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Linguaholic

Yoshie

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Posts posted by Yoshie

  1. I like this method and yes it may sound very basic but you have to start somewhere don't you?! Our first stages of learning anything at all were indeed basic so yes I think that this could really help many of us who struggle with the beaten down method of a bunch of words being thrown at us with great expectation that we will easily remember them. I prefer a balance in both words and pictorial material. I find that it most times makes it easier for me to comprehend and memorise the material which keeps me interested. Of course you can use your imagination but sometimes a simple photo or diagram quickens the learning process.

  2. +Victor Leigh That's certainly a smart approach and I believe variety definitely helps to break monotony in any aspect of life itself.Like myself, I tend to get bored with things pretty easily and want to move on to something else or another way of achieving the task at hand. While I was studying languages in school, the prescribed texts were enough in a sense but it was an annual challenge to source the required reading and listening material as I don't reside in the US or so. To add to that, they were a pretty penny but sacrifices were made. So, I say, if you can afford to acquire a good variety of learning material for the language(s) you're studying, do so as it will help greatly with keeping you interested and willing. Travel if you can to experience the authenticity of the language and its speakers and enjoy what it has to offer.

  3. On 9/20/2016 at 1:30 PM, Staralfur1999 said:

    Ah, well, I just think being hard on ourselves comes naturally when we take on tasks like learning a language. Mainly because it's one of those things that you wish you could learn overnight, then get frustrated that it takes an almost endless amount of time (because language learning is a constant process, even when you're fluent).

     

    No worries, I hope it helps :)

    That's so very true, it's a constant learning process and the key is practicing it.

    Yup, it does ;-)

  4. Another point is that, where I'm from, not all early childhood schools offer foreign languages as part of their core curriculum. So with the children being encouraged to watch such programmes at home, they're learning extra skills and gives them more advantage compared to children that are unexposed to foreign languages. My basic school didn't offer foreign languages unfortunately but high school was where I was formally taught French and Spanish.

  5. 8 minutes ago, Staralfur1999 said:

    I gave up Japanese initially, then picked it back up again. It was a chore going through stuff I had done before but only vaguely remembered and it taught me a lesson about motivation. Even if you do a little bit each day, that's better than giving up. Because as soon as you go even a week without study, your brain starts leaking information. I think the first time I attempted Japanese, I kind of underestimated what a beast it can be. I was way too cocky about it; thought it would be a walk in the park due to the insane amount of free time I had. That was one of my mistakes too: expecting way too much from myself and blowing myself out with too much study each day.

    Yeah, sometimes overdoing it works against you just the same as not doing enough. Honestly, when I think about re-familiarising myself with languages via a full on refreshers course I feel intimidated. It seems a little daunting to me now as I have tons of other things I want to take care of at the moment. Maybe one day I'll gain the courage and just do it.

  6. I've come across a few over the years but it would be a case where I'm searching through channels and caught bits and pieces of this type of show. I would watch and listen to test my knowledge and memory especially if it was French or Spanish to see if I could relate to what was being said. Some things I'd catch, others were a blur, lol. They are pretty helpful, not only do they entertain children but it teaches them a thing or two and trust and believe, they're grasping information while enjoying the programmes. The more they watch those programmes the more their brains are programmed (punny) to retain the language. I don't particularly like children watching too much television but these educational programmes helps to prepare them for school along with the parents' training.

  7. 3 hours ago, abonnen said:

    YES! I have given up many times, one time I was to the point that I literally thought I would never be able to learn any type of language, this was not true but just that my heart and focus was no in the learning. I have given up but that doesn't mean I won't try again.

    I like your approach, don't give up on it becasue it just might come in handy in your future. It's also a good feeling when you accomplish it for yourself.

  8. +Victor Leigh No prob, will check it out.

    Btw, I'm no programmer but I have a genuine interest in technology and how it is created and how it works. I do have a creative mind so things like that I find interesting. Plus, I like to know how to do things myself where possible even when it comes to a computer or gadgets in general. I've been wanting to do a web design course for a minute now but I haven't been able to get to. Still determined to become certified hopefully sooner than later though.

  9. 3 minutes ago, Victor Leigh said:

    Of all the languages I know, there's only one which I didn't learn formally. This is Chinese, all three dialects. That's because my parents speak Chinese. The other languages I learned in formal settings ie in a classroom atmosphere. English is what I learned from my very first day in school ie kindergarten. It's now my natural language. Malay is a compulsory subject since it's the national language where I grew up. When I lived in Thailand, I attended adult education classes to study Thai. I even took the government exams. And passed.

    Would I have the dedication to learn a new language outside the classroom environment?

    This I will have to find out. Right now, I am learning a computer language. That's a language, too. This I am doing by spending about four to six hours every day studying and doing exercises online. So far, I have managed to finish my basics in HTML and CSS. Yesterday, I started on Javascript. I keep myself on track by blogging about my progress in learning programming. It's sort of like forcing myself to learn every day so that I would have something to blog about every day. Maybe I will try this with learning a human language.

    Haha, you're interesting re the last part of your post.  I might take that approach in mastering said applications.

  10. Hi, in my case, my first language is English and I studied French and Spanish while at secondary school. I decided to continue with Spanish at the tertiary level and eventually made it my minor. However, I had challenges from year to year and it became a burden to be honest. Some might think that, well if you did it for the time you did why stop?! Now I'm the type to fight through things as much as I possibly can but at the time, I had too much going and I think a mental block set in especially due to the fact that the language teacher was very inefficient in my opinion and I became somewhat uninterested. She was the type to move along with the students that were "masters" of the language. Sometimes reflecting on my decision to not get the Spanish minor bothers me a bit but I console myself with the fact that I at least had excelled at the secondary level. I don't like to quit lol.

