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How many people really teach themselves?

  Tags: Self-Study
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
52 messages over 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7  Next >>
Arekkusu
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Canada
bit.ly/qc_10_lec
Joined 5316 days ago
3971 posts - 7747 votes 
Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto
Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian

 
 Message 18 of 52
10 March 2011 at 3:47pm | IP Logged 
Shenandoah wrote:
William Camden wrote:

I have also noticed that language study materials in second-hand bookshops tend to be almost pristine after the first chapter or so.   


Yeah, I've also noticed that same thing with Pimsleur courses from the library. The first CD usually has lots of skips and jumps, showing signs of use and wear. The second one has a few. The rest of the CDs are in perfect shape.

Well.... what's the library's loan period? How far can you go in 2-3 weeks?!
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Arekkusu
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Canada
bit.ly/qc_10_lec
Joined 5316 days ago
3971 posts - 7747 votes 
Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto
Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian

 
 Message 19 of 52
10 March 2011 at 3:49pm | IP Logged 
tractor wrote:
I don't think language learning, whether it's self-teaching or languages classes, is much different in this regard
from a lot of other activities or projects that people begin with on their spare time. They start off with great
hopes and ambitions, but soon lose interest. How many sign up at the fitness centre in January and how many
of them are still around in April lifting weights or running on treadmills?

I agree with you. This is why I always encourage people to seek language partners or opportunities to use the language with other human beings. It's so much easier to stay motivated -- and harder to quit -- when others can monitor your progress. There's nothing like putting yourself in a position of potential shame to foster a desire to learn!
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s_allard
Triglot
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 5365 days ago
2704 posts - 5425 votes 
Speaks: French*, English, Spanish
Studies: Polish

 
 Message 20 of 52
10 March 2011 at 5:00pm | IP Logged 
Arekkusu wrote:

I agree with you. This is why I always encourage people to seek language partners or opportunities to use the language with other human beings. It's so much easier to stay motivated -- and harder to quit -- when others can monitor your progress. There's nothing like putting yourself in a position of potential shame to foster a desire to learn!

I really have to agree with this. By the way, I am guilty like so many others of having unused or barely learning materials gathering dust. There's an Assimil Russian and an Assimil Romanian that I'll crack open one day. But to come back to the main issue here, I think it is very difficult to really get worked up about a language with just software or other materials. Even if the material is good--and we do need the books, CD's and web sites--but there's nothing like have somebody in front of you and hearing the real thing.
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Shenandoah
Newbie
United States
Joined 4962 days ago
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Speaks: English*
Studies: French

 
 Message 21 of 52
10 March 2011 at 7:19pm | IP Logged 
Arekkusu wrote:
Shenandoah wrote:
William Camden wrote:

I have also noticed that language study materials in second-hand bookshops tend to be almost pristine after the first chapter or so.   


Yeah, I've also noticed that same thing with Pimsleur courses from the library. The first CD usually has lots of skips and jumps, showing signs of use and wear. The second one has a few. The rest of the CDs are in perfect shape.

Well.... what's the library's loan period? How far can you go in 2-3 weeks?!


The library loan period is 3 weeks (21 days). The first two CDs cover 4 less than 30-minute lessons.

1 person has voted this message useful



crackpot
Triglot
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 6236 days ago
144 posts - 178 votes 
Speaks: English*, French, Spanish
Studies: Italian

 
 Message 22 of 52
10 March 2011 at 7:28pm | IP Logged 
As for me I need the interaction of a class, a tutor or a language exchange partner to
keep me on track. If someone is waiting for me to arrive I just go otherwise I might
slack off. Having said that, when I did take courses at the university or college I
advanced much more quickly than the other students because I know how to learn, what`s
important plus I use other methods like Linguaphone, tutors, etc to supplement my
classroom experience.
1 person has voted this message useful



fuego
Newbie
United Kingdom
Joined 4943 days ago
3 posts - 3 votes
Speaks: English*

 
 Message 23 of 52
10 March 2011 at 10:30pm | IP Logged 
s_allard wrote:
Arekkusu wrote:

I agree with you. This is why I always encourage people to seek language partners or opportunities to use the language with other human beings. It's so much easier to stay motivated -- and harder to quit -- when others can monitor your progress. There's nothing like putting yourself in a position of potential shame to foster a desire to learn!

I really have to agree with this. By the way, I am guilty like so many others of having unused or barely learning materials gathering dust. There's an Assimil Russian and an Assimil Romanian that I'll crack open one day. But to come back to the main issue here, I think it is very difficult to really get worked up about a language with just software or other materials. Even if the material is good--and we do need the books, CD's and web sites--but there's nothing like have somebody in front of you and hearing the real thing.


This is so true. Learning Spanish is part of my university course and I'm enjoying it, but I certainly couldn't learn it on my own. Having deadlines motivates me. There comes a point where, try as hard as you might, you simply need a native speaker to correct you, especially in the early stages. If it's not your native language and you're not speaking it on a day to day basis with someone, it is very easy to become demotivated and forget about it for a few days, which then becomes a week, a fortnight etc.

I admire anyone who achieves self-taught fluency, though I've yet to see it.
1 person has voted this message useful



jdmoncada
Tetraglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 4969 days ago
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Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Finnish
Studies: Russian, Japanese

 
 Message 24 of 52
10 March 2011 at 10:50pm | IP Logged 
William Camden wrote:
Probably less than one in ten go to the end of a self-taught course. After that first burst of initial enthusiasm, sustaining it can be difficult, especially if the blurb tells you that you can "learn Xhosa in six weeks" and then you find that you can't.


I find those blurbs very frustrating, just like the others that will claim that someone can learn a language in 10 days. I don't think so!

Before I get taken by the hype (yes, I sometimes want to believe the fantasty, too), I have to remind myself that I didn't learn my native language that fast, so it's not going to happen with the others, either.


2 persons have voted this message useful



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