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Learning multiple languages | ||
Tags: Simultaneous study | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| gRodriguez Triglot Groupie BrazilRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 3974 days ago 44 posts - 56 votes  Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishC2, Galician Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 1 of 12 23 November 2013 at 1:06am | IP Logged | ||
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Is it recommendable to not learn two languages at the same time? Even if they are
extremely different from one another? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5208 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 12 23 November 2013 at 1:46am | IP Logged | ||
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Yes, you can learn more than one language at the same time, but just because you can, should you? Only you can answer that question. There are pros and cons to studying multiple languages simultaneously. You have to be very disciplined and manage your time well. It's not for everyone. I don't do it because my learning method requires more than just courses and anki reps- and my time is limited. So, learning multiple languages simultaneously is not for me.
Many people here on the forum do study multiple languages at the same time, perhaps the majority of members. Expugnator, Tarvos, Serpent, Chung and kujichagulia make it happen. Check out their logs. They all have their own strategies. Though many of the multiple language learners tend to have a long list, some as long as your arm, usually, most people only have one or two on the go at the same time. You are the only one who knows if learning multiple languages simultaneously is right for you. Try it and see how it goes. Edited by iguanamon on 23 November 2013 at 1:47am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| gRodriguez Triglot Groupie BrazilRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 3974 days ago 44 posts - 56 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishC2, Galician Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 3 of 12 23 November 2013 at 1:57am | IP Logged | ||
As a teenager (e um vagabundo também), I have a lot of time and since Spanish is extremely easy (it could only be easier if I was Galician), I think I can bare it. Thanks again for the help! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| 1e4e6 Octoglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4236 days ago 1013 posts - 1588 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Italian Studies: German, Danish, Russian, Catalan | Message 4 of 12 23 November 2013 at 2:23am | IP Logged | ||
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When I was 13, I did three languages at once, then at 14, four at once in classes. Now
I do not take classes, but study five almost everyday by myself, which helps tremendously to refresh memory, concepts, etc. with consistent exposure. The problem however, is if your languages are in one family, doing all of them like I do might cause confusion. I do do some silly mistakes from mixing because I do Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian each day, sometimes alternating in 30 minute intervals, like this: 14.30--Spanish 15.00--Portuguese 15.30--French 16.00--Dutch 16.30--Italian 17.00--Spanish 17.30--French 18.00--Italian 18.30--Portuguese 19.00--Dutch I admit that this sometimes causes confusion, but one can accustom oneself thereto as such. I would imagine the same might happen for someone studying Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, and Danish in one day, or a combination of Dutch, German, and Frisian in one day. The advantages seem to surpass the disadvantages from my experience, however. The largest is that I do not need to spend long times on one language in one given day since I do each a little per day. I would avoid doing this excessively though, i.e. studying Spanish, French, Portuguese, Galician, Catalan, Italian, Latin, Valencian, and Romanian, for example, each day, and all in one day, as that has a high risk of causing serious confusion and simply too much work. Edited by 1e4e6 on 23 November 2013 at 2:26am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5208 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 5 of 12 23 November 2013 at 3:23am | IP Logged | ||
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Don't think that just because you speak Portuguese, that Spanish will be so simple. Yes, you can understand a lot without any study at all, but to really speak Spanish well (not just getting the gist and basically communicating), you're going to have to work at it, just like any language. As Mark Twain said: "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning!".
Check out the Brazilian blog Los insistentes from alumni of the Cervantes Institute in Rio. Scroll down to Bianca Stamato's post for a Brazilian's take on how "easy" Spanish is. Others will be able to give you advice on how to physically fit multiple languages into your routine. Boa sorte! Edited by iguanamon on 23 November 2013 at 3:48am 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| gRodriguez Triglot Groupie BrazilRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 3974 days ago 44 posts - 56 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishC2, Galician Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 6 of 12 23 November 2013 at 4:29am | IP Logged | ||
Is it even possible to study Spanish and Galician at the same time when you are a lusophone? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| 1e4e6 Octoglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4236 days ago 1013 posts - 1588 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Italian Studies: German, Danish, Russian, Catalan | Message 7 of 12 23 November 2013 at 4:42am | IP Logged | ||
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Any combination is possible, but the very close etymology might cause more confusion than
other combinations. Still, I think in the Nordic countries, they also study other Nordic languages in school, which are very closely related. But regarding two languages simultaneously, I would opine as there is no problem. Three or more as well, as long as one can thereto accustom oneself, and there is sufficient time and energy. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6543 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 8 of 12 23 November 2013 at 12:18pm | IP Logged | ||
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Um no, Scandinavians understand the neighbours' languages without any formal studying. But they have a lot of exposure and if they conversate, everybody speaks his or her native language (unless they actually move to a neighbouring country, but even then not everyone needs to learn to speak).
But anyway, Spanish and Japanese is a doable combination for a Brazilian :-) Reminds me a lot on kujichagulia who's a native English speaker living in Japan and focusing mostly on Japanese, but also learning Portuguese. My log doesn't contain much info on how I manage my number of languages, but basically my strategy is just All Foreign Languages All The Time. you might have heard of AJATT, and if not, check it out. But although I love Portuguese and several other languages a lot, Finnish was the only one I could learn with such dedication. Nowadays I just make sure to have as little Russian and English in my life as possible. See this wikia article too. Edited by Serpent on 23 November 2013 at 12:26pm 5 persons have voted this message useful |
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