GearZ

The advances made in computer translations are absolutely amazing compared to yesteryear. But will it ever completely replace learning another language? No. I'm not convinced a machine can ever get the nuisances completely right. And learning language isn't completely utilitarian, it is enriching in its own right. Still, it is an interesting topic and I am fascinated by what the world of technology will come up with next.

Yes, I have with French. I am a native English speaker and have a good knowledge of German. I thought I would try French, but I lost interest fairly quickly and let it go. I don't regret it as I focused on other things.

I would have to say Koine Greek. It is the language the New Testament was written in and said text has had a profound impact on western civilization. It also would make a good springboard to other languages.

Thank you for the links and resources. Out of curiosity, how active is the Esperanto movement these days? It was very much so decades ago, but I am not sure about now. Thanks much.

Hello. My daughter is just over three years old and we've started to teach her Spanish words. We've also given her some toys that say the English word and then the Spanish word. I've read that starting children very young on language learning is the way to do it. If there is any other parents who have done so, I would be very glad to "compare notes" and hear any tips. Thank you.

Though I am a bit rusty now, I found learning German pretty easy back in the day. The rules of the language are logical and it is not to far from English. I'm finding Spanish more difficult to grasp. I don't know if it is because it is a Romance language, if I'm getting older, or both. :confused:

Hello all. I am curious how many here have lived and worked in a country other than the one of your origin. Where did you live? How did it go? What were some of the struggles you encountered? Thanks much.

I am told my first word was "lights" (in reference to a lightbulb or other lights source), though I pronounced it "aightz". Not far from my childhood home was a massive industrial complex that at night had thousands of lights on it. Apparently, I found the sight rather impressive, so "aightz" were repeated nonstop.

I have not used this technique myself, but I have a good friend who is Hungarian who told me this helped him greatly in learning English. His English is quite good these days, so I think there is something to it. I still help him with some of the idioms, but he's well on his way to fluency.

That pronunciation ("warsh") also turns up in the Pacific Northwest too, though it always hits my ear wrong. A common (mis)pronunciation you'll find in the PNW is "fir" for "for" and I admit to using that one without thinking about it.

Alas, my Spanish skills at the present are pretty rudimentary. I have a book on the subject as well as a number of apps as study guides, but I would really like to take a formal class. The one at the local college is not at a time when I can attend, so I have been looking for a good online course instead.

There are three big reasons I want to learn Spanish; one is sentimental, one for practical purposes, and the last a little of both. The sentimental one is my father's side of the family is from Spain. I would love to learn the language and visit family we have back in the home country as well as some that moved to Argentina. The practical reason is I have business contacts in Puerto Rico and, to a lesser extent, Latin America. It would help knowing more of the language, even if I still needed a translator to conduct business. The little bit of both is that I would like my daughter to be able to learn the language as she grows up.

It varies a little bit depending on the OS and device you are on. Which operating system are you using?

Yes, I am a native speaker, and studied Shakespeare in middle school, high school, and in the college years. While I, generally, liked the classics, I never was a huge fan of the Bard of Avon.

Hearing English spoken with a slight Spanish accent is pleasant to my ears. Some Southern accents are pleasant, depending on the region. Kind of a funny side story: I have a cousin from Australia and she, naturally, has an Australian accent. I am from the the rural Pacific Northwest and we really don't have much in the way of an accent and few regional language distinctions. I asked her one time what we sounded like to her and she said something like "very plain, simple, almost robotic." I'm not sure if we sound that way to everyone, but who knows.