A question primarily for non-native speakers. I'm curious as to how you developed your language skills to an extent that you're comfortable conversing on an exclusively English forum. Are your skills purely the result of a first-class education system, or did you perhaps indulge in a language-intensive hobby during your formative years? Maybe you've lived in an English-speaking country, or rather have simply been bombarded by the cultural influence of one? Please enlighten or explainabrag away.
How did you learn to English good?
- Thread starter Camikaze
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As a native Texan speaker, first I learned American as a second language. Then I made the mistake of learning Australian, which set me back a bit. Finally I tackled English.
Some factors:
-Private elementary school had english class since (iirc) third grade.
-I had a private tutor later on, for the final years of elementary school, an american woman (african/american to be exact). She was great
Also i had the goal of passing a sort of entrance exam (sic) for a private american school here (highschool).
-That mentioned american school. It had a very nice campus, but the teachers were almost all utter crap (which sucks even more if one considers how much it cost to be there). But there were good english classes (mostly lit-oriented). All other courses were taught in Greek, of course.
Two other issues:
-Graduated from an English university, lived in England (mostly London) for three years. But England has definitely caused my english to deteriorate. Despite having to write essays for uni, in a theoretical field (philosophy) the overall level of english i had to use there was pretty poor to say the least.
-I speak English instinctively by now, cause i memorised the rules in elementary school and then forgot them cause they were no longer needed.
Some other stuff:
-US cartoons on the Pan-euro channel of that time.
-Computer games were all in english.
-Private elementary school had english class since (iirc) third grade.
-I had a private tutor later on, for the final years of elementary school, an american woman (african/american to be exact). She was great
Also i had the goal of passing a sort of entrance exam (sic) for a private american school here (highschool).-That mentioned american school. It had a very nice campus, but the teachers were almost all utter crap (which sucks even more if one considers how much it cost to be there). But there were good english classes (mostly lit-oriented). All other courses were taught in Greek, of course.
Two other issues:
-Graduated from an English university, lived in England (mostly London) for three years. But England has definitely caused my english to deteriorate. Despite having to write essays for uni, in a theoretical field (philosophy) the overall level of english i had to use there was pretty poor to say the least.
-I speak English instinctively by now, cause i memorised the rules in elementary school and then forgot them cause they were no longer needed.
Some other stuff:
-US cartoons on the Pan-euro channel of that time.
-Computer games were all in english.
Kozmos
Jew Detective
Mainly cartoons when I was a kid and it just kind of snowballed from there with computers and tech and what-not.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
My dad was an English teacher in Poland (an on the side one) and taught me random words like teacher and picture in grades 1-3. I kept confusing teacher and picture though and didn't really learn much else, so at this stage my level of English knowledge was sort of 0/100
In grades 5 and 6 in Germany we had English class as part of the regular curriculum. My level of English knowledge increased to maybe 5/100, but was British English focused and very basic. So for example I could say: "My name is Warpus and this is my pullover" and a couple other things, but engaging in conversation or even watching TV would be impossible.
I arrived in Canada in the middle of grade 7 and was put in ESL class, since I basically spoke or understood no English other than simple sentences involving pullovers. Grade 8 I spent in a regular English class, but didn't learn much there. By grade 9 my English was good enough for simple conversational stuff, enough to get by and watch TV, etc. I learned it mostly by watching TV and American movies. They kept me around in a pointless ESL class through grade 10, but I didn't really mind that as I was doing most of my language learning outside of class anyway and it was nice to have an easy breezy class where you could goof off and play bingo.
I found learning German very tough - it took me a couple years to become fluent. With English it was different. The fact that it was Germanic meant that most of the learning I had to do was pronunciation. It was irregular and not easy to learn. And personally the best way I found to learn that was by watching popular culture via the TV or movies.
In grades 5 and 6 in Germany we had English class as part of the regular curriculum. My level of English knowledge increased to maybe 5/100, but was British English focused and very basic. So for example I could say: "My name is Warpus and this is my pullover" and a couple other things, but engaging in conversation or even watching TV would be impossible.
I arrived in Canada in the middle of grade 7 and was put in ESL class, since I basically spoke or understood no English other than simple sentences involving pullovers. Grade 8 I spent in a regular English class, but didn't learn much there. By grade 9 my English was good enough for simple conversational stuff, enough to get by and watch TV, etc. I learned it mostly by watching TV and American movies. They kept me around in a pointless ESL class through grade 10, but I didn't really mind that as I was doing most of my language learning outside of class anyway and it was nice to have an easy breezy class where you could goof off and play bingo.
