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Linguaholic

Trellum

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Posts posted by Trellum

  1. Listening music in a different language never helped me to learn said language, actually a lot people in my country like to listen to music in enlgish, but that doesn't seem to help them at all  :tongue:  I guess this isn't for everyone, each person is different and can learn a new language using certain methods.  For example, there are people who can learn a new language by taking a course, but there are people out there that can learn a new language on their own. So it really depends on the person, but if you ask me... no, not even a bit!

  2. For me the hardest part was to learn new vocabulary and learn how to pronunce those new words right.  Sometimes memorizing new words and their meaning is hard, specially if you're obsessed with perfect spelling. I learnt english when I was just 16, but I still have a lot to work on... one of the things I've to work on is the spelling.  Lately I notice that I'm checking my spelling even more; I have a lot doubts lately :(

    I think learning a language is a life-long process; I've been learning english since I was a teen, but I'm still learning something new almost every day.

  3. I think it really depends on the language we are talking about, for example, I think I'd have such a hard time reading russian or chinese!  Even more than speaking it.  Oddly enough, I've never had a hard time reading hebrew :) Mostly because all the religious hebrew texts use the nikkud, but I often feel like a parrot reading those... i just read the words, but I can't understand a word of what I'm reading. 

    The only language that I've managed to speak fluently is English, and I had the hardest time with the pronunciation.  I never had any kind of trouble reading it, but when I was just starting to learn it... my spelling wasn't the best.

  4. Learning a new language  used to be a hobby for me, at least that's how I liked to see it :)  I was planning to learn a lot languages when I was a teen, but in the end I fell really short :(  Nowadays I'm a more realistic person,  and I no longer see language learning as a hobby anymore, maybe because I no longer have as much time as I used to. 

    Right now I'm trying to learn Dutch because I might be moving to the Netherlands in the future, and I will really need it, specially if I want to speed things up (finding job, socializing, etc.).

    Learning a new language is one of the nicest hobbies a young/adult person can come across :)  But I think most adult people nowadays are learning a language out of necessity rather than just learning it because that's their hobby. 

    So, what about you?  Are you learning a new language because you really need to (for whatever reason) or you're learning it because you just like to learn new languages?

  5. English, I learnt it on my own and it was quite easy!  It took me around six months to grasp most of the language's structure (verb conjugation, order, word order, etc).  I started with the pronunciation part much later, I left it for the end, because I was extremely shy. 

    Thankfully I got a job as an au pair in Norway, so I got to speak a lot english over there (I didn't know a word of norwegian).  I got to learn some norwegian over there, but not much :)  I met my first boyfriend over there, he was kurdish and spoke english, kurdish and norwegian.  So we had to speak in english :)  That helped me a lot, because that's when I started to feel truly confident :)  That work experience helped me a lot :)

  6. Sometimes I feel like my english is getting rusty, and I use it everyday :P  Something must be really wrong with me, or maybe the stress I'm facing lately is really affecting me  :confused: 

    I often think that knowing a lot languages must be a really nice thing, something like a really good investment, but I think in the practice... the story is totally different :(  I think the average polyglot has trouble keeping up with the languages he/she has learnt, unless this person has a really exceptional memory. 

    I guess the best way to keep what you got is to keep on practicing the language as much as you can.  Maybe writing in that language everyday, by staying in touch with other advanced students tru mail or skype :)  Watching movies in that foreigner language can also be super helpful!

  7. It really depends on your mother language (it's easier to learn a romance language when your mother language is a romance language), so if your mother language isn't a romance one...it might take you a bit longer to learn spanish.  If you're trying to get to speak the language as fast as possible, then I'd recommend the Pimsleur course, this course has helped me a lot with my dutch :)

    If you want to focus on the grammar, spelling and general language structure, then you  can try taking a spanish course with other students.  It'd really help you to be able to immerse yourself in the language and practice it with other students. You'd learn spanish faster that way, I think.

