Are you learning a new language?

[kyuuei]

If you're learning one right now discuss it. Techniques, and tools you're using to get started with, etc? Are you enjoying it? And why did you want to learn that particular language?

 

[Pseudo]

French! I found a pretty good iTunes audiobook thing. I used it a little before a trip I took but then stopped. Just started again. I like it because there is a kind of Story thy you follow of a guy going to France and studying/meeting people. Plus the dialogues are acted and discuss by a native speaker and non native speaker. I think all the context really helps.

I had to learn at little and once I did I really liked it, so now I just want to know it. Plus it's good for art historical terms.

 

[Such Irony]

I keep resolving to learn Spanish and I keep putting it off. One of these days I'll take the time.

 

[kyuuei]

French! I found a pretty good iTunes audiobook thing. I used it a little before a trip I took but then stopped. Just started again. I like it because there is a kind of Story thy you follow of a guy going to France and studying/meeting people. Plus the dialogues are acted and discuss by a native speaker and non native speaker. I think all the context really helps.

I had to learn at little and once I did I really liked it, so now I just want to know it. Plus it's good for art historical terms.

I am learning French right now as well! I'm finding pronouncing the words is, as stereotypically is the case, difficult for me but I am enjoying it a lot. Right now I am just looking up youtube videos for free (Learning French with Vincent, he's got the most adorable voice ever), trying to watch french shows with english subtitles (Kaamelott is particularly funny, but I can only find 3 episodes so far with subtitles), and I'm reading a couple corny kids-esque books but I'm getting a lot done. (Learn French in 10 minutes a day, and a flip-book quiz.. I have no partner, so I just do both sides lol.)

My love of my life [MENTION=6723]phobik[/MENTION] showed me livemocha.com where you can play with their software for free in exchange of helping others with their reviews for tokens to spend learning. I'm loving it so far. The iTunes audio, which are you using?

I keep resolving to learn Spanish and I keep putting it off. One of these days I'll take the time.

My friends are making fun of me for not trying Spanish since I live so close to Mexico.. But it's another language with a lot of pronunciation, masculine/feminine rules, etc.

 

[Scott N Denver]

If you're learning one right now discuss it. Techniques, and tools you're using to get started with, etc? Are you enjoying it? And why did you want to learn that particular language?

I'm trying to get back into learning russian. I've been contemplating rosetta stone for years, but its kinda pricey, and now my "disposable income" is significantly reduced. However, I recently discovered language learning videos on, or linked with, youtube. For example russianpod101 [they have those for tons of languages, see http://www.youtube.com/user/russianpod101?feature=results_main and scroll down], which apparently has a free lifetime access, though I wonder how they make money that way.

I think rosetta stone would be a very strong learning method, and 350$ for levels 1-5 is significantly less than its usual price, but its still probably too much $$$ for me for the time being.

I've always just thought russian is cool.

 

[kyuuei]

I'm trying to get back into learning russian. I've been contemplating rosetta stone for years, but its kinda pricey, and now my "disposable income" is significantly reduced. However, I recently discovered language learning videos on, or linked with, youtube. For example russianpod101 [they have those for tons of languages, see http://www.youtube.com/user/russianpod101?feature=results_main and scroll down], which apparently has a free lifetime access, though I wonder how they make money that way.

I think rosetta stone would be a very strong learning method, and 350$ for levels 1-5 is significantly less than its usual price, but its still probably too much $$$ for me for the time being.

I've always just thought russian is cool.

I think Rosetta stone's only benefit is hearing it out loud and being classroom like. Maybe you should try Livemocha.com first and give it a try? its free so it's not like it'll hurt to try it

I bought some comparable-to-rosetta-stone-supposedly software while deployed, and while I like it okay I still enjoy livemocha so much more. Also, Learning French with Vincent has been amazing and free on youtube, so maybe you could find a well spoken Russian person to watch on youtube? (I have none disposable income, so Im all for frugal purchases that do comparably good results.)

