Rosa

I believe that watching tv in a new language can help keep you fluent in the language. However, the best way to keep that language is to communicate whether verbally or in writing constantly. Reading is also a good way to keep the language alive.

Making the choice to learn a foreign language in high school can turn out to be a great idea. It could be the beginning of ones career path or even just the thrill you get from just being able to do basic communication in that language. The high schools here offer the first three years of foreign languages as compulsory and I think it does more good than bad for the students as they are introduced to something that could open many doors for them in the future.

Since I am not fluent in the language I am learning, I am not faced with the experience but I could see why it would happen to someone. There are times when people are just better able to express their feelings in their native tongue. For example, we speak two languages in my country and a person may be conducting business in English but if it's a matter that gets out of hand the person will quickly switch to the other language because it is a more comfortable way to express feelings.

I am not familiar with anyone learning a new language this way and I would think of it to be more of a strain. However, the experience could be different for each person. Some may find it more confusing while others may find it an asset as they would be able to draw from one language in order to master the other.

I do agree that a household with multiple languages is a strategic way to learn these languages for free and also to learn them more quickly. I don't think they fully understand each other all the time though. The fact of the matter is that they learn as they go along and what they don't understand they just use common sense or gestures to figure it out.

For me, I think it was the other way around, the language chose me. I started learning in high school, which was compulsory and really fell in love with it. Since then i've been striving more and more.

Unfortunately, in those days we had no internet. We were given words to unscramble and place in the crossword or small sentences to complete and place the answer or missing word in the crossword. This way we were more able to retain the new words.

Language can certainly be a barrier because even though the person feels close to you they are just not able to express their thoughts in words. I haven't had a friend that speaks my new language as yet but I have a friend that is much more advanced in it and it does cause an odd feeling at times but I think it's just me since she really don't have a problem with my limitations.

@ lushlala, I think we could overcome our fear of communicating on the phone in a foreign language. Maybe if we are bold enough to ask for help then the person we are conversing with would not be listening out for perfection and would be happy to correct us when we err. As long as you can take positive critism you can try that.

I remember when I was in high school the teacher would always create songs with the help of the students. We were also given crossword puzzles to solve using the words. Writing stories was also a very useful method. These ways were probably not absurd but not common either.

@ Trellum, it is quite common here to stream students. We have an annual assessment test that is carried out for all age levels and which proves to be very effective. The students with the lowest ability are usually place in a special class so they are able to succeed.

I know it is possible to forget ones native language but I think it would be less likely for older people as it has become a foundation already. With children, I believe that it can be completely lost because they haven't fully developed the language. However, not communicating any at all in your native language will certainly cause a decline in speaking the language after a long period of time.

I do think it is quite important to split students in classes based on their ability to learn the language. In that way less students will be left behind or feel uncomfortable to ask questions and progress. On the other hand, the fast learners won't be held back either.

I think the earlier children start learning a language the faster they'd become fluent in the language. If possible, communication should start even before the child is able to speak. For me, I would have liked if I had started learning earlier or even put more interest in learning back then. I know it would have paid off now.

I don't have a definite answer as to why some persons would learn a language quicker than others but I do think there are factors to consider. It could be that learning a language is like learning any other subject in which some students just do better better at one subject than the other. Also, normally whenever someone finds something interesting they open their minds more to it and so they are able to learn at a fast pace.

I think the answer to these questions will vary because it does depend on how important it is for the person to learn the language, the person's ability to learn and also the setting under which the person is learning. However, I do think it is quite possible to reach that level in which you no longer need to use subtitle if a lot of time and effort is put into learning.

I do agree that writing in a foreign language is much easier than actually speaking it. I wouldn't say that I have had a real conversation in a foreign language since the most I have done is the greeting and closure to the conversation. It would be good though, to try and do more so the next time I converse with my friend i'll make sure to add more Spanish in the conversation.

I think that's awesome! Thanks for posting. Travelling can be quite expensive so if you can save money in anyway, especially while learning a language, I think it's great.

To be frank, I have no plans on learning a new language this year. Howevr, I do plan to improve on my Spanish and French. Hopeful I have big improvement and greater confidence.

I would have to say that this is so because each language have their different alphabet and with having different alphabet comes different rules. Just as English has letters that are silent and so on is the same with these other languages.

I don't think that language barrier in any region anywhere will get better anytime soon. Most people although concerned about what those around them that speak other languages are saying, don't care much about learning the language. It could be that they aren't patient enough to learn or think that over all it is not worth learning.

Based on the fact that I am more fluent in English language I wouldn't consider playing videogames in any other language. I just think it wouldn't make sense having to be trying to interpret as I go along and that would also extend game time.

The only recollection I have of any pointing method is back when I was in kindergarten and early primary school. The teacher would place the lesson on the chalkboard and then as she pointed to something a student or the entire class would respond based on what was required of us. If this is the practice been referred to, I consider it beneficial and see no reason why it shouldn't continue.

It is true that ones ability to communicate in a language that the person was once fluent in can diminish if the level of communication decreases over a period of time. I believe that the best method of maintaining fluency of a language would be to communicate verbally more often with native of the particular language. Verbal communication does allow you to interact more and clarifications can be made at the same time.

I am not a big fan of the ebook and I don't see it taking over from paper back books at all. I also think that there are many others out there like myself who would rather hold a book in their hands than having to go to their computer each time they need to continue reading a book. Having a paper back can be somewhat of an advantage not only because you get to handle it but also because if you are careful you can stock your books on a shelf, look at them for years and even hand them over to your future generations.