I found learning German very tough - it took me a couple years to become fluent. With English it was different. The fact that it was Germanic meant that most of the learning I had to do was pronunciation. It was irregular and not easy to learn. And personally the best way I found to learn that was by watching popular culture via the TV or movies.
LamaGT
Emperor
I'm not exactly sure, but it is due to exposure to natives in one way or another, mostly games and movies. The learning process spanned multiple years and was very gradual, so I can't really pinpoint a specific thing. School had a minor role in it, mostly to iron out common grammar mistakes.
I think that i never really had a problem with English (at least after 3rd grade elementary). German was impossible to like, though. Had a class in fifth grade of elementary school and always was horrible at it (A student in all other classes). It just seemed too much to bother with a second language that has noun clauses, and differences from Greek.
So i dropped out of class in the next semester. Never read any other book about the adventures of Hans und Liselotte
So i dropped out of class in the next semester. Never read any other book about the adventures of Hans und Liselotte
cybrxkhan
Asian Xwedodah
Although I was born here in the states technically I wasn't really properly introduced to English until a few years after I was born. At home, in my early years, my parents spoke nothing but Vietnamese, as they were very zealous about ensuring I would know Vietnamese (oddly enough halfway through my childhood they made a complete turn-around and didn't care, and nowadays they speak more English to me than Vietnamese, which is weird because I'm so used speaking my (broken) Vietnamese to them, so it leads to amusing situations where my dad, say, tells me something in English and I reply in Vietnamese and we go on talking loike that). My lack of English during my early years, despite living in America, is apparent given I had trouble understanding directions from adults when I first went to preschool.
Still, it seems like I quickly picked up English anyways once I stayed at home less and was more or less fluent by the time I left preschool. It helped that 1) I lived in an English-speaking country (obviously); 2) was extremely young, so I could pick up these things very quickly; 3) my parents and grandparents were all fluent in English (and much more fluent than other Vietnamese, even Western-educated ones and intellectuals - their "accent" was practically flawless).
However, it appears I still had a trace of an accent going into high school, and even these days there are still some traces of it, although you'd have to listen really closely - it's most obviously shown through the fact I still can't pronounce the <th> sounds properly after all these years (although I can distinguish them in terms of hearing, obviously) (i.e. I pronounce "three" as "free" and "the" and "duh" (or "ve", sometimes)); among other things, such as pronouncing my vowels somewhat similarly to a stereotypical Mexican. But otherwise at this point I'm pretty much fluent and have been since I was ~5.
Still, it seems like I quickly picked up English anyways once I stayed at home less and was more or less fluent by the time I left preschool. It helped that 1) I lived in an English-speaking country (obviously); 2) was extremely young, so I could pick up these things very quickly; 3) my parents and grandparents were all fluent in English (and much more fluent than other Vietnamese, even Western-educated ones and intellectuals - their "accent" was practically flawless).
However, it appears I still had a trace of an accent going into high school, and even these days there are still some traces of it, although you'd have to listen really closely - it's most obviously shown through the fact I still can't pronounce the <th> sounds properly after all these years (although I can distinguish them in terms of hearing, obviously) (i.e. I pronounce "three" as "free" and "the" and "duh" (or "ve", sometimes)); among other things, such as pronouncing my vowels somewhat similarly to a stereotypical Mexican. But otherwise at this point I'm pretty much fluent and have been since I was ~5.
Verbose
Deity
Subtitled TV, RPGs, English classes at school from third grade. But subtitled TV in particular was great.
Tahuti
Writing Deity
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- 9,492
Games, movies, literature and engaging in forum conversations, no matter how terrible my English was. Actually, I went to internet forums before English even became a subject for me at school. Perhaps one of the most lop-sided courses I have ever taken given that I knew everything that was explained already.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
English as a school subject (spelling, grammar, tenses etc.), Western media, and books.
Somewhat miffed at being put in an ESL class when I came to Canada. Managed to convince the school I didn't need it though.
Somewhat miffed at being put in an ESL class when I came to Canada. Managed to convince the school I didn't need it though.
