How to learn another language?

[Hitro]

I have played with the thought of learning another language for some years now, ever since I started communicating in English regularly.

In school I didn't like language class (I had English and French) basically because of the way it is conducted, especially when younger teachers are doing it. I want to learn the language, not playing stupid role play games. Well, I guess at least they prepared me to break the news of my pregnancy to my significant other should that eventually happen.

A year ago I started a course of Italian at the university, but unfortunately that suffered (in my view) from the same problems. Loads of stupid games with the course itself moving far too slow. I learned English, especially the less "official" use of it, from TV, movies and of course the internet. Still I had to know the basics, which I did through school.

So the question is how to obtain those basic skills without being turned away by the oh-so-great modern teaching methods. Any idea?

Oh and, you can of course also suggest languages.

 

[WS78]

Been thinking of learning Japanese, Italian and Spanish. But that seems a bit ambitious.
If you really want to learn, go to the country and follow a course there! There are a lot of foreign language studies in that specific country. It is THE best way to learn new languages.

 

[Hitro]

If you really want to learn, go to the country and follow a course there! There are a lot of foreign language studies in that specific country. It is THE best way to learn new languages.

Well yeah, maybe, but I can't just go to some country for a year.

 

[OrpheusPrime]

Spanish was quite easy for me, although I have since forgotten most of what I learned. Its vary similar to French too. But spanish is a kinda useless outside south america and spain, of course.

 

[Hakim]

I remember learning lots of german glossary very quickly by making a simple program on the C64. Leider, ich kann nicht mehr deutsche sprechen. Ich habe es vergesst.

If you tried Italian, why not continue? It's frustrating to know a little of a language. If you have any foreign born friends, learn their language so that you know you will get practice.

 

[stormbind]

Play a foreign computer game. It will come complete with many foreign supporters who are generally happy to help you practice between gaming sessions

 

[WS78]

It all depends, what's your age and status. It's up to you if you feel like giving you're life a new twist.

 

[AceChilla]

Try some computer programme like Rosseta Stone. The American foreign uses it to train their ambassadors. It teaches you a language in a natural way, without learning all the grammer first.

It are pretty awesome programs. Maybe you can rent it in your local library, or get them somewhere else on the www because they are mighty expensive to buy.

http://www.rosettastone.com/home

 

[Hitro]

Try some computer programme like Rosseta Stone. The American foreign uses it to train their ambassadors. It teaches you a language in a natural way, without learning all the grammer first.

It are pretty awesome programs. Maybe you can rent it in your local library, or get them somewhere else on the www because they are mighty expensive to buy.

http://www.rosettastone.com/home

Thanks. Interesting.

But actually I wouldn't have a problem with learning all the grammar first. In fact the lack of structure is one thing I very much dislike about the modern approach to teaching languages.

 

[AceChilla]

Thanks. Interesting.

But actually I wouldn't have a problem with learning all the grammar first. In fact the lack of structure is one thing I very much dislike about the modern approach to teaching languages.

Well this program does teach you the grammer eventually. But just in a natural way, the way children learn another language. It works alot with visuals, shows you pictures and you have to pick the right line with it.

for instance:

"The boy is jumping, the boy jumped, the boy is going to jump"

Now pick the picture which applies to those sentences. Not as dry as from a book and eventually you learn the grammer naturally. I learned a little latin with this program

You can always pick up a book with it of course. Maybe if you remember things well books will work faster.

 

[Marla_Singer]

Spanish was quite easy for me, although I have since forgotten most of what I learned. Its vary similar to French too. But spanish is a kinda useless outside south america and spain, of course.

If spanish is useless because it's "only" spoken in South America and Spain, then many languages are useless.

 

[RedWolf]

Well this program does teach you the grammer eventually. But just in a natural way, the way children learn another language. It works alot with visuals, shows you pictures and you have to pick the right line with it.

for instance:

"The boy is jumping, the boy jumped, the boy is going to jump"

Now pick the picture which applies to those sentences. Not as dry as from a book and eventually you learn the grammer naturally. I learned a little latin with this program

You can always pick up a book with it of course. Maybe if you remember things well books will work faster.

Sounds good. Anything cheaper?

 

[AceChilla]

Sounds good. Anything cheaper?

