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Learning language on another base | ||
Tags: L3 via L2 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| Avid Learner Diglot Senior Member Canada Joined 4664 days ago 100 posts - 156 votes  Speaks: French*, English Studies: German | Message 9 of 15 19 October 2013 at 6:06am | IP Logged | |||||
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I used English to learn German (FSI). In a way, it has helped because it highlighted the similarities between both languages. Not that I wouldn't have been able to see them on my own, of course, but seeing them side by side could help a little at times.
Still, I found out that I prefered to go from my native language, so that's the one I use when learning vocabulary. I found out that I understood some of the nuances in the translations better in French. I found going from English a little bit more confusing at times. Knowing French was also convenient because sometimes, there is no perfect way to translate precisely a German expression in English, but there is one in French. On a few occastions, I found French closer to German than English is at times too, for example in how to use verb tenses. So, when possible, I would personally favor L1->L3, but it's not like I can't learn at all from L2->L3, it might just mean a little bit more work. One thing for sure is that if I learn another romance language, I will want to do it from French. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 4101 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 10 of 15 19 October 2013 at 7:45am | IP Logged | |||||
I don't know if it's because Assimil is so incredibly superior to my academic language studies*, which it certainly is, and that probably plays a small part at least, or because I am doing it in French, but my Breton is definitely less "attached" to any other language than I have ever experienced before... not counting English, which I did not start learning formally until I was already an independent speaker. Unfortunately, I have just found that this also means that I did not pick up some things as quickly as others, simply because it's an area where my French is weak. E.g. I know the difference between celle-là, celui-ci, etc., but it doesn't come spontaneously to me, so I struggle, compared to other words, with remembering the Breton equivalents. * I studied Scots Gaelic through English for three semesters and Classical Greek through Swedish, 2 hours per day plus 4-5 hours of homework, for one semester. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5011 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 11 of 15 19 October 2013 at 1:36pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Yes, it's true that practice and usage may be felt as separate things. However, I don't make a difference. If I was to speak a foreign language daily at work, I wouldn't call it either, I'd call it awesome :-)
Similarily to emk, I do as well appreciate the much lesser need for translation coming from this. I find translation exercises very valuable for some things but thinking in the language is one of the keys to all the language skills. In that area, I consider L2 based sources to be somewhere between classical my native-my target ones and the fully monolinguals. And one of the big reasons why I learn other languages at all is the freedom of choice. Not only in terms of migration (one of my dreams is to live in another country for a few years after I finish university) but the more in terms of what I read, watch, listen to and study from. I find it great when I can choose such things only based on their quality, suitability to my needs, my personal tastes and preferences or even price. There is huge world to discover and to choose from. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| AndrewS Diglot Newbie Russian Federation Joined 4428 days ago 27 posts - 37 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Spanish | Message 12 of 15 19 October 2013 at 2:04pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I found that explanations of Spanish grammar given by an English course sometimes can be pretty tricky, bulky and embarrassing. Meanwhile a Russian grammar book just can provide a straightforward analogy, plain as day.
How is it compearing German and English courses for Spanish? May be the same I believe. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5011 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 13 of 15 19 October 2013 at 4:10pm | IP Logged | |||||
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It depends on the course. There are good and bad courses no matter the base language. And most are good at something and bad at something else
An exemple: I find the FSI Swedish pronunciation part much clearer than the pronunciation chapter in my favourite Czech based course (which is otherwise excellent). And the best are the pronunciation notes in the French based Assimil, in my opinion. But on the contrary, I find grammar and pronunciation in French based Assimil Spanish mostly worse explained than in my Czech based course. However, the Czech based one wastes a lot of time on things I don't need to relearn, having previously learnt French, while the French based one mostly elps differenciate betwen the two (which is something I must do fully on my own when learning from other sources). I would say the English base does have one major pro: there are tons of resources to choose from. con:English is in many ways more different from most european languages than they are among themselves. and that sometimes leads to totally different way of explaining things, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4709 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 14 of 15 20 October 2013 at 5:19pm | IP Logged | |||||
Oh god this is so familiar when I started doing Breton I had just the same experience. I often use French as a base language, it keeps it fresh for me and provides another viewpoint. I often use English materials instead of Dutch, although I started with Dutch materials for French and German (and Latin) a long time ago. But after the first couple months of explanations, grammar and such, when you get some basics in the language you need to switch to "TL-only" and then it works just fine to use that language as a base. 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5011 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 15 of 15 20 October 2013 at 5:48pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Well, we all have a luxury to choose in nearly all native languages as long as we want to
learn English or one of the very popular languages of the area. But anyyone who ever tried to get resources for a less popular language, and whose native language isn't English, realized really soon how spoiled they had been. :-) Exactly, Tarvos. I love those various view points. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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