This is just a suggestion.
I think having a key or a description for the schedule could be really useful.
For example, where is greyed out means that it's not available or the teacher is booked for that time.
White means whatever
Blue means its available.
It's just a suggestion that I think could be useful.
What country do you live in and what languages are spoken there and/or taught in school?
I live in Jamaica. Our native language is English; creole/patois is considered our dialect. In many schools, as early as Kindergarten kids are taught Spanish up until High School. I began learning Spanish in High School and had to do it for 4 years because I was "advanced". I also had to study French for two years in high school for the same reason.
How about you?
Hey, totally off topic but I've obsevered that there are little tags below our usernames like "Hobbit" or Dwarf" etc..
Am I the only one that's curious about what these tags mean?
Hello. My name is Roshane but I prefer to be called Rosean. I reside in Jamaica, which is apart of the English speaking Caribbean. In Jamaica our dialect is "Patois" which according to Google is "the dialect of a particular region, especially one with low status in relation to the standard language of the country." A great majority of our population speak some patois or one who try to like myself but really suck at it. Haha! I'm 19 years old and I just completed my first year in university. I'd like to learn at least 3 languages by the age of 25 and have travelled to at least 10 countries.
Here's something that you'll find pretty interesting. Post something below that you'd like me to translate to patois or like many people say though it isn't accurate, "talk Jamaican". This should be pretty fun and I can't wait to see what you guys have to ask.
When you post links to a website in your posts, they don't appear as a hyper link and I don't think what appears to be a hyperlink feature in the action bar works. I've tried clicking on it to use my sources but it doesn't work. Members have to copy and paste on links, it would be much easier if you were able to just click on the link and the page opening in a new tab without doing to whole copy and paste.
Regards,
Roshane Brooks
I have on two occasions got an error message while trying to preview a forum post after completing. When you try to backspace it only takes you back to the previous page and not to your post leaving you to start over. Luckily, this time I had typed the information into MS Office and copied it into Language Tools as I went along.
Lately I made an observation that a lot of people are opting to learn easier languages such as Spanish as a second language. So, here are a few reasons why I think you should pick another when taking up a new language.
In the United States, you hear a lot of Spanish everywhere and that you should learn Spanish.
1. Offer and Demand: You want more chances to get a job? There are plenty of Spanish speakers around you, especially if you live in the USA or in a country where Spanish is your second language or perhaps it was mandatory in school. You might see lots of job offers for Spanish Speakers but they’re more like to choose a native Spanish speaker over you. Meanwhile, when you see a job offer requesting, for example: French or Chinese speaking individuals you’re less likely to have a fight or any competition especially if you’re fluent in the language.
2. If you speak English, learning French should be easy. Why? It’s often said that French is one of the harder languages to learn when compared to languages like Spanish but I beg to differ. Why? English owes a great deal of its vocabulary to the French language, making the French vocabulary much easier to learn. Memorizing lists of vocabulary will thus be reduced while learning French, then the grammar and lexical similarities between “les languages latines” (latin languages) will make it easier for you to take on Spanish some time later if you haven’t already.
3. Similarities: If you really want to learn Spanish, here’s why I think you should learn French first. English is closer to French (for native English speakers) and French is closer to Spanish. At the end of it, you won’t just have a second language but you’ll be fluent in two languages apart from your native language – now that’s a win-win!
4. French is the language of International Relations: If you’re into Relations Internationales (International Relations), learning French is a pretty great idea because French is both a working and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, Francophonie, the International Olympic Committee, Red Cross and international courts. Proficiency in French is essential for anyone considering a career in any of these international organizations.
5. Travel Options: If you’re someone who likes traveling overseas then learning French is a good idea. You can use the language as your passport – French opens up your travel options like crazy. Of course, you can still travel to a country or countries where you don’t speak the language or don’t speak it well, but being able to communicate and understand will definitely enhance your experience, trust me. You’ll be able to get around not only in Paris and the rest of France, but other lovely destinations like French Polynesia, Quebec or Switzerland.
6. Love: Did you know that French is the language most often used to translate romantic expressions, ahead of other European languages? This was discovered in a survey by Google Translate. If you’re a romantic, you’re romanticizing someone or looking to be romanticized by someone you sure know that French is considered as “langage de l’amour” (language of love).
Feel free to share your own personal opinions on why it’s better to learn French over Spanish or why you should learn French first if you want to learn Spanish.
Different cultures see them world in slightly different ways and language can reflect this with unique terminology, grammar, and sentence structure. peaking and thinking in a language that follows a different logic than your mother tongue, can significantly broaden your horizon.
2. It Boosts Your Overall Academic Experience
Because multilingual brains have to work differently, they develop stronger cognitive skill. People who speak more than one language are shown to have higher scores on standardized exams in math, reading comprehension, and vocabulary compared to the scores of monolingual students.
3. Make travel easier and more enjoyable.
If you are or aspire to be a globetrotter, learning languages is a must! Traveling is way more fun and easier when there isn’t a language barrier. You don’t have to worry about getting around because you don’t speak the language.
Here are a few tips that have proven to be useful when learning a new language..
1. Right Approach
When learning any new language, it’s great to approach it with a positive attitude. It’s good to be excited and motivated about learning this new language because your thoughts and energy will influence how much effort you put into learning and retaining.
2. One step at a time
Like learning anything else in life, you take it step by step or “chunks” at a time the same applies to a foreign language. Don't try to consume a bunch of areas/topics at the same time or else you'll get confused easily and it won't stick. So take it a step at a time. Start with simple areas like; greetings, introductions or basic phrases ("Please", "Thank you!", "Excuse me" etc.).
3. Conversation
Great way to make progress when learning a new language is have conversations in that new language. So whether you’re engaging your friends in conversations in the new language, listening to audio conversations and trying to translate as it goes by or just to learn the use of a word in the right context and pronunciation is a great way to make progress!
4. Balance
You don’t want to make learning a new language the center of your life or your biggest priority. Though, it might sound contradictory it’s good to take occasional breaks to reset and go back at it with a refreshed attitude. It also tests you to see how well you retain what you’re learning.
5. Reading
Just as you had to read up to improve on your vocabulary and knowledge with your native language, the same applies to a foreign language.
6. Learning Approach
Avoid making the mistake of sticking to one learning method. We all learn differently and a technique or learning method that works for someone else won’t always work for you. Trying new approaches or learning techniques to see which works best for you is always great and makes it better for you.
7. Cover the Pillars that make up a Language.
Imagine language learning just like a puzzle which needs to be put together in order to have a full picture.
The main skills that make up any language are:
Reading skills
Writing skills
Listening skills
Oral skills
It’s better to work on these skills simultaneously (even if it’s not always possible) in order to avoid any imbalance in the language.
It is okay to focus on one skill more than the others, if you’re having trouble with a certain aspect of a language.
8. Culture and Language Variations.
Always remember that in the same way your native language is influenced by culture a foreign language is also influenced by the culture or has variations.
Obviously, this list of tips for learning a new language isn’t exhaustive. There are other tips that could be added to this list, but these are just a few I wanted to share with you.
~r.i.brooks
