I need to pick a foriegn language to take for next semester. Suggestions?
Notes: I have a hard time learning new languages, so something easy for a dumb American.
Also, my long term plan includes studying abroad (and studying a broad), so learning the language of a country with good schools would be nice.
Plus, I'd like to learn the language of one of you foriegn spags, so I can go visit stalk and harras you.
Seems like Chinese will be a more and more useful language to speak in the future...
One of the Romance languages would probably work for you.
Spanish, French, Italian, etc.
Quote from: Hoopla on December 14, 2010, 05:26:41 PM
Seems like Chinese will be a more and more useful language to speak in the future...
This is the correct motorcycle.
German is easy, as it's a cousin language to English, but the grammar can be tricky at times. I've done 3.5 years of study in it and there's still concepts of the grammar I'm having a hard time with. And definite/indefinite articles, they have 3 genders, whereas English only has neuter.
Right now Spanish is the most useful within the US, hands down.
But since you're a lit major, you may want to try French.
Spanish, I'd say Chinese, but it ain't that easy with the orthographical and semiotic differences. Spanish = easy, more intuitive for the native English speaker. Chinese (Mandarin) = not easy, but perhaps better if you plan to go into business...
Interestingly enough, more and more Chinese and Japanese companies are REQUIRING their workers to take English courses before they're hired.
LEARN ALBANIAN LANGUAGE!
You should not ask me such a question. :lulz:
But if you want any actually useful language: German, Spanish, or French ought to be among your top choices. German is the easiest IMO, because it's linguistically close to English. French is very difficult because of the pronunciation and lack thereof.
If you want a language that is relatively easy to learn, contextually useful, and probably won't require an oral exam: Latin.
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:35:52 PM
You should not ask me such a question. :lulz:
But if you want any actually useful language: German, Spanish, or French ought to be among your top choices. German is the easiest IMO, because it's linguistically close to English. French is very difficult because of the pronunciation and lack thereof.
If you want a language that is relatively easy to learn, contextually useful, and probably won't require an oral exam: Latin.
Bullshit. I had oral exams in Latin.
However, if you do take Latin, you can probably Rosetta Stone any Romance Language and pick it up twice as fast.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 05:39:12 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:35:52 PM
You should not ask me such a question. :lulz:
But if you want any actually useful language: German, Spanish, or French ought to be among your top choices. German is the easiest IMO, because it's linguistically close to English. French is very difficult because of the pronunciation and lack thereof.
If you want a language that is relatively easy to learn, contextually useful, and probably won't require an oral exam: Latin.
Bullshit. I had oral exams in Latin.
However, if you do take Latin, you can probably Rosetta Stone any Romance Language and pick it up twice as fast.
I never had oral exams.
What is your major? I would pick the language that would best compliment that.
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:40:01 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 05:39:12 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:35:52 PM
You should not ask me such a question. :lulz:
But if you want any actually useful language: German, Spanish, or French ought to be among your top choices. German is the easiest IMO, because it's linguistically close to English. French is very difficult because of the pronunciation and lack thereof.
If you want a language that is relatively easy to learn, contextually useful, and probably won't require an oral exam: Latin.
Bullshit. I had oral exams in Latin.
However, if you do take Latin, you can probably Rosetta Stone any Romance Language and pick it up twice as fast.
I never had oral exams.
We had COMPETITIONS. :x
Right now, I'm a lit major. But I plan to do programs in history and philosphy as well.
I've been told German is easy, and I've been thinking about taking French. Latin would be a sure fire winner, but it's not offered where I'm at right now.
So, I guess it's a toss-up between French and German... But aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
Canadian is pretty easy to learn.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
Your rite, their really picky about how yuo speak there language.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
Right now, I'm a lit major. But I plan to do programs in history and philosphy as well.
I've been told German is easy, and I've been thinking about taking French. Latin would be a sure fire winner, but it's not offered where I'm at right now.
So, I guess it's a toss-up between French and German... But aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
D-Cup did a lot of work with French. I personally have not taken it.
URI offers Latin, but if you're meeting your 2 consecutive semester requirement for school, go with something you can easily continue with in the summer or next fall at URI if you won't be at CCRI. I know we have French and German.
