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No. 67984
>>67983Yeah, same on the language learning communities front. I just want to learn a language I like because of how it sounds/culture/that kinda gist, so I can make friends with people that use that language. I just think it'd be really fun!
But when I checked out language learning communities it felt like 1) dating services (no thanks, I'd actually prefer to make other female friends than desperate dudes) or 2) dick measuring contests. I just want to have fun and make friends. /:
No. 67988
>>67984I don't even know what they expect to happen with a girl who is located halfway across the world. Hop on a 14 hour flight for a shitty hook-up? Flash her titties over Skype for some random loser? Come on.
But I honestly don't know which I'd prefer: that or constant America-bashing (because we're all obese and live in the middle of nowhere and barely even speak English) by Eurofags who speak 5 languages because they're inherently superior, and totally not because life over there often requires multiple languages.
lol. Sorry for rant. I agree with you.
No. 68030
>>67991I think a lot of french have a hard time with american because a lot of us hate patriotic/chauvinistic attitude. It's considered radical here in france to adore your country and a lot of us think american are full on themselves, love money, big car, guns, think they country is the best in the world, etc.. You know the cliche, "America, land of the free and home of the brave".
Fat bashing is justified tho, american have a scarily distorted view of what is fat, what is obese and what is average.
No. 68189
I've studied some Spanish and Chinese at college. I'm trying to continue to study on my own as a hobby now.
>>67983>>67984Lol. I knew a guy on one of those language learning communities who always talked about picking up girls. He especially liked cute asian girls and was learning a bunch of asian languages. He had a thing for a kpop singer too. I called her ugly once and he got mad at me. Those communities really are full of guys talking about sex or how much better they are because they can speak 12+ languages.
I met a really nice and normal woman in one of those communities though. It's just the men who ruined things.
No. 73249
>>67967My mother tongue is Russian, but I've lived In Sweden since the age of 5.
So currently I'm fluent in Russian, Swedish and English. I do understand norwegian and danish also.
I'm studying Japanese and can communicate but not that good yet. I'll continue my studies in Japan this year.
And lastly I really want to learn Icelandic!
No. 73328
>>73281Yes? Plenty of us aren't.
My native language is Portuguese so I can kind of understand Spanish, and I'd like to think I'm fluent in English but I'm not too sure… my standards are very high.
Currently studying French (I can understand it extremely well but speaking is still a struggle), German (B1), and Russian.
I'm finally past the 'mixing them all up' phase. Thank god.
No. 73425
>>67979Swedish is a lot of fun, I started learning it last year. I was using Babbel mainly, it's a pretty good program if you're willing to pay. I was also watching The Bridge, which is a dual-language (Swedish/Danish) tv show, and I love it lol. I think learning Swedish would give you a leg up on Norwegian as well, but don't quote me on that…
As for me, I'm an English native speaker, but I'm currently taking German classes at college, and I took them in high school as well. This summer I'm going to Germany for a study abroad, so I guess we'll see if I'm any good. I use HelloTalk to speak to natives, I really like that app as far as actual practice with the language is concerned. From my weeb days, I can read kana and some kanji, but my speaking skills are atrocious.
I'd like to learn Italian and Finnish next, probably, so if anyone has any particularly good sources for those languages, please share!
No. 73727
File: 1456613865341.jpg (51.67 KB, 419x604, 1433332631955.jpg)
I really want to learn a second language, but I feel like it'd be a waste of time since I don't think I'd use it very often outside of hobbies, like music, games, and reading.
Would I still be able to retain the information long-term even if I didn't use it everyday?
I also worry about the lack of motivation that may come and go. Having depression makes it really hard to stay with things, even if you've got a lot of interest in it.
Any advice?
No. 73773
File: 1456633500770.png (304.47 KB, 1148x1022, (37).png)
>>73727>I really want to learn a second languageWhat language is your mother tongue? This should influence your decision on which second language to pick. You should pick something similar to your mother tongue, at least in terms of etymology. It'll make life a lot easier.
> I feel like it'd be a waste of timeIt's not. It's a valuable skill to put on your CV, it opens up to you a whole new world of books, music and media. Wanted to read lolita in its original version? Ever wanted to impress a spanish guy? Join in a french coversation? Watch a korean tv show?
Not to mention better mental acuity (as proven by many studies) and a reduced risk of alzheimers.
>Would I still be able to retain To an extent yes. How much you retain (if you literally do nothing to revise the info) will depend on your natural ability to remember and how much time has passed since the last time you were exposed to the language.
>I also worry about the lack of motivationAre you able to make some international friends? A boyfriend from abroad? An online part time job with a foreign company? You need something that will anchor you to the language. That's the foolproof way to stick with it, out of necessity. You need to make the language a part of your life somehow, so that when you don't study your loss or lack of skill will impede your life. It will punish you.