  11. +Barburra I definitely know what you mean and I too like that approach. Sometimes it can feel like information overload when you try to cram it all in all at once or in one sitting. The brain is more receptive when not so pressured and you process and grasp the information more easily with breaking it up into shorter sessions. I think that for me at least, in a situation where you have to bulk it together and cram, it becomes extremely daunting and you stray away from doing it and you lose out in the long run.

  12. On 9/17/2016 at 3:59 AM, cafwen said:

    If your friend is actively involved in trying to learn a new language, and presumably learning it correctly, I would think he would welcome help and correction. Basically I imagine it would depend on his attitude, and his commitment to learning the language correctly. I would ask him quite openly whether he wants you to help him, and then act accordingly. 

    I like that you brought up the instance where someone learning a new language is maybe more in need of being corrected. I don't think it would be fair to you the person instructing them or helping them to learn it, much less they themselves learning to be misled.

    It could also be looked at as a similar approach taken when teaching young children to speak well. Their earliest years are their formative years so on an average they are taught the proper way of speaking so as to not embarrass their parents or themselves.

  13. +VinayaSpeaks That's understandable, I would sometimes feel like the same way as I get bored easily so I know exactly what you mean.

    +lushala Yes, that's true in terms of selecting your purpose for taking on the language of choice, whether for basic learning purposes vs. a more in depth approach. Timing is crucial, you have to be willing to throw yourself into it, otherwise you might struggle with it.

    +Miss Te Despite the short learning periods (according to you), you seem to be dedicated to it as you said you never miss your weekly lessons which is great. Keep at it ;)

    +Norm A Wow, you're serious about it aren't ya?! Kudos to you on your enthusiasm.

    So the essence of most of the posts is that you do it when you can and that's always better than not at all to me. The bits and pieces here and there still matter and trust me, you benefit nonetheless. Just don't quit and stay motivated.

  14. Yes, the social context is extremely important in knowing when to use which sayings in particular situations as you not only want the listner or recipient to understand but you also don't want to offend anyone, unless that's your intention haha. For example, a certain saying might be used in one area as a friendly greeting while on the other side of town persons may not be so accepting of it.

  15. On 7/29/2016 at 6:53 PM, abonnen said:

    I have a hard time learning language in general, I really have to focus and use it everyday.  I would say the vocal aspect of it is very hard and also hearing it and understanding what I am hearing.  Writing it is not as hard as having to understand what others are saying.  Many languages I feel are fast spoken, and I am not very fast spoken in general.

    I like the way you expressed your take on it because I share those sentiments. The more fluent the speaker, the faster they might speak which makes it difficult for the non-speaker to catch on to what is being said leaving a cloud of confusion.

  16. 1 minute ago, Milanina said:

    I can understand bad translations - it indicates that the translator lacks the knowledge or that they've resorted to an automated translation. What I cannot understand is when there is a difference in numbers - for example I've seen instructions of fireworks advising different safety distances or a booking website advising different occupancy in the hotel room in different languages. I don't understand why a translator would change the number....

    Lol, that's pretty questionable, better yet it's actually hilarious to me. Why would you do that? Only they would know what they meant.

  17. In reference to @fcuco, I did touch on the mental aspect of it all a little bit, just didn't go into great detail. I had said it takes a lot of concentration, practising and a healthy mental space to conquer learning a language. I agree that memorisation is a major part of the challenge as it relates to the grammar, nouns, verbs and phrases or idioms. Language may differ from place to place but some elements are standard. Therefore, you must be willing to learn those elements and continuously revise them for them to become cemented in your memory

  18. When I studied languages, I had occasional issues with the vocal and listening aspects of each language. Sometimes my nerves would be all over the place causing me to forget words or sentence structure.I don't enjoy exams so I sometimes would get flustered and not perform as well as I would want to but you have to learn to recollect yourself and focus and get it done. Listening was like my worst enemy, lol, particularly when you had to listen to a very fast speaker. Ugh, that used to kick my behind but sometimes it was not so difficult and I managed to capture what was said. Learning a language takes a great amount of concentration so to me it's best to be mentally prepared as much as possible before taking on the challenge. In addition, practising helps a great deal with your fluency. 

  19. I agree that the misuse of words can alter the gist or intention of the literature like in stories or instructions. Words can change an entirely different situation and that leads to misunderstandings and we don't want that. However, at the same time, it's natural for us humans to make mistakes so what we should try our best to do is learn the languages properly before using them. Get help if you need to and don't be lazy or sloppy just because you can. You'll only look silly in the end.

  20. Another thing I find with some texters is that I don't know if it's a case of them honestly not knowing how to spell or how to apply correct subject-verb agreement or they just don't care about all that anymore. If you're not careful. you might get caught up with the shortcuts and lose the knack of speaking and writing proper English. I cringe everyday because of so much improper grammar and spelling.

  21. I generally text using proper English, with good grammar, spelling and punctuation but it depends on whom I'm speaking with. I sometimes use the shorthand method but I try not to overdo it because not only do the readers get frustrated but I also feel dissatisfied having to look at too many unnecessarily chopped up words. <_<:lol: I tend to only use shorthand texting with my peers though or if I'm really comfortable with the person I'm talking to. 

    In the initial stages of texting someone more so if we just began texting, I always use full words and sentences. It comes naturally to me to do this but I still want to leave a good first impression because sometimes we judge each other so quickly by appearance and speech. However, if they respond using a more comfortable style and I feel that I'm cool with that then I might switch to using that tone also. I must say though that I don't always feel like typing out all words fully especially if I'm talking to persons who definitely understand my text language.

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