Learning a language

[dpc]

Anyone ever try and learn a new language for no real reason at all? I'm attempting to learn some Italian just for the the hell of it. Anyone ever try this?

 

[jlprk]

Sounds easier than keeping up with this board.

 

[Natebishop3]

I'm taking spanish this term, but not by choice. I actually really like German, but German has about as much practical usage around here as latin.

I've been tempted to try Rosetta Stone, but it's so damn expensive.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

That's pretty all I've done in college for the past 6 years.

Some tips:

Find out what your learning style is. For example, flashcards and fill in the blank exercises don't work for me. Find how you learn and cater to it.

There's no better way of learning a language than to spend a month or more in the target culture. Seeing as how you probably can't just up and move to Italy, I'd recommend youtube as a way of listening practice. You can find videoblogs in almost any language, so I usually have one going in the background when I'm surfing tubmblr or playing minecraft or whatever.

One of the best things you can do is actually learn some English grammar if you don't know it well. Learning the basics is usually straight forward, but as you go, you might run into some grammar terms outside of your basic nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, determiners, conjunctions and prepositions.

 

[santeesioux]

I took Spanish in high school and now can barely string a sentence together. I've always wanted to learn Swedish or Chinese/Japanese.

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

This sight has many of the older Foreign Service Institute language learning programs available to download:

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php

All of these are public domain and can be freely downloaded.

 

[Natebishop3]

I took Spanish in high school and now can barely string a sentence together. I've always wanted to learn Swedish or Chinese/Japanese.

You would probably get a hell of a lot more usage out of Chinese or Japanese than you would out of Swedish.

 

[dpc]

I have Rosetta Stone, books, and flashcards. I'm also a member of a italian message board. It's really nice. It's a whole bunch of italians that help people with their italian. Totally free and really helpful. It's so nice to just ask them a quick question.

I do need to start listening to more. I used to play FIFA 10 with the italian commentary, but this years version doesn't have the language packs (at least not yet)

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I like Italian. It'd be the language I'd prefer to learn, more impressive to know it than any others really. Chinese? I'm asian...big deal. But speaking in Italian? That'd be dope just to yell profanities in italian at people. Italy is the bomb.

Spanish would probably be pretty good to learn since I do go to Mexico frequently for work, but seriously, everyone speaks it here in LA, its not really impressive to know. I get by fine without knowing it, so bfd. Its more of a utilitarian language than anything. But the thing is its really only helpful when dealing with mexicans who don't speak english here.

Really don't have the discipline/attention span to learn a new language. Without practicing it with actual native speakers you'll probably forget it pretty quickly anyways.

Don't be that gringo.

 

[crandc]

I am taking Spanish at an Adult Education center. I have a lot of Spanish speaking friends so I understand but don't speak.

Sometimes "no reason at all" becomes a real good reason. I have a friend, in college in the 70s, who studied Japanese just because he was interested (and had a Japanese boyfriend for a time) while getting his degree in engineering. Well, look at the advances in technology and where they were coming from ... he graduated an engineer fluent in Japanese and could name is price anywhere.

 

[mook]

My boys are 3 and 5. Two months ago I moved them from 4 days/week at normal daycare/preschool, to 2 days/week there and 2 days/week at a spanish-speaking-only daycare. There are only about 7-8 kids there on any given day, so it's pretty intensive. The boys haven't complained at all, and they are picking up some words (and they already seem to understand virtually everything).

I'm surprised to find a couple of the other kids there have Latin American parents. I really don't get it. If you only speak spanish at home, why would you take your kids to a spanish-speaking daycare? Those kids are going to be that much further behind when they enter kindergarten.

Anyway, I think the boys aren't learning math quite as quickly as they used to. But hopefully the language education pays off. (At least they won't grow up in quite as bigoted an environ as I did as a kid. Man, the things my parents used to say about "those damned wet backs..." Yeesh.)

I lived in Mexico for about 6 months, but it was a long time ago. I'm always embarrassed when I speak to the kids' teachers in spanish, but I try to force myself to.