 

[Scott N Denver]

I think Rosetta stone's only benefit is hearing it out loud and being classroom like. Maybe you should try Livemocha.com first and give it a try? its free so it's not like it'll hurt to try it

I bought some comparable-to-rosetta-stone-supposedly software while deployed, and while I like it okay I still enjoy livemocha so much more. Also, Learning French with Vincent has been amazing and free on youtube, so maybe you could find a well spoken Russian person to watch on youtube? (I have none disposable income, so Im all for frugal purchases that do comparably good results.)

can you talk some more about this livemocha thing and its details? russianpod101 has videos on youtube, and apparently their actual non-youtube website is free as well. the youtube video has smiley perky energetic people talking and being perky and energetic. they even list it as one of their "selling points"!

 

[kyuuei]

can you talk some more about this livemocha thing and its details? russianpod101 has videos on youtube, and apparently their actual non-youtube website is free as well. the youtube video has smiley perky energetic people talking and being perky and energetic. they even list it as one of their "selling points"!

Livemocha is very rosetta-stone like in its approach, picking a few words and emphasizing them in several different ways as well as making you record yourself and listen to yourself say the words, and 'talking' to digital people in dialogues. But I think it adds a bit more reading/writing elements.. Basically the thing is, you can buy the lessons for a modest price (but where's the fun in that?) or you can help others learn English by listening to the similar exercises that you have to go through and giving them responses to help them, either audio or written, which earns you coins to take lessons. Each lesson is 4 sections, and the sections cost.. just a tiny bit more than a review would earn you. You can spend a lot of coins getting a tutor to help you personally and guarantee a review for you, but I don't right now since I'm in the beginner lessons. anyways, for potentially free tutoring and free lessons it really can't be beat so far.

I do like the software that I bought, don't get me wrong, but I think I'll probably just stick to this for a while since its more convenient... I can log into livemocha anywhere with internet vs dragging CDs with me.

Having some study books in the car has also helped a lot.. every time I'm stuck waiting at the DMV, or at a doctor's office, I have something productive to do.

 

[The Ü™]

I need to brush up on my German because I emailed girls on POF who responded to the messages which I sent in the German I do know...I did it while drunque (which is an advanced stage of being drunk, it's the French word for drunk), and I didn't expect any responses...and now, well, I'm thinking about how to keep the conversation going. I know the basic stuff, some of the intermediate stuff, but I think it's a waste of money to get all levels if I know the basic levels.

I also wouldn't mind learning Norwegian or Swedish (I think Rosetta-Stone has software for either one or both.)

But what I really want Rosetta-Stone to release is software for Klingon.

 

[Metamorphosis]

I'm trying to get back into learning russian. I've been contemplating rosetta stone for years, but its kinda pricey, and now my "disposable income" is significantly reduced. However, I recently discovered language learning videos on, or linked with, youtube. For example russianpod101 [they have those for tons of languages, see http://www.youtube.com/user/russianpod101?feature=results_main and scroll down], which apparently has a free lifetime access, though I wonder how they make money that way.

I think rosetta stone would be a very strong learning method, and 350$ for levels 1-5 is significantly less than its usual price, but its still probably too much $$$ for me for the time being.

I've always just thought russian is cool.

I speak decent Russian, and I think Rosetta Stone is pretty much worthless for anything other than vocabulary building. My top pick is Michel Thomas Method for grammar and Pimsleur after that for vocabulary.

 

[Tyrinth]

日本語. I'm attempting anyways (I'm currently wrapping up my first semester). I figure that based on the things I watch/listen to/read that I might as well try to learn. Actually, learning a foreign language is the most fun I've had learning anything in quite a while. I'm currently majoring in English Linguistics, and it's really interesting how much my Linguistics classes actually help me understand my Japanese classes, and vice-versa.

 

[Aquarelle]

I speak decent Russian, and I think Rosetta Stone is pretty much worthless for anything other than vocabulary building. My top pick is Michel Thomas Method for grammar and Pimsleur after that for vocabulary.

