meifeng wrote:It is tough to balance enjoyment with discipline, which at some levels, is needed, when learning some things that we might not always be fond of, but is crucial.
Yes, it really is a tough. I think having frequent attainable goals is super important too so that we get to have small victories every so often.
Ckaranja wrote:Any recommendations for a good all for learning Spanish. I checked on Google Play Store and literary there were like millions of them. Which makes me conclude that most of them are full of junk
I found this: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/best-apps-for-learning-spanish/
Hope it helps!
I'd love the ability to jump into different timelines lol
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. While it may not literally stop you from getting sick, eating fruits daily has excellent benefits.
Welcome Cristiano! I've been thinking of learning Portuguese :)
The holidays is fast approaching and I am excited as I can be. One thing that's part of the holidays (at least in my part of the world) is alcohol. I'm curious tho on how people from different cultures cure their hangovers lol. This is what I normally do:
quick shower
1 paracetamol
lots of water or Gatorade
a nice sandwich
Has it ever happened to you? What steps did you do to get out of the rut?
Personally, I have studied Japanese on and off for years. I've tried going to language academies, I have also tried popular alternatives like SRS and Pimsleur.
The problem that I noticed when studying regardless of style, is the fact that I always focused too much on getting down X vocab/grammar/kanji in Y months. Having a timeline is fine and has worked for lots of people in school, but for me, I've come to realize that enjoyment should always be my first priority when learning something new. I've been using the same mindset in my MMA classes and I've seen steady progress there too.
So now my way of studying is to just immerse myself in the language as much as I can. I use fun activities like reading manga and watching Japanese cooking shows. Do I still use SRS and grammar books? Yes, but I'm not as obsessed to it as before.. I used to cram 30 cards in a session but now it's been reduced to 5. Also, if I feel a little bit burned out I back off and get back at it after a couple of days.
I'd like to know how you guys cope with this too. Share away :)
edz.conde wrote:Isa lang naman actually ang problema sa ating mga pinoy, kailangang tanggapin natin na hindi natin pangunahing lenggwahe ang Engles kaya natural na hindi natin to mapiperpekto. Sa puntong eto, walang dapat magmamagaling, walang dapat mangdadown, lalong walang dapat na mapapahiya. Dapat lahat din sa atin tanggap sa sarili natin na may pagkukulang tayo, hindi tayo perpekto. Sana bilang Pilipino din, kahit alam nating may mga ganoon tayong kapwa Pilipino, wag na nating i down ang kapwa natin, isama na lang natin sila sa ating mga panalangin para sila'y
magbago.
Tama!
Jade.Xuereb wrote:I definitely think it's fun to learn an alphabet with different characters than your native one , I enjoyed learning Arabic script
It's fun and I love the novelty of being able to read the words even if I don't know what they mean most of the time :)
Nice. Spanish is such a cool language :)
Jade.Xuereb wrote:
New:FEHM
Finite Element Heat and Mass
New: BYOB
I've experienced this numerous times while studying back in the day. This is especially the case when I was studying the meaning of kanji for an exam. I'd love to know how you guys handle this :)
Jess.PWinkler wrote:Mel.Palogan wrote:I really like Korean's Hangul. I've heard from friends that it is really easy to learn and they also said the shape of the characters are based on how the mouth looks, very smart!
This sounds interenting!!
Check this out
I always think of how they curse using the language lol. That and their street slang.
Thanks for your thoughts guys, cheers!
leosmith wrote:Mel.Palogan wrote:it was a premade deck made of "conversations"
Can you cite this? I thought someone just used the 2000 most frequent words to make sentences with audio.
It's from an old Iknow deck that was moved to Anki. This is the only one that I found, it's not arranged with the conversation format that I used but the sentences are here: https://iknow.jp/courses/19063
Another deck I remember is called Kanji in Context, It it was similar to Core but the sentences are much more interconnected from what I could recall.
leosmith wrote:Feel free to change your vote.wrote:I guess it is better suited in option #5
done, thanks for the reminder
Yup that's it, it was a premade deck made of "conversations" made of sentences and patterns. I guess it is better suited in option #5 though. Not the best approach I have to admit but I didn't have the luxury of having a lot of language partners back then.
The best really is to talk to people and to take note of new words, grammar and such.
I'd get it from conversations and mine words accordingly. There's a deck that I used before that did just that, I believe it was Coke2k. It was arranged in such a way that new words are added and old vocab were used in the sample sentences to reinforce learning.
Interesting. It actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it, you get cues on what the context is about by looking at the gestures and you fill in the blanks with the language. That's a great idea Jess!
