Language learning friends!

[astralprogenitor]

Anyone else currently trying to learn a language?

I'm currently working on Japanese via Duolingo; I've been terrified of symbol based languages since I did a semester in Mandarin, but finally trying to pick it up and so far I really like it. Granted I'm only on Hiragana 2 but look it's something ok? ok.

I was curious if anyone else is learning anything, and if not ... why not join us? :B I have a background with a moderate amount of French (3 years, although I can really only read it now and was always terrible at speaking) and ... 2? years or 3 years in Latin. I don't remember. Time enough to giggle about v sounds and complain about declension and really that's all you need.
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[Shaddaling]

I keep starting and stopping Japanese.... I took a year in college and now only really recognize like most hiragana and katakana and some Kanji symbols mostly the numbers.
But yes.... Help me remember to get on here and like talk to people about difficulties in languages and stuff.

 

[astralprogenitor]

For me right now the biggest hurdle seems to be the years of going "I can't do this." I keep thinking that I'm not actually learning anything, even though I clearly am as I recognize things and can read it. But like, even if I correctly answer my brain's like YOU JUST MEMORIZED THE SHAPE YOU DON'T KNOW THAT.

And I'm like isn't that learning? But I keep feeling like I don't really ~know~ anything which Berry said is really common so I'm pushing through.
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[sharkberrypizza]

hH I didn't realise just how badly some people suffer from impostor syndrome or honestly how widespread it was until I went searching for information on it due to my own. I kind of recommend everyone learn more about it for themselves, the signs and symptoms, and how to cope. Sometimes coping is, really, just learning more.

For me tho, I'm learning more Japanese alongside polli. I feel like there are things I don't grasp myself, until I go back the next day and it's just like "clicked". I don't feel the need to get into the fancier side of language-learning like bogging myself down with parts of speech, terms, forming correct sentences from the beginning, and everything else. I prefer the more natural approach of just diving right in and figuring things out.

Of course, that meant I had a pretty bad time in my standard classes, but I've had two years of Spanish, some vague German lessons, a little French on Duolingo (it was my first time using it and is where I started thinking maybe by-the-book learning is not for this hands-on style learner) and now I'm getting back into Japanese there too.

I think I really want to recommend Obyenko for a phone app though, and Anki for ... just about everything. Hh

 

[Moonie]

There are times I wish I could hit the reset button on my life. I was born in Quebec, Canada. My dad and his side of the family were pretty much raised there and in their mid teens came down to Florida. I really had no choice in the matter, I was two? When my mom gave the okay that we were safe to travel. I just wish my dad taught me french when I was young.
I tried taking it in HS but really struggle, though I struggle with like... book learning?

Very hands on... which is why I feel like I've been taking to Polli's mentoring <3 ​

 

[Moonie]

I'd just love to be able to communicate with other family ya know?
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[Melomar]

I took three years of German in HS and really struggled with conversations. I was always worried I'd say something stupid that sounded right to me at the time. So naturally when I took Japanese in college (two quarters) I felt the same way. I think for me the biggest hurdle was not having anyone at home to speak with. It was so different at school, you know? Then at home it's like, you have the headset on and you're just mumbling quietly to your turtle and....

Does anyone else find learning computer languages to be like learning human languages? Or just me? Maybe it's because I tried teaching myself Perl. Tried. Hrm.

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[Zakiax]

I'm gonna need to brush up on Spanish for my trip to mexico in the summer. I haven't taken any spanish classes since high school so it will be interesting to see what i still know and what i don't. I have always had trouble learning languages so if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them

 

[astralprogenitor]

Honestly I really really like Duolingo's format for a jumping off place, especially if like @Moonie you prefer the hands on learning. It's much more naturalistic than a textbook. I still have to do like, write this thing repeatedly for memorization because that's how my brain works, but it's prob my fav ... learning-the-language tool? Just because it's not like HERE'S THE LANGUAGE BREAKDOWN and instead introduces you to things gradually.

I've used its French before and really enjoyed it too. If you haven't tried it, I'd say check it out? It even has microphone exercises to help with the speaking issue - though it's not the same as speaking with someone. There's different groups online that I've seen that you can talk to people to practice with, though?

