Foreign Language

[hawkeye_a]

I was tempted to try to learn Hebrew or Japanese, but having no experience with the alphabet or structure, i think i'd have limited success on my own and just end up giving up. (I was contemplating taking lessons, but who has the time these days?).

I'd like to learn to read,write and speak a new language; Italian. I suspect being a native English speaker with an intermediate knowledge of French, might make it possible for me to teach myself another romance language.

Has anyone here attempted to do learn a new language on their own? Where did you start? Any suggestions?

Cheers

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I was tempted to try to learn Hebrew or Japanese, but having no experience with the alphabet or structure, i think i'd have limited success on my own and just end up giving up. (I was contemplating taking lessons, but who has the time these days?).

I'd like to learn to read,write and speak a new language; Italian. I suspect being a native English speaker with an intermediate knowledge of French, might make it possible for me to teach myself another romance language.

Has anyone here attempted to do learn a new language on their own? Where did you start? Any suggestions?

Cheers

On my own, no.

While I have studied new languages as an adult, it was always within a structured learning environment.

And I think that a structured learning environment is especially necessary when learning a language, as language learning (unlike, say, economics or history) involved an awful lot of repetition, because that is how you build on what you know and have learned of a language.

You learn new words, structures, syntax, but you only progress by constantly repeating - and using - and repeating again - what you have already learned. And, with a structured environment (and other students), you also get to do role play, which is an excellent way of learning a language - learning by doing.

 

[cube]

Japanese grammar is simpler than English.

If you know French, it should be easy to learn Italian, Spanish, Portuguese.

 

[D.T.]

Japanese grammar is simpler than English.

I would say it's more consistent, with less exceptions, but with some of its own complexities (Counters for example).

 

[cube]

I would say it's more consistent, with less exceptions, but with some of its own complexities (Counters for example).

Counters would be vocabulary rather than grammar.

 

[D.T.]

Counters would be vocabulary rather than grammar.

I'd say linguistically speaking it's a bit of both, it's a word effect based on overall sentence/phrase content - but I'm not here to argue __semantics__ (snicker).

 

[Mousse]

Japanese grammar is simpler than English.

Every other language in the world has simpler grammar than English. The only exception I can think of would be Latin, but no one uses Latin any more except scientist and the Church. Only in Latin can you talk for 15 minutes and not use a verb.

If all you care about it being able to carry a conversation, then there are lots of options: Rosetta Stone, Berlitz and numerous others.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Every other language in the world has simpler grammar than English. The only exception I can think of would be Latin, but no one uses Latin any more except scientist and the Church. Only in Latin can you talk for 15 minutes and not use a verb.

If all you care about it being able to carry a conversation, then there are lots of options: Rosetta Stone, Berlitz and numerous others.

Actually, I beg to differ; the grammar of English is deceptively simple and, as a second language, it is relatively easy to gain a decent, basic proficiency.

In English, nouns don't have gender, and they don't come complete with grammatical cases - which are elements of foreign languages that I, as a native English speaker, have struggled with.

However, at an advanced level, English presents challenges, as it is a subtle and precise language, and one, moreover, with a very extensive vocabulary.

 

[Gutwrench]

I admire multilingual people. I can speak enough Spanish and Mandarin to create a nasty international incident. I can’t read or write either.

I wish that I could fluently read in a few languages...Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Polish specifically.

 

[Mousse]

Ah...but every other language is consistent with its grammar. English, like the Borg of languages, adds parts of other languages to itself. The only thing consistent in English it is inconsistent. At least, double negatives are still a no-no.

Prison and Jail are pretty much the same thing. Whereas Prisoner and Jailer are completely different.

What about verb tenses? The past tense of "ring" is "rang." The past tense of "kick" is "kicked." The past tense of "cut" is "cut." Common English, be consistent. My wife who is barely proficient in English complains to me about this stuff all the time.

In Old Country, we use a language with consistent grammatical rules. Consistent = easy once you wrap you head around the complexity of the rules. Inconsistent = what grudge do you bear against us, English.

 

[cube]

Ah...but every other language is consistent with its grammar. English, like the Borg of languages, adds parts of other languages to itself. The only thing consistent in English it is inconsistent. At least, double negatives are still a no-no.

Prison and Jail are pretty much the same thing. Whereas Prisoner and Jailer are completely different.

