FatesWing

I love this quote by Maya Angelou: "I admire people who dare to take the language, English, and understand it and understand the melody." I love poetry and believe that this quote is really her telling those who study the English language that if you can find the poetry in the English language then you will truly become immersed in the beauty of the language.

In this new year I am looking to take my studies much more serious. I need to practice in one form or another at least a few times throughout the day if I truly want to master this new language! I really just want to become more consistent in my studies and my interest level in progressing with this new language.

I live in America. While learning a secondary language is not as highly stressed in America as it is in other countries, there are still a high amount of people here who have studied multiple languages. Plus let's not forget about all of the immigrants from all around the world that bring their native tongue to America! I read an article that stated the number of languages spoken in the U.S are 311 total. Those languages indigenous to the U.S total 162. Good topic by the way!

Very cool quiz! Thanks for sharing! My results stated that I should learn French which is awesome because that's the language that I'm currently learning. After French, I rated high for Spanish then Chinese then Latin. Again thanks for posting this quiz and I encourage everyone to check it out!

I've had a few friends to mention babelfish to me before but have never tried it until now. From my little experience with it, it seems to be extremely accurate. In comparison to Google Translate, it seems to be at about the same level of quality and accuracy. I know that there are a lot of people who don't like Google Translate and for those people I would say go with babelfish.

I don't think it's that I judge, but rather become excited for the possible interaction that may follow. I love talking to people who may not be from where I am from and who have a whole other bundle of experiences that they're willing to show. I would encourage people not to prejudge those with an accent. Talk to them as you would with anyone else and see what you can take away from the experience

I think it's absolutely possible to lose a language that you haven't used in a while or are not actively using. I studied French for roughly 4 years. Once out of school though I didn't really have anyone to use the language with. Sort of like what you described, I went through something similar. I would struggle to remember even some of the most basic vocab words. Forums are a good place to keep languages alive though!

Writing the names of the body parts in the language your learning is absolute genius to me! I have done the sticky note method of placing sticky notes virtually everywhere in my apartment, but to label body parts is on the next level and I must say I want to experience that level! The only thing I've done that some saw as weird was to change the audio and subtitles on every movie or show that I'd watch to whatever language I was trying to learn at the time. It helps give a better idea of how dialogue should sound.

At times I definitely do tense up. I think it comes from a personal expectation to want to get through the conversation without the other person looking at you as if you are a fool. At the end of the day you have to give yourself some credit! Learning a new language can be intimidating especially when you find yourself having to communicate with people in authority such as a boss.

I thought that maybe it was just me honestly. I definitely find it easier to have dialogue and think of the words to say versus reading the language. I think a big part of it for me is that within many languages there are silent letters or certain letters that receive more of an accent and etc. So therefore your brain has to think harder to put the puzzle pieces together so to speak.

When I clicked on this thread, I thought that your pet peeve was going to be that students use "text message" language on their class and home work. I see where you're coming from though. Mobile devices have complicated things in the classroom to a degree. I'm curious though if maybe you could collect the devices before class starts? Or if someones phone does go off during class just keep it at your desk until class is over and then return it at the end of the lesson?

Yes! So many great suggestions of Arabic music in this thread! Thanks to you all! Music, I find, is the best way for me to really grasp a language. It helps me pay more attention to tone and context especially! Looking forward to listening to these recommended artists

The only word that is longer than the one you wrote would be: Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobie. Which is 29 letters! It means Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (The fear of number 666). I never knew there were such long words in French. Great post!

I don't have children of my own but I do have three nieces and a nephew. They all speak English and are currently learning Spanish as well. There are many Hispanics in our area and I find that Spanish is a great second language to pick up as soon as you are able!

I am currently learning French with English being my first language. I would love to learn to speak Italian or Arabic. They sound so beautiful to me when someone is completely fluent in them! The other language I've always secretly wanted to know is sign language. Seems like it could be extremely useful in the right situation

What a sad thought, but is definitely a reality for many people in this day and age. Sign language is a great way to communicate as is writing. Since I do love writing, I agree that that would more than likely be my main way of communicating to those around me. I crave new ways to communicate though and that's why I am learning new languages. I wouldn't be against learning sign language at all!

I think that is a tough thing to really verify. When it comes to learning a new language, all that matters is how patient and dedicated the person is to becoming better at the language and allowing time to study. Also, is it a fact that there are more female writers than male?

I believe that by having conversations in the language that you are learning, you will naturally expose yourself to new words and phrases all the time.Then, after having these conversations, you can try your best to start implementing the things you've heard into future conversations and studying.

I like the three C's! I also agree that its not about how long the words you use are, it's about getting your point across. Many times in an effort to sound more "educated" or "fluent" people go above and beyond, but by doing this your message has a higher chance of being lost to the person the words are directed towards.

Awesome! I'm so glad to hear that exclamatory words are beginning to make sense to you. Some other examples of exclamatory words would be: Awesome! Ouch! Hooray! Unbelievable! Exclamatory words that can stand alone as a sentence while expressing emotions or reactions are called interjections. Interjections don’t require a subject or verb to express a thought. However, they can be inserted in a sentence by using commas. For example: Brilliant, you solved the puzzle! Ouch, that really hurts! Awesome, you got the job!

My favorite French quote would be: La vérité vaut bien qu'on passe quelques années sans la trouver. Translation: Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it. -Renard I love the way it sounds when I say it but also love what the quote stands for!

I started learning French as a second language in the 8th grade and studied through my sophomore year in high school. The issue I ran into quite a bit though, was that it was rare I was actually able to use the language with people around me.. Thus I quickly started losing a lot of that knowledge and just recently decided to pick it up again. The good thing now, is that there are forums like this and many others where you can create dialogue and practice immersing yourself into the language!

This isn't the first time I'm hearing good things about Duolingo so I think I may just give in and give it a try. If I remember correctly, under a different topic someone mentioned that there is also a free Android app too! So that's just an added bonus

Here's a couple that might work for what you're looking for: http://lyricstranslate.com/ http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/song Let me know if they help!

Thank you so much for the link! This is very useful as it prepares you for the actual test