Learning a New Language Past Age 10

[Gary Crumrine]

Scotrace, please consider the small book "How to Learn Any Language" by Barry Faber. Mr. Faber has learned multiple languages and has written a book describing not how he learned, but how he would have learnt if he knew then what he now knows. It's a multi-medial approach that I've employed using Rosetta Stone and Plimsleur. Splendid little book that I have found most helpful.

 

[scotrace]

French is on the menu.

 

[staggerwing]

I had three years of Spanish in high school...unfortunately, it was the first year three times over.

 

[sweetfrancaise]

I studied French for a while: two years in junior high, two in high school, and two in college, plus two summers spent in France. While I consider myself relatively fluent, it's not because of the classes, 'though they certainly helped!, but because of my trips over there. My college professor was the one who really helped get me going--born and raised in France and went to school on an American military base, so his English is impeccable (no accent!). I grasped the concepts alright, 'though I really need a grammar touch-up, but living in the country has really helped enormously. As for my accent, I've been asked if I'm French or English (which is probably one of the best compliments I could receive!). No one ever guesses I'm American. I don't recommend tapes, at all. They've never helped me--movies, and music, however, are a must. My college professor used them for writing and speech exercises, making us interpret lyrics or symbolism to expand our use of the language. If you want recommendations on anything, let me know!

 

[Pilotguy299]

I think it depends on

your individual style of learning. Some people learn better by lecture, some by reading, some by multi-media. I picked up more by traveling to Germany and having some assistance from relatives who spoke english, than I ever did from my classes in College. The positive influences of the german beer and it's ability to make one feel more comfortable and less likely to be worried about making a mistake may have had something to do with it.

 

[thebadmamajama]

I teach foreign language as well (French) and from what I've learned and studied, learning a language as an adult (despite all of the talk about how "you have to learn it at a young age or else it will be impossible (Napoleon Dynamite voice..feel my spite?)) can actually be even MORE enriching because you already KNOW how languages work, how systems work, and better how YOU learn and organize things in your own brain, plus you are able to apply a more sophisticated background to apply to the language you are learning. Not to say that it can't be frustrating, but it very well can be done. Immersion really is the best way, even if it's just a course, make sure the ENTIRE THING is taught in the language. It will surprise you just how much you pick up. Bonne chance. C'est bien possible.

(and way to go to pick the best language ever, Scotrace ;p)

 

[BellyTank]

We live in Denmark.
My Daughter, who is almost 2¬? years old, "speaks" three languages;
English, Danish and Hindi- I'm a native English speaker, my Wife is a native Danish speaker who happens to be of Indian heritage. I speak mostly English to my Daughter, my Wife speaks mainly Hindi to her (and English)and the Daycare Mom speaks only Danish to her. At home, my Daughter mixes all three together, as we do but she only ever speaks Danish with the Daycare Mom. These little kids don't have any problems learning. I still struggle with Danish, even though I've lived here for years- when some Danish people speak to me, I cannot catch a single word of what they say- but then Danish is Danish- try to hear it, it's indistinct, unpronounced, colloquial and very regional. If you had to spell spoken Danish phonetically, you'd have way more commas than letters.
I have also decided that I'm not a "language person".



B
T

 

[Miss Brill]

I recently took a Spanish class & failed miserably. I could speak it as a child, because I spent my first 7 years in Chicago, and lived in a neighborhood that was very diverse (some Spanish speakers, also some Polish, and Germans, and English speaking black & white native-born Americans).

We spoke mostly English in that class--there were no exercises at all, just printed homework, which does nothing to help you learn to speak. I've always heard you could play course tapes while you slept, but I never tried it.