RhodaDEttore

Thanks you so much! I would love have you post the german and russian. The guy starts by saying, no home work, no trying, no memorization... how the heck is this going to work lol

Wow.. I think that was the first time anyone ever implied I am normal! Thanks. I do appreciate your feedback. You are correct, it is probably a matter of gaining confidence. I also probably need to schedule a set time everyday where I sit and learn it.

Part of it for me is trying to differentiate the sounds. If I read it, I know what it means, but when I hear it, it all seems to run together so quickly. I also think I try to hear every word, but I read here that someone just listens for certain words, and then it processes in the head.

How long does it take to actually learn a language? I know that sounds impossible to answer, but I once bought a cassette pack which was supposed to teach you in 8 weeks, the "same way the diplomats learn". It was difficult and I gave up. I am wondering how long it takes to feel quite comfortable in hearing/speaking it, without constantly trying to rewind and rewind. Also, it seems to me that the beginner tapes/books start off teaching things that don't matter. The only thing I can speak in German is "Where is the railroad?" and "The airport is over there". I am told that I do say those two phrases very well though!

Falco used to sing half in English and half in German. It was pretty cool and the dance beat kept you interested, rather than feeling like a kids' song. Madonna also had a song that was partly in Spanish. I know it, but have no idea what she really said.

I know you meant verbal language... but ASL is a language. I know a woman who was deaf, and a stranger saw her and that was it. He was hopelessly in love. He tried for three weeks to go out with her, but he got frustrated with trying to write notes and she pushed him away. After two months, he became fairly fluent in sign language, came back and asked her out. She was so impressed they began dating. Today they have been married for 17 years and have three kids.

In my public school, only "special" kids were taught Latin in sixth grade. The only reason for this was for an understanding of vocabulary, and to break down words to grasp the meanings. By high school we were offered Spanish, French and German. But by that time it seemed too late. I have a niece in Hawaii who was taught Japanese from first grade, even the nursery rhymes were in Japanese. In hawaii, she is a minority, as most of the people in her area are Japanese or some form of Asian. In my area, it is true that very few people speak other languages, including Spanish.

I used Youtube to learn just about everything else, and I never considered using them for language. Are there any good teachers on there? do you subscribe to any links you find most useful?

My sister learned Korean by watching Golden Handkerchief, a Korean soap opera. Her Korean friend commented that my sister spoke better Korean than the woman's own son. I don't think I could do that. But I believe you can all do it. During the silent film era of Hollywood, that is how many of the immigrants learned to read English

Sometimes I really feel deprived as an American. I feel like we are so behind in education, not only in math and science, but in languages as well. I remember when I was ten years old, I thought it was so cool that my cousin in Germany spoke three languages. I traveled to Aruba, and natives are taught their native language, Dutch (they are part of the Dutch Antilles), English, and Spanish. It is mandatory in schools. This really made me feel dumb! Why is it that Americans do not learn them in early years?

I have a French teacher who speaks four languages. She told me that some people cannot pronounce or enunciate correctly due to their mouth structure. For example, if you are of Russian or German decent, your mouth is shaped for proper formation of guttural type of sounds. Therefore, it may be harder for a person of that decent to speak one of the more flowing languages such as French or Spanish... and vice versa. Do you think this is a valid point? Have you experienced languages you just cannot pronounce and believe it could just be a physical structure?

I live in NJ, and know very few people who speak fluent Spanish. Here, Tagalog (Filipino) is more useful than Spanish. It was shocking when Sears & Kmart put up the department signs in Spanish because we have a very low Hispanic population in my area.

I agree with Sillylucy. The sentence seems disconnected. The two ideas have no relation. If the child was complaining and that is why you recommended the course change, then it should be "because". I recommended a course change, because the child was complaining. ---> This was explains why you recommended a course change. Using "although" or "even though" makes the sentences sound like: I didn't care that the child was complaining, so I recommended a course change.--> with this, we don't know what the child complained about or why the course was changed. Unless the original sentence of "I recommended a course change, although the child was complaining" means the child was complaining about the course change, but you did it anyway. OR... the child did not want the course changed, but you recommended it anyway. Did i just confuse you?

I never could do it, so I took French in school and my best friend took Spanish. She claimed the teacher made them say "popcorn" over and over as quickly as possible. To this day, I have no idea how that was supposed to help with the R's.

I studied French in school for three years, and even had to read Les Miserables in French! Today, I remember very little. I think they teach us too late in the US when it comes to other languages. So here I am, trying to learn it again, because now I need it.