SpiralArchitect

Definitely. I think that TV is the thing which has helped me the most in learning English after books. Also you learn things like correct pronunciations when you hear the words in question being used. Tv helps out a lot there too. Oh and you wouldn't know the slang words if you don't watch them being used on TV.

Happens a lot in Southern India. People wouldn't be angry at you as such but they wouldn't a lot helpful if you ask for directions. This doesn't happen universally but is a problem in some regions.

Well just smile and shake your head. That ought to do the trick.

Frankenstein holds up even to this day. Something written that long back will definitely feel dated in terms of writing style but the themes and story still feels fresh. I'd say it is one of those classics that'll not feel completely outdated even 100 years from now.

I think I did it sometimes in school when we had foreign exchange students coming and they had to interact with people who only knew Hindi or Rajasthani. I think I only had to do it for a day or two and didn't really mind.

Well if I am not using my mother tongue than I might as well use it right. I don't feel easy or comfortable around them using a language incorrectly then I see no reason to use a language the way it was meant to be.

Well I've always said that my favorite American poet is Jim Morrison. Joking aside, I'll agree with people who said that in essence there isn't a huge difference. The only difference is that lyrics are usually written with a tune in mind or sometimes written in a way that a tune can be laid on them. Poetry doesn't have these trappings but the essence of wordplay remains the same.

Yep. A person can be sarcastic. You don't call a language sarcastic.

Welcome Bloom. Another 22 year old here (there shall be no mention of Taylor Swift songs :punk:) Hope you have a good time learning the variety of languages you have an interest in. There is very little that isn't covered here at linguaholic.

Welcome wynnfryd. Hope your Spanish learning journey goes smoothly. My knowledge of Spanish is sadly non-existent but there are a lot of people in the Spanish subforum who will be able to help you out. Enjoy your stay.

It is a good tool and I can tell you that from having used it for German but the quality is provides varies from language to language because as rgaz said, they have similar content for all languages which isn't actually very smart considering the differences in the usage different languages have. So, it really depends on the language you want it for, it may be good for one while not so good for another. From what I've heard the Spanish version is decent but you should do more research than just take my word for it.

The idiom is rat's ass and not cat's ass. As in "I don't give a rat's ass about what you think."

Its not a matter of things being lost in translation, the entire poem is butchered if it isn't read in the language it was meant to. I mean the only point of doing so would be if one wants to understand the meaning of what the poet was saying. But in that case you are better off reading a critique of the poem as opposed a translated version.

Here's another one that I like a lot - Tomorrow is promised to no one. They say all marriages are made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightning. Can't remember where I heard them. Probably in some movie.

I think in the present world you should be able to communicate in at least two languages - English and your native language. Beyond that its just a matter of where you live, what you do and if learning a new language will be able to somehow help you in the future. I think beyond the two I mentioned, it would be wise to be able to communicate in one more language.

Learning new languages opens up a lot of possibilities for you in terms of travelling. Beyond that it's a matter of curiosity and the belief that learning a particular language will definitely of use at somepoint n your life even you can't quite figure out how.

From what I've heard from my friends, Vanakkam hasn't been the accepted form of greeting for quite a while now and is considered archaic in normal usage. In fact even their parents don't use it much now.

Do people actually do that? I can understand why that would be incredibly annoying. Not to that extent people still using unnecessarily complicated words can be quite annoying.

To be truly successful with a language it takes quite a few years. I think my English is pretty good and that is the result of learning it for more than 10 years. On the other hand, I have friends who were successful in gaining a decent command over German and French in 3-4 years.

I am quite used to multiple choice exams having given a bucket load of them over the past few years. Definitely prefer them to normal tests but hate how they lull you into a false sense of security over how easy they are supposed to be. In my opinion the more obvious an option looks, the less its chances of being correct are.

I think it would be unfair to stereotype an entire nation but yes a fair amount of Americans are indeed linguistically arrogant. The sad part is that some of these are actually people who are otherwise quite ok.

Sarcasm is a part of human nature, not a trait of English as a language and it definitely isn't "very American". There are a mot of other idioms in other languages that are used to convey sarcasm but I guess English ones will be the ones familiar to most forum members. "That's so peachy" is definitely a good one of those.

Well I mostly watch movies without subtitles unless its in a language I am not familiar with. The subtitles usually tend to distract from the movie itself at times and tend to spoil the dialogue somewhat, particularly when its comedy.

Unless you are there on a short visit, it doesn't really make whole lot of sense. Being in a place where communication is difficult for you can be absolutely hellish if its for a prolonged period of time.

As someone who has tried this in the past, I would suggest learning 2 languages at a time is not a very smart thing to do. As you are faced by two languages who you are unfamiliar with you start confusing the words from the two and end up not learning either of those very well.