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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4525 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes  Studies: German | Message 25 of 217 23 February 2015 at 10:33pm | IP Logged | ||
If I was your age, and had your passion for languages, I'd personally go for Chinese or Japanese, partly for the challenge, and partly because I find the cultures very interesting. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| redflag Senior Member Australia Joined 3834 days ago 123 posts - 182 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Danish, Indonesian, French | Message 26 of 217 23 February 2015 at 11:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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Is interference that big a deal? I mean, I experience it all the time even with
languages very different from each other. This morning on the train I was doing Danish on Memrise and a couple of times all I could think of was the Indonesian word for the same thing. Lasts a few seconds, my mental gears have to creak a bit. Then the right word comes. It's definitely a thing, but I've never ought of it as a reason not to do more than one language. Perhaps if/when I do Norwegian after Danish, very similar written languages - I will have a different experience? So sure interference between Italian/Spanish maybe sometimes, but I would've thought the positive aspects of the similarities would more than make up for it? Genuinely interested if people experience this as a significant problem, not just a momentary inconvenience? PS. Congratulations in anticipation of confirmation of your exam success! What an achievement. Edited by redflag on 23 February 2015 at 11:03pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| PeterMollenburg Senior Member AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5468 days ago 821 posts - 1273 votes Speaks: English* Studies: FrenchB1 | Message 27 of 217 23 February 2015 at 11:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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I managed very little interference when consciously working on Spanish or French during the same period in
my life, but... they are far enough apart for me to not mix them up. It seems I just switch entirely into French/Spanish/whatever language mode and generally don't get mixed up, but I certainly have also had moments like redflags here and there as well in which when i'm in a more casual pensive mode (not consciously studying/producing the language) in my head for example where i'll mix three languages in one sentence. Actually there have been one or two occasions in a foreign environment in which i've actually said a French word to a Spanish person by accident and quickly realised my error, but all in all these incidents for me have been rare. Time is more an issue for me when trying to learn more than one language. However, I think Cavesa's apprehension regarding Italian messing with Spanish is a very valid one. I've read of a few experienced language learners really stuffing up a learned romance language by introducing the next romance language. This is only with regards to Spanish, Italian and Portuguese from what I've read. In particular I vaguely remember a blog or something I read two or three years ago online in which the person had advanced Spanish skills and went on to intensely study Portuguese but his/her Spanish was destroyed and took some time to be able to 'recover it'. Whether or not he/she was eventually able to manage both I don't remember, but I get the sense that he/she decided to give up on Portuguese in the end. I guess Cavesa your best option is if you feel like simply taking the risk at some point then do so, otherwise in the meantime try a different language. You could see it as an experiment that you could abort at any time... ie a few months of Italian and see how your Spanish is going... all ok... a few more months... check again, and so on. I think it's worthwhile to get your Spanish to a more advanced level though in my opinion before adding Italian. Also I would assume it would be best to keep your exposure to Spanish up when you study Italian so you can learn to differentiate between the subtleties of the two within your head. That situation I related above I believe that person had put their Spanish aside while focusing on Portuguese and I think especially with Italian and Spanish that could be a recipe for disaster as it could rewrite/rewire your Spanish 'code' in your head into Italian, particularly if you're good at shortcutting the language with tricks such as recognising cognates and similarities to other languges and memorising such shortcuts to develop new word endings and in turn new words - you could rewire your Spanish brain into an Italian one by rewriting those shortcuts. In summary I'd think continue regular Spanish when introducing Italian, but at a later stage when your Spanish is advanced enough (that could be now, not sure exactly what your level is) and proceed with caution. I wonder if anyone's ever had problems with ther German / Dutch combination... or Danish/ Swedish/ Norwegian... PM 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 4074 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 28 of 217 23 February 2015 at 11:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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Wow, C2 in French without having lived in France, thats impressive!
2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 29 of 217 24 February 2015 at 12:09am | IP Logged | ||
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Patrik, I am my age and I have my passion for languages but I have a pathology exam to
prepare for. And two others at the end of the semester. But pathology is a nightmare. It is very interesting, unlike most subjects, but there is so much information! There is even a joke: Chuck Norris counted to infinity? Nope, he got much further. He counted all the pathology exam questions! Thanks redflag, but I'm still waiting with receiving congratulations. Normally, I am the High Mistress of the Pass-it-by-a-hair Clan but I sometimes I get among the unlucky ones, one or two points under the bar. So, I am still waiting impatiently for the final results. I am really tempted by Italian. When it came to adding Spanish to my French, the positive side prevailed. I got a huge discount on comprehension and as well grammar and vocabulary. But the interference was there a bit, fought by lots of listening mostly, as I feel the languages are much more different in sound than in writing. Perhaps that could work for Italian as well? But my French was much better back then than my Spanish is now, so the balance might be different. I love Italy, I've visited it five times so far and want to see more of it! I love the food, the culture, the music, I suppose I'll love the books and movies and tv series as well. And the people have always appeared really friendly, which is a huge plus. So, why am I hesitating? Perhaps out of subconscious pride, ordering me not to get an "easy" language? Or because I feel bad about abandoning Swedish for now? Because I've been considering learning a slavic language so that I finally get a learning discount thanks to my native language as well? I don't know. But I am starting to feel I'll end up with Italian as the next serious language in the end. I'll give myself a month to get back into the pace with Spanish and German and I think I'll know by then :-) Edited by Cavesa on 24 February 2015 at 12:11am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4525 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 30 of 217 24 February 2015 at 12:12am | IP Logged | ||
I just think with Japanese/Chinese you are looking at 10 years or more to get the full benefit. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the French result. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 31 of 217 24 February 2015 at 12:20am | IP Logged | ||
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I write so slowly new posts appear before I post the reply :-D
Peter, I think you are right that Spanish-Italian might be a problem due to my Spanish not being advanced enough. My passive Spanish is really good, especially considering not that high amount of efforts put in, but I should probably get a solid foundation in grammar before adding another romance language to the mix. Thanks god at least my old bits of Latin aren't dancing in the circle as well. Or I could try and see how it works out, true. During my last attempt at Swedish, I didn't have much trouble with interference with German but I have a bad feeling it may come. Even though redflag's experience shows my fears may be unfounded. And I've been totally neglecting my slavic plans. I have a native language with lots of relatives and I haven't learnt any yet, isn't that a waste of potential? But I have already postponed reading the newest Sapkowski until I can do so in Polish :-D 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5001 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 32 of 217 24 February 2015 at 12:23am | IP Logged | ||
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Very true, patrick. With Italian or Polish, I suppose I could simply have fun in the
language in just a year or two. Japanese and Mandarin are a much more difficult path. And Arabic as well, even though those Arabic adds on youtube sounded awesome! (Don't look down on me, :-) it was an add promoting a panarabic charity, if I guessed correctly. And youtube made me watch it twice or three times already) 1 person has voted this message useful |
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