There are cheaper programs that try to do something similair modelled on Rosetta Stone. I picked up a Spanish and an Italian course for 5 euros in the local Aldi , but I haven't checked them yet so I don't know about the quality.

My library has some of the Rosetta Stone courses on DVD. Or like I said somewhere on the internet...

 

[Louis XXIV]

I learn languages in school and I don't expect to be fluent in any language besides English any time soon (although I did try to learn some German and now am learning Spanish).

There was a foreign exchange student from Germany who spoke English and French and was learning Spanish in an American school. I'm afraid I couldn't tell you what he did to learn all those languages so well, though (I never bothered to ask him).

 

[OrpheusPrime]

If spanish is useless because it's "only" spoken in South America and Spain, then many languages are useless.

I was of course, kidding..

 

[vbraun]

I would like to learn Latin but have of yet given the time and effort to do so.

 

[GenMarshall]

Hmm, I have been thinking about learning eather Japanese or Latin (I know Latin is a dead language, but its still used in everyday language. Since most of our words came from Latin ).

 

[MamboJoel]

Well, I'd say that the best way for an adult to learn a language is to live in a country for several monthes.
I met a luxembourgish girl (25, I'm 25) a few weeks ago. She comes from Mauritania and was born in Russia. She speaks eight languages fluently, mostly latin and german languages plus Peule and Wolof. It's all about mother languages, brother languages. She esplained me a lot on how to understand italian, knowing spanish, french or latin etc... It's all about having the key to get from one european language to another.
L'esprit des langues.

 

[Chieftess]

There's a million ways to learn a language, but the most important thing is to spend the first 2 years treating it like it's the biggest thing since sliced bread. You've gotta fully imerse yourself in that language as much as you can. Getting books and watching videos really helps. My great-grandmother came over from Germany in 1914 (the day WWI started) and didn't know English, but learned it by watching game shows on TV (probably the radio to start off).

A few pointers:

1 - Treat the language like it's your life for the next 2 years. I find the first two years of learning anything (even a hobby) is the most important. I sure wished that's how college went. ).

2 - Make a lesson plan for yourself. Unless you do full immersion and speak to someone 20 hours a day (like a parent does to their baby), structure is the only other alternative. The lesson plan might look something like this:

* (optional - alphabet. Some languages have a different alphabet. If they do, pratice writing names you see -- i.e., in the news -- in that language)
* Learn the basic greetings, and a simple Subject-Object-Verb (or its' equivalent) structure. Most sites have atleast this.
* Get a really good language textbook to learn from. Ask around for this. Then, follow that textbook.
* Make a vocabulary quiz for yourself. Group them into groups of 5, 10, and 50.
--- go through 1-5 a few times (use 2-3 as the first half, then 2nd half), then do the same with the next 5. Then, repeat that "deck". If you want, you can do 50 in one sitting, then 50 in another sitting on the same day, reviewing all of those. Don't worry if you can't memorize them all (you're not supposed to), it just gets you familar with it. Some sites will swear by this method as a memory tool (and one guy actually claimed to learn 1000 Japanese kanji this way in a month), but the effects are probably short term if you don't use all of them.

3 - Get a GOOD dictionary, not one of those pocket dictionaries. If you can, get a good grammar book, too. Ask around on different language learning sites.

4 - Find a really good webpage as a frontpage for learning that language. (i.e., for Japanese, rikai.com is a great site) Make that your homepage so that you can see it each time you load the Internet up.

5 - Get a game or something that you enjoy that's in the language you want. Make sure it has a good deal of text/sound (not these shooter games where all they do is shout 1-liner-victory quotes which you'll never use in real life. -- you wouldn't see anyone at working going "Yeehaa! We did it!", would you?).

Wolof. It's all about mother languages, brother languages. She esplained me a lot on how to understand italian, knowing spanish, french or latin etc... It's all about having the key to get from one european language to another.

I think I've noticed something like that 'key' -- how grammar, words, dialects, etc. are similar enough that you could make out what other languages are saying.

i.e., I know German, but I don't "know" Dutch or Swedish, although I can make out what RikMeleet and JDream are saying in the chatroom, or what GreyFox and his roommate are saying in Swedish in the chatroom. It's just a matter of piecing one word to another.

 

[GenMarshall]

@CT - now is that a good way to learn both Japanese and/or Latin?