What about verb tenses? The past tense of "ring" is "rang." The past tense of "kick" is "kicked." The past tense of "cut" is "cut." Common English, be consistent. My wife who is barely proficient in English complains to me about this stuff all the time.

In Old Country, we use a language with consistent grammatical rules. Consistent = easy once you wrap you head around the complexity of the rules. Inconsistent = what grudge do you bear against us, English.

You don’t normally use a conjugation book when learning English, but you do for French.

 

[LizKat]

I always liked a language something like pig latin which we called abi-dabi or ahbi-dahbi. Just stick an "ahb" sound before the vowels in an English word.

I don't care became ahb-i dahb-ont cahb-are.

Macaroni became mahba cabah rahbo nahbi... yeah, sounds exotic, no?

The problem is that it's not that hard to get a grip on, so your parents eventually were able to ground you in the same alt-language you had used to sass them...

So it was more fun to learn enough Russian or German to sass them and so send them in search of our textbooks we'd meanwhile hidden under piles of bathtowels or pillowcases.

 

[chown33]

Ah...but every other language is consistent with its grammar. English, like the Borg of languages, adds parts of other languages to itself. The only thing consistent in English it is inconsistent. At least, double negatives are still a no-no.

But isn't "no-no" a double negative? The 1st "no" is modifying the 2nd one, so it actually means "this is not a 'no'", so it signifies a "yes". No?

 

[LizKat]

I was tempted to try to learn Hebrew or Japanese, but having no experience with the alphabet or structure, i think i'd have limited success on my own and just end up giving up. (I was contemplating taking lessons, but who has the time these days?).

I'd like to learn to read,write and speak a new language; Italian. I suspect being a native English speaker with an intermediate knowledge of French, might make it possible for me to teach myself another romance language.

Has anyone here attempted to do learn a new language on their own? Where did you start? Any suggestions?

Cheers

But seriously? For self-teaching? Any of the basic language books and CDs with "repeat after me" types of practicing are ok... but then to advance familiarity in practical ways, start with a newspaper in the language you're trying to pick up more of, and find an article on a topic of international interest at the moment. Read a couple related pieces from English-language newspapers and you'll get the gist of the one in the other language more quickly than looking up words you don't know in a translating dictionary. Also you get to comprehend the flow of the grammar of the other language that way. Enjoy! This will help you with ability to read and write the "official" language but not necessarily how to speak it well or to understand dialects of the language if you're traveling.

 

[D.T.]

I can speak enough Spanish and Mandarin to create a nasty international incident. I can’t read or write either.

I took a few semesters of Japanese in college, and had studied it a little on my own prior to those classes (I originally had a different professional trajectory )

In school, we learned to speak, read __and__ write, and with Japanese (and Chinese, etc.), there's a huge additional overhead with learning to read and write since you're dealing with a much more complex writing system.

Japanese has Hiragana, which is a syllabary for words unique to Japanese, Katakana for "modern" words, and for the sort of core language, Kanji, a [logographic] system adopted from the Chinese. So in any given sentence, it's not uncommon to see al three

I was pretty solid with both Hiragana and Katana, and had memorized about 250 Kanji, I could always default to Hiragana, and while not proper, it could be read and understood - the characters themselves, while pronounced differently in Chinese would mean the same, though the grammatical structure would (obv.) be totally different.

The daughter walks about singing Korean pop music, in Korean, and seems to know the translations pretty accurately and has recently busted into my old Japanese textbooks ...

 

[Gutwrench]

I took a few semesters of Japanese in college, and had studied it a little on my own prior to those classes (I originally had a different professional trajectory )

In school, we learned to speak, read __and__ write, and with Japanese (and Chinese, etc.), there's a huge additional overhead with learning to read and write since you're dealing with a much more complex writing system.

Japanese has Hiragana, which is a syllabary for words unique to Japanese, Katakana for "modern" words, and for the sort of core language, Kanji, a [logographic] system adopted from the Chinese. So in any given sentence, it's not uncommon to see al three

I was pretty solid with both Hiragana and Katana, and had memorized about 250 Kanji, I could always default to Hiragana, and while not proper, it could be read and understood - the characters themselves, while pronounced differently in Chinese would mean the same, though the grammatical structure would (obv.) be totally different.

The daughter walks about singing Korean pop music, in Korean, and seems to know the translations pretty accurately and has recently busted into my old Japanese textbooks ...

