Learning a new language

[Large]

5 minutes ago, Eco said:

I'm not lying when I say this, but something that has proven to help people trying to learn their first language, is to study Esperanto for a month or two. Now, Esperanto is about as easy as it is, and since it's a constructed language with set rules, it's easier to learn. The idea behind starting with Esperanto is that it'll help you understand how you learn languages, and what building blocks you need to go by to become fluent in a given language.

I'll take a look. Thanks.

[Eco]

Just now, Large said:

I'll take a look. Thanks.

Cheers, and good luck. I have studied many languages so this has always been a passion of mine.

[Eco]

Got an email saying Duolingo now offers Japanese!

Check it out @Anton

[True Blue]

Thinking about German but good God their grammar is difficult

[Toinho]

15 hours ago, Eco said:

Got an email saying Duolingo now offers Japanese!

Check it out @Anton

Shall have a look. Cheers mate.

[carefreeluke]

Best tips from those who have learnt a language?

[nudge]

1. Motivation. Probably the most important thing, haha. I know a lot of people who are tempted to learn a new language, but once they start, they never stick to it. If you want to learn it, you have to be willing to invest a lot of time and keep on doing it, otherwise you will have to start all over again and again and again.

2. Learn the basics - alphabet and phonology, a few hundreds or so most important words (vital verbs, useful verbs, useful nouns, pronouns), basic word order (subject, verb, object) to build simple sentences. Don't try to expand your vocabulary too much too soon, do it gradually once you have a good general understanding of how a certain language works. Don't focus too much on grammar at the start either, it will just make you confused. Practice the basics a LOT, repetition really is a key to success while learning a new language. Do a lot of listening to get the rhythm of the language. Start reading books to get a grasp on proper sentence structure and expand your vocabulary at the same time. Children books are especially great at the start. Good old grammar workbooks are very useful for practicing too.

3. Expose yourself to as much of your target language as possible. Newspapers, music, books, magazines, TV, movies, websites, radio, etc.

4. Conversation, conversation, conversation. Forums are good, chatting online/messenger is better, but you really need to start speaking if you want to improve (especially important for pronunciation) and become fluent. If you can't find anyone to talk to (there are plenty of resources online for that though), at least talk to yourself. Try to actually THINK in your target language instead of translating it in your head.

[Inverted]

I'd wholeheartedly agree with the above. 

Points 3 and 4 are really key to me too. I only started learning German because my favourite book is written originally in German, and although I'm still not at a level where I can comfortably read it, that gives me a target. For now, I love a lot of German films, I can watch a lot more stuff about football, and I have some favourite newspapers. 

And I'd say don't be afraid of sounding stupid. It's better to write/say something with glaring mistakes than to avoid it out of embarrassment. My forays into the German speakers thread are a good example of this haha. 

I'd especially say anglophones can feel least embarrassed about mistakes, since in my experience people are pretty astounded when you can say/understand anything at all. 

[nudge]

58 minutes ago, Inverted said:

I'd wholeheartedly agree with the above. 

Points 3 and 4 are really key to me too. I only started learning German because my favourite book is written originally in German, and although I'm still not at a level where I can comfortably read it, that gives me a target. For now, I love a lot of German films, I can watch a lot more stuff about football, and I have some favourite newspapers. 

And I'd say don't be afraid of sounding stupid. It's better to write/say something with glaring mistakes than to avoid it out of embarrassment. My forays into the German speakers thread are a good example of this haha. 

I'd especially say anglophones can feel least embarrassed about mistakes, since in my experience people are pretty astounded when you can say/understand anything at all. 

This is a big one, a lot of people are reluctant to try to speak because they are too shy, embarrassed or afraid of making mistakes and looking stupid. They are missing the point though; even complex ideas can be expressed by using shitty grammar and still be understood. Which is basically the point of learning a foreign language in the first place. 

[Cicero]

2 hours ago, Cannabis said:

Are there any good free language sites out there? I know that Rosetta Stone can get you talking a new language in a matter of months but it's about £200 which is a bit steep. I started to use Babbel but again to actually get anything done costs a monthly subscription fee. I'm quite keen to learn a second language but don't feel that invested to break into my wallet at this stage. 

