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How do some people do it?

by pinto, September 9, 2004

Messages: 10

Language: English

pinto (User's profile) September 9, 2004, 2:52:34 AM

How do some of the users on this site learn multiple languages?  I would like to know how some achieve this, and possibly do so myself.  Languages are fascintating to me.

Noah (User's profile) September 18, 2004, 12:19:28 AM

pinto skribis:

How do some of the users on this site learn multiple languages?  I would like to know how some achieve this, and possibly do so myself.  Languages are fascintating to me.

 

I took Latin for two years, and I took French for a total of six (four in high school and two in college). The way people learn multiple languages is the the same way the learn a second language: Hard work and use.

For me picking up Esperanto is considerably easier for me since I was used to declinations (grammar-coding).  All I had to do was be introduced to helpi, lerni, spekti, demando, and a host of others one time and I had them. Similarly there are many French cognants: paroli, fenestro, dormi, seĝo, mangxi. Many of the false cognants are true cognants in French: duŝo, atendi, asisti, were like meeting a friend's twin I never knew existed.

Still there are words I have to memorize just like I had to memorize la fenestre and la siège when I was learning French: knabo, bildo, ŝati, ambaŭ, antauŭ, etc. The correlatives are giving me fits and spells.

In the end you learn multiple languages like you learned Esperanto: through study, use, and hard work.

 

--Noah

Leksingtono, Kentukio, Usono

Neleke (User's profile) November 3, 2004, 11:14:56 AM

I speak dutch , french ,english ,latin and now I speak esperanto  , you must learn to use the languages that you know , I use all the languages (look to above ) and now I can speak esperanto in 14 days. Esperanto is veeery easy

 

Machjo (User's profile) November 18, 2004, 6:14:55 AM

I was lucky.  French and English are my mother languages, and I'm learning Chinese in China.   As for Persian and Arabic, however, that's anbother kettle of worms altogether.  At first I decided to learn Esperanto just to get my mind into language learning-mode (among other reasons, such as the 'interna ideo'), and then started with Persian because I'd read that it's basic brammar was easier than that of Arabic.  And once I had at elast a decent command of the Persian Alphabet, I then started Arabic. So while I'm fluent inFrench, English and Esperanto, I'm now studying Chinese, Arabic and Persian.  If you're looking for a strategy, I'd suggest learning your languages in order from easiest to most difficult (to build up your grammar and confidence) or at the same time (if you think you can handle it).  Hope this helps as a strategy.

SEYMOUR (User's profile) November 24, 2004, 10:15:41 PM

I think i can add something in this forum.mi trick? never,ever when you

learning another language never translate in your mind.you got let your mind

flow like water,if you don't understand some word in the language you lerning just get the donkey killer(dictionary) to find out.and second start

with your language roots,if you native language is english that means is more easy for you learn german than me.why?because english,dutch,and

german belongs to german languges,my native language es spanish which

means i got to learn romance languge,oki doki.espero ke helpos vin.

vintermann (User's profile) December 14, 2004, 3:08:51 PM

How well do you speak these languages? Can you say "I want to go to sleep now" in coptic for me?

I can't even write this text in esperanto yet. But I'll try:

Kiom bone vi parolas ĉi tiujn lingvojn? Ĉu vi povas paroli "Mi deziras enlitigi min nun" en la kopta al mi?

Mi eĉ ne povas skribi ĉi tion tektston en esperanto jam. Sed mi provis okulumo.gif

 

pikapoo (User's profile) February 25, 2005, 10:51:57 PM

dang! you speak that many languages?! i can write quenya, but i cant speak it.

mgayoub (User's profile) May 28, 2005, 6:03:50 PM

"German" and "Swiss German" count as seperate languages?

Eujensc (User's profile) May 29, 2005, 1:27:06 PM

I only took an interest in languages recently, but it seems that each new language takes less learning than the last.

If only for the sake of memorising words mnemonically. For example, to remember "pomo" I think of the French "pomme" (apple) but also the Japanese "momo" (peach), which is a similar fruit. The thought of the object combined with Esperanto just reminds me of those two words.

Everyone learns differently. Myself, I am logically minded, so I learn by quickly memorising the first 1000 or so words using linkword techniques and then piecing the grammar together by reading. If you're more creative-minded, you're probably better off adapting to the grammar and picking up the words as you go along. See what works.

merrymoon (User's profile) June 2, 2005, 5:54:23 PM

I speak French, Spanish and English.  I can read and write Latin and have a basic knowledge of Russian.  I love languages and so I am trying to learn as many as possible.  English is my native language but I have always been brought up with elements of Russian.  I learn French, Spanish and Latin by linking words between languages and just using them as much as possible.  Next year I hope to start Italian and Japanese.  I started Esperanto because the idea of an iternational language appealed to me.

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