learning new languages
edith head
5,106 Posts
i want to learn another language fluently (french or spanish) and/or improve my very rudimentary vietnamese. what methods have worked for you?the rosetta stone software is way more expensive compared to other ones i've seen ($500 for a 3 level bundle) has anyone here actually tried it? the 6 month money back guarantee makes me curious if it really works.
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I don't have much direct experience but there are hella free learn a language podcasts. I bet they're hit and miss but you can't beat the price.
Also, if you want to learn Portugese, there's a pretty substantial Brazilian population in San Francisco. Je parle Fran??ais aussi, mais le Portug??s est meilleur.
While I'm far from fluent, I know it's all about remembering the verb structures and tenses that go with it (-ar, -er/-ir verbs with all the combinations of past and present) and all sorts of oddities (pronoun placement, usage of "to"/"for", etc.). The rest is just picking up words as you go along. And confidence to practice with fluent speakers who won't make you embarassed when you slip up or struggle.
I speak english & french. I live in Montreal, so french is all around me. Honestly, my french was awful for years. What helped me improve was watching soaps & popular french shows, along with reading the french tabloids. I got the idea about the soaps from Mario Lemieux. That's how he learnt english, apparently. I did my university degree in Russian language. For practice, we had to watch a south american soap called "Manuela" dubbed into russian. That was a burnt show, but it helped, I guess. I've tried to improve my Yiddish, but I don't have the patience. Dedication & persistance is key.
Wait, really? How'd you learn to speak it in the first place?
You learn by educated guessing rather than memorization. After hearing/reading a word, you must select the corresponding image from a group of 4. The questions build upon themselves and soon you learn phrases, etc. There also seems to be lessons where your pronunciation is tested, but I have not tried that.
I agree that a grammar guide is a good supplement, as it's hard to pick spelling/usage rules simply by observation.
A speaking group would be very good too of course.
yeah supposedly Rosetta Stone is great for visual learners which i am. i took 3 years of spanish and hardly retained anything. i already have french and spanish grammar guides that i could use to supplement and my pal is talking about splitting the cost of a rosetta stone bundle. i'm still on the fence about it.
I actually studied Yiddish in college. Couldn't retain shit though, could mumble a couple words with my grandfather for a little bit before I forgot most of it.
All the Rosetta Stones are floating around the internet. I'd suggest...
The rosetta stone is THE BEST language software available and I've used quite a bit.
$500? Grab yourself a copy of uTorrent (pc) or Transmission (mac & linux).
i couldn't find version 3. i don't how to find what i'm looking for now without demonoid.
Try mininova.org
Iff'n I'm not mistaken Isohunt wasn't being pressured to release IP's recently?
That might be right, I've never gotten anything from there.
For learning Spanish the roestta stone is great for vocabulary but not so hot on verb usage. The program puts everything in the pronoun-verb form (i think that's what it is; i'm no grammar wiz), so for an example in English the program would teach you "He walks" or "I walk", however in Spanish you would just essentially say 'walk' (caminando). That is the only problem with it.
So that basically resounds with what everyone else is saying, actually using the language with humans is the best route. I've learned more speaking to my girlfriend then through the rosetta stone.
Co-signal, immersion is the only way to pick up contextual nuances in a language, but its tough because adults, as patient as they might seem, eventually become frustrated. See if you can volunteer in a big brother/sister program, and ask for a kid (younger than 12) who speaks the language you want to learn. Kids never get tired of correcting you, and it'll start to irk you that your being made fun of, so you'll be motivated to learn faster.
I, while fluent in Spanish, am now suffering from "use it or lose it." Most of the people I socialize with only speak English so I hardly get to speak spanish. I have been going the soap opera route to freshen up my vocabulary. Its been working very well, especially because I found the dope soap called Decisiones on Telemundo. Its great because the whole story plays out in a hour or two and if you miss an episode it doesn't matter. It has also reminded me of colorful phrases like "Lesbiana perturbada!" (disturbed lesbian), never know when you're going to need that one!
My minor was in Jewish studies. It tied into my major (Russian Lit) very well. I took some college classes in yiddish so that I could read Yiddish lit in the OG. While I found it cool, learning 2 languages in college was a hell of a lot & I stuck with Russian.
Language groups are cool. I did volunteer work with Russian seniors. Taught them english in exchange for Russian language pratice. When my Russian got better, I was a volunteer translator in a hospital for a few years. Now, all my russian is good for is hitting on hot Russian chicks & listening in on conversations on the subway. I never use it anymore.