Quote from: Remington on December 14, 2010, 05:50:25 PM
Canadian is pretty easy to learn.
Canadian is a disease, not a language! :argh!:
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
Spanish is probably the most useful, if only to understand what the people at the bodega are saying about you.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 05:47:53 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:40:01 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 05:39:12 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:35:52 PM
You should not ask me such a question. :lulz:
But if you want any actually useful language: German, Spanish, or French ought to be among your top choices. German is the easiest IMO, because it's linguistically close to English. French is very difficult because of the pronunciation and lack thereof.
If you want a language that is relatively easy to learn, contextually useful, and probably won't require an oral exam: Latin.
Bullshit. I had oral exams in Latin.
However, if you do take Latin, you can probably Rosetta Stone any Romance Language and pick it up twice as fast.
I never had oral exams.
We had COMPETITIONS. :x
:x
Well, come to think of it, I know of schools that did that. I did not go to one such as that, though.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 05:52:23 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
Your rite, their really picky about how yuo speak there language.
owowowowowow
Thanks, now
I have head-explody...
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
Right now, I'm a lit major. But I plan to do programs in history and philosphy as well.
I've been told German is easy, and I've been thinking about taking French. Latin would be a sure fire winner, but it's not offered where I'm at right now.
So, I guess it's a toss-up between French and German... But aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
:lulz: Well they will make terrible fun of you if you mangle something too badly. However, 20 years ago when I did my version of the "grand tour", I found that French was as commonly spoken as English in a lot of European countries.
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
Spanish is probably the most useful, if only to understand what the people at the bodega are saying about you.
Agreed on both accounts. However, I have a personal... erm... we'll call it a "dislike," for the spanish language. Hearing someone speak spanish is like fingernails on a chalk board for me...
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:55:08 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 05:52:23 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
Your rite, their really picky about how yuo speak there language.
owowowowowow
Thanks, now I have head-explody...
That was an incredibly difficult sentence to write.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:59:06 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
Spanish is probably the most useful, if only to understand what the people at the bodega are saying about you.
Agreed on both accounts. However, I have a personal... erm... we'll call it a "dislike," for the spanish language. Hearing someone speak spanish is like fingernails on a chalk board for me...
Then try Italian or Portuguese, they sound better and are very similar.
But yes, French is the 2nd most spoken language in Europe. Learning that and English are almost required. Plus, you can go to Quebec and quack your head off with those freaks...and if you fuck up, they're less likely to bite your head off than actual French people will.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 06:03:08 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:59:06 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
Spanish is probably the most useful, if only to understand what the people at the bodega are saying about you.
Agreed on both accounts. However, I have a personal... erm... we'll call it a "dislike," for the spanish language. Hearing someone speak spanish is like fingernails on a chalk board for me...
Then try Italian or Portuguese, they sound better and are very similar.
But yes, French is the 2nd most spoken language in Europe. Learning that and English are almost required. Plus, you can go to Quebec and quack your head off with those freaks...and if you fuck up, they're less likely to bite your head off than actual French people will.
But if you use Quebecois colloquialisms, "real" French people will bite your head off. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
Learn Welsh.
Quote from: Vartox on December 14, 2010, 06:29:32 PM
Learn Welsh.
...
...
...
:lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz:
Seriously though, no. Don't learn Welsh.
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
There's also declination and more cases than absolutely necessary.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 06:33:36 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
There's also declination and more cases than absolutely necessary.
Wanan talk about too many cases? Sanskrit. 9 of them. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:34:49 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 06:33:36 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
There's also declination and more cases than absolutely necessary.
Wanan talk about too many cases? Sanskrit. 9 of them. :lulz:
But I've never actually seen it offered at a school before.
Classical Greek is also a headache, because you have to learn a new alphabet and the way it sounds before you can really learn anything else. Much like a Cyrillic language like Russian.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 06:36:23 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:34:49 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 06:33:36 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
There's also declination and more cases than absolutely necessary.
Wanan talk about too many cases? Sanskrit. 9 of them. :lulz:
But I've never actually seen it offered at a school before.
Classical Greek is also a headache, because you have to learn a new alphabet and the way it sounds before you can really learn anything else. Much like a Cyrillic language like Russian.
That's true, but at least learning a new alphabet is easier than learning the same alphabet differently. *coughWELSHcough*
:lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz:
THE CONSONANTS.
