|
 |
How did you choose your target language? | ||
Tags: Choosing a Language | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| dysphonia Tetraglot Groupie United States Joined 7161 days ago 48 posts - 58 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, French, German Studies: Russian | Message 9 of 141 26 April 2005 at 10:53pm | IP Logged |
|
My primary decision for each language is always usefulness. Usually I am about to spend 3 months or so in a country that speaks a different language. However, that might be a slightly disingenuous answer as it doesn't explain why I have persisted with Spanish but not Arabic, both of which I initially studied out of 'necessity'. I think my reasons for long- term study of a language have a lot more to do with personal-aesthetics (do I like the sound, do I enjoy the culture, are there books I am dying to read in the native language, are there countries I am likely to visit on vacation, how many people do I meet on a regular basis that it enables me to interact with). Studying a language takes so much work (at least for the less gifted like me!) that I have to have a deep abiding interest in the culture, the television programs, enjoy the music, etc as these are essentially my 'study materials' and so for studying to be long-term and committed I am going to have a to spend a significant amount of time with these - and so it has to be fun. (I think it's for that reason that, even though I think you have done a really great job with them already, if I were to suggest expansion of the language profiles in any way it would be more on the cultural aspects/richness/uniqueness of each - links to say traditional music forms, maybe with some modern popular mp3 song clips, examples of idioms, proverbs etc that help illustrate a national personality. Of course having said that I realize that any such thing is a formidable task (and quite possibly something not anyone else would be interested in!). Edited by dysphonia on 26 April 2005 at 10:55pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Bart Triglot Senior Member Belgium Joined 7160 days ago 155 posts - 159 votes Speaks: Dutch*, French, English Studies: German, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish | Message 10 of 141 27 April 2005 at 8:21am | IP Logged |
|
I chose Japanese mostly because of the fabulous writing system, even now I can read hiragana and katakana fluently and can recognize about 300 kanji, it still feels as if I'm reading something top secret ^^
And of course I dream about going to Japan one day, because it's such a unique country and very beautiful to boot. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| ujoe Diglot Newbie Malaysia Joined 7208 days ago 14 posts - 14 votes Speaks: Malay, English* | Message 11 of 141 03 May 2005 at 1:45pm | IP Logged |
|
Coming from a mainly English-speaking home, I had a headstart in the language. From primary to secondary school there was only one subject in English. I didn't depend on school to achieve near-native fluency - it was my family and social environment coupled with personal motivation to read as much as possible.
Cantonese I studied in order to connect with my heritage. It was the first language of my grandparents and great-grandparents, but among my generation within my family it has become a second language, supplanted mainly by English. Malay I learnt because I had to - it's the national language of my country. It's compulsory in all Malaysian schools. Only at a later stage did I start to enjoy learning the language, after realizing its importance for regional communication. It's also the language for officialdom. Mandarin I took up for social and economic reasons. One of these being plenty of opportunities to practice with real-life speakers. Very useful for making friends, and these days the ability to speak Mandarin is becoming a prerequisite for many jobs. Besides, it'll definitely help if I go for vacation in China or Taiwan. Spanish because I wanted to know the meanings of salsa song lyrics. Also to watch the telenovelas on TV in the original. It'll also serve as a good foundation to learn other Romance languages in future, if I choose so. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| ElComadreja Senior Member Philippines bibletranslatio Joined 7238 days ago 683 posts - 757 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Cebuano, French, Tagalog | Message 12 of 141 14 August 2005 at 1:02pm | IP Logged |
|
I go for usefulness first, followed by relative ease of learning, followed by chic. Since I already had English, Spanish had all three of these things it seemed. Especially since I live in Houston. In my neighborhood alone, there are more Spanish only (or very awkward English) speakers than anything else by about 2 times. French was next on my list because, although it has limited usage here, there are many countries that use it (or use it when convenient), it is *very* chic, and it was easier because of my knowledge of Spanish.
