Emmanuel

It's not really quitting if you're already learned something. There are levels of mastery to languages between beginner and expert. I wouldn't discount the knowledge you've already acquired, and nothing's stopping you from picking it up again later in life.

I need to be involved in the learning process. I'm not the type that can learn the theory and put it directly into practice. It really helps to be involved and use the knowledge/techniques I acquire along the way.

Spellcheck makes it easier for corner-cutters to get by. Don't fall into the trap of becoming complacent with mediocre spelling. It's still vital to mastering any language.

I like the Jamaican accent because of how unique it is. South Africa for the same reason. French is another good one, although it's too often exaggerated in movies and such.

I've found that my spoken french has deteriorated quite a bit over the last few years. I don't speak as much french as I once did, and I find myself struggling to find the right words at times. Has anybody else experienced this? What's the best way (aside from practice) to prevent this?

I learned english and french roughly at the same time. My mother spoke french, my father english. I was put in a french school because they knew I'd pick up english from my surroundings no matter what. I'm still perfectly bilingual to this day.

Yes, without a doubt. It's a method of communication and can be used to convey information and emotion. English would still be a language even if nobody spoke it aloud.

If you're talking about two thousand or more documents then you'd say "thousands of documents". We're talking about several thousands. If it's only one thousand then you'd say "one thousand documents".

Wow, that's a great one too. It hits close to home, because I've often questioned my own motivation. I've been trying to take more risks recently and act with more spontaneity.

Overcoming an accent is the most difficult thing, in my opinion. There's a large hurdle to overcome between being fluent in a language and being able to speak without any noticeable accent. It sometimes takes a while before you can appear "natural" in a free-flowing conversation.

I've been interested in learning Finnish ever since last year. During the NHL lockout, one of my favourite hockey players went overseas to play in the Finnish elite league. I'd watch some of the games on Finnish broadcasts and just loved listening to the commentators. It's such a unique language. I've heard people say it's closer to Japanese than any other language.

Some languages simply don't translate well to others. There's more than just words to consider, there's sentence structure as well. I generally only use Google translate to get a gist of what a paragraph or sentence is about.

There are noticeable accents in western Canada, but for the most part there's no discernible accent. I've met people that sound like the guys in Fubar in Alberta. Don't forget the french-Canadian accents either! Those definitely count.

Only as a joke. I like using "bro" or "brah" as well simply because I find it hilarious. I'm not always sure people know I'm joking, but who cares.

I was fortunate enough to learn both english and french at a young age. I attended a french elementary school and picked up english from my surroundings. Over that last few years though, my spoken french has deteriorated quite a bit for lack of practice. I'd recommend finding a friend/partner to converse with in french. It should be somebody you can have natural, free-flowing conversation with. I've also heard from second-language french learners that watching french television helped them a lot.

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the sling and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them." Anything Shakespeare, really.

I don't care about grammar or pronunciation so much as content. I try not to repeat myself or talk too much about what interests me. I definitely get frustrated when I struggle to find words in a different language though. There's nothing worse than having a word at the tip of your tongue and not being able to remember it. The advantage of living in a bilingual city like Montreal is that you can get away with using a bit of both languages to express yourself. Some call it "franglais".

I think it's hilarious. I wonder if internet acronyms and abbreviations will spawn a new generation of inept english-speakers. I only ever use them for comedic purposes. Some of the stuff I've read in Youtube comments is just painfully awful.

It's not easy to pick a favourite, but it's likely between two Kurt Vonnegut books: Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five. I've probably read both at least four times. This may be a boring choice, but I have to list Orwell's 1984 as one of my all-time favourite novels, as well. It really is a masterpiece.

It really depends what you hope/plan to get out of it. I have a friend who wanted to learn french because he thought it would impress girls. If your intentions are a bit more practical, I'd recommend a popular, widespread language like spanish, arabic, mandarin, etc. Quite honestly, sometimes the process itself is more rewarding than the end result.