I think most of the people are learning a foreign language, they want to gain knowledge about that foreign language.
Some of us will study to learn the new language: we will read, memorise vocabulary or maybe attend professional classes to improve our skills. But others will say "I studied for hours but I didn't learn anything new!", which mean they memorised grammar or vocabulary but they didn't improve their skills or gained knowledge.
In my opinion, it's good to focus on learning and less on studying because everyone learns a language in a different way!
Regards
Karen
I appreciate your thoughts.
Jordan said: "Once a certain level of skill is reached, I think "study" becomes the appropriate verb"
I really agree with you on that statement.
In my case, now that I've reached a really high level in English I just need to focus on subtle details and nuances. I have to pay attention to them in order to "study" the different uses and connotations but I usually don't "learn" this way which means I can't use many of those things actively.
As David said: "you learn through daily interactions".
Interesting discussion!
One difference between the two in the context of foreign language acquisition, in my opinion, is that "learn" implies broad understanding, while "study" focuses on small details. So for a native speaker, it would be inappropriate to say they are learning the language they are native in, because they already have an understanding of the language and can use it effectively. A native speaker can "study" their native language though, augmenting their understanding by learning its grammar, history, vocabulary, etc.
So for a non-native speaker learning their L2, "learn" is often the verb of choice because they mean they are developing this understanding of how the language works. Once a certain level of skill is reached, I think "study" becomes the appropriate verb, however. For instance, I consider myself having learned Japanese, but my study is by no means over, and I plan on learning new words and phrases by studying it for the rest of my life.
I am perhaps overstating the difference between the two terms, however, as you can see by how frequently I say "learning" in my descriptions above. :D