No. 80272
File: 1457834242730.jpg (94.37 KB, 500x670, 1417711552982.jpg)
>>73773I wish I had seen this earlier, but just wanted to say thanks for the advice.
My mother tongue is English. I've actually been wanting to learn Russian because my boyfriend is from there and I have a lot of interest in the country, music and literature, but he hates it and it's hard to get him to speak it for/with me. It's also hard to find Russians online who speak English well enough to exchange languages with.
I guess I've just been worried about my ability to actually sit down and actively learn a language. When you struggle to get out of bed most days, adding anymore to your plate doesn't sound all that fun. It might give me a sense of accomplishment or something though, so I'll keep your advice in mind and give it a try.
>>80265Unfortunately, InterPals seems to be hit or miss depending on what language your learning. For learning most European languages, it's more like a shitty dating site, but I haven't seen many people having problems if they want to learn an Asian, Eastern European, or Middle Eastern language.
Have you tried asking around /r/languagelearning? Depending on your chosen language, you might be able to find a better exchange website there.
No. 80974
>>80869Nah, I mean when it comes to uni or whatever. It would be my dream to have every class be a language class until graduation. But then there's the reality of required core classes and majors that makes that dream impossible lol
Not to mention, working a regular crap job gets in the way of that too
No. 100565
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Can I get some advice? I want to start learning a language but I don't know what to pick. There's the obvious japanese because weeaboo, but then I took French in high school so I guess I have a like.. 3% leg up in that area. But then I was thinking maybe Dutch or even Norwegian? I'm not sure.. I just want to learn a language to make new friends. Which of those would be best for that? As in, lots of people from that language wouldn't mind befriending someone bad at their language?
No. 100571
>>100565depends how fluent you want to get and where you live.
if you want to be fluent it would be wise to pick a foreign language that is commonly used in your area so you have listening + speaking practice if needed.
this is part of the reason spanish is a common choice if you live in the u.s.
if you pick another language, you will want to work hard and search far for a good, fluent, foreign speaker of the language. It makes all the difference.
No. 100578
I hate my mother tongue down to the bone, it's such a piece of shite useless abomination of a made-up language and I can't even speak it with anybody but my parents, since I moved away from my hometown I haven't uttered a word of it in my own damn country and that was 4 years ago. Nowadays I can't even speak that properly, whenever I try to talk to my mum she has to help me out because I can't remember all the expressions and words. It's like an empty hull of a language on life support, patched up by random English words and neologisms that don't even make any sense.
I'm so jealous of people who grew up in the rest of Europe (not you, Brits) where they had a chance to learn at least one other useful language, even if they don't speak English fluently it's a hell of a lot better than what I can do. I even had to study Latin in secondary school, which was I think the final slap in the face.
That said, I also speak English and have since I was 5, I never know whether to consider myself a native speaker or not but I say I am anyway because it looks better on the CV than 'fluent'. I speak N3-level Japanese and basic German. I'm too much of a bender to attempt to have a proper conversation in German but it's all I've got and I've already forgotten most of the kanjis. Oh and basic Finnish, because haista vittu.
>>67991>>67993That pisses me off too. For example, it's considered rude to make fun of a Frenchman/Spaniard's accent because 'well what do you expect, it's not their mother tongue' but when you actually make an attempt to learn French it's A-ok to laugh at a yank for daring to learn a language other than their own. The worst thing is, as other anons said, even in America it's a pissing contest (from what I've heard) so you get your own people shitting on you b/c you have a noticeable accent and aren't as ~cultured~ as they. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
No. 100580
>>67991I know, a lot of Americans are like that, always trying too hard to not seem 'American' that it comes off silly.
Honestly, we make fun of you but we make fun of everyone else too, including ourselves. Don't take yourself too seriously and ride your mobility scooter to Walmart with pride, it's why we love you silly people.
FWIW, even though you're seen as kinda dopey at times you're considered some of the friendliest people in the world. And you'd be surprised how much Europeans love the Southern accent.
No. 100653
>>100565Which language do you like the most? Pick that. Unless you're going to travel to the country or live around a large community where the language is spoken, you're very seldom going to use it. Personally, I love people who are learning my languages (except Chinese learners), and in my experience, other people do too. Many of us like that you're interested enough to do it. So, have no fear in that regard.
>>100572Are there any language clubs at your university? Skype language exchanges? Tutors outside of your friends? I would advise dropping Duolingo, it sucks. Try the /int/ sticky for language resources, there are likely a list of textbooks they recommend. You will probably be fine with your level of French as it is, you will learn a lot very quickly. How long are you going for? Bonne chance.
No. 100682
>>100680Written Japanese and spoken Japanese are very different. And idk where you're from, but with many languages' native speakers the pronounciation is very hard for them to do…
If you speak English, French, German or to a lesser degree Spanish or Italian, there will be some Japanese person who wants to learn your language and you can do Skype etc.
