Learning another language

Some would argue that is what makes it beautiful and worthy of mastery as an artform, from a literature stand point. Hardly stupid.

I speak German, and I'm taking Russian and French...does that make me sexy?

Hm. OK, point taken. But I'm asking, partly, whether it's saying the same thing. And I'd also add that languages without a neuter gender seem very strange to me. I understand how a car can have a gender, but the idea that a species of animal has to have a gender, and you then have to break that rule to describe an individual animal, seems very weird. (I believe French works like this; I could be wrong.)

I can give you many more reasons why English is a stupid language if you want. The definite article wouldn't even make the top 10.

The rules of English grammar and usage are so complicated, confusing, and contradictory that I'm convinced it's why most people, even (and probably especially) those that speak it natively can't get it right.

[Edited on Feb 08, 2005 by AceTracer]

>watch lots and lots of TV and movies in that language. This is so you can see how the language is spoken in the real world, which is very different than in books and tapes. When I was learning Italian our teacher would make us watch Italian TV and movies all the time, and it really helped. Likewise, the people that speak the best English as a second language learned it from watching American TV.

I'd like to add an asterisk to that idea: *Does not work with Japanese.

I majored in Japanese in college and in the department we were always complaining about the throngs of nerds who fancied themselves fluent because they picked up a few phrases from watching endless hours of anime.

More importantly, there are several layers of politeness inherent in the Japanese language. Characters in Japanese movies, TV and anime (usually) speak in the most informal tongue. Speaking this way without understanding the rules and restrictions can get you in a lot of trouble.

Aside from that, I'd like to reinforce what others have said. Don't bother with tapes, take classes if possible, practice daily and visit a place where the language of your choice is spoken. Also, unless you learned it as a kid, it is absolutely true that once you stop using whatever language you pick, it starts falling out of your head immediately.

Good luck in your endeavors.

Thank you

German porn. You'll never get bored of watching that. Although the only phrase you'll learn will be 'your love sausage is exactly of the right consistency for mutual pleasure, Doctor.'

As everyone has said, best would be to have to use the language. Being in Canada we are made to learn "French" (Though really it's Quebecois....) and I never really remembered much until I spent a few days in Montreal and actually tried to use it. Plus, what they teach in some classrooms is only so useful... Honestly, when are you going to use the phrase "The car is blue." in real life unless you've lost your car? They never teach you how to ask for a menu or something like that. Having to actually talk to someone, you use real life phrases.
Though the majority of places do speak at least basic English, the population of the country you are visiting certainly prefer it when you at least try to talk to them in their language and having English and French will help travelling.

And I agree about the French movies, two of my favouriate movies are French/French collaborations.

It's a young language that's been kicked around a lot. Anglo-Saxon is a Germanic language, originally, probably most akin to Frisian. The Norman invasion overlaid a layer of French vocabulary onto Anglo-Saxon and turned it into something vaguely resembling our English. And then a gang of well-meaning English Classics wonks in the 18th century attempted to give English a Latinate grammar (which doesn't suit it--and y'know the reason why Latin is so regular is because nobody speaks it anymore). Hence the mess we're in now.

In a few hundred years it'll regularize. It's already starting to happen--of course there's opposition from folks who believe that English grammar was divinely instituted, but it's bound to happen over the next few hundred years.

Immeasurable hotness! and best of all, you'll be able to get laid anywhere from Finisterre to Kamchatka. If you talk nicely to the ladies that is. Or gentlemen if you prefer.