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Help choosing my next language, please? | ||
Tags: Choosing a Language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| anethara Diglot Newbie England Joined 4247 days ago 25 posts - 40 votes Speaks: English*, Sign Language | Message 1 of 11 16 December 2013 at 12:47am | IP Logged | ||
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Hey, I'm really aware this is a really loose thread title and I'm sorry for that, but I'd
really appreciate some advice. I'm at the stage in Norwegian where I feel I'm past conventional learning materials and my best way to continue learning is by consuming as much Norwegian media as I can, so I feel like I can start learning another language without it negatively impacting upon Norwegian. The languages I'm considering are: Polish, Russian, Icelandic, Hindi, Hungarian, French, Italian or Spanish. And I am completely stuck between them. Does anyone have any advice, please? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4873 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes  Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 2 of 11 16 December 2013 at 1:17am | IP Logged | ||
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Maybe what you need is to start giving them a try. Study each of them for a short period of time and see if anything makes you want to stay - as soon as that happens you have an answer. Another idea would be to look at which culture/native media, etc. fascinates you most as that will likely help you not to get burned out. Are any of these languages already part of your life in any way? I hope this helps. Good luck with whichever you choose! Edited by druckfehler on 16 December 2013 at 1:30am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| culebrilla Senior Member United States Joined 4002 days ago 246 posts - 436 votes Speaks: Spanish | Message 3 of 11 16 December 2013 at 1:17am | IP Logged | ||
Whatever you really need to learn, want to learn (motivation), and have opportunities to speak with natives. Since you're in England, French or Italian are logical choices if you are ambivalent about those languages. Why are you considering those languages? Do you have friends that are from those countries that speak the languages or do you like their cultures? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5014 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 4 of 11 16 December 2013 at 1:36am | IP Logged | ||
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Without any information like what do you want to use the language for, what ties do you have to the cultures or countries, which ones do you like the most, which would be the easiest for you to practice with natives etc., it is like asking: "What should I eat for dinner tonight?". :-)
2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| anethara Diglot Newbie England Joined 4247 days ago 25 posts - 40 votes Speaks: English*, Sign Language | Message 5 of 11 16 December 2013 at 3:21am | IP Logged | ||
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Thank-you so much for the advice! Since you mentioned reasons for speaking these, here
are some quick reasons, if it would help in choosing. :3 Polish - I regularly visit a place with a large amount of native speakers, and am friends with a native speaker, so I'd be excited for a chance to practice it with natives. Russian - I think it's a beautiful language. Not practical for me, though! Icelandic - I adore Icelandic, I think it's so pretty and I'd like to visit Iceland. Hindi - I think it's interesting. To be honest that's a pretty crap reason. French, Italian and Spanish - The countries they're spoken in seem interesting! Again a pretty bad reason... Looking at it, the only one I'd be able to practice semi-regularly is Polish, but that's only semi-regularly as I only visit the place Polish is spoken a lot once every other week. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Mooby Senior Member Scotland Joined 6110 days ago 707 posts - 1220 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Polish | Message 6 of 11 16 December 2013 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | ||
Well, if social interaction in your next language is a major factor in your choice, then Polish would make a lot of sense. And you'd find lots more opportunities to use it regularly considering that Polish is now the 2nd most spoken language in England (after English of course). I've made a lot of Polish friends, and knowing their language is a very rewarding experience. Yes, it is difficult, it just takes a bit longer to acquire. There's plenty of good course materials and native materials to enjoy, including a rich literary heritage. Of course, if your heart's not in it then choose something else. Ideally a language you like enough to keep going when motivation occasionally wobbles. A language (and associated culture, people etc.) you like now, and could see yourself spending the rest of your life with. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6602 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 7 of 11 16 December 2013 at 3:24pm | IP Logged | ||
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Doitsujin Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5325 days ago 1256 posts - 2363 votes Speaks: German*, English | Message 8 of 11 16 December 2013 at 4:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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If you can't make up your mind, you could take a page from Keith Brooks who "speed-dated" and scored 37 languages. Here's a link to his blog, which you have to read from bottom to top.
He used to have a Youtube account, but closed it, but there's still a PRI World In Words podcast in which he describes his method. Edited by Doitsujin on 16 December 2013 at 7:21pm 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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