Frederick.Dizon wrote:Mel.Palogan wrote:I like to put hot sauce on almost everything lol
Everything is perfect with hot sauce or chili. :grin:
Interesting, thanks for the link, I had a vague understanding of it but this definitely helps.
I like to put hot sauce on almost everything lol
Phillip.Laplana wrote:I love reading about other people's success stories. It helps me stay interested in language learning. ^__^
https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/9rilra/how_i_learned_ukrainian/
Me too man, this is actually the reason why I registered here
Jess.PWinkler wrote:There are so many different alphabets
http://aboutworldlanguages.com/writing-systems
Love the website, thanks! I really like Korean's Hangul. I've heard from friends that it is really easy to learn and they also said the shape of the characters are based on how the mouth looks, very smart!
Mai wrote:Mel.Palogan wrote:I love the culture and food but I'm not a fan of how the Thai language sounds. Maybe I'm just ignorant idk
Why don't you like how it sounds? Have you asked yourself? Why would you consider yourself ignorant on that?
It sounds different from everything else I've heard that's all. Maybe I need to be exposed more and I'll get over it.
Dwarf lol
Welcome!
I love the culture and food but I'm not a fan of how the Thai language sounds. Maybe I'm just ignorant idk
Ckaranja wrote:Kenya. Here you can enjoy a lot of tourist attraction things including beaches, wildlife9elephants, lions, giraffes,zebras, leopard, cheetah etc), mountain climbing, bird watching, historical sites, traditional cultures, traditional dishes, wildebeest migration, lakes among others. The fees are affordable and visa regulations are not very strict.
I'm a big fan of vlogger Mark Wiens. I love his Kenya episode, looks like a fascinating place to visit!
I have met some people who have learned a language strictly by ear (by mostly working abroad), meaning that their writing skills are beginner level at best. Do you think that this is a viable way of learning a language given its limitations?
Excellent reference!
Reading books is always a great way to improve one's way of thinking. I'm currently reading a leadership book called Extreme Ownership. I think it's excellent :)
Ok maybe I'm just a freak, but I absolutely LOVE watching chiropractic videos before going to sleep. I don't now what it is really, but I find it very calming and it brings a cool ASMR vibe to their vids. A good 20 minute video and I am ready to tuck it in.
I've read that some dudes like to watch similarly odd videos like pimple popping, beard shaving, weird commercials and the like lol
How about you guys? What weird videos do you find yourself watching?
I think it's a pretty solid framework. Most of the time people tend to get impatient and try to test the waters too quickly, what's important in my opinion is to slowly get all facets of learning (speaking, listening, writing, etc) at more or less the same level before considering going up another rank. This is similar to the philosophy of the belt system in martial arts from what I understand.
I'm around A2 level in Japanese. I actually think it's kinda cool to converse using the little that I know lol.
My wife once bought an ab machine as a gift for my birthday. I noticed that the item looked kinda old when I first opened the package but I was like "ok whatever". I tried using it for a couple of minutes and I heard a loud *snap*. We called Customer Service and they said that it was my fault because it broke while I was using it lol.. I remember being so mad at the dude
I had an Aussie manager way back and the slang he used in the office were hilarious. I really like the vibe of Aussies, very chill culture.
Both I guess, although I think my speaking is a little bit better
What are your most recent memory of "leveling up" in your language studies? Big or small let's hear it!
For me, I have started to again slowly study Japanese again after years of neglect lol. I'm planning to use my old textbook and supplement it with podcasts from Youtube. This time I'm going to go at my own pace and try to not quit for the nth time.
Language and cultural norms are probably the most common issues.
I like alternative rock for the most part. Although lately I'm trying to listen to more jazz
I was about to guess but then I saw the answers on the following post lol, interesting origins though :)
Off the top of my head I can only think of foreign brand names used as common nouns. Common examples are Colgate and Xerox.
I agree with the mimic approach. You can use movies (I prefer podcasts) to zero down on accent.
Rose.Angelie wrote:
This!!! You may skip to 1 min mark to start the song.
Good choice! Utada is super talented (and cute too haha)
Michelle.Batan wrote:I would rather be alone for the rest of my life :blush:
Would you rather know WHEN are you going to die or HOW are you going to die?
How for me. I better go down looking like a gangster if it's time lol
Phillip.Laplana wrote:Mel.Palogan wrote:I eat kimchi for its *ahem* cleaning properties haha. My buddies on the other hand love it and eat it on almost every meal they eat.
Yeah, kimchi is always great for a good cleanse. :D Also, it's got phenomenal anti-oxidant properties! I bet your kimchi-eating friends all have great skin.
