How old were you when you started to feel interested in learning languages?

[Trellum]

I've recently met a lot 15's and 18's year old interested in learning as many languages as possible. I find that funny, because they remind me so much of myself when I was a teen.  Actually my interest for languages started when I was 17 or so.  I dreamed of learning as many languages as possible, but sadly I fell short.  I'm amazed to see most of the kids with the same ambitions (I've met lately) already speak more than two languages!

I'd like to know how many of you started to feel interested in language learning at an early age? 

[Rosa]

Before I started high school I had no interest in learning languages and throughout high school I did my best at my lessons but that was all. It wasn't until shortly after graduating high school that I started having an interest. It all began when I read an article in the local paper of a tour guide who taught himself German. I figured if he can teach himself a new language then I could try to master what I was already introduced to in high school and that's what i've been doing.

[CountRockHyde]

I can recall being about 10 years old and discussing with my best friend at the time about learning Spanish and how we would start taking classes as soon as they were offered.  I did start Spanish when I was about 11 or  12 or so and kept it up until I was a freshman in college.  I can still read it pretty well, but I have never been good at speaking it.

[sidney]

I only developed an interest in learning other languages when I first heard the German band Rammstein on the radio. I instantly liked their songs, so I tried to google what the title of their songs meant. Now I google the words of their songs bit by bit or phrase by phrase to know what they are saying in their songs.

[lushlala]

I started taking an interest in learning a foreign language while I was still in primary school, around 10 years old. I was really fixated on the French language. Sadly, foreign languages are not offered in Botswana state schools So it wasn't until I was at uni that I was finally able to take up a French Minor.

[g2narat]

I can't really say. I was interested in languages for as long as I can remember actually. I remember being around 7 years old and having a playmate who only spoke Italian and I was thinking that it would be really cool if we could communicate in her language instead of doing our own signs and pointing.  :wacky: I think it helped that we moved around a lot and I got exposed to different languages and found the differences and similarities of languages interesting.

[Trellum]

I can't really say. I was interested in languages for as long as I can remember actually. I remember being around 7 years old and having a playmate who only spoke Italian and I was thinking that it would be really cool if we could communicate in her language instead of doing our own signs and pointing.  :wacky: I think it helped that we moved around a lot and I got exposed to different languages and found the differences and similarities of languages interesting.

That is very interesting, but what was your actual age when you actually started making an effort to learn a language? I don't remember thinking of learning any kind of language at that age, but when I hit the 16 mark I started to really think about it.  It's so good to have early experience like the one you had, that kind of experiences are so enriching for both parties.

[Trellum]

I can recall being about 10 years old and discussing with my best friend at the time about learning Spanish and how we would start taking classes as soon as they were offered.  I did start Spanish when I was about 11 or  12 or so and kept it up until I was a freshman in college.  I can still read it pretty well, but I have never been good at speaking it.

That is very interesting, but sorry to hear you haven't mastered it yet.  In my opinion everything you need is to practice it more   It sounds you have really  good bases but you need to actually use the language more.

I only developed an interest in learning other languages when I first heard the German band Rammstein on the radio. I instantly liked their songs, so I tried to google what the title of their songs meant. Now I google the words of their songs bit by bit or phrase by phrase to know what they are saying in their songs.

I love Rammstein!!! They're one of my favorite bands of all time!!!  I listen to them since I was 13 years old   I thought of learning German for them when I was younger... I didn't get too far.

Before I started high school I had no interest in learning languages and throughout high school I did my best at my lessons but that was all. It wasn't until shortly after graduating high school that I started having an interest. It all began when I read an article in the local paper of a tour guide who taught himself German. I figured if he can teach himself a new language then I could try to master what I was already introduced to in high school and that's what i've been doing.

Good for you, Rosa, better late than never. I've always said that, truth is some people have a natural interest for languages ,while others need something to really help them in the motivation department.

I started taking an interest in learning a foreign language while I was still in primary school, around 10 years old. I was really fixated on the French language. Sadly, foreign languages are not offered in Botswana state schools So it wasn't until I was at uni that I was finally able to take up a French Minor.

Oh sorry to hear that! In our country they started offering english as a second language in school, but this is quite recent.  Back when  I was little they didn't.

[Bloomsie]

I have no idea what age I was when I was interested in learning new languages. I do know, however, that I was extremely surrounded by multiple languages growing up. My family would speak Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and my father was the special one who added his fifth language of Japanese. So languages have been a big part of my life. I think I've been more interested in singing and reading languages than actually knowing them since I was little. I am able to read Hebrew, French, and Spanish, but can only understand a handful of terms. So I think at my age right now, I hope to learn each language on its own and develop a better understanding and become fully literate.

[AExAVF]

When I was still in elementary school, I was first exposed to foreign language as a mandatory requirement.  Our class was required to learn Arabic, whether we liked it or not.  I think I was 8 or 9 years old at that time.  While I never had any desire to speak Arabic, much less learn it, that was when I found out about my hidden potential to learn a foreign language.  Now, at 34 years old, I am learning basic Nihongo, and I am more interested in learning about Nihongo than Arabic.  I never really got into learning Arabic, and my knowledge of that language has been purged, except for some words which remained.

[OddVisions]

I don't think I've ever had a point in my life where I wasn't interested in other languages. If someone said a word when I was younger, I wanted to know what it meant, and I don't believe the actual language of the word mattered. I learned a lot of Spanish and French words because of that early inclination so I look on the memory fondly.

