g2narat

Sure that where we are (learning French in France for example) makes a difference regarding the language we are learning, but do you think that is only the speaking part that is made easier or the reading and writing as well?

I think it makes a difference. I wouldn't say you have to be in a certain country to learn their language but it certainly does help. Being immersed in a particular place will ensure that you know how locals speak their language. I think it would help overall, not just with speaking. For example, if you're in France, you can also see French words and books everywhere, so that would expose you to the written language as well.

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I think I'm going to try a few of these. Especially this phrase "Oh I thought it was pronounced this way..." I think that might be a good hint. I don't want to hurt his feelings after all.

I would second Anne Frank's Diary, it was a very good book filled with the emotion of a younger girl. It was quite sad to realize the reality of it though.

I have read the originally published version. I heard that Anne's father left out a lot though. It's quite understandable though as most of the parts he left out were the racy parts. Of course as Anne's father he was probably uncomfortable sharing that with strangers.

I haven't read John Green yet but have had several friends recommend The Fault in Our Stars and it didn't sound feel-good at all!

Maybe I shouldn't have been avoiding it 

I didn't think it was a bad book. But it's not one of my favorites either. I guess it's one of those books where you have to relate to on some level for it to be effective. I didn't get too attached to it, I'm afraid.

Here's a question for those with accents: Can people easily guess where you're from based on your accent? I have an accent when speaking in English but people seem to have a hard time pinpointing where I'm from based on my accent alone. When I speak Visayan, people can also guess I'm not from the region but often get where I'm from wrong too. What about you?

I think it's a bit rude to laugh at someone else's accent. I mean if it's understandable, I don't see why an accent should be laughed at. I haven't been laughed at for my accent but people have pointed it out politely. More like they ask me where I'm from because of the way I sound. When it's done that way, I don't get embarrassed. I understand that they're just curious.

I see that everyone basically answered it depends. I don't blame them. There's a lot of factors to consider when learning languages.  :wacky: But if you want a rough estimate, Personally, the fastest I ever learned a language was two months. I didn't have a choice though as I stayed in the country and I was exposed to the language daily.

Here's a fun method of learning/teaching a language: Let the student learn by writing on any topic of his/her choice. That way, he/she can work on words that he/she wants to learn. This method actually worked for me. Have you tried doing this?

I have a problem. My friend likes to try different languages, I like to teach him because he's such an eager student. The problem with that is that his pronunciation is all over the place. It's so tough to correct him because he gets so enthusiastic when speaking another language, not knowing people have a hard time understanding what he's saying because of his pronunciation. How do you deal with that?

Oh, I have more to add here. These are more words that I have trouble spelling:

mannequin

orchestrate

casserole

I usually spell them the way I think they are spelled then check them with spell checker. A lot of the time, my spelling's wrong. 

Oh I have a couple of favorites. One makes me smile because of it's silliness and I found it cute. It's from Lilo and Stitch:

Lilo: And today we were out of peanut butter. So I asked my sister what to give him, and she said 'a tuna sandwich'. I can't give Pudge tuna!

[whispering]

Lilo: Do you know what tuna *is*?

Hula Teacher: Fish?

Lilo: [hysterical] It's fish! If I give Pudge tuna, I'd be an abomination! I'm late because I had to go to the store and get peanut butter 'cause all we have is... is... stinkin' tuna!

And this one makes me cry. It's from the movie I Am Sam:

Rita: Now, Ms. Cossell, in all the time that you've known them, have you ever questioned Sam's ability as a father?

Annie: Never.

Rita: Never?

Annie: Never. Look at Lucy. She's strong. She displays true empathy for people, all kinds of people. I know that you all think she's as smart as she is despite him, but it's because of him.

Rita: So what you're saying is you don't worry about Lucy's future?

Annie: No, I do.

Rita: Ah...

Annie: I worry all the time. I worry if they take Lucy away from her father they will take away an enormous piece of her, and I worry that she will spend the rest of her life trying to fill that hole.

Me and my friends love making puns using Indian food! hahahhaha

For example:

Friend 1: "we must curry on! Okay. That joke was bad. sorry."

Friend 2: "It's okay. you don't have tosai anything."

Friend 3: "I find this conversation a little bit dahl."

Friend 1: "it's naan of your business."

Hahahaha! I loved that you decided to include the images of the actual food. Makes the whole thing even funnier! And I learned a couple of dishes too! I was only familiar with curry before.  :grin:

Hmm, I wonder if they added twerking to the list too. Or maybe that wasn't a new word to begin with. It probably just took on a different meaning. Or maybe it was an obscure word before but was just brought to the public eye. So, thanks for that, Miley.  :bored:

Oh I think this is pretty useful. I mean I don't even watch telenovelas but my mom does. And I've inadvertently picked up a couple of Spanish words along the way. I wasn't even trying to lear the language. So if someone like me who isn't even really paying attention to the telenovela can learn from it, how much more someone who actually watches, right?

I used to make a mental note of words I didn't know. The problem is that by the time I'm home, I've forgotten all about those words. So the dictionary wasn't used much. It's a good thing there are dictionary apps on the phone now and I use those often.  :wacky:

Oh I love this game! It gives me a chance to show off my vocabulary.  :grin: Haha, but seriously, it's a pretty good way of learning words. And also learn about alternative meanings of words. Pretty cool game! 

I've been in that situation although it wasn't really by choice. My family migrated to France so I had to learn the language when I was there. It isn't as tough as you'd imagine though. There will always be a willing translator until you learn. It's really more of your chance to make new friends. 

I think language in itself is beautiful. It's just amazing how we humans use words to communicate and express ourselves. That being said, I have to agree that some languages are more beautiful than others. But as with any other types of beauty, I guess it depends on the eye (or in this case, ear) of the beholder.

I honestly don't mind and am even guilty of doing it myself. I don't do it in formal situations though. Like if I'm e-mailing a work related thing. But if it's between friends and family I pretty much use shortcuts whenever I can.

I have to agree that it is pretty useful in learning the written language. It's a problem for me though when I'm trying to learn the verbal/spoken language. When I put the subtitle on I tend to get lazy and just read the subtitles instead of trying to listen to the language and compare it to written words.  :doubtful:

What an interesting idea! I don't think I've gone very long without speaking. Even when I have a sore throat I still speak even though I know I'm supposed to rest my voice. It's not that I'm a chatty person, but I just express myself better with words.

I'd have to say German. I only know a couple of German words but it's a pretty harsh sounding language to me. I mean even innocent words sound like swearing anyway. I'm guessing real swear words would have a greater impact if said in German.  :wacky:

Oh I've also heard that there's a difference depending on country/area. I do think some words are pretty similar in sign language. I'm basing this on just some initial research I've done about it. I'm pretty interested on being able to sign fluently some day. 

Oh! I have a new favorite thing I search for. I look for celebrity name puns. I find them hilarious. Call me corny but I can't help but giggle whenever I find celebrity name puns. Here are some of my favorites:

I think it's also a pretty fun way of playing with words.  :wacky:

Oh I have noted quite a bit of difference between French accents. Parisian French is definitely different that from someone from the Mediterranean area. African French is different but still understandable for me, unlike the French that those from Quebec have which I have difficulty understanding. But I guess it would really depend on which accent you're used to.