The question is, what do I do next? It seems to me that having two romance languages under my belt would make Portuguese and Italian quite easy. But for usefulness (again especially in Houston), the next language would be a very emphatic Mandarin Chinese. I shy away from that, however, as there are not any cheap versions of FSI Chinese (or a comparable course) available. At least I can defer this decision until I get better at French. I "flirt" with other languages all the time, thanks mostly in part to the Pimsleur courses. As of right now, I'm going through the quick & simple Hindi. Edited by ElComadreja on 14 August 2005 at 1:15pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| delectric Diglot Senior Member China Joined 7181 days ago 608 posts - 733 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: German | Message 13 of 141 17 August 2005 at 4:10pm | IP Logged |
|
I looked at all the useful languages in the world that would cover nearly any loacation in the world as a first or as a second language.
Then I looked at which of them was the hardest, as I thought I should start by learning that language first. I also took into account chic factor and exoticness and out came Mandarin. ElComadreja: There are plenty of great mandarin courses comparable to the FSI course. There's someone who sells the CCTV9 course on ebay. Unfortunately the postage from China is also quite high. I bought my CCTV course for about 16 pounds in China - 40 lessons, 24 tapes and about 80 dialogues. I think if I was given a choice between only FSI and CCTV9 I really don't know which one is better. Certainly, in terms of, value for money the CCTV9 is, the best, even with the high shipping cost. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| jmlgws Senior Member Canada Joined 7102 days ago 102 posts - 104 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Spanish, Mandarin | Message 14 of 141 17 August 2005 at 4:51pm | IP Logged |
|
I was looking for importance, ease of learning, culture and social use. Here in Canada, French presumably fits all of the above for me. It is Canada's other official language, and incidentally the language of maybe 1/3 of the actuaries here in Canada. I have taken some French in school, presumably even if this doesn't count for much it counts for something. There is lots of French culture in many areas. Finally while I can't use French nearly as much as if I lived in Quebec, there are a decent number of French speakers here, so I can get some social use out of it. Also I think French women are pretty :) (Barry Farber says that these "social" motivations are valid, and I am a single lonely male.)
Certainly the next language shall be Spanish. It is not nearly as important as French here in Canada, presumably though it is more important if I were to move to the USA. My second romance language should be easier, there is a lot of Spanish culture from many different countries, there is a large Spanish population from many countries here in Toronto, and I think Spanish women are pretty :) Also I can use much the same study methods as I have for French: currently I am half way through Pimsleur French III, also have bought Barron's Mastering French I and II. I expect in a few weeks to be doing a whole lot of FSI drills :) Hopefully I won't find them too tedious and can make it through the whole FSI French program (shall need to get levels 3 and 4 from multilingualbooks I guess), at which point I might try to start with Pimsleur Spanish and Platiquemos. This takes me at least another year, so I can easily change afterwards, but I do wonder what would be next. There is a large Italian population in Toronto so it would be a good "social" language, and it might be the easiest choice, but I am not sure if it is "important". German is important, but I don't think the German population is too large here in Toronto so it might not be as "social". I am fascinated by the Russian culture, there is a very large Russian/Slavic population here, and I find Russian women to be pretty and highly intelligent, but I'm afraid that Russian might be very hard to learn. Other languages might be fascinating, I would especially like to learn Mandarin and Latin at some point, but they would be further in the future. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| randy310 Senior Member United States Joined 7065 days ago 117 posts - 117 votes Speaks: English* | Message 15 of 141 18 August 2005 at 1:23am | IP Logged |
|
jmlgws, you have what I would consider an excellent plan for Spanish and French. Yes i agree that proximity of native speakers to be an important consideration in deciding where you go after French and Spanish. And I also agree that social considerations are definitely valid. My learning Spanish definitely helped in my relationship with my lady friend who was born and grew up in Mexico and who is now an american citizen. Being able to talk to her family in Mexico who speak no English is a big plus too. If you are seeking someone, your language skills can be a great asset. There are two other skills you might keep in mind in your search for a relatioship. Make her laugh and make her feel good about herself in areas in which she is insecure and all of us have those areas. This will put you in the drivers seat!
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| sapedro Triglot Senior Member Portugal descredito.blogspot. Joined 7118 days ago 216 posts - 219 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, English, French Studies: Croatian, Serbian, Greek | Message 16 of 141 18 August 2005 at 2:39am | IP Logged |
|
I went to Croatia this Summer. I have friends in Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia. That's the reason. I already started studying again after getting back home !
1 person has voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
