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Astdua

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Posts posted by Astdua

  1. Think of how the sky is the limit, buddy. Ever heard of a few of those known language learners who knew hundreds of languages by the time they were in their 20s? For me personally, around the 5 or 6 languages mark, assuming I have nailed down most regional language groups of the world, would be enough, but we shouldn't limit ourselves anyway.

  2. Not hard at all, but then again I began learning it when I was 5 or 6, and every young mind experiences rapid progression with all things that are studied, but especially so with languages. You often hear people saying how easy it was, and that English is not a difficult language at all, but I am willing to bet that most of them either learned it at a very young age, or had a native language that was close to it, but mostly a combined of the two.

  3. It has happened to me, and depending of what they are saying and the context of the situation, I would either ignore it, or do something goofy like interrupt them with a witty word or two, signifying that I indeed know what's happening. I would feel uncomfortable if it's in a negative way, because I'd much rather prefer it if they didn't hide behind their native language when badmouthing me.

  4. I usually don't find myself having any trouble with such word confusions, but "Lose and "Loose" is a rarity which has troubled me. Especially in pronunciation, I often find myself accidentally saying a longer "You Loose!" And this clouds the difference between the two in my mind. I guess it's partially due to my habit of always speaking it out a bit longer each time there's a similar structure with "O".

  5. I've never thought about it, but now when I imagine going to a Spanish-speaking country, I get all tingly inside. It would be such a great journey, not only to learn a language or how to speak properly, it's a cultural immersion which will help you grow and develop as a person, and as I like to believe, you aren't fluent in the language until you are in harmony with it's cultural origins. But yes, there also comes the fact that you will pick it up and speak it faster than you can imagine, at least that's what I've heard from friends.

  6. I live in an area with a lot of Spanish speakers, so naturally It comes in handy in day-to-day life, casual interactions can be especially fun. I could easily see some people say "but I don't live in such a place". Well, if you made it a habit to be a worldly person, like me, you would find yourself using your Spanish very often, it is one of the most widely spoken languages after all. I have had my fair share of encounters, both casual, and a bit more private and close, with native Spanish speakers.

  7. Knowing a second language comes with too many perks to list in a massive globalized world. I've been able to communicate with native speakers much more easily, which may open doors and opportunities. Knowing a second language simply screams education, it raises admiration in people towards you, it's a good financial and practical investment in short. In day to day life simply being able to understand a thing or two from a foreign television show, or be able to read the descriptions of imported products has made my life easier.

  8. Interesting, first time I am hearing of it, but I am always interested in new and alternative(possibly fun too) methods and systems for language-learning.

    It seems to be using an artificial system in order to ingrain phrases and language structure into an individual's mind in a rapid way, while using the principle of repetition. It sounds like it could be pretty reliable as far as audio work goes. Of course, it won't help you with the grammar very much, but useful nonetheless. I would definitely be interested in hearing some success stories.

  9. For a single quick spell-check or a quick translate of a word or two, it is the most reliable tool around, however for more serious and major translations no online translator is at that level, simple as that. You know one of those times when you know a word, and you know how to spell perhaps 90% of it, and you just can't for the life of you figure how to properly correct it, that's when I would be using such a tool. But then again, I don't focus enough, so that just might be me being lazy.

  10. It's funny to think about, but me and my close group of friends actually have this habit of purposefully distorting grammar and using improper English mixed with tons and tons of slang for comedic effect. After such interactions, I would find myself having trouble adjusting to proper English again, so I don't think it's really healthy for a writer for instance. I do believe that speaking too properly comes off as rather robotic and unnatural, and it stands out too much in casual interaction.

  11. Languages do change and evolve, even for a mere 50 or 100 years, as proven by history time and again. The interesting question to ask ourselves is, how would they evolve with the current circumstances of the nations and cultures that use them? In a now truly globalized world, I could easily see some languages almost disappearing, and being replaced by or "merged" with other languages, thus creating major intelligible linguistic groups which serve for worldwide communication, if that makes sense?

    Another thing I believe is that we could start creating languages with the sole purpose of practicality and convenience when interacting with each other, something like a standardized English.

  12. Hey Expressionism, welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay as much as I do. Glad to have you. By the way, nice choice of a name.

    About Mandarin, seemingly there are plenty of people here who study it rather seriously, it's an intimidating and hard language, I am sure, and besides some basic phrases I haven't been able to handle it in a serious matter myself, but good luck and hope you succeed with your linguistic goals!

  13. I am guilty of that as well. Due to the mixing up of the languages, I would be writing in one language online, then on another, and then I would be studying a third, and it sort of becomes chaotic in day-to-day expression and casual talk. I find myself forgetting words, or wishing to mix up language expressions, which is actually pretty hilarious and fun. Like, I would be talking about something, and a word in Spanish just wants to roll out of my tongue to express what I am trying to say, and it's so frustrating, because I would sometimes proceed with it which causes confusion.

  14. I am not really much of a resolutions person, as I believe that if I really wanted to do something, I would start it tomorrow instead of in January, however I am hoping that by next year I am somewhat fluent in Spanish, I keep up with my workout and exercise regime, as well as continue the tradition to eat clean healthy meals. 2013 has been going greatly for me, at least compares to the last few years, so I guess I would just be happy if I continued to swing that way next year, and make the best of it.

  15. Not exactly interpreters, not that I remember anyway, but I have often found mistakes or little slip-ups by television hosts who are reporting on an on-going live event. I realize that the dynamics of translating something that is going on right now, on live Television, in-front of millions of viewers must put a lot of pressure on you, so it's kind of understandable. But then there are errors in subtitles television series and even mistakes when transcribing foreign speeches in big-budget English language movies, and I think that's just pathetic.

  16. I personally already knew two languages by the age of 10, and what would be considered fluency a bit later. The younger somebody is, the easier it is to learn languages in my experience. I've heard of a lot of instances where 5 or 6 years old are already fluent in 5 languages due to a diverse household and exposition to different cultures and so on. Personally for me, I guess it was a mix of those, although obviously the bulk of my progress came from studying in school.

  17. Could you share the name with the program with us, please? Sounds like a great tool. I personally never thought about tracking the quantity of my vocabulary, but I often find myself, when learning a new language, looking up what a certain word means when reading. Over time, the amount of words I have to look up keeps decreasing and decreasing, thus signifying that I am improving.

  18. Hey, and welcome to the forum. You are one more in it for the Spanish, so glad to have you! I am interested in Italian culture, cuisine, art etc, but never really thought about learning the language itself, and that's quite the combination, so good luck!

  19. Is it easy? No way. Is it hard? Very. Is it impossible? Nothing is impossible :) At least that's what I like to think. I've had my fair share of interactions with Latin Americans, and it has helped me learn quite a bit, but it's more like a bonus to my text and grammar studies. Truth be told, any person who is doing only one or the other, without having in consideration the different faces of learning a language, is doing it wrong in my book.

  20. I have often thought about that, and languages sounding difference might actually be one of the major causes of different accents, heavy ones, soft ones, regional differences, troubles with pronunciation, and a ton of other things. Think about a person who is used to using language in one way his whole life, with one way of sound pronunciation, trying to take on a completely new one, half-way across the world. Not even a lifetime of study will correct his pronunciation, I guarantee you that.

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