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OMG there are people who can do that?! Wow, I can only take my hat off to them because quite frankly, there's no way I could do that. I mean, even just learning French on its own was hard enough for me LOL -and to think French is considered one of the easiest languages to learn! I would get confused and probably not learn much, my learning process would probably slow right down!

I think that would depend wholly on the individual, and that being said, the number will differ from person to person. There are people who simply can't learn a language that's foreign to them. Yet there are others who seem to have this knack of picking up languages with apparent ease. I honestly don't know when the ability to pick up a language would slow down. Maybe those with an aptitude for languages could just keep going until their mental capacity, perhaps due to the ageing process, slowed down. It'll be interesting to see how other members tackle this question!

Trellum, you sound very miserable learning under this person! I would personally NOT continue with them, because learning a new language to me ought to be fun and exciting. I personally don't want to be put under pressure and made to feel uncomfortable, especially if I'm paying! I was particularly concerned when you said this person is so" lazy to even correct me when I type something wrong". Are you paying for the services? Is there any reason why you can't move on and find someone more suited to your preferred method of learning?!

Hmm I can believe young children learning 2, maybe 3 languages simultaneously. But a fully grown person taking on 5?! Wow, kudos to them. I personally couldn't do it, plus I just wouldn't be interested in doing it, anyway. I'd have to quit work and totally focus. I don't know how my brain would cope. I think it would just over complicate my learning process and even slow me down as I'd probably be confused. I think learning 2 together is already a lot LOL

Thanks for the heads up on that, cheshirecat! The book sounds very interesting. I hope that Amazon carries it and that it comes in French and Italian, my two languages of interest. *actually I just had a look and I'm not so sure if it would work for me. It sounds like a more generalised book than one that's specific to each language. Even still, thanks

Hello and welcome to Linguaholic, simonstrange! I hope that you find the answers you're looking for and that we in turn learn something from you. It's a fantastic and friendly environment and everyone is always willing to help.

Hello gimx and welcome to the forum! I'm not sure for what purpose you need to learn these languages, so for me personally, it's difficult to make any recommendations. Nonetheless, besides English, I think Spanish and Chinese would be good choices as they're widely used. As for Afrikaans, I'm not sure where you'd use that as it's only spoken in South Africa where English is also very commonly used. If you were planning to go to South Africa, you'd be ok with just your English.

I'm almost certain that TOEFL is the most widely used and known. I would say it is probably followed by IELTS. I think these two would be the most universally used globally.

I find the point that you make very interesting, @Dora M! I know that Far East countries have a preference for native English speakers to teach their students English. They don't care whether they're professionally trained teachers or not, just long as they are native speakers. I've always found this very curious because there are of course regional dialects and slightly different versions of the language to consider, that may deviate altogether from the "proper" language, break some rules, have a different set of vocabulary etc. Very interesting indeed!

It's weird but I also always feel like the French speak too fast for me to keep up! I wonder if that's really the case of if it's because I'm too busy trying to keep up and understand what they're saying LOL I know that people who don't speak my language say we speak fast, and I believe I neither too fast nor too slow.

I think it's safe to say we all learn in different ways and have our own preferences for whatever reason. I can see where everyone is coming from regarding learning writing and speaking at the same time. I agree it probably makes you a better speaker of the language. Whether you learn faster or not, I don't know. Personally, if I had the choice, I'd do it totally differently. I'd want to go to the country, live among the people and just ease myself into the language for about 6 months without taking any lessons. I would set about laying the foundation for my language learning process, and the way I learn; I know for a fact that once I started formal lessons this would really stand me in good stead and make my learning a lot easier

Hehe OddVisions, your kitchen and chicken problem when you were younger made me giggle because I know people who confuse the words. My husband is English, and even he admits the English language can be confusing. Throw into that the many rules and exceptions to the rules! I would hate to learn English from scratch!

I have to say I really envy those of you who have a preference for speaking over writing a foreign language, because speaking for me is a lot harder than writing! I'd even be happy just to ace the spoken language and take my time learning how to write it. Put it this way, I wouldn't be in a huge hurry to learn how to write it.

Hehe it's so funny how different people struggle with different words! I don't have any problem with rural or peculiar. It's that "yacht" that I doubt very much i'll ever get the hang of! I have even practiced, in vain. I guess some things are just not meant to be LOL

I don't remember ever making very embarrassing mistakes, probably because I spend too much time being too shy to speak a foreign language LOL But on a serious note, going from my language to English to French and Italian, I have always found the gender specific nouns and verbs very confusing to get my head around. I always find myself having to check and re-check just to be sure. But I bet I have made one or two mistakes of that nature without even noticing LOL

@CountRockHyde, you sound exactly like me. I have a feeling there are many others in our boat, though. When I was learning French, I could write and understand a lot better than I could speak it. I knew what I wanted to say, but then I'd just clam up, especially in the company of native speakers. I guess it's the fear of making mistakes and feeling embarrassed about it, which is silly really because native speakers are likely to help and like the idea you're learning their language. The same thing happened to me when I was also learning Italian. Very strange.

Wow NMSpanish, thanks so much for posting. This site looks very interesting, so clean and fresh too! I like that it's not just about learning a foreign languages, there's also the opportunity to interact with others and ask questions around travel. I think I'm going to sign up, it looks like I might actually enjoy it

I started taking an interest in learning a foreign language while I was still in primary school, around 10 years old. I was really fixated on the French language. Sadly, foreign languages are not offered in Botswana state schools So it wasn't until I was at uni that I was finally able to take up a French Minor.

I have never tried to learn any of these languages, and my opinion is based purely on supposition. I think older languages like Hebrew and Arabic are likely to be among the most difficult. I also think I would really struggle with German and Scandinavian languages. My step dad is Danish and tried to teach me a few phrases when I was younger, I just couldn't hack it!

I can see why you would struggle with those two days. I never actually thought about it, but I can see it, now that you mention it LOL I have a single English word that I hate with a passion that I avoid at ALL costs, and that's "yacht". It's such a weird word and I really struggle to get my tongue around it. I've even tried to practice saying it. I've now given up altogether!

This is a trick I employ too, Trellum If I struggle with it, I avoid it like the plague LOL I struggle with the word "yacht"! God, I hate that word, and even my English husband has said it is a strange word. I can't for the life of me pronounce it!

I don't know about less popular languages like the ones you listed, but I do believe popular modern foreign languages like French, Spanish, Italian, German and Chinese have an abundance of resources both online and offline. Chances are for the less popular ones, there'll be less resources. BUT then I couldn't definitively say, as I don't have first hand experience with those languages. Let's hope someone who has had such an experience comes along and sheds some light on your question

You know it's so weird, but I've never really considered learning sign language, but it would be so useful! It seems to have become a lot more widely used in recent years. When you say "practical applications", what do you mean (excuse my ignorance!)? In terms of complexity, how would you rate learning sign language?

Anne16, I too wish I'd been exposed to more foreign languages as a child. Language skills are so hot right now, and make you a huge asset to any prospective employer. I always envy multilingual people because they can go anywhere with their skills, they're just so in demand the world over!

@ takibari, by "rigid barriers" I meant the strict rules that you have to follow in learning a new language in a formal, classroom situation, from which you can't deviate. That's why I used the word "rigid". This I have to clarify, is in reference to my own personal experience, because I don't know how others view it or what their experience has been. I find the classroom setting and formal teaching can be very daunting and challenging, as opposed to learning from friends and native speakers because that's a more informal and relaxed setting. There's not as much pressure to perform or compete against fellow students. This has always been my experience anyway.