Synobun
Deity
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I was a smart little kid and if I spent enough time around a language I'd become at least conversationally fluent in it. English was my third language and grew quickly to be my favourite and, now, my solely spoken language. I became fluent in English because I learned how to read rather early and my school had a decent library. I wasn't allowed to read at home so I read 2-3 small children's novels in school every day, prompting my first grade teacher to design an entire book contest just for me. Do enough good deeds, get an actual novel at the end of the week. Since I wasn't allowed to read at home, I gave the books back to the teacher at the end so she could give it to another book-hungry soul.
Beyond that, I also had a large interest in writing, another hobby that was not permitted at home. I would write horror short stories in grade two as a replacement for arts and crafts as long as the teacher would not tell my parents. She never did, and it was nice.
The Canadian French education system kind of sucks, and I hated it. In the first 12 years of my life I was a big fan of being trilingual. Flemish, French, and English fluency with basic conversational skills in Spanish and Latin is something a lot of people strive for. I quickly grew to despise French, so I forgot all of that. I quickly grew to despise Dutch because of my family, so I've forgotten most of that. I've forgotten everything about Spanish and Latin. I am solely mono-lingual now: English. I like it and feel no need to change it. It's a wonderful language and I won't be changing my language skills unless I become invested in a nation with a foreign language in a charitable aspect (such as building schools or teaching the impoverished).
With that said, my English skills are okay at best. I get paid to write words but I don't feel like my skills at communication and writing are better than simply average. I hate learning new words and treating it like I am a walking thesaurus, so you'll see me using the same basic language and words over and over again rather than going out of my way to learn a new word and seeing how I can throw that into everything I possibly can. It's irritating to me when people do that because it conveys a message that language is simply a fad to them. If you have to explain what a word is to over 90% of your readers, perhaps consider using a word they do know. You gain nothing by intentionally confusing people.
Beyond that, I also had a large interest in writing, another hobby that was not permitted at home. I would write horror short stories in grade two as a replacement for arts and crafts as long as the teacher would not tell my parents. She never did, and it was nice.
The Canadian French education system kind of sucks, and I hated it. In the first 12 years of my life I was a big fan of being trilingual. Flemish, French, and English fluency with basic conversational skills in Spanish and Latin is something a lot of people strive for. I quickly grew to despise French, so I forgot all of that. I quickly grew to despise Dutch because of my family, so I've forgotten most of that. I've forgotten everything about Spanish and Latin. I am solely mono-lingual now: English. I like it and feel no need to change it. It's a wonderful language and I won't be changing my language skills unless I become invested in a nation with a foreign language in a charitable aspect (such as building schools or teaching the impoverished).
With that said, my English skills are okay at best. I get paid to write words but I don't feel like my skills at communication and writing are better than simply average. I hate learning new words and treating it like I am a walking thesaurus, so you'll see me using the same basic language and words over and over again rather than going out of my way to learn a new word and seeing how I can throw that into everything I possibly can. It's irritating to me when people do that because it conveys a message that language is simply a fad to them. If you have to explain what a word is to over 90% of your readers, perhaps consider using a word they do know. You gain nothing by intentionally confusing people.
Only school, grades 5-11 (in English; was possible to get rid of English for grades 12/13), and didn't even have good marks.
Was more the other way around: Hanging around here at CFC tremendously increased my vocabulary and speed of thinking in English, so that I didn't really have any problems with studying in English and talking to the foreign fellow students when I started my M.sc. degree ^^.
And now I live in the Netherlands, and speak English all day.
Never thought that would happen.
Was more the other way around: Hanging around here at CFC tremendously increased my vocabulary and speed of thinking in English, so that I didn't really have any problems with studying in English and talking to the foreign fellow students when I started my M.sc. degree ^^.
And now I live in the Netherlands, and speak English all day.
Never thought that would happen.
Civ'ed
I ain't gotta explain a thing
I went to school in England, so there's that, and I guess the IB system really helps too.
Hojsimpson
Prince
I don't think I'm very good but I learned english via osmosis, internet (chats, online games and forums), spending holidays in London (I have family there) and searching traslations of lyrics of songs I like.
ywhtptgtfo
Emperor
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- Jun 13, 2010
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- 1,746
I'd say from personal experience that formal training is definitely of value (which formalizes the concepts), although the most important part would be practice from exposure.
My English was a mess until senior years in high school when I got into D&D because of Baldur's Gate 2. They got me into reading D&D novels. Also around that time, I started trolling on the internet so that also really helped with writing.
The downside of all this is that my Chinese language skills atrophied substantially.
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