  8. That was really funny... it'd explain a lot things!  I have a british friend who is sometimes to polite, but sometimes he also says the most random and odd stuff all of a sudden.  So I'm not sure if that table applies to him or not. 

    I used to think brits said it the way it is, but it's kinda odd this article points to a totally different direction  :tongue:  I guess it depends a lot on the person you're dealing with; not everyone is the same. Each person has her/his own personality.

  9. I asked my mom a while ago.  According to her my first word was: ''Sal Hada''. That was the name of a salt brand that was very popular over here, lol. I don't think they longer make it. 

    Strangely enough my parents say that I didn't start talking or walking until I was 3 years old!  I've always had language problems, I guess.  A teacher told my mom when I was just 10 that I could be suffering from dyslexia, but what do they know, lol?  I do have some symptoms... I've always had troubles spelling and writing some words. Sometimes reading is a bit hard :P

  10. I'm still not married yet (or engaged) but I'm currently serious with my boyfriend. We have discussed kids a few times and we both say we want to raise our kids from a young age in several languages. His native language (Italian), my native language (English) and my second language (Japanese)! It'll definitely be hard but I guess kids books and kids shows are going to be our main resource. Also word games etc...

    The situation you described is the same one for me :)  Me and my boyfriend aren't engaged, but we have talked about children a lot and a life together.  If we do get married, we will be living in the Netherlands, so my children will have to learn dutch, but I'd also like to teach them some english and spanish.  I'll start teaching them both languages very early on :)  I'm sure that by when they're teenagers, they'll be speaking english and spanish fluently.

  11. Uhm, I have been told that I don't even have the accent I should have in my own native language.  You see, I'm a native spanish speaker from the north of mexico, but for some reason I don't have the same accent my peers do.  I've lived a long time in Europe, but I was raised in this part of Mexico. So it's really odd I don't have that accent... my spanish sounds like a really neutral one (the way it should be) no accents no anything :)

  12. I think exchanging mails with another person is a great way to practice a language, I don't think snail mail is practical at all tho.  Because I've never liked the idea of exchanging my home address with a total stranger, but we're lucky enough to have e-mail now :)  Doing this by e-mail is way more convenient, but it can also be really hard to mantain. You need to be pretty clear with the person since the start, and find an arrangment that benefit both of you.

    I'd recommend connecting with other persons who are interested in learning/practicing the same language you are trying to learn.  That way you can keep this going even longer :)

  13. I haven't tried Rosetta Stone courses, but I've heard they're incredibly expensive!  I have no trouble on my own, but I'd not risk it too much by buying a really expensive course I'm not even sure that could help me. 

    Have you tried learning spanish  by just immersing yourself more in the language?  I know it might sound crazy, but I think you would you great if you tried the Pimsleur method, specially if you're looking for a course that allows you to start speaking spanish soon.  I love the Pimsleur method mostly because it doesn't bore you to death with a bunch of grammatical rules and exercises... you just get to hear and repeat words and phrases. 

    This method isn't for everyone, but it has proved to be very helpful for me.  I'm the type of person who learns better by just listening and repeating and then applying what I've just learnt.  Try to make of this language learning adventure a game!

  14. I taught myself Spanish by buying a workbook at the local book store. It really helped me. It came with a CD for my PC at the time as well, but I learned to speak it almost fluently, without even using the CD. I also would practice writing letters back and forth to myself in order to improve my language skills.

    That's amazing!  So you can speak and write it fluently?  I had such a huge trouble learning to ''speak'' english, but writing it wasn't so hard.  It's kinda funny some people who start learning a language on their own first start with the written form, and the start to worry about the pronunciation :)  I think is truly remarkable you taught yourself spanish :) 

  15. I know what you mean, I had a lot english textbooks as well, but I've ADD so I couldn't really concentrate long enough on that.  I could never learn that way, I've always like to have a more active role when it comes to learning a new language.  So far english has been my only success.  I can read hebrew, but that's it, lol.

