@Gargron I guess it also depends on how long are words in a language.

@Gargron 307

@Gargron: Words are learned through repetition, as pretty much everything. That means strengthening synaptic connections in your brain through their use. So that means you have to use these words throughout your life.

I don't think there's any real hard limit, but it depends on the context and how many times you hear a word. It's kind of like it was with phone numbers before phones had contact lists, if you call someone often enough, you only look up their number first five times or so. Or like it is with getting around an unfamiliar city. Or board games. Memory seems to be working the same way regardless of the data type.

@Gargron This depends on several factors. How are you learning the words? (Anki is my favorite tool for this). How much time a day are you devoting to studying? Are you getting good quality sleep m(as sleep is when the things you studied yesterday are moved to long term memory).

My general experience with learning Mandarin was that ~40 words a day was a pretty rough go but possible, but 20 words was easy.

@Gargron 7. I have no evidence or study to back this up, but that is the answer.