MAKE THEM STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:21:40 PM
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
No way! I had two years of Spanish, three years of Latin, and one year of German. I'd say German was the easiest, then Spanish, then Latin.
Latin has more genders, a, SOV sentence structure that is alien to English speakers, and inflects nouns and adjectives (in addition to verbs).
Spanish has genders and inflects nouns to a degree (and so does English, for that matter).
And not to blow your mind, but the SOV sentence structure is just a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule. It gets tossed by the wayside by real Latin all the time. But once you understand the inflectional system, and get past the SVO structure hangup, it's really not hard.
I know you're a language maven and all, but the general consensus is that Latin is more complicated and harder to learn than Spanish.
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 06:40:05 PM
I know you're a language maven and all, but the general consensus is that Latin is more complicated and harder to learn than Spanish.
Oh, I agree that it's more difficult than Spanish. I said it's not terribly more difficult though. Compare: Russian or Chinese.
Finnish
E/O/T
Indonesian or Spanish.
Both are easy to pick up, compared to most languages.
Klingon.
Elvish.
Thank you, a thank you very much.
Hey, do they still offer Ebonics as a language study?
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 07:12:05 PM
Hey, do they still offer Ebonics as a language study?
:lulz:
The Texas Board of Ed made us take the AAVE sections out of our textbooks before we could sell them in TX. :argh!:
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 07:16:22 PM
The Texas Board of Ed made us take the AAVE sections out of our textbooks before we could sell them in TX. :argh!:
:aaa:
Whut's AAVE?
\
:redneck2:
Quote from: Doktor Phox on December 14, 2010, 05:57:57 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
I disagree. It's inflected, but it's not terribly more difficult than Spanish.
Speaking as a former French linguistics major, yes, it's about the same to learn as Spanish. But not nearly as useful living in the US.
Jenne,
Who's used French in 1) Colombia 2) Tahiti and 3) Europe (of course), but lives in what used to be MEXICO.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:59:06 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on December 14, 2010, 05:54:37 PM
latin is super useful because it boosts your English vocabulary. but it is a very difficult language to learn.
Spanish is probably the most useful, if only to understand what the people at the bodega are saying about you.
Agreed on both accounts. However, I have a personal... erm... we'll call it a "dislike," for the spanish language. Hearing someone speak spanish is like fingernails on a chalk board for me...
Really?
That's interesting. Wonder why. I mean, this was the same reasoning I used to take French in h.s. and college, and now I sincerely regret my choice.
Five bucks it was an ex-girlfriend who was latino.
Or, he got jumped by the Latin Kings.
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
Incidentally, I suggested Indonesian because it was designed to be easy to learn, because it was invented after the country was granted self-rule, to give a common tongue to all the inhabitants of thousands of disparate islands, many with different languages.
I didn't have a choice in high school when it came to taking a language. It was French or French. And of course, it was French French, which was fine and dandy until you tried to use it to speak to all of the Canadian French people living in town.
The pointing, and laughing..... :x
French sounds like ducks quacking to me. I don't hear the "language of Love" I hear the language of Quebecois trying to get a free meal in the United States.
Quote from: Cain on December 14, 2010, 07:38:40 PM
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
Incidentally, I suggested Indonesian because it was designed to be easy to learn, because it was invented after the country was granted self-rule, to give a common tongue to all the inhabitants of thousands of disparate islands, many with different languages.
Which brings to mind... ESPERANTO!
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 07:39:35 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 14, 2010, 07:38:40 PM
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
Incidentally, I suggested Indonesian because it was designed to be easy to learn, because it was invented after the country was granted self-rule, to give a common tongue to all the inhabitants of thousands of disparate islands, many with different languages.
Which brings to mind... ESPERANTO!
Except some people actually speak Indonesian. I mean, people with jobs and who get laid.
Yeah, but this is Cuddlefish we're talking about here...
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
French sounds like ducks quacking to me. I don't hear the "language of Love" I hear the language of Quebecois trying to get a free meal in the United States.
Canadian French does have more of a blue-collar lilt to it compared to French French.
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on December 14, 2010, 07:41:37 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
French sounds like ducks quacking to me. I don't hear the "language of Love" I hear the language of Quebecois trying to get a free meal in the United States.