Could always torrent Rosetta stone 

[Toinho]

I signed up for a Japanese proficiency test in December. I failed the same test last December (by 4% lol). Haven't studied this year so going to have to start. Kanji and grammar are my weak points. 

 

Edit: this should be in the Japanese thread my bad. It's Monday.

[Honey Honey]

 

Talking mandarin?

 

[Dickie]

Only language I need to know is Amurican 

[Toinho]

On 9/14/2017 at 0:36 AM, HoneyNUFC said:

 

Talking mandarin?

 

I expect better from you.

[Large]

9 hours ago, Anton said:

I expect better from you.

Really?

[Stan]

On 10/09/2017 at 8:58 PM, Cannabis said:

Are there any good free language sites out there? I know that Rosetta Stone can get you talking a new language in a matter of months but it's about £200 which is a bit steep. I started to use Babbel but again to actually get anything done costs a monthly subscription fee. I'm quite keen to learn a second language but don't feel that invested to break into my wallet at this stage. 

duolingo?

Had it a while ago. Can't remember if it costs or not. 

[Honey Honey]

Duolingo is free but from what I've heard it can sometimes teach you utter nonsense

 

Things like "The monkey is in the library"

[Toinho]

28 minutes ago, HoneyNUFC said:

Duolingo is free but from what I've heard it can sometimes teach you utter nonsense

 

Things like "The monkey is in the library"

Surely you've said that up north? 

[Honey Honey]

12 minutes ago, Anton said:

Surely you've said that up north? 

The Tory government closed all the libraries 

[...Dan]

48 minutes ago, HoneyNUFC said:

Duolingo is free but from what I've heard it can sometimes teach you utter nonsense

 

Things like "The monkey is in the library"

Yeah, but it's teaching you how to construct sentences...it doesn't matter if they're weird.

Duolingo's very good but will only get you so far. Once you learn the bases on Duolingo (you'll also have to study conjugation a bit elsewhere), move onto Hellotalk where you can speak to native speakers every day.

I've spent years using Duolingo and Memrise, listening to Frech music and watching French films, and I'm now at a level where I can write to French people daily with very few misunderstandings. My reading and writing is much better than my speaking and listening. You need to put a lot of time and effort into it, you can't just download an app and expect to speak fluently in a few months. I enjoy learning French, I'm always curious about how to say things, and I think that's the key. You'll find plenty of time to practice if you really enjoy it.

[Spike]

On 9/13/2017 at 0:45 PM, Saturdays Are For The Boys said:

Only language I need to know is Amurican 

Language is a gift; the ultimate divider between peoples. It defines cultures, sexuality, love, food, and family. Part of that is why I'm so resistant to Americanisms. Unfortunately I had to compromise with the dating system and Imperial measurements, but I'll be rooted if I'm saying shite like 'that was hella gay' or 'last night was lit as hell, bro'. Fucking American slang is so abhorrent to my ear.

[Inverted]

1 hour ago, HoneyNUFC said:

Duolingo is free but from what I've heard it can sometimes teach you utter nonsense

 

Things like "The monkey is in the library"

Yeah but the point is to learn the rules of how to put sentences together. So it sometimes throws together random combinations to show you the grammar in action.

The point is to know the structures so that you can then fill them in with whatever substance you need to in real life. So if using your example, Duolingo says "Der Affe ist im der Bibliothek", I know that what is normally "die Bibliothek" becomes "der Bibliothek" in that situation. Then I know that any "die" word becomes a "der" word. So even though that individual sentence will never be useful, it teaches me a lesson that I can use in lots of situations. 

Sometimes having relatively nonsensical sentences actually helps keep your attention on the technical side. 

[Stan]

1 hour ago, HoneyNUFC said:

Duolingo is free but from what I've heard it can sometimes teach you utter nonsense

 

Things like "The monkey is in the library"

What's wrong with that? 

Monkey's gotta learn. 

[nudge]

Recently started learning Chinese (Mandarin). Want to get the grasp of the language structure/grammar on my own, and will join an in-class course later to develop conversational skills in particular. Tonal languages are tough 

[True Blue]

I would learn Japanese just to understand what the girls in the asian section of a certain filmography say.