No. 103825
>>103665>tfw i learned korean like 9 years ago in high school because my town has a huge korean populationi don't tell people anymore because of all the damn koreaboos asking me to translate every fucking thing.
kpop is aite tho.
No. 104064
>>103697 I have big interest in the culture and that's why I'm learning it.
>>103825I feel you anon. Koreaboos keep asking me "What's the fastest way to learn korean????" Shut up, god.
No. 108158
>>108150Me, since primary school p much.
It's much more personal and we got a lot more attention and personal feedback from the teacher. I also made so many friends. Honestly I'm taking French classes in college now and they suck compared to private school. You can't learn shit.
No. 108262
>>108260>a little inferior to EnglishI don't know, English grammar is super confusing to me as a non-native speaker.
Sorry you're dumb, it's not the language's fault.
No. 108300
File: 1472018994274.jpg (10.49 KB, 278x300, 5575662 _fec9a9e50fd0567654f99…)
I've lived in an english speaking country for the past 8years. Yesterday I did a test online that showed me how many words in English I know, turns out its around 13-14k. Seemed alright, until I went on some forums.
''Never been in an english speaking country, scored 34k''
''23k here….pretty low :(''
''28k, what can I do to improve?''
I feel dumb and inferior. Apparently a native person scores around 20k+ for my age.
I knew I wouldnt score as much as a native person but I was hoping I'd be at least average for a person that moved to an english speaking country….oh well..
No. 108309
>>108300Those people are 100% lying, or they deliberately picked the words they didn't know in order to get a higher score since the test is flawed and predicts the number based on only a few picks. I know exactly which test you're talking about.
Anyway, I can sympathise. My mother tongue is Welsh and I've never really been well spoken or eloquent in either language because I started learning English around 5 years of age but never really talked to 'native' speakers extensively. So I speak English much better now but still get nervous about it and stutter. I write well but it doesn't really count, does it?
It makes me sad to see someone who's only lived in this country for a year or two speak amazing, accentless English.
No. 108311
>>108309Oh heeey Welshie! I'm not Welsh, but I lived there for ages and I love the language. So random I'd find another one here.
But yeah. I agree, other anon, they're probably just bragging. I wouldn't worry. Your writing English is really good!
No. 108404
>>108402Why would you fuck it up? Non-native teachers are much better at teaching than native teachers, for the simple reason that grammar is taught differently to natives and non-natives and most native speakers don't really think about why x is x and y is y. Native speakers are only good for teaching creche-aged kids because they learn differently from older kids, teens and adults. And even then you're golden as long as you talk to them in the target language 90% of the time and not your native tongue.
I've been involved in language teaching for a long time (I'm the Welsh anon) and there are stark differences between how kids are taught and how older kids and teens are taught. David Sedaris talked about it in his book 'Me Talk Pretty One Day': the older you get, the less your textbooks focus on the fun aspect of language learning, and the more you will have to memorise declensions and other bollocks in order to pass the class. So really, it's only a good thing that you're teaching as opposed to a native with little formal education (like I've seen in some places in Germany, for example)
No. 108423
>>108407God damn, you don't know how many mysteries .ru holds.
Visit pikabu.ru, practice your language while scrolling through funny slav junk.
No. 108425
>>108423Also 2ch.hk is the Russian chan. It's massive.
Rutracker is a torrent website with a metric fuckton of stuff, browse to your heart's content. If you wanna study Russian look for dubbed TV shows and books. It's seriously such a useful language to learn 4free, the more popular ones have all been taken over by textbook Jews.
No. 108530
>>108529I didn't write that (I was actually the person they replied to who said I wouldn't call any language inferior to another) and English I think has a broader vocabulary by virtue of borrowing more words, but Russian and other slavic languages do have a much more intricate grammar system and iirc have been around longer. Also many of them have undergone multiple revisions and simplifications because the language formerly formally taught in schools/monasteries was too complicated for the common folk and had an abysmal alphabet.
Ofc i may be biased bc I speak a slavic language myself but I definitely have noticed that in my native language you can convey your thoughts much more efficiently and with fewer words than in English. And no its not because English isn't my native language (I've spoken it since I was 5 and went to an English daycare in my country, and I'm attending an English university atm), it's because in most slavic languages (to my knowledge) you have a complex gender system, a bajillion cases and tenses and usually some kind of a phonetic alphabet (except with Russian).
I could honestly talk for days about this and explain how it works in my native language if you want, I used to study this stuff in secondary school. Ime English tends to be a lot more ham-fisted when it comes to grammar and efficiency.
No. 109412
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My native tongue is English, however I really want to learn Arabic and Korean atm. I know how to write Hangul so far…Any advice?
No. 109429
>>108426What? No, language is not subjective.