Canadian French does have more of a blue-collar lilt to it compared to French French.
Canadian French is what the geese honk when they fly over. French French sound like ducks.
Quote from: Cain on December 14, 2010, 07:38:40 PM
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
My husband (who's sick in the head when it comes to ease of language use, btw--he knows Persian/Dari, Pushto, Urdu/Hindi, English and Spanish) says it's because Spanish is more "intuitive." And that orthography's more true to the pronunciation.
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on December 14, 2010, 07:41:37 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
French sounds like ducks quacking to me. I don't hear the "language of Love" I hear the language of Quebecois trying to get a free meal in the United States.
Canadian French does have more of a blue-collar lilt to it compared to French French.
Canadian French is said to be still very close to the French of the settlers who came west, whereas the French of France has evolved much like the English of England has. Vowel shifts, etc.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:49:12 PM
Right now, I'm a lit major. But I plan to do programs in history and philosphy as well.
I've been told German is easy, and I've been thinking about taking French. Latin would be a sure fire winner, but it's not offered where I'm at right now.
So, I guess it's a toss-up between French and German... But aren't the French really snooty about thier language?
Learn French and go to Belgium! They're nice to foreigners with accents, as long as they're trying.
I think French is easier than German, but that's because I was
in a French-speaking country when I started learning it. Once my ear got used to picking apart the words people were saying, it because quite simple, and now it's what I speak all day (I get my English kicks on the internet).
With German, I feel like it's pretty easy to speak barbarically, but speaking correctly is a pain in the ass, what with the declension of the articles and all. It's useful for philosophy, true, but so is French.
Quote from: Jenne on December 14, 2010, 07:47:50 PM
Canadian French is said to be still very close to the French of the settlers who came west, whereas the French of France has evolved much like the English of England has. Vowel shifts, etc.
I suppose the higher fiber diets helped.
Quote from: NWC on December 14, 2010, 07:49:04 PM
Learn French and go to Belgium! They're nice to foreigners with accents, as long as they're trying.
I've heard the same thing about Germany. Even at the German Club where I go to drink on Friday nights, a lot of the older folks there love that I'm studying it, and help the best that they can.
To some groups, it's a compliment to learn their language...Unless you're actually from France. They don't typically like anyone. I've been told that if I travel there, to tell people that I'm Canadian, that way they may just not spit in my food.
:lol: The French stereotype just didn't hold true for me. I stumbled out questions in their language all the fucking time when I was over there, and they were very polite and helped me out a lot.
The Spanish, on the other had, were fucking awful.
Quote from: Jenne on December 14, 2010, 08:01:08 PM
:lol: The French stereotype just didn't hold true for me. I stumbled out questions in their language all the fucking time when I was over there, and they were very polite and helped me out a lot.
The Spanish, on the other had, were fucking awful.
Yes.
Castilians are stuck up, miserable, and the men are rude and chauvinistic.
They have a natural hatred for anyone who speaks English, because they lost so much ground to English speakers. Everyone who I've met from Spain have just generally bad attitudes.
...but damn those dudes can COOK!
I was able to teach myself some basic french with recorded lessons in the car during commutes. You learn relatively fast if you're regular about it, I find, but the written language has its own unique challenges with that approach.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 07:41:22 PM
Yeah, but this is Cuddlefish we're talking about here...
Hey, I get laid! I just don't have a job...
Regardless, I think I'm leaning towards French after all this. Indonesian sounds interesting, but... I dunno. Hadn't ever even considered it...
Also, after reading a lot of the responses, it's really occured to me that I don't know the first thing about learning another language. I may be really bad at this.
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 15, 2010, 12:31:05 AM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on December 14, 2010, 07:41:22 PM
Yeah, but this is Cuddlefish we're talking about here...
Hey, I get laid! I just don't have a job...
Regardless, I think I'm leaning towards French after all this. Indonesian sounds interesting, but... I dunno. Hadn't ever even considered it...
Also, after reading a lot of the responses, it's really occured to me that I don't know the first thing about learning another language. I may be really bad at this.
I'm alright. I've taken Spanish, Latin, Classical Greek and German. I haven't mastered ANY of them, but I can help if you need it. At least I know I'm close enough.
