R34Linguist

I'm guessing that the stereotype came from the fact that the two sides of the brain are used for processing different parts of math and language. It is definitely possible to be good in both with sufficient practice. Usually, right handed people work their left-side brain more often and are better at those tasks. Left handed people are generally more creative. This is not to say that they can't be switched. The same thing goes for language and math as well.

I know this topic is a bit old, but I felt that I could contribute to it. One of the most effective ways to learn Tamil is by watching South-Indian movies. As crazy as it sounds, the more immersed you are in the culture, the sounds, and the sights, the more easy it is to learn a language. It could not be more true for Tamil. I also recommend taking some classes or finding some friends who speak it in addition to movies.

I had to learn Tamil so that I could communicate with my relatives. My parents are from India, but I was born and brought up in America, so I had no real exposure to the language. I eventually picked it up through watching movies and taking some classes. It also helped that a lot of our friends spoke the language and I was able to be in a nurturing environment.

I personally enjoy movies when learning new languages as well. It helps a lot due to there being audio and visuals at the same time that someone on the screen is speaking. It was one of the ways that I was able to become fluent in Tamil. Of course, I also surrounded myself with people who spoke the language and took classes, so that helped as well.

...looked away and hastily got into the cab as soon as it arrived.

Hey guys! I'm R34Linguist. I joined yesterday but was lurking around a bit before that. Being able to communicate to different people around the world has always interested me and so I'm trying to add a few more languages to my list. I'm fluent in Tamil, English and Telegu and am currently trying to learn Spanish (I've had a bit of success in it due to taking classes at my school). Hope to see you guys around! Nandri, R34Linguist

I agree with you for the most part. However, no matter how good of a teacher you are, the student will not be a good speaker unless they are truly interested in the language that they are leaning. For example, I tried to teach my brother our native tongue, but he still cannot speak it after 5 years, because he refused to practice it.

Haha yeah, it sucked. Luckily I went out of the building as soon as it was done and took a few deep breaths to gather myself. I was about to cry from all the stress and pressure since everyone had an angry look on their face as if I ruined the whole thing. Oh well, at least I learned from the experience.

Oh god, where do I start... Recently, I was at an Indian cultural festival and decided that I would perform a play because I'm not half-bad at acting. If only I knew what I was getting myself into. The man who organized the play was very strict about pronounciation and accents, and he completely screwed up the way I talked. Once I listened to the recordings of my play, I realized that I sounded horrible. At the end, nobody applauded because they couldn't understand what I was saying.

You are absolutely right, Natasha. I was able to learn and understand Tamil very well due to immersing myself in Tamil culture and their movies. For anyone interested in learning an Indian language, I highly recommend watching their movies without subtitles. You'll eventually get the hang of it if you supplement it with some outside, real world experience as well.