deleted.270's recent topics

This study is an interesting perspective on the presence and influence of the internet languages, and the exclusion of most of the languages in the world on the internet.

http://labs.theguardian.com/digital-language-divide/. 

The Google search engine offers information in only 130 languages, while there are around 6000 languages in the world. The lack of standardized orthography in many languages makes it hard to include them on the internet. In addition, different cultures use different online platforms for different purposes of communication. It's a way to tap into the cultural values of the society. For example while Koreans use Twitter to reply to each other, Germans apparently use more URLs and hashtags. This deepens the digital divide to a degree, but to me it is a representation of a cultural value and how certain nations see the internet and its use. 

Mark Graham from the Oxford Internet Institute says, "Rich countries largely get to define themselves and poor countries largely get defined by others.", This refers to the inequality of information on the internet and the lack of input under-developed or developing countries have on it. 

Although many people use the internet and we find as a great source of study and information, I myself don't find this state so threatening as I believe the real knowledge comes out of real, direct experience. Not that you can go back in history and verify what Henry the 8th was doing while ruling, but the real, live experience in the city of his rulership for example, is way more enriching than an article on the web. What I am trying to say is that, we may as well not take the internet so seriously. Nor should minorities offend themselves for not having their language present on the internet. I will never undermine the benefit from learning about a certain culture in live visits, but I don't mind being introduced to the language for the first time when being there on spot. However, it may be hard for indigenous and native people and speakers to have their information crossed, for themselves and foreigners, when their language is not present to the wider audience/public, on the internet. 

Many points are mentioned in this article that I can not touch upon, so I suggest that you look into it, and would greatly appreciate if you tell me your opinion and viewpoint, on the thing I myself gave an opinion. 

Thank you! 

P.s. This will probably be among my last posts, as I am being called to attend somewhere and commit a bit more to something else, so I'll be needing more of my time. It was a true joy meeting you and exchanging thoughts and attitudes with you! I still want to hear and engage in this last idea/topic I opened. All the best to all of you! I really enjoyed talking to you all 

Do you know about the IPA, the International Phonetic Alphabet? It is an alphabet used to transcribe the phonetics of words, in order for there to be common letters and symbols to write down the pronunciation of words, usually for languages whose words are read/pronounced differently than they are spelled/written, i.e. languages that have reading/pronunciation rules. 

"The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetical system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet." 

I remember getting introduced to this alphabet very early in childhood when I started learning English with my aunt (she is an English teacher). She introduced me to it gradually and I think I remember it by heart now. When I was holding private lessons of English and French myself, I remember using it and explaining it to my students. I now wonder though, since it is international, did your teachers use it with you while studying other languages? Like for Korean for example, or Japanese, or all others that you are/have been studying? Is it the same alphabet used there to transcribe the phonetics of words for westerners? 

This tutorial/lesson is a great explanation of the alphabet, in case you don't know what it is, or have forgotten, like myself: 

My aunt and I, we used to use different brackets though for indicating the phonetic transcription ( {} ), while the common ones are ( // ) according to this video. I don't think that is very relevant, but... 

So, do you know about it? Have you been introduced to it already? Do you find it helpful? Teachers need to know it, it helps students, and almost all online dictionaries use it. 

Cheers! 

Do you have languages that sound repelling to you and would never learn? What do you think makes a language ugly? Do you think it is based on facts and science or is it entirely subjective which languages appeal to us and which ones we don't like at all? 

This article says there's not enough evidence why we consider some languages ugly. Many professors believe it is entirely based on facts and the overall sounding of the language. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2014/jul/17/what-makes-a-language-attractive 

I believe that we all have a distinct taste that sometimes can't be explained in words. But I do agree that depending on the value we give a certain culture or society, we can be more or less attracted to its language. Like for example Chinese and its growing use and the fact that knowing Chinese now offers more job opportunities, makes it more alluring. What do you think of that? 

It is also claimed that the similarity with your native tongue is what makes one language appealing or not. I also believe it is due to the phonetic constructions. Like for example when a language contains words that comprise more than 3 consonants piled next to each other, that doesn't sound very melodic or harmonic, so it can push us away from the language. An example of a German word like that is given in the article. 

I always found German repelling and my neighboring language Albanian. I find the second one almost disgusting, but I believe it is mainly because of how its speakers use it and how they sound to me ears when they do (aggressive). I am sure my personal aversion towards the people/community is greatly influencing my viewpoint too. Maybe aversion is a harsh word to use here, but maybe it is not either. 

Roman emperor Charles V once said: “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.” 

However, many people adore the German language. 

What is your stance on this? What makes a language ugly to you and why wouldn't you learn it?

I read here several days ago about shadowing vs. mimicking, so I figured out it would be useful to explore it a bit. 

Shadowing is considered to be an advanced technique of language learning invented by an American professor, Alexander Arguelles, some of you have probably heard of it/him. It is a practice of listening to a speech/podcasts/audio recording and within a very short delay, you repeat the same words, letting yourself acquire the intonation and cadence of the speaker's voice. Since it asks for lots of confidence (speaking loud and clear) and focuses on articulation and pronunciation, it is helpful to the brain that is meanwhile creating new neural pathways for your language acquisition. It improves our short-term memory, but since you listen and speak almost instantaneously, you don't really think and speak. 

