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How many languages do you learn at once? | ||
Tags: Simultaneous study | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5373 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes  Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 9 of 12 09 December 2010 at 5:04pm | IP Logged |
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When I was in university, I used to study 3 or 4 at the same time (some of them in intensive classes), on top of English and French. I don't think I had any particular goal in those languages though, since I just wanted to have a broad exposure to many languages and I was genuinely having fun. For the record, that didn't stop me from reaching basic fluency in some of them (namely German and Spanish). In retrospect, though, those are easy languages for a guy who speaks French and English.
Now, however, I'm only studying one -- Japanese. And I do have a serious goal: to reach a high enough level to translate from the language, and ultimately, maybe interpret from it. Both goals may or may not be realistic, but it's what drives me. In short, if many languages keep you interested, go for it. But having a specific goal in only one language at a time is also ok. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Sierra Diglot Senior Member Turkey livinginlights.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 7116 days ago 296 posts - 411 votes Speaks: English*, SwedishB1 Studies: Turkish | Message 10 of 12 09 December 2010 at 7:53pm | IP Logged |
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Actively? One.
I still like to pick up something in Swedish or Spanish now and then (and ellasevia makes a good point... I learn new things about my native language, English, constantly!), but that's all incidental. 100% of my studying energy goes toward Turkish. It's for a few reasons, really: First and most straightforward, I don't trust myself yet not to mix up languages. I don't doubt that there are plenty of people who either don't experience this difficulty or find suitable ways to get past it, but it's one burden I don't feel like chucking onto my back just yet. Second, well... I want to become as fluent as possible in Turkish in the least amount of time I can manage. I understand the argument in the OP that studying multiple languages at once increases your breadth of knowledge (and depth can come later), but currently I'm all about depth (and breadth can come later). Different strokes for different folks. We'll end up in more or less the same place after six years if you study A, B, and C concurrently the whole time and I spend two years on each... but while I understand the lure of the first way, right now I mostly just care about "getting really good at Turkish." I'll get to Hebrew, Russian, Persian, and Hindi someday- but that day is not going to be today. Third and finally, over the years I've had an embarrassing and discouraging number of totally failed language learning attempts. The only foreign language I've ever managed to learn to a decent level of competence- Swedish- was mostly the result of living in Sweden, with a Swedish-speaking family and attending a Swedish school, and not having the opportunity to slack off. I've already come farther with Turkish than I have with German, Russian, French, Hindi, Arabic, Korean... humiliatingly, the list goes on. And whatever I do, I don't want to jeopardize my continued progress in Turkish in any way. I can't be sure that taking on another language would hurt my Turkish (making me lose interest, distracting my attention, causing me to burn out, whatever) but that's a chance I'm not going to take. Maybe when I've learned one language well- and without the significant outside motivating factors I had with Swedish- I'll feel comfortable with two or more at a time. But for now? No way. All Turkish for me, please. Sierra 4 persons have voted this message useful | |
| justberta Diglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5577 days ago 140 posts - 170 votes Speaks: English, Norwegian* Studies: Indonesian, German, Spanish, Russian | Message 11 of 12 09 December 2010 at 10:45pm | IP Logged |
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I believe it is a tool as opposed to a detriment to study 2 or more languages
simultaneously. IF (Very big if) you have already had some time to let your last languageS settle into your brain properly. For instance: Norwegian as a mother tongue. English at age 8. (Fluent level of Norwegian reached here I suppose.) German at age 13. (Intermediate level of English reached.) Spanish at age 20. (Intermediate German, fluent English.) Indonesian at age 25. (Intermediate German and Spanish, native fluency English) Russian at age 26/now. (Intermediate Indonesian, German and Spanish.) Language X in the future. (Intermediate Russian or fluent Spanish.) However, I don't think this would be possible, maybe Spanish as a replacement for English? I feel as if it would be too many languages though. Perhaps if Spanish took over the world... (Here's hoping!) I don't believe I would have been able to study Indonesian and Russian without extreme English fluency, because I would still be thinking and speaking in Norwegian, which would have taken up more space somehow. Do any of you want to contribute to the above model? Edited by justberta on 09 December 2010 at 10:46pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | |
| clumsy Octoglot Senior Member Poland lang-8.com/6715Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5170 days ago 1116 posts - 1367 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Written), Swedish Studies: Danish, Dari, Kirundi | Message 12 of 12 10 December 2010 at 11:14am | IP Logged |
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You may do this like that:
first week learning Chinese Next week learning Spanish etc. This way you mix the methods! that's interesting I would say!~ As for me, I am usually concentrated on one language at a time, but do so learning in others as i have free time. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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