brooklyn218

While we do not have children yet, we have discussed teaching our children other languages from the start. It is the easiest time for a person to learn new languages and it will provide them with ample amounts of opportunities in their lives. Children learning other languages opens their eyes to the world around them, helps culture them, and educates them (obviously.) I think it is a shame when kids only learn one language. But, to each his own.

Confession.... I love Harry Potter! I have read them so many times in English (my native language) that I know the gist of them. So, I purchased the books in two other languages while learning and read them. It helped that I knew the story line and I look forward to reading different books and branching out.

When I traveled to Paris, I spoke zero French. I was not worried about it because my cousin lives there and I expected her to be my translator. Well, she works a lot and I was on my own in a country I do not know the language. I listened, observed, and learned. By the end of my month there, I spoke enough to be polite and get me where I needed to go. I also lived in Japan. However, this did not help me. They all speak English and they look forward to practicing so I never learned any Japanese. But in general, yes travel is a wonderful way to learn language.

One of the beautiful things about this world and all of the people in it is our differences!! I love the different cultures, languages, traditions, and histories. As easy as one language would make the world, it is something I never want to see happen. I feel you would lose a lot of the fantasy about other cultures, you would lose traditions, you would change a lot!

After reading this post, I realized just how plain the English alphabet looks!! I love Hebrew, Japanese and Arabic! They are all so intricate and beautiful! It is hard to pick just one favorite

I feel that if the two languages are drastically different (like French and Japanese...) you would have no issue. Picking two romance languages would be very confusing for me personally! Just try to stick with something new and different. Since you already know English, try German- that is not too similar to Spanish! Give it a shot, practice patience, and if you are not able to do it, that's okay!! Pick up your next language once you are done with Spanish!! Best of luck!! I envy the people that are able to learn multiple languages at once!

Personally, I have a very academic mind and I love to learn. I have a desire to learn things that I will be able to put into practice in my everyday life. With a love of travel, languages seem to be the perfect fit for me! Languages broaden your understanding of other cultures, allow you to fully experience another culture while on your travels, and learning keeps your mind active! This is not to mention the fact that many companies world wide are looking for bilingual people! Languages connect you to the world!

I had two issues on my journey to learn Spanish. The first was verb conjugations. I found them to be so confusing! Luckily, with a lot of practice, I got the hang of it!! The other issue I had was how quickly people speak! Spanish tends to blend together when spoken quickly so I had a lot of trouble understanding! I took the time to watch TV soap operas in Spanish and practice understanding and listening. When the women get mad on those shows they speak a mile a minute!! It was a great way to get used to hearing people speak quickly!

I lived in South Africa for two months only... I tried to learn Afrikaans but it is a terribly hard language! Also, everyone speaks English there (my native language) so it was hard to force myself to try to learn Afrikaans when English was readily available! We also stayed in France for a month and no one chose to speak English (which I prefer) and I left France with a fair understanding of the language! I find that immersing yourself into a culture and fully experiencing it is the best way to learn the language. You are able to observe people which should offer a greater understanding of what they are saying.

I LOVE British accents! But truth be told, I love any accent! It automatically makes a person more attractive! Italian, French and Russian are my three other favorites!

I love upbeat music in Spanish! It is so much more fun and lively! I am pulled to Italian music that is slow and romantic! The language itself is so gorgeous and fluid that it seems the language was meant to be sung rather than spoken!

Personally, I have a love for travel and a deep love of other cultures. When I travel to other countries, I want to feel a part of the culture and language is a large part of that! Lately I have been studying Afrikaans after our travels to South Africa. It is a hard language to learn but I am working diligently to learn more!!

I tried Rosetta Stone and I can see how it would help someone learn a new language, but it was not my learning style. I personally am an audible learner so for me, the visualization of words to objects did not help me. A visual learner would benefit greatly from Rosetta Stone in my opinion. I like to listen to audio books, watch tv in a different language, read books (after awhile), listen to people speak in the language, and eventually practice from language books.