I've been thinking about learning a language or two in my spare time, and I was curious if some of you have tried it. I don't really know where to start; should I just go buy a textbook and pretend I'm in class? I've seen a lot of stuff about that Rosetta Stone program, but I don't know if it is actually any good or if they are just good advertisers. Thanks for any help.
Learning on your own
Learning on your own can be very hard, especially in the beginning when you don't know where to start. Probably where you are now.
Depending on the target language, you can get all sorts of information on the internet and such, but still you have to manage to follow some sort of schedule and time to study on a regular basis, besides some spare activities you can think of (music, movies, books) so you keep improving.
If possible, it could be good if you start by taking some classes, so you have a proper introduction to the language and can ask questions.
Depending on the target language, you can get all sorts of information on the internet and such, but still you have to manage to follow some sort of schedule and time to study on a regular basis, besides some spare activities you can think of (music, movies, books) so you keep improving.
If possible, it could be good if you start by taking some classes, so you have a proper introduction to the language and can ask questions.
There's more to Antimoon than just the message board, you know. ;) Try checking out the rest of the site.
- Kef
- Kef
"Check out" a website! I'm not a ciberophile. I don't want to have relations with the computer. I don't think it's sexy.
Thanks for the replies. I do have to take some foriegn-language classes, so that will be a good start for at least one language. Still, I'd like to learn at least a few, and I don't really have the resources to study several languages at school. I'll look through the website, Kef, it does look pretty helpful from the little that I've seen of it.
Anyway, has anyone here learned a second (or third, etc.) language just on their own spare time?
Anyway, has anyone here learned a second (or third, etc.) language just on their own spare time?
Follow another awesome language website"how-to-learn-any-language.com" along with Antimoon. You can never get wrong with your language studies as long as you follow advice given there religiously.
<Anyway, has anyone here learned a second (or third, etc.) language just on their own spare time?
Yes. I did learn a second language in my spare time. That is English. You can be quite advanced in your target language on your own if you follow a right learning strategy and useful learning resources. I used following resources for learning my second language.
As a beginner:
I used graded readers and looked up words in my dictionary. Used supermemo for reviewing interesting sentences. Almost daily.
Kept listening to news channels even though I could not understand them. But daily listening exposure will enable you to pick up some words and expressions in the process and the more you read easier content, the more you'll make out of it from your listening activities. Do this regularly for months. It'd be great to use reading transcripts with their accompanied audios. Repetitive listening will help.
AT an intermediate level:
I watched a lot of movies with their subtitles. Increased my reading appetite on interesting and real topics. No more graded readers.
AT an Advanced level:
Listen to Audiobooks(by read-listen method), sitcoms, talk shows and movies without subtitles.
But during first year or so, you should focus on reading and listening. Don't worry about speaking and writing, i.e output. You'll be able to produce your target lanaguge at quite a good level if your brain is fed with a cornucopia of interesting input. There are no short-cuts. Regular and concentrated studies are the the way to go and you can't go wrong with a lot of input. You can see from my writing is that my output is not really full of mistakes. I don't speak in my target language. Still, you see that I write quite fluently. So a lot of speaking practice is not necessary in the beginning. But some initial grammar know-hows will enable you to decode sentences in your graded readers assuming that your knowledge of your target language is next to zero.
Yes. I did learn a second language in my spare time. That is English. You can be quite advanced in your target language on your own if you follow a right learning strategy and useful learning resources. I used following resources for learning my second language.
As a beginner:
I used graded readers and looked up words in my dictionary. Used supermemo for reviewing interesting sentences. Almost daily.
Kept listening to news channels even though I could not understand them. But daily listening exposure will enable you to pick up some words and expressions in the process and the more you read easier content, the more you'll make out of it from your listening activities. Do this regularly for months. It'd be great to use reading transcripts with their accompanied audios. Repetitive listening will help.
AT an intermediate level:
I watched a lot of movies with their subtitles. Increased my reading appetite on interesting and real topics. No more graded readers.
AT an Advanced level:
Listen to Audiobooks(by read-listen method), sitcoms, talk shows and movies without subtitles.
But during first year or so, you should focus on reading and listening. Don't worry about speaking and writing, i.e output. You'll be able to produce your target lanaguge at quite a good level if your brain is fed with a cornucopia of interesting input. There are no short-cuts. Regular and concentrated studies are the the way to go and you can't go wrong with a lot of input. You can see from my writing is that my output is not really full of mistakes. I don't speak in my target language. Still, you see that I write quite fluently. So a lot of speaking practice is not necessary in the beginning. But some initial grammar know-hows will enable you to decode sentences in your graded readers assuming that your knowledge of your target language is next to zero.
Learn essential grammar before starting reading.
Learn things like verb conjugations, gender agreement, plural declinations, pronouns etc all before you read, so you recognise.
Learn things like verb conjugations, gender agreement, plural declinations, pronouns etc all before you read, so you recognise.
<< "Check out" a website! I'm not a ciberophile. I don't want to have relations with the computer. I don't think it's sexy. >>
That's not the most common (let alone only) meaning of "check out", you know.
- Kef
That's not the most common (let alone only) meaning of "check out", you know.
- Kef
<<Follow another awesome language website"how-to-learn-any-language.com" along with Antimoon. You can never get wrong with your language studies as long as you follow advice given there religiously.>>
Guest, you are darn right! That's the exact thing I've been doing these days! I love your wording "religiously" :P
Yes, it's natural to find the best advice about language learning on English-based sites/forums (or a combination of both); but paradoxically, they are likely to be more popular/familiar among those who know few languages only... (and ESL learners of the "low" level can't even join the discussions)...
I shall add that it's very important to hunt for audio-based courses, namely like FSI, Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, Assimil and Teach Yourself..... and well, as for the teaching language, English rulzzzzz :P As a Chinese hardly having good access to these courses, I must say I would "never" be able to learn a language well, with fun and efficiently without using these courses (mainly published in the US/UK)... but I haven't tried all of them for a single language yet.
Guest, you are darn right! That's the exact thing I've been doing these days! I love your wording "religiously" :P
Yes, it's natural to find the best advice about language learning on English-based sites/forums (or a combination of both); but paradoxically, they are likely to be more popular/familiar among those who know few languages only... (and ESL learners of the "low" level can't even join the discussions)...
I shall add that it's very important to hunt for audio-based courses, namely like FSI, Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, Assimil and Teach Yourself..... and well, as for the teaching language, English rulzzzzz :P As a Chinese hardly having good access to these courses, I must say I would "never" be able to learn a language well, with fun and efficiently without using these courses (mainly published in the US/UK)... but I haven't tried all of them for a single language yet.
A graded-reader is a watered down version of a novel using simple language structures and words. They also provide meaning of difficult words on each page.
http://www.penguinreaders.com/pr/resources/index.html
http://www.penguinreaders.com/pr/resources/index.html