Yeah man, I heard good things about kimchi's benefit for the skin and overall gut health. Great stuff :)
Here is the entrance song of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko
I think the language is Latin (per Wiki). I don't understand a word but it's an absolutely beautiful song. Being a fan of MMA has it's perks sometimes haha
I'm lazy and can barely cook so it's hard for me to do things like keto. I just try to lessen my chips and candies lol. I prefer to use some form of fasting though and I think it's a good way to manage weight.
Beauty is fine but is not a dealbreaker like most people claim it to be. I mean I've seen average looking girls that I find absolutely attractive based on their personality alone.
I consider myself a geek and I have been watching anime and pro wrestling since I was a kid until now lol. I also do martial arts to unwind and I think it's an excellent way to manage one's stress
Zoolander is the GOAT!
These are also cool:
Avatar
The Dark Knight
Chungking Express
Moana
It's cool to read things like this. Thanks for the link Jess!
I really like her explanation here. I always thought about this and I agree with her points.
I'd like to learn Portuguese next :)
I don't know how you guys do it lol. That's gotta be tough.
Do you place a lot of emphasis in your reading skills? If so, what kind of material do you read? In my case, I try to read as much as I can. I can't read native Japanese materials yet, so I mostly read the exercises from my books.
Nice! thanks for the link
Mai wrote:Regarding the other thing you mentioned, I think a student can sound "unnatural" due to the teacher that is teaching and the techniques he/she is using to transfer the knowledge. Some teachers are really dull and untalented/unmotivated and/or teach mechanically, not even enjoying what they're doing, so it's expected and normal that the "product" sounds "unnatural".
I think another reason why this happens is because some language learners tend to use the sentence pattern of the material they studied. this is not applicable to all study materials of course, but I've heard from some English learners in China that the books that they used had correct but archaic grammar patterns, and they really find it difficult to form more natural sounding conversations.
BTW, I'd take the 1st option too. Full immersion to language is the best way to improve in my opinion. :)
I was thinking about this last night. If you were to choose between the 2, which would be the better option to drastically improve your skills in a language?
My thoughts:
Foreign country - You'll probably struggle at first especially when there's no one to teach you the technical side of the language. But you'll eventually get the language via osmosis and constant practice.
School study - Gradual progression is a good benefit when you learn in a class. However relying too much on books can be detrimental as there are cases where guys who learn solely from books sound "unnatural" in the way they express themselves.
I noticed that my speaking improved when I had to answer a lot How and Why questions. I guess it forced me to use the little vocab and grammar rules that I know and had to make do with them to justify and explain my reasoning for various topics. I taught English to foreigners and they also found it very useful.
Lol at one wordMai wrote:Yeah, agree, but one word for a whole page?! :D why so?
I try my best to stick to 30mins-1 hr of solid study/review per day. Anything longer than that and it becomes a chore and I space out.
I remember my phone was filled with Pimsleur and Minna no Nihongo lessons lol. I used it everyday going to and from the office.
Interesting. I kinda knew that this is a thing but I didn't know there's a term for it.
Jess.PWinkler wrote:and the prejudice and discrimination shown towards regional and social language varieties and their speakers – in particular, regional dialects, youth language, and foreign accents."
This is sadly true. I've seen lots of people sneer at guys who sound different from what they consider "the norm".. I actually find people who have unique accents fascinating as they surely have lots of stories to tell from their part of the world.
@Aileen.Cortes - You definitely should! It's one of the best forms of self defense, especially for the fairer sex.
Check this out. Big muscles mean nothing when you're about to go to sleep lol
Nice! thanks for the video
I am a big fan of fighting and all of its (legit) forms. I've been doing Jiujitsu/MMA for 5 years and it's practically the only sport I follow. Any other fans out there?
I agree. I've read a lot of blogs where people do this to great effect. I would probably get a nice list of beginner words first then learn grammar as I do the things you mentioned above.
Of course there's always the traditional way of studying using books and such. I've done that for years and it can definitely have its benefits. It just didn't work for me though.
Nice idea! Pokemon is probably a good start for that :)
Yes, that's why exposure to the language is super important. It's actually the reason why I got bored of learning kanji - I keep on forgetting characters and it was frustrating.
Madalas di na napapagusapan yung topic talaga, dun na lang sila sa wrong grammar naka focus pambihira.
I study Japanese and I can't read the hard ones yet. But I tried reading some easy mangas like Doraemon. Doreamon is a cool cat and I am a big fan lol.
I'm sure you've searched for cool songs based on the language you're studying. Share them here please!
Here's mine. This is a song from the anime Slam Dunk. I remember my Japanese teacher sang this one time when we were at the karaoke lol. It may sound silly but I learned a lot of new words with this song.
