Anybody know more than 2 languages?

[JanusthePhoenix]

I'm relearning Spanish for those easy 12 credits, and for work utility. Rosetta Stone is great! I was thinking that after I complete the language packs for Spanish and felt solidly fluent, I would move on to Russian. So I was wondering how many other people learned another language after their second? Is it as much easier as they say than the first 'other' language?

[mightymouse]

I am stationed here in Yokosuka, Japan and trying to learn Japanese. Rosetta stone is great for learning a second language! When i use the program, I learn alot. Unfortunately I get distracted from learning it because of work/college/clep study/ and coaching youth sports.

I told a friend at work that spoke spanish about the CLEP exam she could take and earn 12 credits. I let her log on to petersons and try the practice exam and she got almost all of the questions right and she thought it was pretty funny.

The question seems to be talking about one thing, and a couple of the answers are like off the wall like WTF and then one or two seem right. Spanish is totally doable if you study enough. Although you have to score higher than a 50 to get the full 12 credits with EC.

[rona58]

Yes, there can be a bit of mixing them up, but basically once you get used to the idea of syntax and grammar being different than English, a third language is faster and easier to learn than a second, depending on the languages involved. Obviously, languages in the same family help. For example, if you speak Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French are very easy to learn.

Some languages are just tougher. Russian, for example, has those pesky declensions, so it is frustrating. And of course you need to learn the cyrillic alphabet, although that's not too tough.

I am a polyglot, and plan on getting 12 credits each for Spanish, French and German. Yes, lucky me!

[tbradford1]

I think that after you learn a decent amount of one it makes it easier to learn others. It seems like you just get a better understanding of sentence structure and how to learn the pieces better after the first one.

I also wanted to add to Mightymouse that for learning Japanese Pimsleur has been my favorite tool so far. It doesn't give you the written piece that Rosetta Stone gives you, but I haven't tried anything better for just getting you to the point of understanding the gist of what's going on around you and allowing you to participate in the conversations. I haven't had the chance to go to Japan yet, but Pimsleur has made dinners and activities with my boyfriend's family easier for me (his parents speak Japanese almost exclusively). I can actually understand what's being talked about for the most part (although speaking Japanese in front of his mother requires a level of bravery I haven't achieved yet haha)!

[jaer57]

Another useful tool for the Japanese language student, at least in my experience, was the magazine Hiragana Times. This magazine has articles in english, hiragana, katakana, and kanji with the associated hiragana above it (furigana). If you haven't already, I highly recommend learning to read the 46 hiragana and 46 katakana characters. It will vastly improve your speed in grasping the language, and as you perfect the sounds of the 46 characters, your pronunciation will only get better. I've never used Rosetta Stone, or any software for that matter, so I don't know if it teaches the alphabets.

Being in Japan is perfect for self-study; you have access to a lot of good materials and can immerse yourself in the language. I was also helped by children's books and various manga that are completely in hiragana. If you buy some of those books, just translate them as your vocabulary grows. Exercises like that really helped. It also helps to make some Japanese friends. In any case, good luck!

Nihongo ga daisuki desu yo! Korekaramo ganbatte kudasai!

[jwilson08]

I know Engish (duh) and working on espanol.

My brother, though, can speak English, chinese, and spanish.

[maryyj]

Learning languages has always been fun and easy for me. I guess it's because I grew up hearing two languages, English and Chinese mandarin, spoken to me all the time. In elementary, I easily picked up Spanish, then German in middle school, then French in high school. The only problem was I forgot the Spanish and German when I stopped practicing it. Now, I can read and write basic French, but the pronunciation is very difficult for me. As long as I keep studying and practicing, I gain more confidence and understanding in the sentence structure, grammar, and such. o(n_<)o
By the way, I usually use sites that offer free flashcards, exercises, or quizzes to help me out. Or I just borrow audio books or textbooks from the library. Whenever I'm stuck on a question, I just ask on a language site. For listening and speaking, I have some friends who can speak French, and plenty of relatives to practice mandarin on.

[kevin7314]

I've forgotten every one I've studied, but this is the list:
Latin
German
Spanish
French
Esperanto
Russian
English
I've tried chinese, vietnamese, and other oriental languages and I can't get hear the minor variations (in addition they sound unpleasant to my western ear).




How to learn a language in 1 hour:
How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1 Hour (Plus: A Favor)

[JanusthePhoenix]

Thanks for the link, Kevin. I think those ideas will come in handy.

Here's a link I found: Learning Languages

Probably fairly easy to find, given the url. :p Still, good content. The section on language difficulty and overviews was quite interesting.