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Linguaholic

LeHolic

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Posts posted by LeHolic

  1. Yes, of course. One of the biggest achievements when learning a new language is thinking in it. When it happens spontaneously you know your brain is trained enough to do so, so that's a big win.

    A natural extension to thinking in your target language would be to talk to yourself using it. Beyond the silly part, it can be a good way to practice your skills without fearing social embarrassment. On the other hand, you better have at least intermediate level since you won't be able to spot all of your errors so it helps to monitor yourself and -perhaps- checking your with learning resources when you don't know how to say something or don't have enough confidence with your way to tackling it.

  2. On July 28, 2016 at 3:09 PM, Milanina said:

    Maybe it's more of a 'learning together' as their parents are teaching them - and they teach me. 

    Yep, that's more likely it. Personally, I've "learned" from children by listening from their basic errors and then being motivated to find the actual correct way so I can suggest a correction for their improvement. The Internet does wonders in this regard.

    For instance, I'm currently in touch with a bilingual kid who makes me look for the right way to say things as I'm inclined to assist him... this happens with both languages, so that's a double benefit to me :D

  3. 31 minutes ago, Blaveloper said:

    But you should also have a reason to use the camera and GPS in a language learning tool. :P
    Seems very pointless to me if I may be honest.

    Please take this as a generic comment :) 

    ...More in line with what you mentioned here:

    On June 24, 2016 at 9:44 AM, Blaveloper said:

    Not Duolingo per se, but I think almost every language learning app works better on a PC than on a phone.

    Hey! Nice to see an app developer around BTW. Good on you! B)

  4. I agree with the majority here. Software for mobile devices should be based on the same features as the PC version, only adapting it to the appropriate display format.

    It is a pity that many software developers do not see this as something users expect. In fact, mobile applications can even enjoy more features by default since hardware such as camera and GPS are very common, unlike the limited set of default peripherals on the PC.

    This is definitely something to have in mind when developing a multi-platform application.

  5. On July 29, 2016 at 7:31 PM, Rooks57 said:

    When it comes to speaking, I find I need to work from simple to more complex in both sound and structure. 

    This is true. I guess it's just like with any other facet of life. You start from the basics and then advance on solid grounds.

    In the case of language and accents, I guess it depends largely on the environment in which one is forced to learn. If you live in a community along with people with a certain accent, you have no other choice but to adapt. If -on the other hand- you have the opportunity to choose your own learning environment and tools, I completely agree with you since interacting with those who have a "cleaner" accent can be a great help in the beginning.

    On July 31, 2016 at 6:58 AM, lushlala said:

    just because someone is a native speaker, doesn't mean they have a good grasp of the language as we know it on an international standard.

    Absolutely! I've interacted with people coming across as more knowledgeable in the language than a large chunk of natives. You'd never know English isn't their mother tongue if you didn't ask.

  6. 6 hours ago, Rooks57 said:

    I think the reason to learn a language is very important.  I want to learn Korean because I want to go to South Korea and travel without a translator.

    Your reason is pretty good! I like it because it has a practical application and direct gratification for your efforts.

    Learning a language only as an abstract concept just because of the possibility it may be useful later in life does not seem very motivating to me. The main reason should always be something more practical that touches our lives such as achieving a better working position thanks speaking the new language.

    This direct motivation has much more advantages than something perceived as merely abstract or as "possible". I commend you for your clarity regarding your goals.

  7. 5 hours ago, Rooks57 said:

     I find that when I'm just beginning, I prefer a cleaner accent to practice with until I understand how the language works and then I can upgrade to a more 'authentic' accent.

    If you're going to learn a new language, it is best to learn the accent mostly accepted as the standard, and then to specialize in others. It is better for your training to begin with a solid foundation in the most common one and then train your hearing to identify the subtleties of the other accents, gradually.

    Pretty good advice friend.

     

  8. On 6/24/2016 at 5:49 AM, John Snort said:

    Got more tips? How can one stay motivated when learning a new language that may seem be hard to learn?

