johnnear

Same here. Even though I write, think and understand English well, whenever I try to speak I always end up butchering it because it doesn't feel right in my tongue. I think this is more of an accent and culture thing but you'd think 10 years of living in an English speaking country would make you live the language.

I'm guessing either morning or night. If I we're to learn a new language I would pick morning classes since it's the freshest you'll ever be the whole day and you're still full of energy which is probably best for learning. I would avoid the noon time as much as possible that time of the day is the laziest.

Well the way I see it, it goes like this. Either the students aren't interested in writing something creative, or they're not creative enough to write something or they're not really inclined to do so. If somebody is really willing to learn a new language they would really make an effort to learn it.

Yeah we did that back in college in our language learning class. The teacher would give us the words in the language we're studying and she'd ask us to write a story using those words and then it would elevate to the point that we had to write a story using that particular language we're learning. It really did help me out.

Well it depends really. If the native speaker is a language teacher also then you're going to have a great time learning but if the native speaker is just a normal guy then he/she might not provide you with the best lessons. The way I see it, if you want to learn a new language inside out, find a language teacher that speaks the language your learning.

Yeah for the most part I really agree on that but I don;t you can just forget what you learn, I mean sure you might get rusty on a language but not really forget the whole thing. If you really understood the language you studied by heart I don't you'll have problems with that.

Totally agree with you in here 100%. Repetition and practice is your best way to perfect something not only language and accents but also other things. Practice makes perfect and that's really true. So I suggest you just go ahead and practice and practice. Try to talk to yourself with that accent and watch tons of American movies (preferable the good ones)

It's really great. Although not all English accents, some of them, especially some variations of the British accent are really hard to understand. My favorite would be the Welsh accent, most notably the Rhod Gilbert accent, I really love that accent. It has that pirate-y kind of sound to it, just full of energy.

The language that I really love would be English. I don't mean today's English I mean the old English, the English that Shakespeare used (Okay it's not Old English, it's Early Modern). I just love how poetic it sounds, even the very act of you taking a rude bowel extraction when described using that old English would sound really majestic and grand. I don't know if I answered it correctly but I really adore that form of the English language.

Yes I have and it's really great. For a free service I say it's top notch. That site (and app) has helped me perfect my French past la plume de ma tante. I really recommend you check it out, if you're not hooked on your first try then you can call me a liar. I think hat service is better than Rosseta Stone.

Class group I think would be best. Since language is our main form of communicating to one another, being able to practice it is crucial to learning the language, so if you're surrounded by people who is trying to learn the language, you are now pressured into speaking the language henceforth sharpening your speaking (and possibly writing) skills. If you get to interact with a whole group it will make the learning experience more fun and genuine.

Not exactly a native speaker but he learned enough of the language that he's able to teach me the basics. My friend worked in France for 3 years so it's obvious that he picked up the language, I mean, if 3 years of stay in France doesn't guarantee that you've learned at least a few French words then you're not supposed to travel in the first place. But the great thing is he's girlfriend was French so when I went to France for a visit she's the one that taught me the language which I think she counts as a friend that speaks the language I'm learning.

I mean sure they work but what I mean really is if they do really help a lot in learning the language. I'm trying to learn French in preparation for my move and I don't want to carry around a dictionary or a translator with me at all time. So, how much success rate do you think these softwares and applications offer?

When I start out with language learning I used Rosetta Stone for the basics and then I purchased a lot magazines and reading materials written in that language and once I've fully grasp how it works, I move to speaking and learning the proper accents. Watching movies and shows has helped with the accent one.

Humans are creatures of habit and we adapt to change that's why we are on top of the food chain. If you're American and you happen to live in Japan for a couple of years then you are sure to adapt and absorb the cultures and customs of the place where you live and that includes the language. If the people around you speak, write and read Japanese all the time then you will, in some point in time, learn how to read, write and speak Japanese. It really helps a lot in language learning to be surrounded with people who know that language.

I don't think books are that great when it comes to teaching language. I would prefer either a video or audio format. Its hard to learn the pronunciation and accent when you're trying to learn about it in a book, you must be able to hear and see how it's spoken so that you can easily mimic the language.

Same here, I have a lot of hard time perfecting my accent since I can't really fully utilize the new language that I'm using, sometimes when I practice and talk to myself in my chosen language of study, I tend to fall back into my native tongue and butcher the accents and words. But I think the best way to sharpen your language skills for both spoken and written is to always speak and practice the language your learning because it is true that practice makes perfect.

Haven't really tried it although it would be really cool to learn one especially when you want to pass around a secret message of some sort. But I do invent my own language, I once invented a few words and dialect when I wrote my first short back when I was still in high school.

I did! But not that often though, just on very rare occasions. When I watch foreign films that really got me hooked, I often dream of living in that universe and speaking their language. I one dreamed about speaking Italian but I have no idea what I'm saying, so it lead me to study the language, turns out what I'm saying in my dream was indeed Italian gibberish.

Yes! God I hate those people! Although I don't really say anything to them I just reply with a sensible well spelled and constructed text. I can understand if they're texting you in a hurry using their phone since it's generally hard to type anything fast with today's phone keyboards but those people who still use these short cuts on social media using a full functioning keyboard is beyond me.