You can start shadowing by choosing a recording, if you're doing it alone, listening (and reading the script) several times, but noting down vocabulary is not allowed at the beginning, as your focus should be on actually understanding the context and general content of the text and rather on the sounds and cadences of the speech. Shadowing helps improve pronunciation and fluency, but it is not recommended for everyone. It also helps regain intonation of your previously learnt language, if other languages interfere in your language-learning practice. 

It is considered to be very helpful when we temporarily lack conversation practice, but conversing is always a better learning technique. Otherwise, before you start conversing, it is a powerful tool to gain confidence and train your speaking apparatus. 

I think that the difference between shadowing and mimicking is that in shadowing, the delay of repeating is shorter. What do you think of that? Is shadowing a good technique for language learning? When should we start with it? And which one do you think is better: shadowing or mimicking, and can we put both in the same basket anyway? 

Thank you! 

Hi! 

According to a few articles I was just reading and what I myself concluded, there are types of language learners and many have tried categorising them/us! We can be categorised according to our personal interests, what motivates one from another, and the pace and dedication each one of us undertakes when learning a new language. I liked this categorisation, although there are many personal and/or biased, yet founded viewpoints and categorisations out there! This one divides us into 6 categories (https://www.linguacore.com/blog/6-types-of-language-learner-1/ ): 

1. Language Enthusiast

2. Language Learner

3. Bilingual also Monolingual, Trilingual, Quadrilingual, etc.)

4. Linguist

5. Polyglot

6. Hyperpolyglot

A language enthusiast is someone who apparently loves (learning) languages, but is not necessarily a language learner! It means he/she can have a very basic knowledge of multiple languages, count to ten, have basic vocabulary, eager to learn, but have not or is not necessarily learning those languages. I fall into that category often! It gives an allegory of sport fans who don't necessarily need to be sports people. This is a categorisation based on one's motivations and skills. 

There is also a division into auditory, visual and/or kinetic learners -

https://blog.thelinguist.com/are-there-different-types-of-language-learners. 

I find it also valuable and trustworthy. 

And in this third article, I find the writer dividing them into personalities more than into languages learners, but that's just my viewpoint: 

https://www.gonaturalenglish.com/the-5-different-types-of-language-learners/ 

What do you think? Which category do you fall into? And what categorisation do you find more reliable and support more? 

When do you consider yourself a language-learning nerd? Do you have your MP3 player filled with podcasts in foreign languages instead of music? Or more apps on the phone for language learning than social media apps let's say? :)) Have you made a specially decorated case for your dictionaries, textbooks, grammar books that you consult very often? Do you read the manuals of your new products in all the languages available? I do! :)) Do you try to decipher them and spend hours noting down words and looking for pronunciation? Guilty! :))) 

I also switch languages when I am taking notes or writing down translations 

What is a sign to you of becoming a total language learning nerd? Do you catch yourself spending a lot of time focusing on language learning and grasping new languages? How much time do we spend on this forum for example? :))) 

An endangered language is a language whose number of native speakers decreases, and at this age of globalisation, neocolonialism and linguicide, that is happening at an accelerated rate. The language shift often occurs when the new generations do not learn their heritage language, but opt for languages that are rather associated with social and economic power, or are simply more widely spoken. There are precise levels of a language being considered endangered until it is extinct. The first one is when a language is considered vulnerable, i.e. most children speak the language, but it is forbidden in certain domains. This is an estimation from year 2018 on what are the most endangered languages today:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/endangered-languages-dead-listen-speakers-audio-belarusian-wiradjuri-cornish-a8268196.html 

 There many associations that work on preserving, revitalising and/or documenting them, like this one:

http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/. 

However, the total number of endangered languages today is around 3000. There are around 6000 to 7000 languages spoken in the world today, and it is considered that by 2100, 50% to 90% of those will be extinct. 

http://chartsbin.com/view/1339. 

So, what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer global language(s), or keeping the linguistic diversity as it is? I mean as language learners, we need languages to learn, but do we need languages that are in use or would you learn or have you ever learnt one that has been or is facing extinction? 

Have you yourself ever experienced anything like this? Having your own language facing extinction? 

What do you think about this subject? 

Organising your time is really not as difficult as people make it. You just really have to look at the day, and figure out how much time you are going to spend on all activities. Rest is dedication, to each one of those. And, REST, IS an activity too :)) 

The brain works perfectly when it knows what we're doing. So even when it is resting, it will put itself in a mode of resting and rest more efficiently. When we are working, same. When we are on a date for example, also, another personality/you. You just need to ask yourself, What are we doing now?, and hear what the inner voice has to say. Because honestly the more you are in tune with yourself, the more you can reprogram yourself and the more efficient you are! It's even superhuman what we can do when we listen to ourselves. 