I
think Richter's sister Leln minored in French, but don't hold me to that, I could be confusing her with someone else.
Quote from: StoreBrand on December 15, 2010, 12:49:35 AM
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
I'm visual/tactile. No wonder listening to language tapes in the car was a complete waste of time for me. :lol:
I'm visual. You can talk ad nauseam, but if I don't write it down as you talk, your words will go up in smoke.
Quote from: Pastor-Mullah Zappathruster on December 15, 2010, 01:58:18 AM
Quote from: StoreBrand on December 15, 2010, 12:49:35 AM
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
I'm visual/tactile. No wonder listening to language tapes in the car was a complete waste of time for me. :lol:
I'm the same, according to that test, but I do most if not all of my extracurriculars with recorded lectures.
Quote from: StoreBrand on December 15, 2010, 12:49:35 AM
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
Eh, it said I was a visual learner, but I s'pose I already knew that (tho, I think that test could use more/better worded questions). Not sure how that's gonna work with learning a language.
Mr. Language has really amazing skills for teaching language that totally make use of various learning styles; that's what's at the core of the certification program he's developing for teaching ESL, and I also went to his Spanish class once and it was kind of amazing how much I learned in just one session.
Apparently I'm a visual and tactile learner. That quiz was pretty interesting.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on December 14, 2010, 05:23:25 PMNotes: I have a hard time learning new languages, so something easy for a dumb American.
I started learning French twenty-three cocking years ago and it's still impenetrable to me, but my Polish is coming along great and it's only been just over a year. The difference is that one of them interested me.
I sort of regret not keeping up my Spanish as well as I could. I was quite a trick at it in high school and was even offered to be a TA for the class. But my biggest issue was that I couldn't find enough media in that language that would interest me. Another thing was that by living in SoCal I simply didn't need to use Spanish. Whenever I say this, people always say "You've got to be kidding me!". But the situation is that the vast majority of Hispanic people around here speak very good English. And it would be simply awkward to start speaking Spanish to them if they address you in English first.
With Japanese it's different. While I think it is much more difficult than Spanish, it has captivated my interest more. It may sound silly, but being a language so inextricably linked to its culture, speaking Japanese forces you to think in a Japanese way, which I think is intriguing. And since I do activities like tea ceremony and help manage calligraphy club I get practice on a weekly basis.
I love the way Navajo sounds, it's like a record being played backwards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFayFUiyv20
And while I would never try to learn it, I also love it because the grammar is amazingly alien.
Quote from: Jenne on December 14, 2010, 07:47:50 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 14, 2010, 07:38:40 PM
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
My husband (who's sick in the head when it comes to ease of language use, btw--he knows Persian/Dari, Pushto, Urdu/Hindi, English and Spanish) says it's because Spanish is more "intuitive." And that orthography's more true to the pronunciation.
Does he speak any Arabic? I know Spanish has quite a few loanwords from the language, and that may also explain why he found it easier to speak as well.
Quote from: Suu on December 14, 2010, 08:04:18 PM
Quote from: Jenne on December 14, 2010, 08:01:08 PM
:lol: The French stereotype just didn't hold true for me. I stumbled out questions in their language all the fucking time when I was over there, and they were very polite and helped me out a lot.
The Spanish, on the other had, were fucking awful.
Yes.
Castilians are stuck up, miserable, and the men are rude and chauvinistic.
They have a natural hatred for anyone who speaks English, because they lost so much ground to English speakers. Everyone who I've met from Spain have just generally bad attitudes.
That stereotype doesn't hold up for me at all. Most of this summer, I was working with and living nextdoor to a guy from Barcelona, and apart from his absolute obnoxiousness at winning the World Cup (which was still more bearable than the sour grapes of the England supporters) he was a truly great guy. Also one of my kids in my faculty family was from Madrid, and...well, that entire family was fantastic actually, but he was up there with the least toublesome kids I've ever had to deal with.
Quote from: StoreBrand on December 15, 2010, 12:49:35 AM
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
This "learning types" model has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked by educational psychologists, just so you know.
