How do people learn multiple languages?

[Kaido]

I've always been interested in learning other languages, but it took me 3 tries to pass Spanish I & II, haha. How do people learn languages? Some people seem to figure it out and learn 5, 10, 15, 20 languages...is it a knack for learning? Do they have a system they use? I've always approached it as hefty memorization and practice, but some people seem to just pick it up right away.

 

[Nik]

It's typically the system used, in my experience. Memorization-based courses don't work for me.

 

[Vehemence]

Have you tried anything like Rosette Stone or some other type of learning other than straight memorization? Could help. (Only know one language here, can't help 🙁 )

 

[OCGuy]

I'm not a big USA-basher like alot of the online community, but one thing I will say.....

STOP TEACHING KIDS FUCKING CURSIVE AND OTHER USELESS CRAP.


Seriously, everyone knows when the best time to learn a new language is. And our public schools let us pass right by it. My children will be learning multiple languages very young.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: dNor
Have you tried anything like Rosette Stone or some other type of learning other than straight memorization? Could help. (Only know one language here, can't help 🙁 )

I'm looking into it...Rosetta Stone seems like pretty good quality stuff.

 

[JasonSix78]

You could do like I did and get a girlfriend who speaks another language.

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
I'm not a big USA-basher like alot of the online community, but one thing I will say.....

STOP TEACHING KIDS FUCKING CURSIVE AND OTHER USELESS CRAP.


Seriously, everyone knows when the best time to learn a new language is. And our public schools let us pass right by it. My children will be learning multiple languages very young.

I started learning Spanish in kindergarten and it has done me wonders.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: JasonSix78
You could do like I did and get a girlfriend who speaks another language.

I bet you learned French first 😉

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
I'm not a big USA-basher like alot of the online community, but one thing I will say.....

STOP TEACHING KIDS FUCKING CURSIVE AND OTHER USELESS CRAP.


Seriously, everyone knows when the best time to learn a new language is. And our public schools let us pass right by it. My children will be learning multiple languages very young.

fucking srsly. i plan to give my kids a multicultural upbringing. i plan on bouncing around internationally when theyre young. i work in oil and gas, so thats cool. just need to find a wife first....

 

[jai6638]

I'm Indian by origin and only spoke English. Even though I was taught Hindi and Arabic till 8th grade, I could only read and write the script.. In terms of conversation, I sucked! However, I got frustrated so decided to take initative. I started talking to one of my classmates in Hindi every day for 15-20 min! Even though I embarrassed myself quite a few times and it was a struggle, I was proficient within 3-4 months. This summer, there were a lot of Indians at my internship so I chose to only speak Hindi with them and my skils have improved drastically.

The same with Sindhi.. My parents speak Sindhi with each other at home but I never spoke it. I then decided it was about time that I learned it so I started talking to them in Sindhi and also with my old relatives on phone who couldn't speak English. It took me about 7-8 months to get proficient and am still improving. However, I can talk in SIndhi now for quite some time before inserting an English word here and there. lol! So I think the best way is just to talk to people in the language no matter how much you embarass yourself! Thats the best way instead of just memorizing and reading textbooks!

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I've always been interested in learning other languages, but it took me 3 tries to pass Spanish I & II, haha. How do people learn languages? Some people seem to figure it out and learn 5, 10, 15, 20 languages...is it a knack for learning? Do they have a system they use? I've always approached it as hefty memorization and practice, but some people seem to just pick it up right away.

Combination of immersion (in school), memorization, and association. Plus speaking it constantly with anyone and everyone as well as writing it and getting it critiqued. You can also listen to and read your target language on the internet in the form of news. Look up any words you don't know. It'll do wonders.

 

[Squisher]

My wife just came back from 10 day "emersion" to learn Spanish. 8 hours in the classroom, but it was more than that, after the second day she wan't allowed to speak anything but Spanish not even to call me.

I went upstairs a little while ago and she was watching one of the Spanish HBO channels so as to keep learning.

 

[George P Burdell]

1. It's easier to pick up a new language when you're young.
2. It's easier to pick a new language if surrounded by people who speak it. This forces you to engage in conversation in a new language outside of the classroom setting. (A corollary of this is watching television in the language being learned.) Many of my European friends speak three or more languages, simply because they live/travel within the EU. I speak six languages fluently and some more in small phrases you typically find in a tourist book.
3. Languages share common roots, so once you know one, it's easy to pick up another related language.
4. Some people have a knack for picking up languages. They end up being prodigies who can speak 40 or more languages and understand hundreds more. Unfortunately, you and I are not prodigies 😀