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I Learned French in 12 Months

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Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#291

Post by thedirt0115 »

jacobolus wrote: post #228
thedirt0115 wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree about lack of initiative, I just don't want people thinking if they just listen to enough music/TV/whatever they'll magically be able to speak and understand. That only seems to work in children (at least to seem like a native speaker to other native apeakers). It takes work for is adults! For French, it will seem slower after time, don't worry! French in particular has a lot of slurring, but it is predictabl…

> That only seems to work in children [...] it takes work for us adults! It takes a lot of hard work for children too. They just have no other choice, and usually some adults going way out of their way to help as much as they can. > beginner book/audio recommendations if you want Please! Anything with an easy level but appropriate subject matter for young kids? I studied French in high school and would like to start…

Well, those little boogers sure don't make it seem like hard work :) As for a book with audio, I'd recommend "French Short Stories For Beginners" by Frederic Bibard (www.talkinfrench.com). It also includes audio downloads of normal speed and slow version of all of the stories in the book, so you can check your pronunciation. Content is kid-appropriate basic stuff like shopping, school, etc.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#292

Post by hyakosm »

French here. If you travel to a French-speaking country, don't hesitate to speak french, even if it's not perfect. Priority is to be understood. For an english-native, the temptation is probably to speak english because « everyone speak english in the world » (wrong), but generally people prefer listen a foreigner speaking their language with errors than perfect english.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#293

Post by echelon »

BTBurke wrote: post #182

I don't believe there is a shortcut for "hacking" languages. I'm a diplomat, and currently learning my fourth language to the C1+ level. When we learn languages, it's a full time job. It was 9 months to learn Mandarin to a B1, 6 months to a C1+ in Spanish, and I'm currently at a B1 in Estonian after 5 months. There are several things I think are crucial after years of full time study (note: this assumes you're going…

Could you expand upon this? How many hours a day do you study? Are you learning in structured classes? What curriculum are you using? Do you study while residing in a country that speaks the language?

Are you saying it takes a year and a half to reach fluency if you take it on as a full time job?

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#294

Post by crucialfelix »

thedirt0115 wrote: post #290
dsego wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ask pretty much any Croatian who was a kid in the 90ies and they will probably say that watching Cartoon Network as a kid on their satellite dish helped them learn English. Only 3-4 national channels were available on the terrestrial TV at the time, which made the huge variety of satellite channels novel and exciting for a kid. These foreign stations didn't have subtitles, so you had to try and pick up the language t…

I don't doubt that a bit, children are amazing language learners! I'm curious as to whether adults could learn the same way.

Children learn language at the same time they are learning how to be little humans. Neurological connections are being forged, deep pathways for life. Watching my son go through that hyper growth stage was mind blowing. He's trilingual. His recall and attention to details is remarkable. In contrast I've got my head in the (internet) clouds.

So no, I don't think we ever have that same level of growth and rapid learning.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#295

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #279
ryanmercer wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quickly, make a language teaching startup that does so by creating a few genres of video games (that are comparable to others in those genres but also prioritize language acquisition) and actually lure good game designers over. Then tell me when the product is ready so I can use it.

Having played some of the educational games as a kid, my Theory of Edutainment is: you have to make it a good game first, educational second. And then don't market the educational aspects at all . If the game is no fun, or playing it becomes a prescribed activity, it'll achieve no results.

I've always expected an Edu-Startup to crack this problem by pairing an existing hyper-addictive game to more traditional homework.

My parents used to make me do quick one page math worksheets. Each sheet which took about 60 seconds earned me 5 minutes of time with "Command and Conquer", and to this day I'm able to quickly do Math in my head that most people would need to put on paper. My abilities drastically drop off at past the Algebra level.

If kids today had to memorize 5 new phrases in French while they were stuck in an Overwatch lobby, or something equivalent to get than new skin in League of Legends I think it could be a very powerful learning tool and not require the hands on effort from the parents.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#296

Post by abnry »

jacquesm wrote: post #235
abnry wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am of the opinion that many people who want to learn a language don't have any real reason to learn a second language other than to say they know two languages. Unless you have extended family or somehow became smitten with a foreign country, I am almost certain this is the case. So any attempts are really halfhearted and very little progress is made because the commitment is so large. This is why, if I ever get ar…

> I am of the opinion that many people who want to learn a language don't have any real reason to learn a second language other than to say they know two languages. Your opinion is a pretty localized one. For many people learning a second language is not an option, it is a must. I would have a very hard time functioning in my field without access to a second language.

You are right, I should have qualified my statement with that. But given that the modern global language is (for the time) English, I would suspect my belief is more likely true for native English speakers.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#297

Post by Ma8ee »

mumblemumble wrote: post #121
tmountain wrote: post #108

I've been hacking language learning for about five years, and I've spent ridiculous amounts of time trying and reading about different strategies. I've been to Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico to try immersion in different settings. Getting to a solid level of competency in a language actually is not that hard. It just requires dedication and consistent practice. That said, native speakers operate on a different…

My sense is that there are really two different registers you can shoot for. Past a certain level of proficiency, they're mostly divergent, if complementary, skills. The first is whether you speak articulately about complex topics. This one is easy to do from home; reading books, listening to podcasts, and talking with language partners on iTalki will all help get you there. The second is informal, everyday communica…

Oh gosh! That reminds me of my childhood. I spent most of my time at home reading without many friends. I would win discussions with my teachers about science, philosophy and economics, but I always seemed like a fool when I tried to talk to my peers.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#298

Post by nexus2045 »

tmountain wrote: post #108

I've been hacking language learning for about five years, and I've spent ridiculous amounts of time trying and reading about different strategies. I've been to Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico to try immersion in different settings. Getting to a solid level of competency in a language actually is not that hard. It just requires dedication and consistent practice. That said, native speakers operate on a different…

As a native Cantonese speaker learning Mandarin since I was 5, you think I'd have some advantage (which I do - vocabulary is largely similar), but I still struggle greatly with communication the more informal it is. Learning from language teachers is almost similar as reading travel phrasebooks - those situations are too forced and not realistic enough. Most communication involves lots of jokes and nuances where the topic isn't even clearly defined, unlike business settings.

Re: I Learned French in 12 Months

#299

Post by nexus2045 »

shmat wrote: post #113
tmountain wrote: post #108

I've been hacking language learning for about five years, and I've spent ridiculous amounts of time trying and reading about different strategies. I've been to Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico to try immersion in different settings. Getting to a solid level of competency in a language actually is not that hard. It just requires dedication and consistent practice. That said, native speakers operate on a different…

I completely agree that there is a huge gap between B2 and that level you describe as automatic. I'm currently trying to bridge that gap, but I can't live in France so I think it will take me years. I know people who have done it without immersion, so I know it's possible. My solution is to "immerse" myself at home. I do 90% of my reading in French. 90% of the podcasts I listen to are in French. I watch French TV sho…

Reminds me of a website called All Japanese All The Time, where a guy from America made his environment all Japanese while still in college in Utah (?). TV, kanji posters, Windows language settings, friends,...
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