Quote from: Cain on December 15, 2010, 09:40:15 AM
That stereotype doesn't hold up for me at all. Most of this summer, I was working with and living nextdoor to a guy from Barcelona, and apart from his absolute obnoxiousness at winning the World Cup (which was still more bearable than the sour grapes of the England supporters) he was a truly great guy. Also one of my kids in my faculty family was from Madrid, and...well, that entire family was fantastic actually, but he was up there with the least toublesome kids I've ever had to deal with.
I went to Barcelona and Madrid in 2001, and had a great time. Sure, I got some attitude at times, but who doesn't?
The best was when I wanted to change my reservations for the train.
"Habla Ingles?"
"No." [however, I just heard him speak english to the previous customer.]
"Ah. [in horribly drawn out and mispronounced spanish, on purpose] Yo... tengo... dos. Billetes... a... Madrid. Pero. Yo... quiero..."
"Yes, I speak a leetle english."
But other than that, everyone was very nice.
Well, there are always dicks. If anything, my experience is the Russians take the cake in general surliness and "I don't speak English...oh no, wait, now I do" sweepstakes.
Quote from: Cain on December 15, 2010, 01:52:06 PM
Well, there are always dicks. If anything, my experience is the Russians take the cake in general surliness and "I don't speak English...oh no, wait, now I do" sweepstakes.
You've never met enough Quebecois.
They have feigning ignorance down to a SCIENCE to get what they want out of Americans.
Listen, assholes, you're CANADIAN. Congrats on being bilingual, but I know DAMN WELL IT'S REQUIRED THAT YOU KNOW ENGLISH.
ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! :argh!: :argh!: :argh!:
Quote from: Cain on December 15, 2010, 01:52:06 PM
Well, there are always dicks. If anything, my experience is the Russians take the cake in general surliness and "I don't speak English...oh no, wait, now I do" sweepstakes.
True, and I have to say I haven't been to Russia yet, so I have no idea how they are in situ. I think it's not a stereotype you can apply generously to most cultures.
Though it does make me scratch my head when my in-laws proclaim that I must not be interested in them since I refuse to speak Farsi/Dari with them. In my own country. In my own home. But then they're kinda dumb.
Quote from: Cain on December 15, 2010, 09:43:23 AM
Quote from: StoreBrand on December 15, 2010, 12:49:35 AM
Do you know what your learning style is? Model your language training to reflect your learning style. If you don't know what it is, find out.
Edit for link: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm (http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/lstyleqz.htm)
This "learning types" model has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked by educational psychologists, just so you know.
The whole point is to get the person to experiment with different learning methods so they don't just zone out while the teacher natters on at the front of the room or day dream while listening to a Rosetta Stone cd in their car on the way to work. Taking the test just gets them thinking about different things they might like doing related to language study. Hopefully they find something outside of the classroom that is capable of driving their interest in the language.
Quote from: Cain on December 15, 2010, 09:40:15 AM
Quote from: Jenne on December 14, 2010, 07:47:50 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 14, 2010, 07:38:40 PM
I found French slightly more difficult than Spanish, actually. Not much, but I noticed a definite difference in learning them both.
My husband (who's sick in the head when it comes to ease of language use, btw--he knows Persian/Dari, Pushto, Urdu/Hindi, English and Spanish) says it's because Spanish is more "intuitive." And that orthography's more true to the pronunciation.
Does he speak any Arabic? I know Spanish has quite a few loanwords from the language, and that may also explain why he found it easier to speak as well.
Nah, only recognizes what he learned from the Qu'ran...it's interesting because, since he was over HERE in the US for a brief time while he was learning his "native language," English was actually his first language, not Dari/Farsi. But he left to go BACK to Afghanistan by the time he was 2, so he lost almost all of it and it took till he left and landed in Pakistan with private English lessons before any of it hit him again.
Cain, where have these styles actually been debunked? Just curious.
I think that, even if the particular divisions aren't accurate, generally they're close enough to the truth to remain practical. I know if I don't write on the board, and talk, and have students engaging in activities, there's a lot more blank looks.
Also, even if you generally find you learn in a certain way, keep in mind your style of learning a language best may be different. I find that authentic use of spoken language, translating sentences piece by piece and teaching other people all help me with Japanese.
Also, Cain's super right with Indonesian; All the Japanese people get jealous of Indonesian students.
Plus, learn one language to basic fluency, you tend to find others easier.