will be. With a bit of practice, ruts will stop feeling like something you’re stuck in, and will start feeling like something you’re climbing down into to get a closer look, which is where some of the best science is done.