[violetcities]

When I was very little. I know I was desperate to learn English long before I started learning it in secondary school, asking my parents to teach me some words. I remember trying to create secret codes and ciphers - possibly inspired by many a childhood reading of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men". When I was about 12, my friend and I made up our own language. It was pretty silly, but in the end we had a notebook full of vocabulary and grammar. It always felt like a hobby in a way, a fun thing to do, never a boring chore. If I liked a band from Finland, my first impulse was to learn Finnish. Something related to Italy I liked? Maybe I should learn Italian, just because. And that's how it is to this day.

[linguaholic]

Sounds like you are a true linguaholic violetcities  :wacky:

By the way, are you German? you just mentioned zhat your native language is German...

I am Swiss, so my native language is German too (Swiss German).

Welcome to Linguaholic! It's nice having you here!

kind regards

lingua

[violetcities]

Sounds like you are a true linguaholic violetcities  :wacky:

By the way, are you German? you just mentioned zhat your native language is German...

I am Swiss, so my native language is German too (Swiss German).

Welcome to Linguaholic! It's nice having you here!

kind regards

lingua

Thank you! Yes, I'm German.

[elfinitty]

I guess I wasn't very young! I actually wasn't that interested in languages when I was like 10-11,I went to a private school and they were teaching English there and it didn't really interest me.However I wanted to learn German,but they didn't find my English good enough to start learning a second language,so I had to wait till highschool.Meanwhile,I started liking English and I wanted to get better at it so I joined some international forums on the internet and it actually helped me a lot.Now I'm 19 and I want to learn so many languages,but only can speak 2 well(one of them is my mother language and you can guess what the other one is) and  trying to improve myself in German.

[JMarie]

I think mine started 2 years ago. Learning new languages was a to do on my bucket list when I was finishing off college. I started learning Korean and then French, but I wasn't at all serious. Now I'm working my way through Mandarin, and I'm feeling the passion.  :grin:

[mmegs00]

I was about 19 when I began travelling the world, especially throughout Eastern Europe and to Southeast Asia. So many people were quick to communicate with me in English, but I knew that was not their native languages. Therefore, I made it a point to learn new languages, especially if I was going to continue travelling throughout the world. I feel that it is very important, especially when you want to build genuine connections with the local populations. I do wish, however, that I began learning new languages when I was much younger. I feel that it may have been easier to grasp some of the concepts. 

[宇崎ちゃん]

First language at school (English): 9 years old.
First language to practise online (English): 12 years old.
First language to study and fail (Japanese): 16 years old.
First language to successfully learn (Japanese, German and Spanish): 23 years old.

So I had a few milestones.
I never realised I was practising and improving my English over so many years until recently.
There are so many resources online that can't be found in any of my native languages and so many nice websites exclusively in English, this actually made me improve my English without noticing it.

[111kg]

I went to an English kindergarten. It was really expensive for my parents, but it was worth it, as I've always been the best in my class at English.

I've started lots of times to study in the same time French, Spanish, German and an Arabic language, but I've failed most of the times. This is why, at least this time, at 27 years of age, I stick to improving my English and learning German.

[jesolis]

I was about ten years old when I started to become interested in learning new languages. I learned English as my first second language. It took me about a year to fully be able to have conversations in English. I vividly remember that the first time I knew I could speak English fluently was the first time I dreamed in English! What do you guys think? Was it like this for you too? Did you have a different experience?

[Trellum]

I was about ten years old when I started to become interested in learning new languages. I learned English as my first second language. It took me about a year to fully be able to have conversations in English. I vividly remember that the first time I knew I could speak English fluently was the first time I dreamed in English! What do you guys think? Was it like this for you too? Did you have a different experience?

I didn't start having dreams in English ( not that I can remember)  until I was into the 5 or 6 year mark   I think even now most of my dreams are in Spanish.   I'm not so sure though, I don't pay so much attention to the language I speak in my dreams or maybe I do but I just can't fully remember o_O  Sorry, today is one of those days my brain doesn't seem to want to cooperate with me. Foggy brain day  

[Tyrell]

Very young. I've always been interested in learning languages (particularly English) and I was usually always pretty good at it. It's probably got something to do that I was already raised speaking multiple languages to begin with (most which are traditional languages - Sundanese and Javanese, for example). I'd love to speak even more languages. I'm currently learning Spanish (I know, I've mentioned it like a billion times already I'm just really excited about it, sorry) and when I become good at it, I think I'm gonna try German. It seems really exciting!

[aira]

I cannot recall exactly at what age I was interested in learning a new language. All I can remember is that I had been interested in learning Japanese when I was in grade school. But because I don't have lunch money, I didn't have savings to buy even a decent book. My dream came true when I was sixteen, when a classmate of mine gave me a Japanese book during exchanging gifts in a Christmas party. It fueled my passion to learn Japanese, but I skipped and halted a lot of times because I prioritized my college degree.

[czarina84]

I first got interested in Spanish when I was about six years old.  I found a Spanish dictionary on our bookshelf.  I don't know if it was my mother's or my sisters.  I liked how the words looked.  I can't really explain it better than that.  The book got lost when our roof collapsed about a week later, so I didn't get the chance to read it.  We never got a new one, so I had to wait until I got to high school.  I chose French instead of Spanish, because almost everyone who could signed up for Spanish for an easy A. 

[jamesbonner]

I became interested in english when I was 12 years old, we start getting it at school and I was in love with the teacher lol I liked her that's why I loved the English