"I'll have a breve latte: Evidence for the Comprehension Hypothesis from Starbucks

I asked the barista at Starbucks this morning how long it took him to master the Starbucks vocabulary.  He told me it took about a month until he understood all the orders, then another month until he could fluently shout them out to those making the drinks.  "In other words," I said, "it's comprehension before production."  "Right!" he said, "like reading before writing."

I added: "And like listening before speaking."

He totally agreed. 

Hat-tip: Ethan Price