I agree with this. I don't think the theory behind Rosetta Stone is sound. It's built on the premise that the natural way or best way to learn a language is the way that children learn it, by just listening and picking up things. The problem is that the reason children are so good at learning languages is that 1) their brains are still very fluid, and connections that are established in adults are still being forged and, perhaps even more importantly, 2) children lack the higher logical functions that we develop as we grow older. So children, basically, don't give a damn whether their grammar is correct or whatever, they just do whatever they can to communicate. And some adults may say that that's the case with them as well-- "I don't care if my grammar is perfect"-- but the fact is even if you don't care if it's perfect, your brain wants to put it into a logical system. So I really think adults need formal grammar lessons to really learn a language. Of course being immersed in a language (i.e. living in a place where you have to use it every day) is the best (and maybe only) way to perfect a new language, I think adults need a grammatical base to learn a language.

To answer the question at hand... I am constantly learning new languages. I majored in French as an undergrad, lived in France for a semester, and a few years ago my French was awesome. I wouldn't say fluent, because fluency is a lot harder to achieve than most people think (and it's not binary, either... how does one really decide when one is fluent?), but I was close to native proficiency. Now, I've lost a lot of it because I don't use it on a daily basis. I minored in Russian and although my Russian was never near fluent, it was good enough for me to get around in Russia for a couple of weeks on my own. I've lost a lot of that, too. I speak a little Spanish, and have dabbled in Turkish as well. Right now, for purely my own interest (and possibly bragging rights), I am currently trying to learn Irish, and I can honestly say of all the languages I've ever studied, it is by far the most difficult.

 

[Randomnity]

I'm trying to talk myself into learning French. I was in immersion for a few years so I should be able to relearn to that point without too much trouble, although vocabulary will be an issue.

My problem is that it's a very useful (here) skill but extremely boring for me, so I haven't really started. I suppose it might be less awful than I'm imagining, once I actually start. But I hated it in school.

 

[AgentF]

objective-C. because i like inheriting properties.

 

[Orangey]

I like the Pimsleur series in conjunction with an online flashcard system and a good grammar reference book. Also, having a buddy from a country that speaks the language helps a lot.

 

[Stanton Moore]

Been thinking about Sanskrit.

 

[kyuuei]

I agree with this. I don't think the theory behind Rosetta Stone is sound. It's built on the premise that the natural way or best way to learn a language is the way that children learn it, by just listening and picking up things...

This is probably why I disliked my software so much. I for weary very quickly of just learning random words, I wanted sentences and structure that made the words make sense. What's the use in knowing 100 words that I cannot communicate? I'm not a child, so sentences are quite necessary.

The online program I'm using right now sort of forces grammar on me right from the get-go, and I've already learned quite a bit from the reviews people have posted on my (clearly not very good ) written quiz. The vocabulary gave me "petit" for men, but I kept writing "petit" whether a man or a woman.. Not correct I quickly came to realize.

Irish I could see being very hard.. how many people really speak it? If you don't even get practice with French I can only imagine Irish...

 

[Aquarelle]

Irish I could see being very hard.. how many people really speak it? If you don't even get practice with French I can only imagine Irish...

About 12 people speak it I think, so it really has no practical value. But it's fun.

 

[Lark]

I'd like to be able to speak other languages, including gaelic (Irish) which I was deprived off at school (hated the irish teacher, who was an ass and came back as a head master and tortured my brother and was probably a fascist, I'm not kidding about that, think Franco or Peron, not Hitler or Mussolini).

The other day I was at the gym and listening to an audiobook and a girl who was there heard that it was an audiobook and when I went to get some water they went too and said to me was I learning a language, I was a bit abscent minded because I was thinking about the audiobook, I'd finished CS Lewis' The Four Loves and moved on to Erich Fromm's To Have or To Be? which has some ruminations on love too in it, and said yes and when she said which one I said "love". Then I realised what I'd said as my water bottle was like full and thought shit, that was so corny, but when I looked up this girl was like love struck or something looking at me with these big eyes and I thought "oh, shit" and "ok bye now" (bye, meow) and went back to cross trainer I'd left.

 

[Nicki]

I'm attempting to learn Spanish. I think it would be somewhat easier for me because I'm surrounded by many peers who speak Spanish.