Comments on: Share the Joy Of Language Learning http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning learning languages online.... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:00:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Glober http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning/comment-page-1#comment-131 Glober Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:36:59 +0000 http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning#comment-131 Be very careful of the learning method you use. Linguists, and people with vast experience in learning languages will almost always agree on the fact that most language learning methods out there are 50-70 percent fluff! It's pretty easy to get away with telling you that you'll be able to speak a language when for example, someone says "hello", they're speaking English, and it doesn't mean they can actually communicate. Being semi-fluent means you have a functional comprehension of at least 65% in the conventional range of that language, while fluent would be anything greater than 80%. If you don't have the time to learn a language properly, and you're after something quick and easy, then you're probably headed towards disappointment. The best method to getting as far as you can get in the shortest period of time is called the “3 step”. The first step is to complete a FULL Pimsleur (MUST BE PIMSLEUR) course. Listen to each lesson at least 2 times, taking notes the first time with new vocabulary and studying before listening the second time. The 2nd step is to form a list of the 3,000 most common/frequently used words/vocabulary in English, to also include the eight parts of speech (verbs, nouns, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections), which you can search the web for. Once you've formed the list, you need to find accurate generic-translations, which you can apply to most common case scenarios of that language(definatley the most challenging part of all this). Once that's done, make flash cards or whichever method works best for you in memorizing vocabulary, but try to include each word in a sentence, in addition to just the new word and it's meaning (basically, know how to use it as correctly as possible). Repetition is the key here, so this would also be a good time to solidify your pronunciation. After you've memorized all that, the 3rd step is to locate 4 movies that are preferably some kind of Disney movie, or anything of a slower pace. Childrens movies seem to work best for this. Watch ONLY these same 4 movies in the language you're trying to learn, with good, quality English subtitles, continuously, to the point where you know what's going to be said next. Try to plan completing each step in this order, exactly as described within a time-frame of about 10-12 months. When you're done, you should be somewhere in the range of “semi-fluency”, at the point where learning after the “3 step” is quick and easy, and being close to fluent after 2 years of using it everyday, and learning at least an additional 100 new vocabulary words a month during that time. The downside to the 3-step method, is that when you're finished, you still may not be grammatically up to par, but will know more than enough to get there easily, which is what makes this the best and most efficient “fast” method, but not necessarily a good substitute for formal education. Either way, it can't hurt to try! Good luck!<br><b>References : </b><br> Be very careful of the learning method you use. Linguists, and people with vast experience in learning languages will almost always agree on the fact that most language learning methods out there are 50-70 percent fluff! It’s pretty easy to get away with telling you that you’ll be able to speak a language when for example, someone says "hello", they’re speaking English, and it doesn’t mean they can actually communicate. Being semi-fluent means you have a functional comprehension of at least 65% in the conventional range of that language, while fluent would be anything greater than 80%. If you don’t have the time to learn a language properly, and you’re after something quick and easy, then you’re probably headed towards disappointment. The best method to getting as far as you can get in the shortest period of time is called the “3 step”. The first step is to complete a FULL Pimsleur (MUST BE PIMSLEUR) course. Listen to each lesson at least 2 times, taking notes the first time with new vocabulary and studying before listening the second time. The 2nd step is to form a list of the 3,000 most common/frequently used words/vocabulary in English, to also include the eight parts of speech (verbs, nouns, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections), which you can search the web for. Once you’ve formed the list, you need to find accurate generic-translations, which you can apply to most common case scenarios of that language(definatley the most challenging part of all this). Once that’s done, make flash cards or whichever method works best for you in memorizing vocabulary, but try to include each word in a sentence, in addition to just the new word and it’s meaning (basically, know how to use it as correctly as possible). Repetition is the key here, so this would also be a good time to solidify your pronunciation. After you’ve memorized all that, the 3rd step is to locate 4 movies that are preferably some kind of Disney movie, or anything of a slower pace. Childrens movies seem to work best for this. Watch ONLY these same 4 movies in the language you’re trying to learn, with good, quality English subtitles, continuously, to the point where you know what’s going to be said next. Try to plan completing each step in this order, exactly as described within a time-frame of about 10-12 months. When you’re done, you should be somewhere in the range of “semi-fluency”, at the point where learning after the “3 step” is quick and easy, and being close to fluent after 2 years of using it everyday, and learning at least an additional 100 new vocabulary words a month during that time. The downside to the 3-step method, is that when you’re finished, you still may not be grammatically up to par, but will know more than enough to get there easily, which is what makes this the best and most efficient “fast” method, but not necessarily a good substitute for formal education. Either way, it can’t hurt to try! Good luck!
References :

