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Over-eager learning plan | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4803 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 1 of 7 13 March 2014 at 9:47pm | IP Logged |
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I promise that this is my last 'talking out loud' non-technical 'newbie' thread!
After much thought, I've decided on my medium term learning goals. I want to get back into Mandarin and figured out I'd just lost confidence in my French. And these, along with my German which is ticking along okay, will constitute the languages I want to get to a good conversational and reading/writing standard long term (around B2). I'm a false beginner in both. I'm an A1 in French speaking/listening but have no knowledge of grammar and I haven't written anything in French since school. I was also an A1 in Chinese although I've forgotten most of it- I can recognise very basic characters/concepts like hello, university, some City names, countries etc. My party piece is reciting 夜思 by Li Bai...(I taught English in Shandong for 5 glorious months...) My gut instinct is to go for Chinese next (my absolute favourite both linguistically and culturally). However, does that mean that I'm still bound to keep working at my Chinese alone (with German more informally)until I reach B1 in it? Meaning I'm looking at perhaps 2 years until I can add the French? Does the fact that Chinese and French are so different and so less likely to 'bleed' into each other mean the French can be introduced any sooner? Sorry- it's greedy impatience...The French can wait if that's the consensus as I do value your experience. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4950 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 2 of 7 13 March 2014 at 11:01pm | IP Logged |
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I see no problem you doing Mandarin and French. That is not the issue at least for me and I would dare to say most here.
The issue is, what do you have more greedy impatience for? Getting to study French or getting to speak decent basic Mandarin? :) 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| BaronBill Triglot Senior Member United States HowToLanguages.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4690 days ago 335 posts - 594 votes Speaks: English*, French, German Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Persian | Message 3 of 7 14 March 2014 at 5:34am | IP Logged |
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Have you thought about starting French first? Given the fact that French would probably be easier to make the initial strides in (as you are an English native), maybe you could push French for a couple months to maybe an A2 and THEN start Mandarin. That might be a way to kind of stagger more effectively as it might be substantially more difficult to reach that A2 in Mandarin within the same time frame.
Just throwing around some thoughts. I have no issues with starting two languages (or more) at the same time, but you seem a little concerned about it. Go for it if you want to. Worst thing that can happen is you have re-evaluate after a little while if it isn't going like you planned. That is what makes this stuff so fun! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4803 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 4 of 7 14 March 2014 at 10:32am | IP Logged |
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:) Thanks!
If I did what I really wanted to do, I'd start my Mandarin now. But I'm doing it for 100% fun. The French would help much more career wise. The reason for being so cautious is that I have recurrent depression to the point of not being able to work. So it's taking a lot of work to try and keep the German going for 2 hours a day without overdoing it and trying not to self-flagellate if I have to miss a day or two if I feel I need the break. Hence the more cautious approach. Also, I've never stuck at self-teaching in a language so I gladly defer to the experts rather than think I know better and end up with 3 sets of learning materials but very little learning :) Been there, not doing that again. A2 on a few months' blitz, once my German's about B1...I can do that. If I've got Mandarin waiting for me as my reward. It's not a year or two. Okay. That's me self-banned from the advice and general sections until the New Year as I have a fair bit of work ahead of me. I shall, of course, be using the more language specific sections of the forum for help/mutual support. See you in 9 months! Bis später! [puts on studying hat and heads out the door] 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| day1 Groupie Latvia Joined 3893 days ago 93 posts - 158 votes Speaks: English | Message 5 of 7 30 March 2014 at 7:38pm | IP Logged |
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Why not try some beginner Chinesisch textbook from Langenscheidt publishing house? The books tend to be good and you might enjoy a chance to learn both languages at the same time.
Learning several languages at once - some people can, some can't. You won't know until you try. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5335 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 6 of 7 30 March 2014 at 8:23pm | IP Logged |
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Go for it. Those languages are very different, and if they help keeping you motivated it is worth taking both at
the same time. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| 이희선 Groupie Australia Joined 4970 days ago 56 posts - 97 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian | Message 7 of 7 31 March 2014 at 6:22am | IP Logged |
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I have learned French and Chinese at the same time and they are so different, my mind has never confused them
once. Just give it a try. Even if you confuse things a little bit, it's alright. If you're confusing a big percentage of the languages then hold off on one til it gets to a higher level and then add the other back in. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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