True2marie

The scenario you described is a common one.

My father was in the military and we were stationed in Puerto Rico.  Unfortunately, during that period, my sister became very ill. She had to stay in a local hospital for over a month.

When I would visit her, I often went to the McDonald's attached to the hospitals. Workers there would always be rude to me if I asked for anything in English, even if they understood me.  By the way, I was only 17 at the time.

No.

I normally view people who speak more than one language as being more intellectual or culturally conscious. As far as being attractive, it all depends on their looks and how they carry themselves.

I am considering picking up another language. My native language is English. What tips does anyone have for an English-speaker on learning Japanese?

I am actually teaching a neighbor's child English.  He and his family came from Iran.  He spoke only Farsi.

We began a few months ago.  I started off with visuals around my house and now have advanced to simple dialogue. He's like a sponge. You tell him once and he's got it. 

Mentoring is key to succeeding in many ares of life. Finding a person to lead you in something they have accomplished helps you weather many pitfalls. So, do you have a language mentor?

For a while, I had an old teacher who assisted me. She made me see that being fluent in Spanish wasn't an impossible task.

I ran across an article I would like to share - Google Translate: Why It's no Match for Learning a Language. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2013/oct/08/google-translate-no-match-learning-language

The author of this piece makes really good points. The one I like is:  exchange trips would become a thing of the past. You'd miss that mutely chain-smoking 14-year-old Belgian boy with a full beard who glowers at you from the kitchen table.

I perfected bits of my second language (Spanish) through watching telenovelas.

Anyone who's ever seen one of these soap operas knows they are over-the-top.  From the clothing characters wear to the story lines, telenovelas are unforgettable. For this reason, they always kept my attention and made me want to understand the Spanish language better.

I use my first language (English) more with family and for work.

I speak my second language (Spanish) more with friends. They keep me up-to-date and even correct me when my pronunciation of certain words is "off". 

I definitely find some languages 'more beautiful' to hear than others.  Languages that don't stress hard consonants sound better to me.  I won't list the ones that fall into this category because I don't want to offend anyone.

In Spanish, as in many languages, there are different ways to greet people.  My favorite one is ¿Qué onda? which basically means what's up.  It's just a casual way to say hello and a departure from the usual hola.

At iTools.com, web surfers can find links to different language tools offered by Google.  They range from helping you write a phrase, to translating a language, to using urban slang.  I only just discovered this place recently and plan to bookmark it.  I believe iTools.com might come in handy.

iTools.com link: http://itools.com/language

I have a sister who did an intern with disabled people while in high school.  We practiced not speaking to each other in order to understand their world.  Losing one's ability to speak is MAJOR.  In order to communicate, we chose to sign to each other.  It was not an easy feat.

In my experience, children pick up new languages much quicker than adults. However, most of the time, they only acquire a second language if they move to a new environment where the second language is primary to locals or at school. 

So, for all of you bi-lingual parents, are you teaching your child a second language now or opting to let him/her make this decision later?

I am 100% for living in another country and learning a language in that way.

I believe this type of process gives you more than what you gain through classroom experience.

As a learner, you face real-life situations and see how a word is used in different scenarios.  Also, you hear slang.  Slang is a struggle for anyone learning a new language since words pop up and disappear depending on what's happening within that specific culture.

I am sure the answer to this question depends on the individual.

Although I believe females are more verbal.  They definitely take command of their native language more easily than males.  I don't know how this translates into learning another language. 

Increase your Spanish vocabulary in three ways:

1. Take a Spanish class.  This type of course will obviously force you to improve your vocabulary.

2. Speak with friends.  They should be Spanish-speaking pals. Tell them your goal is to improve your Spanish vocabulary. Trust me. One of them will step up and help you.

3. Read news articles. They should be on your favorite subject, but in Spanish.

Stop relying on Google Translator.

Your best bet is to run a phrase you're confused about by a Spanish-speaking friend.  He or she can give you cultural-insights on the use of the phrase (or word) and how to write it out.

To improve your diction, do the following:

1. Slow down.  Take your time saying words, so they come out more clearly.

2. Focus on challenging words. What words do you struggle the most to say in Spanish? Focus on practicing them until you get them right.

3. Practice speaking with a friend. Your friend should be Spanish-speaking and able to help you with pronunciation of words and phrases.

I voted Italian as the most romantic language. However, I see from the poll that the French are top dog.

If I thought this language might help me in the arena of love, I would definitely learn it. However, I think some of this is female-male specific.  Hence, why actor Gilles Marini is so popular.  He's so sexy to me.

See pics of Gilles Marini: https://www.google.com/#q=pictures+of+gilles+marini

I sure as heck didn't know what my first words were.

According to my mother, it was 'mom'. 

Maybe she's a bit biased.

LOL

Alfonso,

Short-cuts for chatting and texting are a pain, especially when they don't make any sense.  Imagine this same scenario at work. 

In the past, I have worked in an environment that you have to document everything.  To save time, other employees too short-cuts and abbreviated most words.  Unfortunately, some of them were hard to make out.

The only incident in which I thought about learning a fictional language was while playing a video game called The Sims.  (Link to The Sims:  http://www.thesims.com/en-us)

Characters in The Sims sound like babies who are just learning to speak a language. Their tones and emphasis appear to be a language, but nothing intelligible comes out. 

Denis,

Your post made me laugh.  Yes, you are right.  Many native English speakers manage their language poorly.  This truth is evident in many areas of America. 

However, I believe this reality is the case globally.  Segments of any population that does not have access to education will butcher their native language.

One my friends always brags about his wife knowing how to speak 6 different languages.  Although I think this is an awesome feat, I can't imagine her using most of them with any regularity.  When is learning another language a useless act?

Fortunately, I have never learned a useless language.

A lot of people, though, complain about learning French in high school and never using it.

It's just one of those languages that won't help you in America because people within this community tend to focus on English when residing in the U.S.