ae.swanson

I think the most challenging thing for me is being consistent. Pronunciation will get better with time and practice, but you have to be consistent with practicing. You can't expect good foreign language skills to be readily available to use if you are only practicing once a week. Another thing I find challenging is when languages have one word with 20 different meanings. Sure, there are some words in the English language like that, but it gets annoying.

I have a grandmother who swears up and down that Spanish is so easy to learn, because she grew up speaking Spanish. I tried to learn and just could not grasp it. It would not stick. Now, it may be different. I loved trying to learn Spanish so I honestly don't know why it was so hard for me to understand and retain the language. Japanese has been very easy for me as well as German.

Hi everyone, my name is Amanda. I am a 30 year old SAHM from WA and I love learning different languages. Have I mastered any? No. But I fully plan to master at least one language for now and that is Japanese. Second would have to be German. I am hoping to garner some language learning wisdom here and also maybe make some good friends in the process. Thanks!

I think if language learning apps were the only possible option, then yes. But, I think having a human aspect to learning is what really helps the learning process. A lot of language learners tend to struggle when they can't see the teacher speaking. It really does help to watch someone speaking a language you are trying to learn, because you pick up the mouth movements and are overall better able to pronounce the language better. Also, you could use a language learning app in a pinch if you don't have access to a more human learning experience. I would not make it the primary way of learning, however.

I have been listening to Japanese music since I was in elementary school and love it. In the last 5 years or so I have gotten into Korean Pop. I agree that having catchy phrases in the songs really helps with learning the language. My husband was recently stationed in South Korea, so he would send me songs to listen to through YouTube. I also on occasion listen to German music, particularly rock. I have always had a love for the way the German language sounds when it is sung.

I tend to lose motivation if I have no one to practice with. I find that by not putting into practice what I am learning, I tend to get discouraged and will eventually stop studying for a while. Having done this several times, I finally decided to have my husband learn with me so we can practice together, but I suggest finding someone who already speaks the language fluently to practice with. Also, have fun with the learning process. I don't know about anyone else, but when I try to seriously study a language I get burned out way too easily.