I would text in pinyin but spoke caveman Chinese. Reading and writing Mandarin is pretty much a lifelong language class even for native speakers. I’m comfortable with starting small military skirmishes and being slapped on the No 5 line between Beijing and Tianjin.

I’m looking at you @LizKat

 

[0388631]

Quite the throwback reference, Gutty.

 

[jdechko]

I’ve been learning German for the past few months using the Duolingo app. It seems reasonably well paced, and there’s a lot or repetition to make sure you get it.

I can imagine that for other languages, it’s going to be similar.

 

[Huntn]

I took Spanish in high school. At the time I was, why do I have to take this? Since then I’ve given it a couple more shots including French, alas, it’s too much work for the benefit (use it or lose it), although I live in one of the perfect places in the US to know Spanish. It would be good to know what the Workmen are saying about me.

 

[MacBH928]

I was tempted to try to learn Hebrew or Japanese, but having no experience with the alphabet or structure, i think i'd have limited success on my own and just end up giving up. (I was contemplating taking lessons, but who has the time these days?).

I'd like to learn to read,write and speak a new language; Italian. I suspect being a native English speaker with an intermediate knowledge of French, might make it possible for me to teach myself another romance language.

Has anyone here attempted to do learn a new language on their own? Where did you start? Any suggestions?

Cheers

my 2 cents...

I would learn something with less common overlapping, like Chinese or Japanese. Imagine your put in your CV you speak English and Mandarin(Chinese) compared to the millions and millions of other who speak French/Spanish and English. You will be like a bridge between the two cultures. The insight into the other culture will probably make you learn a lot yourself.

In the end, learn what you are personally interested in because it will make you go forward and you will enjoy it instead of being a chore. I heard of people who started to be able to say phrases in Japanese and Hindu because they enjoyed Japanese Anime and Bollywood movies respectively.

 

[geekslatte]

English is the main language that I use. My mom is a Filipino so I learned how to speak her native language too. I know a bit of Spanish but I'm not fluent and confident using it. Lastly, I'm currently taking Nihongo classes and about to take their JLPT exam (N4 level) this coming December.

 

[weckart]

Currently learning Hungarian, Welsh and Turkish and brushing up on a few languages I know already. If you want to try out a language before committing to classes, then I can recommend Duolinguo. Runs on iOS and Android or you can access it via a web browser. It's a non-profit nagware sort of app.

Learn a language for free

Learn languages by playing a game. It's 100% free, fun, and scientifically proven to work.

www.duolingo.com

‎Duolingo - Language Lessons

‎Learn a new language with the world’s most-downloaded education app! Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 35+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening, and writing to build your vocabulary and grammar skills. Designed by language experts and...

apps.apple.com

 

[mobilehaathi]

Hindu

You mean Hindi.

 

[yaxomoxay]

I'd like to learn to read,write and speak a new language; Italian.

Lesson 1
Buongiorno, come va? Perche' vuoi imparare l'Italiano?

Task:
1) Without looking at a dictionary, try to recognize words and their translation (e.g. "simile" obviously means "similar"), even if you don't know it.
2) With the use of a dictionary, try to reply correctly to my sentences.

 

[Mousse]

I would learn something with less common overlapping, like Chinese or Japanese. Imagine your put in your CV you speak English and Mandarin(Chinese) compared to the millions and millions of other who speak French/Spanish and English. You will be like a bridge between the two cultures. The insight into the other culture will probably make you learn a lot yourself.

If you come from a monotone language like English or Japanese, pronunciation in a tonal language will prove very challenging. Not impossible, but very challenging. It's easy for someone who speaks Cantonese to learn to speak Vietnamese or Thai because both are tonal languages. I know a guy white guy who is fluent in Vietnamese, but it takes a bit of processing to understand what word he's trying to say.
Singing helps a lot in learning tonal languages. My wife taught me how to speak Vietnamese. Whoa boy, I spoke monotone the first year and no one could understand a word I said. After 15 years, she tells me I almost speaks as well as our kids.

I heard of people who started to be able to say phrases in Japanese and Hindu because they enjoyed Japanese Anime and Bollywood movies respectively.

Yarp. My daughter does this. Her favorite phrases are "Nani" (What?!) and "Oyaji no baka" (Stupid old man...that's me). She's taken to calling me Ero Sennin. It means...well...doesn't matter what it means. She calls me that because she says I'm boisterous like a certain character from the Naruto series.