rz3300

This is a good point. I was going to come here and just say that general immersion and getting out there and in the middle of it all is the best approach, but I think that this really takes it one step farther, and in a good direction. Find something specifically that you enjoy and it will just make it that much easier to do this, and you will have that natural effort and motivation which certainly leads to better results, in most cases anyways. Interesting stuff and very good point, and thanks for sharing.

Well that is certainly an interesting question, and it makes me think that you could really use it as an advantage if you really tried, and maybe use it as quick way to test yourself. That said, though, it would have to mean that the subtitles are pretty accurate, and that has certainly not always been the case in the shows that I have seen. I am not really sure if that is something that is improving though, but I bet that it is. Anyways, it is a good idea to explore, and thanks for sharing.

Well I really have no idea what the correct answer is here, but I think that it is fascinating to think about and really interesting to learn about. If I had to throw a guess out there I would say that English is a more created language then the others. I am not sure if that makes sense, though. It is based on other languages, so I think that it is just more natural for people to construct words like this. I am also sure that there are bunch of other examples, which is frustrating me that I cannot think of more. Interesting stuff though, and thanks for sharing.

Well I think that is a little far fetched, but it is certainly interesting to think about. You can certainly make the argument and I would not really be there to say you were wrong, but if anything I would say that it would take a long time and we are talking like Brave New World and Harrison Bergeron like scenarios. Those are always fun to ponder and imagine if we lived like that though, and there is a reason it is some of the more popular literature and entertainment sources out there. Very interesting though, and I am curious to see what others thing, so thanks for sharing.

Well I cannot say that I took it as seriously as I should have. I know that for all the years that I took, I still really do not as much as I should. The good news is that there are so many resources available these days that it much easier to play catch up if you are in a bind, but I would still like to be able to say that l learned the language in school. It makes me wonder if my experience is similar to everyone else, but I cannot help but imagine that it had a much more significant impact on others than it did on me, but I bet it also varies a lot depending the student and the school. Interesting to think about, though, and thanks for sharing.

Well when it comes to online translations I have just learned not really to trust them all the way, and if you must use them, I usually try to use a couple of them and then compare to see what I can get for the closest translation (which is really a guess). That said, though, they are certainly great for individual words, and they are super easy to use and pretty accurate. For all I know there have been great strides though, too, for I have not used one in a little while. Either way, though, I would just say double check and proceed with caution. Thanks for sharing.

Well I cannot say that I would recommend this as the primary approach, but certainly you can make some room for it your overall strategy. I know a lot of people who find music particularly soothing and relaxing, and I can certainly see where that translates to an easier time in learning the language. Of course, I think we all know that the lyrics of songs are necessarily in proper English most of the time, so maybe for word recognition it would be better than anything like sentence structure. Very interesting idea, though, and I am curious to see if others include it in their routine. Thanks for sharing.

Well I got a pretty good laugh here because it immediately reminded of a lousy textbook that we used in high school for one of my Spanish classes and the teacher was always mocking and making fun of the book because it had so many mistakes. It was kind of sad, though, because there was just no room in the budget for new textbooks and I know that they used these ones for at least two or three years, which might have resulted in some poorly-speaking people my age out there right now. I hope they have better ones there now.

Well unfortunately I have, but in my defense it was in a situation where it was the last time that I would really need to know the language, so I just decided to give up. It was Polish, and it was when we moved there as a family when I was seven. I fully intended to live there for a long time, and that was the plan, but things changed and we ended up coming back to the USA. In the little time there, though, I actually remember getting pretty good and I was talking with other people pretty well, but I was still seven. Maybe one day I will pick it back up again.

Well my short answer would have to be no. I am not sure if you are saying on top of actually getting out there and communicating with others, because that is and always will be the best and primary tool for learning a language. All of the new technologies and advancements can certainly help along the way, though, and for that I like the idea of language apps and I have used some in the past, to varying degrees of success. I am sure that they will get better and more incorporated into the experience, though, which I think is a good thing.

Well these are the ones where half of the time I am not sure whether or not my phone is the actual issue, or if it is the app. That is probably the most frustration that I get, but that is with all apps and not just language apps. When it comes to those specifically, I think that it is just the general sense of not having the full version or edition. When it is on the phone, I cannot help but think that it is the shorthand version, and therefore not the correct term or word. I think that it is just me psyching myself out, but it is still frustrating.

Well I had a lot of fun learning Italian. Of course, it was all finalized by going on a trip to Italy, so I am pretty sure that would make anyone's experience better than average. It was pretty difficult, though, and although it was somewhat similar to Spanish, which I have had more experience with, a lot of the differences kept catching up to me and I ended up confusing myself a lot. Like anything, it takes time and practice, but it certainly is a beautiful language to learn.

