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I'm thinking about trying to learn a foreign language. It is something that I always wanted to do. I took Spanish classes in high school because I was told it was the easiest to learn. I didn't have to take a foreign language in college. I have no desire to continue to learn Spanish (Due to a variety of reasons I would rather not get into in this post).
I live in the US. I'm thinking about French, Italian or German. I don't think I would have the patience to learn an Asian language. What would you recommend? I will be probably training myself through a computer program but I'm thinking about maybe taking a class at the local community college. I would like something that would really allow me to "grow". You know something that would open up a lot of doors for me both professionally and personally.
If I'm training myself it would also be good if someone could let me know which language tends to be easiest to learn through self study. Also what language is most fun to learn or most interesting to learn in your opinion?
What about Hebrew or Arabic. Easy for me to say, I just don't seem to get the hang of different languages, and did terribly in school. I remember a word here & there, that's it.
The reason I suggested the above is because of the situation in our world today. I think it would put you alittle above the more familiar ones.
Also, you could probably get tutoring or assistance from your local temple or mosque. And learn the cultures as well.
(I'd love to learn hebrew. My best friend growing up was jewish, and her parents were always talking things infront of us we couldn't understand) (I participated in all her religious holidays, and she in mine. It was really a wonderful acknowledgement of the respect for our differences)
Whatever you decide, learning will never go to waste. Good luck.
What about Hebrew or Arabic. Easy for me to say, I just don't seem to get the hang of different languages, and did terribly in school. I remember a word here & there, that's it.
The reason I suggested the above is because of the situation in our world today. I think it would put you alittle above the more familiar ones.
Also, you could probably get tutoring or assistance from your local temple or mosque. And learn the cultures as well.
(I'd love to learn hebrew. My best friend growing up was jewish, and her parents were always talking things infront of us we couldn't understand) (I participated in all her religious holidays, and she in mine. It was really a wonderful acknowledgement of the respect for our differences)
Whatever you decide, learning will never go to waste. Good luck.
Hebrew may be a good idea. I had a friend in college that learned Hebrew so she could learn more about Christianity and understand the bible better. She found it extremelly interesting.
It depends entirely on your intended purpose. If you want a marketable skill for the future, then Hindi (which is NOT a difficult language to learn) or Chinese ( which really is difficult) will give you an important edge. If you want to be a scientist, then German and Russian are important. If you want a defense job in the conflict areas, Farsi, Arabic, Pashtu, Dari, Sindi will be valuable. Hebrew and Greek are very important for Bible study. If you just want to know another language and live in the US, Spanish is really hard to beat all around (I know you have your reasons to not pursue it). Buenas Suerte!
Since you have already studied Spanish, it would easier for you to learn Italian, Portuguese or French.
Hebrew is not an easy language to learn as you have to learn a new alphabet as well as complicated grammar.
Again which language you choose to study really depends on why you are learning it.
Choose a language spoken in countries that appeal to you. If you like the culture, then learning the language will be more pleasant, even if it's not easy!
Among the three languages you are thinking about, I would say Italian is the easiest, but it's still close to Spanish and some people tend to get mixed up. I personally studied both and did not have any problem, though.
I tried to learn some German at some point, but I didn't like it - I've never really been into German culture, and it really made the language less appealing.
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Originally Posted by City of Rain
German or maybe Russian?
Both are more widely spoken than french and italian.
Well, out of the bunch, German would be more similar to English, as both are Germanic Languages. It probably wouldn't be hard to find a community college course in German either.
You don't have to limit yourself to "mainstream" languages either, if you're willing to devote some time to self-study. I'm currently teaching myself Icelandic, prior to that, I was learning Scottish Gaelic.
Whatever you get for self-study courses, get the audio! It is an invaluable tool not just for pronunciation, but for getting your ears acclimated to hearing the new language. It can be hard picking out words at first, but the tapes help get you used to it.
Well, out of the bunch, German would be more similar to English, as both are Germanic Languages. It probably wouldn't be hard to find a community college course in German either.
You don't have to limit yourself to "mainstream" languages either, if you're willing to devote some time to self-study. I'm currently teaching myself Icelandic, prior to that, I was learning Scottish Gaelic.
Whatever you get for self-study courses, get the audio! It is an invaluable tool not just for pronunciation, but for getting your ears acclimated to hearing the new language. It can be hard picking out words at first, but the tapes help get you used to it.
Melinux - Were you able to learn the language you chose through self study? How was self study? Do you have anymore tips for someone that is learning a language through self study? How long did it take you?
I live in Pennsylvania so it is easy to find a comunity college that teaches German. They even offerered it in my High School. It is like French in Lousiana.
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