Computer languages also are pretty similar to human language - in that they've got structure and syntax designed to be, uh, well, mostly processed by human brains. I say I'm incapable but I can definitely read most PHP and javascript (even though I can't write it). ((Actually I'm that way in French too ...))

He's right about Anki and Obenkyo for supplemental tools (for JP anyway).
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[sharkberrypizza]

hH Programming languages, yeah. I'm fluent in about 10 languages if we want to count those ...

For me it's definitely part of the same brain, tho I feel like lower level stuff is more (obviously) logical, and feels like something even deeper than "human language". I sometimes joke I speak "beep boop" better than English, and after a full day's work my brain realllllly likes to break statements down like, err ... statements. Hh

I took three years of German in HS and really struggled with conversations. I was always worried I'd say something stupid that sounded right to me at the time. So naturally when I took Japanese in college (two quarters) I felt the same way. I think for me the biggest hurdle was not having anyone at home to speak with. It was so different at school, you know? Then at home it's like, you have the headset on and you're just mumbling quietly to your turtle and....

Does anyone else find learning computer languages to be like learning human languages? Or just me? Maybe it's because I tried teaching myself Perl. Tried. Hrm.

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hH You should definitely give Duolingo a try. It's free, so there's not much to lose! Just don't be afraid of reading over the discussions if you don't understand something either. Hh

There are times I wish I could hit the reset button on my life. I was born in Quebec, Canada. My dad and his side of the family were pretty much raised there and in their mid teens came down to Florida. I really had no choice in the matter, I was two? When my mom gave the okay that we were safe to travel. I just wish my dad taught me french when I was young.
I tried taking it in HS but really struggle, though I struggle with like... book learning?

Very hands on... which is why I feel like I've been taking to Polli's mentoring <3 ​

 

[astralprogenitor]

I like how we're both like AYYY DUOLINGO

it really is refreshing from the normal stock textbook method tho
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[sharkberrypizza]

hH Yeah. It has absolutely been a game-changer for me. I can't stress enough how much it opened my eyes to how absolutely shittily I learn from walls of text though ... ugh.

I just am really glad that I have a learning buddy too tho? I highly recommend everyone get one, which ... I guess we can all be in this thread, at least over text. > w> Hh

 

[Zakiax]

I'll have to check out Duolingo, i've been recomended to it not just by people here but other sites i've asked around in

 

[Melomar]

Duolingo is on my App "wishlist." I'll give it a try!

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[astralprogenitor]

I use the free version just fine, if you're worried about the paid / no ads option? Def worth a try whether on mobile or desktop.
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[sharkberrypizza]

hH If anyone wants to friend me on Duo, lmk! I am sharkie.pi Hh

 

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

i took 4 years of spanish and can still read it if i try....

i also start and stop korean on duo occasionally lmao. im probably the kind of person that does better with an instructor.​

 

[sharkberrypizza]

hH Yeah, starting and stopping hurts. I did it with French several times. Want to go back and study more, but I'm lock in Japanese for now? To the point I am learning kanji, and that is a wild ride for sure. Hh​

 

[astralprogenitor]

Almost up to a month with Japanese now, though about two weeks was nothing but very basic gana exercises. I'm almost at hiragana mastery now which, there are definitely people who can do it in a week, but I feel really accomplished now. I'm starting to be able to read the untranslated phrases in PSO2 (that are gana and not kanji) and it's really exciting.

I always struggled with syllabary and symbol based language learning; I took a course in Mandarin once and god that went horribly, so it's really exciting for me to actually be able to read these lil friggin' squiggles, hehehe. I didn't think I'd ever be able to read anything but latin-based squiggles. e ve;
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[stormflower]

Granted I’m not really trying to learn a language but I need to do I can teach my boys. My husband is 100% Chinese and I know very little and basic Mandarin words and phrases. I have some books and cds and apps too on my phone though that I’m going to try and use to learn more and use to introduce my boys too soon though xD it’s hard. I get lost with all the a sounds lol