|
learning languages
|
View this Thread in Original format
| gmilf |
Are there any software packs that you find particularly useful while waiting to emerge yourself in the culture? I am thinking of getting Rosetta Stone. If anyone knows of links to get this for free or cheap that would be helpful as well.
Also, since many of you speak several languages. i.e. lira
what strategies work best for you. Would learning latin be a good first step to learn all romantic languages or just start with one and it will be easier with every language.
-Thanks
Btw; I can understand some arabic, some japanese and some Korean. But, I would like to become actually good at several. Hopefully Spanish, French, Japanese and maybe some Mandarin over the next couple of years. |
|
|
| Reza |
here man i can teach you some persian
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER |
|
|
| lacksesepsotygh |
| quote: | Originally posted by Reza
here man i can teach you some persian
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER |
designer sunglasses and blue carpeting? |
|
|
| Joss Weatherby |
| I been doing the Japanese Rosetta Stone package. It is pretty good, though I think its not working as well as it could because I get bored as on some of them that are remedial for me (I took Japanese for 4 years in HS, but I forgot a lot of it). |
|
|
| gmilf |
| did you buy it or download? I feel that the online tutoring sessions might be worth the cost, but I am pretty poor right now. |
|
|
| Joss Weatherby |
| quote: | Originally posted by gmilf
did you buy it or download? I feel that the online tutoring sessions might be worth the cost, but I am pretty poor right now. |
got it from a friend. :p
I see a few flaws in Rosetta Stone, in that its teaching you patterns only really. You don't make a lot of real dictionary style associations to words. Maybe it gets better later on, I am not sure, but that I find is a major drawback.
Its probably different when its a totally different written language too, because I have it in Kanji/Furigana mode so I see the Chinese ideograms with the Japanese kana above it... So its ... confusing sometimes, you don't make associations to the characters. I guess its good for speaking. |
|
|
| chimera66 |
http://www.livemocha.com/
this is free
also, i'm not a huge fan of rosetta stone. tried using it to brush up on my russian, but got super bored fairly quickly. maybe i should have put more energy into it but i was disappointed...i did like hearing the language though so that was a plus. i went with a book for ~$10 without a cd which worked better for me than rosetta stone. |
|
|
| D-res |
This. Good website. Learn from native speakers and help others learn english. Until school got overwhelming I was halfway thru first-year German |
|
|
| Ania_xox |
The best way to learn a language is to be surrounded by it and let it filter into your brain when you're in the non-learning mode.
I would highly recommend focusing on one language, rather than trying to become a polyglotte right away. Don't subscribe to the myth that just because two languages are similar you will be able to take them in at the same time. I am of the opinion that this also takes away from the beauty of the language (how its culture has shaped it, diction so entirely different from that of your mother tongue, various other linguistic intricacies, etc.) because you're seeing it as a system and skimming over the very details that make a language beautiful.
The difficulty in learning a second language often has nothing to do with the language itself, but rather with teaching your brain to send and receive messages via a medium that is different from your mother tongue. After you've mastered this process (and, consequently, your second language) your brain will be amply more ready to handle other languages; the initial difficulty in communicating in a code different from your first language will no longer be a barrier in your quest :)
Anyway, I suggest learning basics with whatever software you choose, and then taking a class. You'll be surrounded by like-minded individuals and you'll have an instructor to push you through the irritating moments when the code of the second language differs greatly from the code of your mother tongue.
Hopefully you're not shy; be ready to not make much sense at first when you begin to construct your own sentences. Also, don't be alarmed when you reach the phase where you understand a whole lot in your second language, but you're not necessarily capable of constructing messages yourself. It's simply a stage in the language-learning process.
A class is the closest thing to cultural immersion, imo. I'd actually skip the software altogether and taking a beginner's course with the aim of progressing to intermediate and then advanced. |
|
|
| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by gmilf
Are there any software packs that you find particularly useful while waiting to emerge yourself in the culture? |
Have I ever told you about the Pimsleur Language Courses?
| quote: | Originally posted by gmilf
Also, since many of you speak several languages. i.e. lira
what strategies work best for you. |
This is my 3-step programme:- Get a grammar: See what the rules of the language are. Also, keep in mind your ear won't pick up the sounds you're not used to, so learn the International Phonetic Alphabet if you can (it's easy) and read about the phonology of the language (even on Wikipedia) if you want to make sure you're making all the distinctions right.
Why this matters: I got a good grasp of how Russian works because of this. However, not reading about the sounds of Russian (and relying only on the crappy recordings I got) made me pronounce this sound like this, and hilarity ensued.
As language teachers, we're told not to teach grammar at all (and applied linguists would kill me for telling you to do this), but this is the best way to cut corners on step 3 (for me, at least... this is why I've always been able to get ahead of the pack when I studied Japanese in university).
- Learn the words: Reading grammars will give you an idea of what the most important words in a language are, but you probably want to learn the words that matter to you. I used to hang out with the children of some Russian/Ukrainian ambassadors, so learning words like "embassy" and "diplomat" was quite useful.
Why this matters: Language courses aren't perfect. They're aimed at the average person with average needs. However, do you really need to know how to ask Mr. Schmidt if he wants some milk before you know how to get a train from Berlin to Munich?
- Use the damn language: This is when Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur Language Courses, <whatever method you use> all become useful. The 2 steps above gave you a bit of a head start, so you won't have to keep guessing what's going on. It's like going to a place before you've seen the map. Sure, being there makes you acquainted with the area and what it is like to be there - however, a quick look on Google Maps will make everything much much easier once you're there.
| quote: | Originally posted by gmilf
Would learning latin be a good first step to learn all romantic languages or just start with one and it will be easier with every language. |
The latter. After two thousand years, the Romance languages changed quite a bit - the case system is long gone (though there are some reminiscent bits in the pronouns of these languages), the word order changed (from verb-final to verb in the middle) and semantic drift changed the meaning of several words (e.g. "bravo" means "Congratulations!" in Italian but "angry" in Portuguese... reason why I once punched a classmate in the nose in an Italian kindergarten :D). Even the verb tenses are completely different nowadays, and the languages have much more in common among each other than with their mother language. At least in this sense.
And Ania is right. Try not to learn too many (similar) languages at once. My mother still mixes up Italian with Spanish :p |
|
|
| Marcus Summers |
| ugh.. I'm going to DLI in october... Ever try drinking water from a fire hose? |
|
|
| Reza |
| quote: | Originally posted by lacksesepsotygh
designer sunglasses and blue carpeting? |
:gsmile: |
|
|
|
|