    Have you tried to find pen pals to write e-mails to?  The pimsleur program can make wonders... if you are looking for a course that can help you to start speaking the language asap, then Pimsleur is the way to go.  It doesn't come with tedious grammar rules and exercises... I think the pimsleur program is the closest a student like us can get to a ''language immersion''.  You should try it.

  16. Some of my relatives are living in USA and Europe, some of them speak spanish, and the ones who live in USA find it really useful.  I think it really helps them to stay connected with their roots! As for my relatives in Europe... not really, since the only place in Europe where they speak spanish is spain and they're not living there.  There are some spanish speakers where they live, but most people avoid speaking it in public.

  17. Hey guys!  I'm a native spanish speaker, and I strongly believe that spanish is a really beautiful language, specially if it's written and spoken the way is supposed to be.  One  of the things I like the most about my mother language is how complete and diverse the spanish vocabulary is!  Sadly most native spanish speakers use very few words to communicate everyday :(  I'm guilty of that as well, I guess :P

    Another thing I like is the diversity of accents that can be found throughout the american continent.  I personally like the accent of my own country, I think it's one of the most neutral spanish accents out there (specially the accent used in the place where I was born).  I'm from Mexico, so the accent varies from state to state. I also like the spaniard accent :) 

    What about you? What do you like the most about the spanish language?

  18. Is anyone trying to learn spanish on his/her own?  I'd really like to know what you're using to do so, assuming you're actually doing it on your own, of course :)  It'd be really great if you could share and talk about the resources you are using to learn spanish on your own. 

    It's no secret I'm really interested in self-teaching, after all that's how I learnt english :)  It'd be nice to get to know  more people who are interested in learning languages this way.  I think it can be really exciting, but also extremely hard, because you need to have a lot will power in order to keep on studying and practicing the language every single day!

  19. Hi everyone!  I'm a native spanish speaker, and I honestly feel really curious about how you guys (assuming you have a good level of spanish already) learnt the language?  Did you take a course? Had it in Highschool? 

    I'm mostly asking because I learnt english on my own, completely on my own because back when I was going to school they weren't investing a lot on this... everything I learnt after 3 years there was: ''I'm from cholula''.  LOL!  So one day I logged into Yahoo chat and started observing and listening to the people over there talk and type... and that's how it started!

    After a bit I decided it'd be a really good idea to find some pen pals to exchange some mails with, maybe a couple of chats from time to time.  It took me a while, but I managed to finally learn the language! The pronunciation was really hard at first tho (still is at times).

  20. 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. :)

    Well, I think your motivations to learn spanish are really good! I think it's really nice of you to try to reconnect with your spaniard roots.  It's also great you're doing this to help your business... there is nothing better than actually knowing what's actually going on, even if you are using a translator to help you.  So, what's your current spanish level?  Are you taking a class or are you doing this mostly alone?

  21. Well for me its that my wife is Chilean and so it makes sense to be able to talk to both here and her friends and family in their language.

    I have to say though it isn't always easy even when living with a native Spanish speaker. I first imagined it would be like having a 24/7 language lesson but life takes over. In addition to this, my wife speaks fluent English and so we slip back into English very fast.

    Must try harder !!

    That's a really nice and logical reason :)  It's such a nice thing that you're trying to learn spanish because your wife is chilean!  I can actually relate to your case, because I'm trying to learn dutch because my soon-to-be husband is dutch.  I must say learning a new language for love is one of the best motivations out there, specially when you're trying to learn a language that is not similar at all to your mother language. 

    I'm having a lot problems learning dutch, mostly with the dang pronunciation and the grammar... words sound nothing like the way they're written; as a native spanish speaker I found that really confusing.  But knowing I'm learning it for him makes me feel the effort is really worth it, plus we might be moving to the Netherlands later ;) 

    Best of luck on your spanish learning quest!

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