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Practicing TL locally/leveling up | ||
Tags: Conversation | Speaking | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5031 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 9 of 21 07 May 2014 at 11:48am | IP Logged | |||||
When I went to Rome last month I kept a notebook in my pocket, and I had drawn out squares which represented 10 minutes of speech with a native Italian, and another set of squares per person. So I went for four days and had a target of speaking 4 hours per day and to 30 people. I managed to get 30 people, but only for very short periods of time. Actually the longest conversation with a total stranger I had in Italy was talking to a homeless guy about his two dogs in a metro station for about 30-40 minutes. He was really happy and excited to talk about his two dogs, and I was happy to give him €20 since I've paid more for less worthwhile lessons. French is easier for me since I work in a company with 5-6 French natives in the building. But they quickly get bored of me and switch to English. :( Personally I've found skype language exchanges easier than trying to stalk tourists. 5 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4597 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 10 of 21 07 May 2014 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Skype is definitively looming as a next step- I know it needs to be done but I feel my
writing is far too weak still. If I can't compose a reasonably competent short letter, speaking isn't going to last long or be particularly intelligible. But I have had lessons by Skype recommended to me by other forumites which seems like a good starting point. I've just got to get over 'the fear'. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6392 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 11 of 21 07 May 2014 at 2:56pm | IP Logged | |||||
I'd also say it's good to wait until you overhear the person speak this language to someone else, as opposed to hunting based just on the looks (especially when racial differences are involved). It's creepy, and as Gemuse said it's also simply easier to reply in the heritage language if you're already in the right mode. At a restaurant, you can ask about a specific food (in English) and see if they pronounce the name in a native-like way. That's already some evidence that they might speak the language. (assuming the language is used in the menu - I've seen more Italian menus in Russia, Poland or Finland than in Malta :D) Also, attend various cultural events. Do your best to prove that you're serious about the language, and not just want to show off how you know 3 words. That's especially important if you're not alone, and your friend (etc) isn't learning the language. Don't let them praise you in the typical monolingual way. As Iversen's example shows, reading stuff in L2 will get you noticed. Speaking of that, don't deflate like a balloon if the person doesn't happen to speak the language. They don't owe it to you. (general "you", like everywhere else in this post) Finally, be open-minded. Try to learn from negative experiences and accept the possibility that what you said or did might be perceived as racist, xenophobic, sexist etc. If you have friends from said culture, listen to them and don't be defensive. Edited by Serpent on 07 May 2014 at 3:02pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4597 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 12 of 21 08 May 2014 at 3:40pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Thanks, Serpent. I'd never go by looks. Scotland might not be as multicultural as, say,
New York, but I don't think I ever, in the UK at least, assume anyone wasn't born here or hasn't at least lived here for a few years regardless of ethnicity or clothing. Maybe my best bet for encounters is to let the language find me... As for existing contacts, my best friend does now email and text me largely in German and I in return depending on how energetic we feel (we live 400 miles apart). Which I realise is very generous as she's delightfully stereotypically Teutonic in her pursuit of excellence. And my grammar is 'dreadful'. :) although hopefully improved from that assessment a couple of months ago... The idea of cultural events is very useful and not something I'd considered at all. Thanks. Someone (sorry I can't remember their username right now) has kindly let me know about a couple of Scottish conversation groups. I could also be looking up the Goethe Institute in Glasgow. I know they do the language exams and classes so they might do other activities. On the same theme, if I joined the eye-wateringly expensive evening classes at the university, I get free membership of the FL film club. So that might be another tool. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6498 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 13 of 21 08 May 2014 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | |||||
Actually I didn't deflate - the girl did when she realized she hadn't found another Portuguese expat. And mostly people don't notice my weird choice of reading materials - either they are busy with their mobile phones or they just try to survive the trip to their destination. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tastyonions Triglot Senior Member United States goo.gl/UIdChYRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4460 days ago 1044 posts - 1823 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: Italian | Message 14 of 21 08 May 2014 at 5:00pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I imagine people remarking on your reading choice is a bit more likely if you're in a Latin Alphabet country and reading something in Arabic, Thai, or Mandarin.
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5031 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 15 of 21 08 May 2014 at 5:28pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I remember a fellow reading a book in Italian on the train when I worked in London. But never worked up the nerve to interrupt him.
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6392 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 16 of 21 08 May 2014 at 7:06pm | IP Logged | |||||
2 persons have voted this message useful |
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