]]> By: annely http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning/comment-page-1#comment-130 annely Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:34:59 +0000 http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning#comment-130 Immersion - not necessary, but incredibly helpful. Just like anything else, you want to learn a language from the pros. More often than not, native speakers fit the bill. They may not always find it easy to explain grammatical patterns and jargon, but they help a lot with pronunciation, expressions/idioms, and determining contextual and cultural meanings. Plus living in a country where the language is spoken by the majority will force you to learn and apply that language often. It also means that several top notch language resources will be available nearby. Focus - Be steady in your studies. If you go for a long time without studying, you`ll end up forgetting everything, and having to start all over again. And you can`t learn anything well if you`re not focused. Drive - You need to be interested in the language in order to stick to it. If you don`t like it, the learning process will be more tiring and less rewarding. PRACTICE ! - Like I said earlier, if you don`t practice, you will forget it. I learned this the hard way. Don`t be afraid of making mistakes. If a language was too easy to learn, it wouldn`t be that much of an achievement now would it?<br><b>References : </b><br> Immersion – not necessary, but incredibly helpful. Just like anything else, you want to learn a language from the pros. More often than not, native speakers fit the bill. They may not always find it easy to explain grammatical patterns and jargon, but they help a lot with pronunciation, expressions/idioms, and determining contextual and cultural meanings. Plus living in a country where the language is spoken by the majority will force you to learn and apply that language often. It also means that several top notch language resources will be available nearby.

Focus – Be steady in your studies. If you go for a long time without studying, you`ll end up forgetting everything, and having to start all over again. And you can`t learn anything well if you`re not focused.

Drive – You need to be interested in the language in order to stick to it. If you don`t like it, the learning process will be more tiring and less rewarding.

PRACTICE ! – Like I said earlier, if you don`t practice, you will forget it. I learned this the hard way. Don`t be afraid of making mistakes. If a language was too easy to learn, it wouldn`t be that much of an achievement now would it?
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]]> By: Diet Pepsi Max Fan http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning/comment-page-1#comment-129 Diet Pepsi Max Fan Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:32:59 +0000 http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning#comment-129 Your biggest obstacle will be to distance yourself from your own language. Because a certain word, structure, preposition, etc. is used in your language does not mean the other language will be the same. I would also suggest you take the time to learn proper pronunciation right from the start. Not for the sake of being understood, but because if you know exactly (or have a clear mental image of) how a word is pronounced, you will be a lot better at remember it. Most people dislike grammar and avoid it. But grammar is your friend; without it, you can't even form sentences. Attack it right from the start and learn how to structure complete sentences using all available tenses. Get a good grammar book and read it. Finally, use it. Practice every day. Use your daily life as a source for things you need to be able to express. Books can cover things you will never talk about, but if you pay attention to what you do and say in your day, you will know what you need to learn. Spend at least some time in your day to try to tell a story, or a few sentences, about what you did, are doing, or want to do -- in that language, of course. Look up everything you don't know.<br><b>References : </b><br> Your biggest obstacle will be to distance yourself from your own language. Because a certain word, structure, preposition, etc. is used in your language does not mean the other language will be the same.

I would also suggest you take the time to learn proper pronunciation right from the start. Not for the sake of being understood, but because if you know exactly (or have a clear mental image of) how a word is pronounced, you will be a lot better at remember it.

Most people dislike grammar and avoid it. But grammar is your friend; without it, you can’t even form sentences. Attack it right from the start and learn how to structure complete sentences using all available tenses. Get a good grammar book and read it.

Finally, use it. Practice every day. Use your daily life as a source for things you need to be able to express. Books can cover things you will never talk about, but if you pay attention to what you do and say in your day, you will know what you need to learn. Spend at least some time in your day to try to tell a story, or a few sentences, about what you did, are doing, or want to do — in that language, of course. Look up everything you don’t know.
References :

]]> By: burjubr http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning/comment-page-1#comment-128 burjubr Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:30:04 +0000 http://www.stand-texas.org/learning-japanese/share-the-joy-of-language-learning#comment-128 <b>Can anyone share good techniques they used on learning a new language?</b><br> Can anyone share good techniques they used on learning a new language?

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