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How to learn multiple languages at once?

 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
16 messages over 2 pages: 1 2  Next >>
Takato
Tetraglot
Senior Member
HungaryRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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 Message 1 of 16
15 September 2012 at 2:34pm | IP Logged 
Laoshu505000 (Moses), Professor Arguelles and who not seem to be able to learn multiple languages simultaneously, but I don't know... It seems difficult to learn more than two languages each day. :| It just seems impossible for me.

What do you think? Is it really possible to learn multilangs at once?
1 person has voted this message useful



Serpent
Octoglot
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Russian Federation
serpent-849.livejour
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 Message 2 of 16
15 September 2012 at 3:25pm | IP Logged 
In my opinion, learning more than 3-4 languages is a lifestyle choice. Of course it's difficult to learn 10+ languages by consistently doing just 10-20 mins per day, like ProfArguelles did at one point. But apart from this extreme situation, this "do something every day" thing has more to do with the motivation. Especially when someone is learning their first foreign language, they'll probably give up if they miss a day and then another one and suddenly it's been a week. But if the language is already a part of your lifestyle, losing contact with it for a week won't be a disaster.

The key is to have your fun in foreign languages. For me that's football, audiobooks and music, for others video games etc. Don't give up your hobbies, give up the "quality time" spent with your native language.

Basically, it's fine not to do more than two languages per day. But preferably try different activities, various techniques etc. The key is not what you do when you feel like studying but what you do when you don't feel like studying.
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a3
Triglot
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Bulgaria
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 Message 3 of 16
15 September 2012 at 8:54pm | IP Logged 
Or you could learn a lang for a week or so, the next one another lang, etc and say you're still learning several langs at once just as I do.
1 person has voted this message useful



Cavesa
Triglot
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Czech Republic
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 Message 4 of 16
15 September 2012 at 9:17pm | IP Logged 
Depends on what do you want. If you wnt fast progress, stay with one or two. Even that
can be a change of lifestyle :-)

If you just cannot resist, I'd advise you to choose one or two main languages and keep
the others just for fun and slow progress (I do it this way and I like it). Of course,
you can change which languages are the main ones every few weeks/months, which should
help you progress in all of them. And you need as well some time for maintanace of your
current languages.

There are already many threads on what levels at each language, what different methods
for different languages, etc. I see you have chosen three really hard languages
currently, that may change the situation a bit as those languages are each worth
several easy ones.

The last but most important thing: Take a moment to think about why do you want to
study how-many-exactly languages and how much time and efforts can you trully devote to
your goal. It may be hard to postpone ten languages and focus on just two or three now
so I recommend enjoying some time of wanderlust and exploring the options before you
make the decision.
4 persons have voted this message useful



dysphonia
Tetraglot
Groupie
United States
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Studies: Russian

 
 Message 5 of 16
16 September 2012 at 1:57am | IP Logged 
time x effort / (number of languages) = results

if time or effort = 0
results = 0

as the number of languages increases, the rate of results decreases

its possible but to make the same results in twice as many languages using the same effort per day will take twice as much time....
4 persons have voted this message useful



Serpent
Octoglot
Senior Member
Russian Federation
serpent-849.livejour
Joined 6597 days ago

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 Message 6 of 16
16 September 2012 at 2:32am | IP Logged 
But as someone put it, "there's only so much German I can learn in a day". There's a point where doing even more will be useless (like pouring water into a full glass) and/or cause burn-out.

I think the only more or less unique thing about me is the HIGH level of interest I have in about 10 languages. But even I only love one so much that I could at one point breathe it without wanting anything else. (this is Finnish, my biggest love... I just know that I shouldn't try to do the same with any other language, if nothing else then because I'll be missing Finnish horribly if I lose contact with it)
4 persons have voted this message useful



taqseem
Newbie
Switzerland
Joined 5694 days ago

34 posts - 47 votes
Studies: English

 
 Message 7 of 16
16 September 2012 at 10:12am | IP Logged 
dysphonia wrote:
time x effort / (number of languages) = results

if time or effort = 0
results = 0

as the number of languages increases, the rate of results decreases

its possible but to make the same results in twice as many languages using the same effort per day will take
twice as much time....


to my mind this formula is too simplistic. learning a foreign language is like running up a slide covered with ice.
you must do your best if you want to get to the top. if you run only halfheartedly, you won't get any further.
never seen people taking Italian lessons once a week?
1 person has voted this message useful



patuco
Diglot
Moderator
Gibraltar
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Speaks: Spanish, English*
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 Message 8 of 16
16 September 2012 at 1:33pm | IP Logged 
dysphonia wrote:
time x effort / (number of languages) = results

if time or effort = 0
results = 0

However, if number of languages = 0
results = infinite*

So, best not to learn anything.



* only in some specific cases, otherwise it's undefined.

Edited by patuco on 16 September 2012 at 1:33pm



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