Nice! I love that website, I download their audio from time to time :)
I read another post mentioning that movies and music can be a good way to enhance language learning. I totally believe that and have used songs to improve my vocab numerous times. I'd like to share this style called Sub2SRS in which you place all new words in a SRS tool like Anki.
Here's the link to a site that talks all about it: http://learnanylanguage.wikia.com/wiki/Subs2srs_decks
meifeng wrote:I personally write down new vocabulary, and review the new vocabulary I learn from time to time.
Some guys specifically use movies and music to learn new words, they coined it as Sub2SRS.
http://learnanylanguage.wikia.com/wiki/Subs2srs_decks
Depends on your focus of study. For me, I find speaking much harder than writing because with writing I can always edit as I go, I can also take my time and think for a couple of minutes before writing things down. With speaking, I can speak on a basic level but it does not sound as good as I had it in my mind for some reason.
To quote a blog that I've read:
"English is without a doubt the actual universal language. It is the world's second largest native language, the official language in 70 countries, and English-speaking countries are responsible for about 40% of world's total GNP"
Using English is the most practical language to use for most literary papers as it can reach the most number of people and countries based on the data above.
I feel it's fine as long as you know when and where to use it.
So I've been thinking about learning Portuguese for the past months. I have never "officially" started other that listening to random videos on Youtube, but I noticed that I've already learned some slang without really trying by watching Jiujittsu fights online lol.
I think this is a cool way of learning a language, you get to pursue your other hobbies while slowly building your competency in the language of your choice. Anybody experienced something similar?
I'm a droid user and I use Anki as my primary tool to learn Japanese. The only other app that I use is a J-E dictionary (forgot the name). I'd like to know what you guys are using to supplement your learning. :)
OK thanks. I tried a similar approach to this. I used the kanji.koohi website for mnemonics but used Heisig's kanji order. Worked ok I guess, I think I got to around 130ish and quit. I kept forgetting some along the way and maybe it was because I did not use it in context.
Listening to podcasts are also a great way to improve both your listening and vocab. I've listened to some and I found it really helpful.
For the guys who are studying languages with unique writing systems like Chinese, how do you do it? I tried SRS and I don't think it works well with me. I appreciate the tips, thanks.
I usually start by finding common phrases and expressions. Then I start looking for a good list of vocab words using Anki.
Japanese. I started liking the language during my elementary years, that was the time when I was big in to anime and rpgs.
I watched a Jiujitsu video on YT and one dude mentioned the 4 stages of learning as a guide to one's journey in learning anything. Basically there are four stages of learning that everyone transitions through when learning a new skill.
Stage 1: Unconscious Incompetence.
Stage 2: Conscious Incompetence.
Stage 3: Conscious Competence.
Stage 4: Unconscious Competence.
I thought about my development in Japanese and I'd have to say that this is an accurate representation of my learning path. I think I am still at Stage 2 and I'm totally fine with it.
For me it's listening and speaking. Learning the grammar and vocab can be tough I have to admit, but using what you know is a whole different beast in my opinion.
The point of a language is to be understood. If you have that down then I don't think accent matters that much. But if you really want to improve your accent maybe this might help:
In my experience, liking a language usually starts with another hobby altogether (like anime, foreign music, movies) and it then slowly shifts to having interest to the language itself.
While reasons like "the language sounds cool" is a a good start learning a language, I think having a deeper reason such as moving to another country is the key to sticking with studying the language at a deeper level.
Well if you take note of the corrections it may actually be beneficial. But yeah, like the others mentioned it really depends on the person using it.
Looks good. Very comprehensive, hope that they add new languages in the future.
Michelle.Batan wrote:same problem here. good thing you decided to create this thread. i really like to learn Japanese but I dont know how to start and i dont have much time. if i do, i only have 1 hour per day maybe, but dunno how to start though.
I studied in a Japanese language school and we split our classes into these parts:
1. Vocab (15-20 per session)
2. Grammar
3. Kanji (10 per session)
4. Speaking practice
Since you mentioned that you can only study for an hour maybe you can lessen the number of vocab and kanji per study *shrug*
I think this is a common question for language users. I often catch myself asking this as I slowly drown in my language studies lol.
Maybe the best way is to split studying into tolerable chunks and to stay consistent for as long as you can.
Vladyslava wrote:When we learn a foreign language, we also acquire some cultural features of the folk.
This. I notice a slight change in the way I think whenever I switch languages.. maybe this is because of the fact that the we convey information using different language differ for some reason, it's kinda like you get to have a distinct personality per language you use
Do you guys think that using extensions like rikaikun can be beneficial to reading native level sites? I've heard that it can serve as a way to slowly understand hard text. Anyone tried it?
