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Where to Start?Submitted by toffeeboy on Wed, 04/07/2007 - 14:34.
Wed, 04/07/2007 - 17:07
Pronunciation
The first step to learning to speak a new language without getting too many wierd looks or confusion, both in hearing and speaking, is knowing how it's pronounced. I can help an english speaker if you want. The next step is building up vocabulary, but make sure you know how it sounds and how to say it. Ciao, Wed, 04/07/2007 - 23:24
I would say the first thing
I would say the first thing to do is find something you're interested in related to the country. I think learning a language because we have to or because we feel we should very rarely provides the long term motivation needed to learn a language in depth. But if you find something related to the country or culture like music, literature, history, art, food, architecture, girls or even the language itself then you'll find yourself learning the language without trying and seemingly effortlessly. This worked for me with Thai, first with karaoke/music and then with literature. And currently my Spanish is being helped along by salsa music a strong interest in the history of Latin America. In a similar vein, try to find someone with shared interests to practice the language with. I've found language exchanges for the sake of learning the language rarely continue for more than a few meetings. However, if you meet someone you have a shared interest with then there is an extra motivation to meet and communicate and the whole process will much easier. That is kind of the main principle of huitalk, not just language exchanges but lang ex's with people with shared interests. Hope this helps, Neil Thu, 05/07/2007 - 09:43
First conversation
To follow on from what Neil said, if you have an interest it becomes easier but also you can learn the vocabulary that you will most likely use quite regularly. For example, I found it useful to learn the vocabulary related to my job and what I do at work because "What do you do for a living?" is a common question. The added advantage of doing this is that your confidence will be built up by knowing that you can speak confidently (even if it's only about one particular topic.) You can then add another topic, say, about your family or your favourite football team (always a winner I find). Good luck |
Joined: 2007-07-04