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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Aritaurus Tetraglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6572 days ago 197 posts - 204 votes  Speaks: Cantonese, English*, Japanese, Mandarin Studies: Spanish | Message 33 of 204 29 September 2008 at 1:53pm | IP Logged |
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Well, here's my life story for languages. I'm 24 , by the way.
Cantonese - My very first language. My parents are from Hong Kong, I was born in Canada and I spoke this at home ever since. I'm pretty ok in speaking it, just that I might not sound very professional in a formal business situation. I'd say I'm somewhere between Basic and Advanced Fluency. English - My native tongue. Even though my first words weren't from this language, it eventually took the greater influence. French - I've been forced to learn this since I was 10 years but I haven't gotten anywhere in it. I understand some words as I'm listening to people conversing in French but I stand nowhere near beginner level. Mandarin - I've started learning this at the age of 19 on my own by watching TV dramas. It's somewhat close to Cantonese so I picked it up pretty fast. I would say I'm somewhere between intermediate and basic fluency. Japanese - I've been flirting with this language since I was 21 years old when I visited Japan for the first time. I've been studying for about a year now and I would say I'm at upper beginner to lower intermediate level. I usually have little problems in Japan when doing everyday things but I still lack conversational skills. Spanish - I took a beginner's class in the summer and I liked it a lot. I've only been studying for about two months now but I do definitely plan to continue with this language and progress to fluency. My current level in Spanish would be beginner. Edited by Aritaurus on 29 September 2008 at 2:00pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Catherine Diglot Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6116 days ago 18 posts - 19 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: French, Turkish, Polish, Swahili | Message 34 of 204 03 October 2008 at 8:54am | IP Logged |
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Age: 23
English: Native. French: High Intermediate. Reading and writing are fine; listening is not so good. Conversations are fine as long as they are not too technichal or too informal. I began learning this in secondary school at 11 and stopped at 16. But I could barely say anything and didn't understand spoken French. I picked the language back up at 21 by taking evening classes. Haven't been studying much recently. Swahili: Low Intermediate. I understand a fair amount, but have had very little practice in conversing. I learned a few words when I was in Kenya for 2 months when I was 19. I started teaching myself the language aged 22, for about 6 months. I haven't looked at it much in the past 6 months. Arabic: Beginner. I am not very good, but I'm trying to be patient as this is a hard language. I flirted a little with the language at 21, but started teaching myself properly aged 22 and am still working on it. Italian: Beginner. I feel like I barely know anything, but I'm sure I'd pick it back up again reasonably easily. I took some Italian classes at University when I was 18 for about 9 months. I've barely looked at it since. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| chipile Diglot Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6580 days ago 21 posts - 24 votes Speaks: English*, Swedish Studies: French | Message 35 of 204 05 October 2008 at 5:49am | IP Logged |
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Age: I turned 25 this year.
English: Native language. French: Started learning at school from the age of 10 until about 17. Good passive knowledge but I couldn't use it actively until I was about 23, following some self study and actually learning how to construct sentences. I would say I am probably high-intermediate. Japanese: The bane of my life :-) Studied for three semesters at University when I was about 18. Abandonded because I wasn't really sure how to learn a language at this point. Lived in rural Japan for a year when I was 23 and was forced to learn it. Started to view the language negatively because of severe culture shock, negative experiences and not really any Japanese people my age to socialise with. I only started studying Japanese again this year when I realised I still enjoyed the language. I keep going back to it. I would say I am low-intermediate. Swedish: I started learning this language at the age of 21, when I lived in Sweden for nine months. Following my return, I continued to study this language by meeting with a native speaker, reading and watching tv on the internet. Since October last year, I have had a job where I use my Swedish on a daily basis. I have noticed a big improvement in my understanding and am now much more confident with my speaking. The big test for me was talking on the telephone and I can now do this about most things relating to my job. I am taking the next step and moving to Stockholm next January. I think I have attained basic fluency in this language now. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Fazla Hexaglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6260 days ago 166 posts - 255 votes Speaks: Italian, Serbo-Croatian*, English, Russian, Portuguese, French Studies: Arabic (classical), German, Turkish, Mandarin | Message 36 of 204 05 October 2008 at 6:17am | IP Logged |
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I'm 19
Bosnian - semi-native fluency. Being the language of my parents, having lived there for 6 years of my life (the first ones though) I speak it quite well. Italian - I have lived here most of my life, so native fluency English - I'd say advanced level, but I don't have any certificate to prove it. Portuguese (Brazilian) - I'd say B1 level. It's very similar to Italian, so even if my studies of the language were not so intensive, I understand and get understood by Brazilians in most of our conversations. More technical topics would be a different story. Russian - I'd say I have an A2 proficiency. I definitely understand more than I can talk. But it's the language I'm working the most on. French - Just started it a month ago. So far I'm liking it, next week I'm entering a course so I hope in a 3-4 years time I'll master it, being a Latin language. Edited by Fazla on 05 October 2008 at 6:18am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| ymapazagain Senior Member Australia myspace.com/amywiles Joined 6957 days ago 504 posts - 538 votes Speaks: English* Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 37 of 204 05 October 2008 at 7:08am | IP Logged |
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I'm 24.
