|
 |
Which language to pursue? | ||
Tags: Choosing a Language | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| ICEyun Newbie United States Joined 5828 days ago 3 posts - 3 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean | Message 1 of 15 16 December 2008 at 9:54pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
For reference, my native tongue is English. I did attempt to take an Italian college course, but all I got out of the first semester was how to order in a restaurant or ask for the time of day... but I'm stumbling quite a bit with that. There are some I am considering learning, but am not entirely sure:
Korean - I am of Korean heritage and I find the culture quite interesting, but I have heard it is quite difficult. Thai - I'm mostly fond of the way it is written, and it has an almost musical sound to it. I have heard it is also a rather difficult language to pursue. German - I am also of German heritage. I attempted to learn this at one time, but I only had a small phrasebook to aid me. Italian - I could possibly try to pick this up, but like any language I would pursue, I am considering doing it myself... as in purchasing a CD/book set somewhere and studying diligently, with the aid of any other supplemental tools. (recommendations, anyone?) Finnish - I love the way this one looks when it is written, but I don't really consider it a high priority and I have heard it is one of the most difficult European languages to learn. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| jbiesnecker Diglot Newbie China yuehan.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6346 days ago 4 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: Cantonese, Shanghainese | Message 2 of 15 17 December 2008 at 12:14am | IP Logged | |||||
|
I'd say Korean, only because "[you] find the culture quite interesting." Having something beside the language that draws you to the people that speak that language is important (because ultimately language is about people, right?).
I've heard it's hard, too, but every language is hard in its own way. Mostly, for an English speaker, Korean will be very different, but once you wrap your head around those differences it shouldn't be too bad, and you'll gain a new way of thinking about the world. In the end learning a language, any language, is going to take a lot of hard work, so I'd say pick something that you think you'll stay interested in for long enough to see it through and go for it. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6017 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes  Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 3 of 15 17 December 2008 at 6:15am | IP Logged | |||||
|
If you want to learn German or Italian, I'd get the Michel Thomas course out of the library.
So far the only people I've heard say bad things about Thomas are people who have already learned languages with more traditional methods and people whose native language is not English. I find Thomas makes it simple -- no memorising lists and tables, but at the same time you learn to build up your own sentences, not just parrot phrases. Edited by Cainntear on 17 December 2008 at 10:39am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Leopejo Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6115 days ago 675 posts - 724 votes Speaks: Italian*, Finnish*, English Studies: French, Russian | Message 4 of 15 17 December 2008 at 8:41am | IP Logged | |||||
I will be your exception then. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6017 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 5 of 15 17 December 2008 at 10:38am | IP Logged | |||||
OK, then I'll add "... and people whose native language is not English." The courses were designed for English speakers and it's not surprising that it doesn't work too well for someone with English only as a second language. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Juan M. Senior Member Colombia Joined 5905 days ago 460 posts - 597 votes | Message 6 of 15 17 December 2008 at 11:27am | IP Logged | |||||
|
While I already know most if not all of the material, I just started the Michel Thomas Beginner German course to reinforce my knowledge, as well as to see what the program is like and to do something productive while I'm walking around the city :-) From my very limited mastery of German, unfortunately I found the pronunciation to be quite bad. Other than that, it should be quite useful.
As for the original question, study the language towards whose culture you feel attracted the most. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Leopejo Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6115 days ago 675 posts - 724 votes Speaks: Italian*, Finnish*, English Studies: French, Russian | Message 7 of 15 17 December 2008 at 1:05pm | IP Logged | |||||
I don't agree. Anybody who has a basic knowledge of English language and understanding of British culture will not be disadvantaged. Michel Thomas method's problems lie elsewhere. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| reineke Senior Member United States https://learnalangua Joined 6453 days ago 851 posts - 1008 votes Studies: German | Message 8 of 15 17 December 2008 at 6:34pm | IP Logged | |||||
You need to find a balance between "hard" and worthwhile. Korean will require 4x the effort you'll need for Italian. You might still find Korean is worth it. You seem to be pursuing language learning for personal pleasure. In this case consider "hard" just a longer ride to your destination - something that you will enjoy. If you're dying to start using the language asap, go back to Italian. 1/4 the effort and a wonderful culture to explore. 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. |