Well that is certainly good news, but I cannot say that I am surprised that the app works better on a full running PC. It actually makes me wonder what I am missing or might be missing from my other apps and what I could gain if I were able to run them on the PC. Of course that kind of takes away the convenience factor that is so nice to have with these apps, so that is something that you have to consider. It is certainly a step in the right direction, though.

Sounds like a very comprehensive guide to learning the English language, which I am sure is helpful for a lot of people. I am going to guess that the whole fun idea is rather relative and really depends on what type of person that you, but if it works to provide that extra little boost of motivation then who ca argue with that. I am hoping that there are a lot of fun ways to try all sorts of activities from speaking to writing to reading...I think that would be the most effective.

Well I am like a lot of other users above and I tend to struggle with the I before E sometimes, and "convenience" is one that I seem to get wrong most of the time. Another one is every time, and that is only because I always try to make it one word and it is two. There are a lot of little subtle ones out there, which is I am sure what makes English a difficult language to learn, so I am told. I guess the good news is that when I do misspell these or make these errors, they really do not matter in most cases and are a quick fix, so I am glad that I live in this day and age.

One of the best parts about growing up in this more globalized world is that there is a wealth of different entertainment sources out there, and music is certainly one area with a whole lot of diversity. Like other users have mentioned, some of the Asian music scenes are pretty influential over here and are beginning to catch on, so those are definitely more prevalent than they used to be. I also still like the music of more traditional countries of origin such as Italian and French. My family is Polish, so we do get our fair share of Polish music, but I have to admit that it is not the greatest.

Well I cannot say that I am exactly sure of the answer, but I would guess that it has something to do about the lack of personalization that it requires. That is, you are not talking to a person and having to adapt the language in different ways, plus there is just more thought that goes into each word as you have more time to write than to speak, generally speaking. It is a good place to start, writing is, and then slowly move on to speaking it more and more, and use your writings to read aloud.

Oh yes, reading aloud is certainly more interactive and realistic and it helps very much in learning a new language. Of course you need a balance of everything, but this is a good one to add into the mix. It is great to find a little challenge too, say pick a favorite story, get in the language that you are learning and see where you do. That will help give the extra little motivation that we all need at some point, at least that is what has worked for me. Best of luck to you and you readings.

Well I have to say that when I read the word transliteration I think that I was sold. Sometimes when I am in the latter stages of getting a hold of a language I like to go big and test myself and try some bigger texts, so this is perfect for that. I have done so with some similar applications in the past, but this one seems way more comprehensive and adaptable to suit my need. I have heard of it but I have never used it, but that might change here soon. Thanks for sharing.

Well the one thing that I think would benefit me in the method that @Kirshimentions is that making it into a game is nice little way to motivate myself. It is kind of weird to think about because I feel like I am pulling my own strings, but if it works then I am willing to give it a try. When it comes to memorization that is a place where I tend to struggle and I have never really been a rote learner, so this might be a good way to get around that fact. Thanks for the share.

I am always amazed when people switch from language to language without any effort. It makes me very jealous given the amount of time that I have devoted to learning new languages, but of course that is just life and how they were brought up, so good for them. I guess necessity is the father of bilingualism and invention, so there is one that you can add to the list. It just goes to show you how important being around the language is when you are trying to learn a new one,

WellI think that @FenWoFonhit the nail on the head...PRACTICE. The more you speak it and listen to it the better you will get...plain and simple. That said, though, there are surely better ways to go about it. I would like to think that a nice mix of book learning and interactive learning is the best, and you can get your foundation down while doing the subtle adjustments to the slang that people actually use. It actually makes me curious as to whether there are any studies out there on the matter. Might have to look into that.

I would most certainly say that it does. I think that we all know that we have the cuss words and the bad words for a reason, to express emphasis, and those are what I and many others resort to. We also know that they are not the most elaborate or educational or classy or descriptive of language, so that is a negative. Hopefully there are people out there who handle their anger better than I do, and I know that there are, and surely they are better with their language than I am.

Well it is certainly better to get them started early. If I could personally go back now and do it again I wish that someone would have pushed me a little more when I was younger to take up a language, because it would have been a whole lot easier for me to do so when I needed to. It is also important to consider all of the resources that are available to us now, and like others have mentioned it can be fun and exciting to learn a language for a kid, and it is not just worksheets and bad videos - that is coming from my public school experience.

It is very difficult, but of course, it gets easier. I think more than anything it is frustrating, because you keep thinking that you are there, you finally understand everything, and then you discover you don't, and this happens again and again over and over. It is also frustrating because when you are there for a while, you start to have to deal with important things, like really important things, and when you have trouble understanding those it starts to anger you if you are not careful. That was my experience, and if I could go back I would buy an economics focused translation book, if they exist in that language.