Learning a Language

[burbuja0512]

Just wondering how many of you have learned a language on your own, meaning with just books, CD's, DVD, or other methods. I lived in Mexico for six years and had taken Spanish in high school all the way through AP and I still took at least six months of living in Mexico before I felt comfortable communicating.

Now, I really want to learn Portuguese as I feel that it will compliment my Spanish and be very helpful for my company's efforts in Latin America. (Not to mention, I just think it is really cool)

I went online and rather spontaneously bought Rosetta Stone. I had planned to do a bunch of research to compare methods, but there were so many contradictory reviews. Then, I stumbled across a great sale and found it for 63% off the original price, so it was a lot cheaper than I thought it would be, though definitely still expensive!

Anyhow.. I guess the purpose of the thread isn't to find out how good Rosetta Stone is, because the purchase has already been made. I'm just wondering if there is anyone here that has successfully taught themselves a language enough to manage a basic, or even an advanced conversation. I would really love to hear your experience and advice!

Thanks!

[Lindagerr]

I only speak one language English, but I have a friend who speaks portugese and spanish. She says it is easy to learn one if you know the other. They are not the same but overlap a lot.

[brothert69]

I have used rosetta stone and although I am not yet comfortable conversing in a foreign language it is my fault (not using the program enough) not the programs. I can say that I have retained what was presented in the program thus far quite well and that the limited amount of time I have spent using the program has imparted greater understanding than 4 years of high school classroom teaching.

[LaterBloomer]

Going off target, but here you go. My grandmother wanted to be a doctor. Her Irish lace-curtain father forbade it, so she majored in languages. I don't know all of the languages that she learned in college, but I was told that as an adult she understood Classical Greek, Latin, and could read Sanskrit. In addition, she understood German well enough to be offended by Hitler's low-class German when she heard his speeches on the radio. As an old lady, she tought herself Hebrew. She entered a competition,and won. I can't help picturing it as a competition to encourage young Jewis boys preparing for their bar mitzvas, and them wondering what Jewis mother would name her son Jeannette! hilarious

[burbuja0512]

@LindaGerr - That's what I'm hoping for. Reading Portuguese isn't too difficult as Spanish and Portuguese have so many cognates. However, the spoken language sounds totally different! However, I should have a definite advantage.

@brother - thanks for the vote of confidence on Rosetta Stone. Good to know that it might work

@LaterBloomer - what an interesting story about your grandmother! She must have been an amazingly intelligent woman to have learned such difficult languages.

[PonyGirl93]

I won't go on a Rosetta Stone bashing fit, but I hated it. I'm also a member on a hardcore Language Learning forum where people who know 5+, 8+ languages bash RS. Regardless...

I'm probably a B1 in German, if you are familiar with the CEFR. I have learned from books, podcasts (Deutsche Welle FTW!), movies (my graduation present from my mom was a region-free DVD player :hurray, music, etc. plus a short time of tutoring from a German exchange student. I love German.

After I master German I plan to move on to more languages :p

<sigh at my own nerdiness>

[burbuja0512]

I won't go on a Rosetta Stone bashing fit, but I hated it. I'm also a member on a hardcore Language Learning forum where people who know 5+, 8+ languages bash RS. Regardless...

I'm probably a B1 in German, if you are familiar with the CEFR. I have learned from books, podcasts (Deutsche Welle FTW!), movies (my graduation present from my mom was a region-free DVD player :hurray, music, etc. plus a short time of tutoring from a German exchange student. I love German.

After I master German I plan to move on to more languages :p

<sigh at my own nerdiness>

You are not nerdy at all!! I love learning languages even though I only speak one other than English. My ultimate goal is to learn many of the Romance languages in this order: Spanish (done), Portuguese, French, and Italian.

I have read through several Portuguese grammar books as I have a strange need to conjugate verbs in each tense, even though they say that's not a natural way to learn languages. I struggle with the books as I find that I already understand much of what's written even though I would not know how to speak or recognize what I can already read. I want to be able to speak and understand enough to be able to do business presentations in Portuguese, even if it's with a heavy accent. Understanding written Portuguese isn't my problem..

Do you mind if I ask what you hated about RS? What do members of your language forums say about it and what are their preferred learning methods? Obviously, the best method is to live in the country, but with my five kids and husband, it's not an option at present.

Thanks!

[PonyGirl93]

You are not nerdy at all!! I love learning languages even though I only speak one other than English. My ultimate goal is to learn many of the Romance languages in this order: Spanish (done), Portuguese, French, and Italian.

I have read through several Portuguese grammar books as I have a strange need to conjugate verbs in each tense, even though they say that's not a natural way to learn languages. I struggle with the books as I find that I already understand much of what's written even though I would not know how to speak or recognize what I can already read. I want to be able to speak and understand enough to be able to do business presentations in Portuguese, even if it's with a heavy accent. Understanding written Portuguese isn't my problem..

Do you mind if I ask what you hated about RS? What do members of your language forums say about it and what are their preferred learning methods? Obviously, the best method is to live in the country, but with my five kids and husband, it's not an option at present.

I am most definitely nerdy, but that's alright

The romance languages are beautiful, good luck with your plan!! And I love conjugation! I just feel like I will not know how to say anything if I don't have a firm grasp on the "doing" words. Weird.

Well, I felt that once you got past basic vocab (which it sounds like you will not have a problem with,) it does not teach you anything useful. While it claims that it teaches you in the most natural, thorough method, it really just teaches you mechanical phrases that you strangely and randomly connect with certain photographs. Grammar is miserably neglected, and extremely helpful vocabulary tips (loanwords, false friends, etc) are never explained. That's how I felt about it, anyway. I never paid too much attention to the bashing on the other forum since I was already not using RS. I can PM you the forum if you would like (it is super helpful, useful, and inspiring, regardless of RS bashing :p )

[ryoder]

In other news...

Portugal is going to be bankrupt and defunct in a matter of months due to runaway government spending and Spain is right behind it. I just heard today that money markets are forbidden from investing in Greek and other southern European bonds due to a lack of confidence in the socialist run government's ability to pay its debts.

[burbuja0512]

In other news...

Portugal is going to be bankrupt and defunct in a matter of months due to runaway government spending and Spain is right behind it. I just heard today that money markets are forbidden from investing in Greek and other southern European bonds due to a lack of confidence in the socialist run government's ability to pay its debts.

ROFLMAO... Ryoder you're too funny. I have no interest in Portugal for the time being. It's all about Brazil. With my current focus on Latin America, all I need is Brazilian Portuguese to effectively manage the Americas. I occasionally run into a need for French in Canada, but almost everyone there (except in Quebec) is bilingual, so I'm not in a huge rush.

@PonyGirl - sent you a PM