    I like the methodology of learning a language by doing something that one would be interested in advance already. For example, if you like computers, you can learn an operating system in the desired language to learn by using programs displaying all the menus and dialog boxes in it. 

    If you like other subjects like music, you can try to learn to play an instrument reading manuals in the language you want to master. This combines what interests you and what you wish to achieve, gracefully; a combination that is usually successful for maintaining motivation.

  9. On 7/20/2016 at 9:52 PM, GingerCat said:

    Did you study French in high school or college?

    I did study in high school. But then in college I kind of veered of fin another direction and didn't take a language. I regret that now because I could have taken advantage of so many classes where I went to college.

    Now it's a little bit like starting over in some ways. I do remember a lot, but not as much as I'd hoped!

    I would have liked learning it, my high school education was focused in English (no surprise there), although some careers in the humanities do see French, and even notions of Latin. I was a science student in high school so for me English was the only foreign language in sight, but I would have liked very much to have had the opportunity to learn French in my high school years. Very much indeed.

  10. Historically, I have had problems adapting to different accents. I have had to interact with people from various English-speaking countries; I found I can  understand American English really easily but often U have to pay a lot of attention to understand dialects such as those of Australian folks.

    Some European friends also give me headaches. For instance, an Italian fellow who learned in the United Kingdom speaks UK English with an Italian accent. It makes me sharpen my hearing every time to grasp his particular pronunciation conjugating both of his accents simultaneously, but it is a very good practice! 

    I feel that interacting with people from the five continents and adapt to their particular accents and peculiarities in real-time is the ultimate test.

  11. Definitely! When I listen to music in English, I tend to like pop and rock mostly.

    On the other hand, I don't really like rock in Spanish, also, I do not like pop music in Spanish because -while their rhythms could be similar to songs in English- I feel them as being forced and unnatural. It is as if the singers were trying to imitate the foreign style, not being genuine (or at least I perceive it this way).

    In my opinion, every culture has its "natural rhythms" and more often than not the delicious and meaningful form of them are not transferred well to other languages.

  12. On 7/27/2016 at 4:01 PM, blue_plume said:

    Read children's books written in the language you want to learn.

    Excellent advice! What I've done in the past is reading manuals for beginner learners in my target second language (not necessarily for children). I can only say it has been effective.

    Another thing that helped me when learning being using books for tourists. Usually they list the most popular and useful phrases for everyday life, which can be invaluable when interacting with native speakers for the first time. e.g. Greetings, how to ask for directions, asking for common meals at the restaurants and the like.

    This has been my personal experience. I can only agree with what you mention; a children's book is also quite valuable, especially if you have someone who already speaks fluently to clarify your doubts. Textbooks for infants are usually used by a teacher in the educational process so it does not hurt to have a personal mentor.

  13. On May 17, 2016 at 0:16 PM, brooklyn218 said:

    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. 

    Great way to learn another language @brooklyn218. You are passionate about the subject and are familiar with it, which can greatly improve your  understanding. Now, with a good online dictionary and a community just like the one you have here at linguaholic the only thing left to do is learning :)

    Congratulations on using this way to achieve it.!

  14. On May 30, 2016 at 10:10 PM, Jbarbermd said:

    Hello, I am jbwriter.  I have been studying Spanish on my own since 1996.  However, I still am at the beginner level.  I hope interacting at this forum will help me to become a better Spanish speaker.  Thank you.

    Totally agree @Jbarbermd. Spanish is becoming increasingly important by the day. As the Spanish-speaking population increases, the need to interact with them in their language is increasing exponentially too.

    Good to know you're a doctor serving Spanish-speaking patients in their mother tongue. Your action is very comendable. By the way, if you were at the "pretty good" level in the past, you can surely come back to it and upgrade to "excellent" with practice.

    Congratulations! By all means do continue to persevere in your study and learning.

    Best regards.

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