English - Native. Was born and grew up in Australia. Spanish - Intermediate level. I started learning three years ago when I moved to spain for 3 months. I learnt a lot there, but i'm quite lazy so i've had big breaks in between bursts of study. I did pass the DELE inicial recently though, which i'm still chuffed about! Russian - I started studying Russian using Pimsleur about two years ago. I was pretty committed for a while but then had almost a year off due simply to laziness. During this time I forgot a LOT! I am now back at it with a move to Russia next year giving me some pretty big motivation. I haven't even finished Pimsleur yet so I still consider myself a beginner. I hope to be at a C1 level in Russian by mid 2010. By that time I will have been living in the country for almost a year. I hope to be C2 level in Spanish by the end of 2012 when I will have (hopefully!) been living in Central or South America for a year. I'd be happy having those two languages fluent by the time i'm 28 and then I can get started on the next one! Probably Japanese. Edited by ymapazagain on 05 October 2008 at 7:09am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| delectric Diglot Senior Member China Joined 7179 days ago 608 posts - 733 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: German | Message 38 of 204 06 October 2008 at 1:32am | IP Logged |
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Now 30
English - mother tongue German - Moved to Germany when I was a few months old and left when I was 6. From the age of 4/6 it was my first language. Lost the ability (or outgrew my German) to speak from about 8/9 still have a passive understanding but making sentences is difficult. French - School French from 11 - 16. Rubbish. Spanish - 13 - 14 learnt at school. Rubbish. Chinese - Used everyday for most of the day - higher intermediate. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| alfajuj Diglot Senior Member Taiwan Joined 6209 days ago 121 posts - 126 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: Taiwanese, French | Message 39 of 204 06 October 2008 at 4:07am | IP Logged |
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Age 40
English (American)-Native language Mandarin-advanced. learned when I moved here to Taiwan 16 years ago, have never really studied formally, but have reached a very high level due to using it in my life 24-7 French-intermediate. learned as a language requirement in university then dropped it for the next 15 years. I heard a song one day and decided that I love the language and picked it up again. Taiwanese-intermediate. Truly the hardest language you will ever try to learn-absolutely unbeleivable. At least twice as hard as Mandarin. But after hearing it passively for 16 years, am beginning to pick up quite a bit. German-beginner. I had a huge crush on this German girl who was an exchange student when I was in junior high and thought about learning it. Now, 27 years later, have been just starting to learn it. Japanese-beginner. I love the sound of this language. Have been dabbling in it off and on. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Olympia Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5979 days ago 195 posts - 244 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Old English, French | Message 40 of 204 07 October 2008 at 3:39pm | IP Logged |
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My age is 19 (As of today!).
English--my mother tongue and by far the one I use the most. Spanish--advanced (I've had several people ask me if my parents are Latino because they say I speak well but with a slight American accent.) I've had eight years of study. I only use this when communicating with my Spanish teachers, hispanic friends, and at dinner/coffee because I live in a Spanish-speaking dorm. Portuguese--it's easy to understand because it's so similar to Spanish, and I try to read and listen to music in Portuguese a lot to build my grammar and vocabulary. I understand pretty much everything, but I really can't speak it. French--I started learning this at age five in school (an immersion class, but the immersion was roughly a half hour a day). I stopped in order to take Spanish once I was about eleven, but I've retain a lot of vocabulary and basic grammar, and I can read it pretty well and understand it okay. Now I have a French-speaking roommate, and that is helping me pick up more French quickly. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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