OT: Learning a foreign language

[elocomotive]

C'mon man, the price of fruit is sky high right now. You'll get your basket soon. Maybe

I'll settle for just like a cartoon of strawberries or a honeydew at this point.

Oh damn it... never make the first offer.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

No wonder we're falling behind in everything.

 

[elocomotive]

On the plus side, Sly, it's a huge advantage to be with someone who is learning the language as well. That will help you both practice.

It's also a GREAT excuse to go to Korean barbeque joints and eat tons of meat.

 

[SLY]

On the plus side, Sly, it's a huge advantage to be with someone who is learning the language as well. That will help you both practice.

It's also a GREAT excuse to go to Korean barbeque joints and eat tons of meat.

Yea, she brought me to a place a ways back, Bulgogi is friggin' amazing.

 

[Comeds]

I'll settle for just like a cartoon of strawberries or a honeydew at this point.

Oh damn it... never make the first offer.

 

[SLY]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

[forty_three]

If it's any other languge, I'd say Rosetta Stone.

But since we're talking about Korean, I'd just attend a lot of LPGA events. You'll both have it down in no time.

But beware, Korean moms walk with umbrellas even if its sunny. You will, at some point, need to dodge getting one in the face.

Take classes. Most decent community colleges offer courses. Rosetta is for the birds.

I would go with classes as well, unless you just want a high level understanding and not fluency. I used Rosetta Stone to pick up the gist of a certain language and it was pretty good. It's not memorization, so I liked it.

And I didn't pay for it.

I attend zero SportsHoopla weddings until I get my god... damn....fruit basket!!!

No one tell eloco that the weddings are where they give out fruit baskets.

I'll settle for just like a cartoon of strawberries or a honeydew at this point.

Or

 

[mattola]

"All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity."

Gordie Howe

 

[mattola]

I got a learn German for dummies book. well I must dumber than the average dummy (yeah I know I opened myself up for that) because I was not able to maintain a method to learn that damn book. scheisse

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I got a learn German for dummies book. well I must dumber than the average dummy (yeah I know I opened myself up for that) because I was not able to maintain a method to learn that damn book. scheisse

I would learn German just to make myself laugh. Went there 8 years ago and I couldn't help myself.

 

[elocomotive]

I got a learn German for dummies book. well I must dumber than the average dummy (yeah I know I opened myself up for that) because I was not able to maintain a method to learn that damn book. scheisse

Too many World War II video games for me - I have a conditioned fear response to hearing German.

 

[elocomotive]

No one tell eloco that the weddings are where they give out fruit baskets.

Aw, son of a...

 

[pixburgher66]

It depends on how the class is run. I know, for me personally, learning another language seemed impossible. I took 5 years of German, and I can tell you it did nothing for me. Maybe I was a bad student, but the way it was taught just didn't do it. I think a lot of that has to do with how current school systems are forced to teach though. It was rote memorization, and in my head I was just translating. If you can find a class that takes a different approach, go for it. Best advice: don't translate. It messes with you.

 

[forty_three]

It depends on how the class is run. I know, for me personally, learning another language seemed impossible. I took 5 years of German, and I can tell you it did nothing for me. Maybe I was a bad student, but the way it was taught just didn't do it. I think a lot of that has to do with how current school systems are forced to teach though. It was rote memorization, and in my head I was just translating. If you can find a class that takes a different approach, go for it. Best advice: don't translate. It messes with you.

That's where Rosetta Stone is better, its more akin to how you teach children the words for things. You show them pictures of the item and then teach them what it's called and how to ask for/about it or describe it. Rote memorization doesn't work.

 

[pixburgher66]

OH! Also, I recommend (and this is a bit extreme I guess) trying to figure out what your learning style is, and deciding based on that. A new language is a big endeavor, and figuring out what's the easiest way for you to learn may save you some headaches. Try CAPSOL, they're all about learning styles. I think they probably have an online test to figure out what you're best at. If you're auditory/visual, then Rosetta is probably perfect. Kinesthetic is probably impossible when it comes to a language (which is probably why I struggled, come to think of it).

 

[elocomotive]

I think bigger than how you learn it (the success of which will vary from learner to learner depending on their style) is that you USE it regularly.

Like Pix, I had 4 years of French in high school and college, but I cannot USE it now. I can translate some things. I can read a sentence and get 1/2 of it. But I can't have a conversation beyond what you'd learn in the first week of a French course. If you don't use it, you lose it. The language immersion programs they have now are pretty awesome. I have a co-worker with a 9-year old who is pretty much fluent in Chinese. Brave new world.

 

[pixburgher66]

I think bigger than how you learn it (the success of which will vary from learner to learner depending on their style) is that you USE it regularly.

Like Pix, I had 4 years of French in high school and college, but I cannot USE it now. I can translate some things. I can read a sentence and get 1/2 of it. But I can't have a conversation beyond what you'd learn in the first week of a French course. If you don't use it, you lose it. The language immersion programs they have now are pretty awesome. I have a co-worker with a 9-year old who is pretty much fluent in Chinese. Brave new world.

Immersion is definitely the best way to do it, but just difficult to do, for obvious reasons. That's how college students majoring in a language have to do it. Obviously they have didactic learning too, but the big thing is going overseas for a semester. They always say that the moment you know you have it is when you start thinking in that language. I envy people who can. I really just can't.

 

[forty_three]

So elo and pix are voting to deport Sly to Seoul....

 

[pixburgher66]

So elo and pix are voting to deport Sly to Seoul....

Better than sending him to Pyongyang...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I think bigger than how you learn it (the success of which will vary from learner to learner depending on their style) is that you USE it regularly.

Immersion is definitely the best way to do it, but just difficult to do, for obvious reasons. That's how college students majoring in a language have to do it. Obviously they have didactic learning too, but the big thing is going overseas for a semester. They always say that the moment you know you have it is when you start thinking in that language. I envy people who can. I really just can't.

yup 100% these

immersion is crucial ... you dont neccessarily NEED to go live in that country BUT youre definitely in the deep end without a paddle and you are forced to learn to converse to survive so that goes a long way

I have a cousin who I talk to quite a bit and she moved from Italy to London about a year and a half ago with minimal english learned in italian high school ... I speak to her in italian and she responds in english