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Too shy for Skype? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Luai_lashire Diglot Senior Member United States luai-lashire.deviant Joined 5819 days ago 384 posts - 560 votes  Speaks: English*, Esperanto Studies: Japanese, French | Message 17 of 25 01 October 2010 at 1:26am | IP Logged | ||
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I have pretty severe social phobia so Skype terrifies me. XD I actually prefer phone conversations to face-to-face
conversations because I'm so scared in social situations that my body language goes totally wonky and can be interpreted as anything from "flirty" to "aloof" to "angry" to "bored". I also have a lot of sort of physical comfort "tics" (they're not real tics, they're called stims, but it takes a long time to explain what they are) and so I'd rather not have my speaking partner see my rocking, hand flapping and wringing, and obsessive hair stroking, unless they know me well enough for it not to be awkward. That said, I'm really getting frustrated with having no speaking partners, I really need speaking practice to progress in my languages. I'm going to try to get some Esperantists I'm already friends with to Skype with me, and if I have the courage after that, I might Skype with a Japanese-speaking stranger. I'd feel like an idiot though because I have so much trouble stringing sentences together even though I understand a lot of what I hear. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| stout Senior Member Ireland Joined 5362 days ago 108 posts - 140 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 18 of 25 02 October 2010 at 11:34pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have just started using Skype for French online lessons just over a week ago.
I am living in Ireland and I am communicating with a Belgian tutor who is living in the South of France and I enjoy the lessons very much and I am not in the least bit shy or intimidated in using this method. Yes I have contact with a French-speaker and I have the opportunity to practice my spoken French.So I would recommend Skype for any dedicated language learner... Edited by stout on 02 October 2010 at 11:39pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5576 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 19 of 25 07 October 2010 at 7:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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I "met" my best friend over Skype, it has seriously changed my life. We talk everyday, for hours (not over skype, but texting/email/etc) We send letters and everything. I've talked on skype for 6 hours before, non stop. She's from London, I'm from Pittsburgh. we talk about anything and everything, she knows me better than anyone on the planet. It's to the point now where I can tell if she's mad through texting or something, and her and her family have invited me to spend a week in London this summer. She's the best thing I've got to be honest, I know it sounds so weird :/
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| Gatsby Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6153 days ago 57 posts - 129 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Dutch | Message 20 of 25 09 October 2010 at 8:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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Off Topic, sorry.
Datsunking1 - Is the Pittsburgh Language Club still going strong? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| leosmith Senior Member United States Joined 6541 days ago 2365 posts - 3804 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Tagalog | Message 21 of 25 10 October 2010 at 4:46am | IP Logged | ||
Although I think one should produce speech from day one, I won't torture a native speaker until I have a couple hundred words, some basic grammar and good pronunciation. I usually start skype about the time I finish Pimsleur 2. Then I use my partner as the main source for my new vocab, since my number one interest is conversation. But that's another story... Don't be nervous! (bet that helped) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Deji Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5431 days ago 116 posts - 182 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Hindi, Bengali | Message 22 of 25 12 October 2010 at 8:03am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't use skype but I do use livemocha and then go to yahoo or gmail. I want to exchange Bengali for English or
French. (More fun for me in French--access my inner french lady). You know the thing is with --I'll just call it skype for short--that it really depends whether you turn out to like each other. And you just don't know until you try. And then people are so different from each other. Lots of other people are shy too--like the people on livemocha. I have had many different types of experiences. One guy in Nagpur and I have been talking for over a year. He's really learning French! (Indians are MUCH further away from french than we Amer/Brit English-speakers. It is harder for them) We hit it off because we both had something to share and are both serious about it. One lady was really sharp and gave me some great language info, but it didn't take as a relationship because, essentially she knew all my languages as well or better than me and I really had nothing much to offer. What I learned: Summon up your curiosity and friendliness. The person on the other end of the line is a unique person just like you. You may hit it off, you may frankly, not... fine! Nobody lost anything. A one-time chat is good too. Sometimes it is a little daunting to reach out. But hey--all people want to know, mostly, is if you like THEM. Generally both sides have a sense of how things are going. One lady was nice but I just couldn't follow her Bengali. Some of the Bengali guys on the site are so...so..deshi..(countrified) that I might be the first unsupervised chat with a female. (After the sixth request for a photo, there is no mercy. DUDE, i'm in my sixties !. Can't you see from my photo online ??) A conversation with another guy revealed that we had NOTHING in common. He was slightly horrified to learn that I really was a big fan of classical Indian music. Sort of equivalent to leprosy... of course I don't care for Bollywood either..so there you go. There are a lot of nice people out there. And in general, people are not snarky on language sites. After all, we all have our reasons to be humble, right? And everybody needs others to help them. That's why we're here. So go ahead and make that call ! Edited by Deji on 12 October 2010 at 8:05am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| leosmith Senior Member United States Joined 6541 days ago 2365 posts - 3804 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Tagalog | Message 23 of 25 13 October 2010 at 2:00am | IP Logged | ||
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Nice post Deji. But I would like to say that I had one Mandarin partner for over a year who I didn't care for much,
and the feeling was mutual. We argued almost every session; we met almost every week. It was intense, and it made the session go fast. Also, it made us focus on communication only, busily trying to quash the other's arguments. Glad it's over though. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Deji Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5431 days ago 116 posts - 182 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Hindi, Bengali | Message 24 of 25 13 October 2010 at 7:51pm | IP Logged | ||
Funny! ...yes, it takes all types. Also, my second reaction is WOW. What did you do in Mandarin to get to that spoken level? Were you in country for some time? Ever? 1 person has voted this message useful |
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