>>108530 >in my native language you can convey your thoughts much more efficiently and with fewer words than in English. It's just you, I think. The only Slavic language I know is Russian (and not very well) but as someone who also has a grammatically complex language as her first, English is much simpler and conveys things more efficiently. This anon
>>108538 has the right idea, gender is a fucking bitch and complex grammar is usually filled with redundancies.
>>108538You're great and I love you
No. 109761
>>109741I speak 5-ish, but not all of them fluently.
I grew up bilingual so I speak 2 languages fluently, can hold my ground in a simple conversation with 2 more, and am currently studying French because I'm going there on exchange. I've also lived in multiple countries throughout my life so that's how I started.
Honestly, whenever I tell people where I come from they seem to make a sour face, like I'm not good enough for them or something so I usually leave out one of my native languages anyway for fear of discrimination (it's nothing Middle-Eastern). So that basically leaves English and 3 other languages that I'm semi-useless at and feel blind, deaf and dumb talking to native speakers. One of them is full of really annoying, incomprehensible slang young people LOVE to use all the time and it just sounds so bad but I have to learn it if I plan on talking to anyone in the country where they speak it. Another is fine but nobody wants to speak it with me so I can't learn. And French is dumb because some locals will turn their nose up at you if you don't speak flawless French yet take the piss out of you for trying to learn.
I spent my life in random ass countries and feel seriously tired of having to learn all this new shit just to function like a normal person would. Imagine being blind and hearing all this cool shit going on but you always have to find everything out second-hand and can't even participate because, well, you're blind, fuck you. That's how I've felt all my life.
And even if I moved to an Anglo country I'd still have a noticeable accent and people would constantly ask me where I'm from and I
still wouldn't fit in.
My world is reduced to my parents and my boyfriend, of whom one is a native speaker (my mum) and the others influence my English negatively, especially the bf.
No. 109837
>>109761So you don't speak 5. You speak 2 and can understand basics of 3.
I speak 3 fluently and understand 3 others. That doesn't mean I speak 6 lsnguages. Nope. Because time after time I've seen people say they "speak" these languages, I excitedly tell them "me too" only to realise they can barely hold a conversation.
No. 109847
>>109839Not everyone has been fortunate enough to have had "native tutors since the age of 2" or be friends with native speakers.
It's hard enough learning to write a new language as an adult let alone being able to speak fluent multiple foreign languages without even being surrounded by people you can practice with
No. 109863
File: 1473615887004.jpg (24.09 KB, 600x451, homie.jpg)
I only speak english but have interest in learning Farsi because I'm part Iranian.
The problem is that I can't pronounce a lot of the words that I practice with my family and I really can't reproduce the accent no matter how much I try. I end up sounding absolutely retarded.
I've read that since English and Farsi are both indo-European languages it should be easier. However, can I expect to get much, much better at pronunciation if I can't actively live around a ton of Iranians?
Should I start with French/Spanish or something? I'm worried about pronunciation with those as well though.
No. 110170
>>109865>Also look online for an Iranian language partner, I'm assuming if you're a woman, speak English fluently and you live in the West, you're gonna be hot shit on a language exchangeCan you elaborate on what these language exchange websites are and what the experience is like? I am a woman from the west, but they're not weird, green card thirsty websites, right?
thanks so much for the reply!
No. 110179
>>109865What? I only started speaking English when I was 16 and I'm told I have no accent all the fucking time. I've met plenty of people who learned my first language as adults too, and I'd never know if they hadn't told me.
>>109863Look the IPA up (international phonetic alphabet) and study how the throat, mouth and tongue articulate themselves to make the sounds you're struggling with and once you fully understand try them again. It helped me a lot with German.
No. 173503
>>110180Michel Thomas is awesome if you're like me and are awful at speaking. Unlike other methods, you're speaking and constructing full sentences from the very beginning.
Also, are there any French-speaking farmers who want to do language/culture exchange? French, Belgian, Swiss, Quebecois, doesn't matter.
No. 183659
>>183650no way! i'm from czech republic too! wow, never knew i would see someone from cz on lolcow.
my parents are russian but i was born in czech republic, so i'm fluent at both languages and can write/read as well. i'm currently taking french courses and i hate it, i'd much rather learn german. our french teacher is absolutely useless. i'd like to switch to german, but there's no such option, so i'll probably keep flinging french and start learning german in my free time.
No. 184805
>>183659>>183650Haaaa I'm also in the Czech Republic, but I'm a foreigner. I'm trying to learn Czech but it's very difficult for me. I think it's a beautiful and complex language, and I'd love to actually hold a legit conversation with people here someday.
I'm a native English speaker and I speak French at about a B1 level. I used to be closer to C1, but it's been awhile since I've used it properly (as in, in a non-tourist setting) so I'm really rusty.