What most people do today, is they/we force them(our)selves. We make us go to work, mechanically, we brush our teeth, mechanically, we go grocery shopping, mechanically, we even make love mechanically, but I have noticed that even the world is not asking for that much now, the standards are lowered and I'm talking about the average citizen now, here. So it's one of the reasons why we craft beliefs about ourselves and the world where we "don't have enough time.. are not qualified for that... I am not ready for that.. I'm not good at that... I'm not good enough.." (Beliefs that usually all stem from childhood too) and our potential decreases, because what you see the majority do is what you eventually identify with. But if you zoom out, and meanwhile figure out what health is for you, you'll understand it's not even you organising your time, you'll understand you have never experienced freedom for example, you'll understand that you want to take your life into your own hands, etc etc... 

And do you know how they say geniuses really didn't/don't spend that much time working? Einstein, Nikola Tesla, famous poets, male/female, no-one worked for more than 5 hours a day. Rest is meditation, and bringing ideas forth. And once you gather all of yourself, once you have made agreement inside yourself, in your mind/body, you finish with the activity you will undertake that moment, very, very quickly! For real, when the inside peace and pleasure propels us to work, we are quicker than the beam of light. At least it can feel that way. :))

This is a different way of seeing how to organise one's time, but once you program yourself, you need to be doing that. 

If you for example have only an hour to study the language you want to learn, (a situation I read on the other topic here on organising one's time) or do whatever for that matter, you don't look at the rest of the day/hours, you really take one step forward first to start doing the activity. If ever an hour makes an issue for you, (you worry, you struggle..), you really need to be seeing at the first 5 minutes in front and know what you are going to do in those 5 minutes, that will make you learn the language for an hour. Just step by step, don't look to far, something I will explain a bit in details just now. 

So, there is another aspect of self exploration, which helps tremendously. 

We need to figure out how we see time. And when you do this, you need to feel how you feel about that, when you question this. So it's not a mental game where you rationalize your feelings towards time, but rather you ask, and you see/notice/observe the inner feelings and sensations that appear in/on your body regarding that. Your face can react, you gut can react, your stomach can react, your shoulders can rise in fight or flight for example, yiur whole body can change position, whatever it is, it is the most objective sign of how your subconscious/ yourself feels about that. And you just need to interpret that. If it is a negative stance, feeling, not really pleasant, then most probably you fear time for example, a belief that has been forged long time ago, (that for example, time is against us). Or you worry, also another way to stop yourself from succeeding (this is approached slightly different). And fearing anything, won't take you to collaborate with it right, so... And since the subconscious is what doesn't or does allow us to progress or organise, or it makes us procrastinate, because there are aspects in the subconscious we are not aware of, you will never succeed. Always trying, always struggling, not ever questioning, what it is inside me that prevents me to do this, what is it inside me that wants something else that I don't communicate with at all, and am not familiar with. And once you question, you listen :):):) 

So I gave a bit of a mess of advices, suggestion and techniques, as well as some more information on why we find it difficult to organise our time. It's really about finding love for what you are about to do, programming yourself by letting the subconscious know that, in this hour, this is what we're doing, and then, dedication. While doing it, don't worry or think about the time, don't worry about other activities you are supposed to do in the day, be fully present, as if it was your last activity on planet Earth! :)) But, honestly, when the subconscious knows how much time you give it for this or that, it will stop at the exact time of completion/end, it will give you something, a reminder, a sign (to look at the clock maybe), that the time for that has passed. It is same for waking up. Many people don't use alarm clocks, yet are super attentive at work, punctual, and all of that. But this kind of trust in yourself, does need a little bit of attunement to oneself already, something I believe all of us here have. 

I am sorry for the long post, I think it contains interesting info and will be interesting to read. 

I included some of my own techniques and viewpoints/insights, as well as insights I have payed to know about ;) Otherwise, I would really like to know your ways of dealing with it, how do you see these techniques, what would you suggest, what would you correct, what you disagree with etc. 

Good day! 

"Learn a new language and get a new soul." - Czech proverb 

Have you ever noticed yourself changing your tone, approach, attitude when talking in another language than your own for example? Or if you are bilingual, does switching to another language changea your personality? 

Or have you been told that you sound differently when speaking in another language? 

I have been told about, and have noticed myself, the different vibe I embody when I speak in French, in comparison to the approach I take when speaking in English. And I have also noticed that the more I allow this switch to happen, and the more it intrigues me, it actually loosens up. I have also been told that I sound differently when speaking English vs. speaking French. I have noticed that my thoughts sometimes change too, depending on the language I am thinking in. (Though thinking in another language besides your own, is a bit advanced and I think rarely happens). Have you ever noticed that? What do you think it is due to? 

The main difference is when I am communicating or trying to convey something in Macedonian. I have noticed that since I know the collective situation here and interests/topics, my intention when speaking changes. It can be a very dramatic change, or just a slight one. I believe it is due to what I am also receiving while communicating with native speakers or reading local news. Everyone leaves me a different impression, and inspires me on a different level, so I sometimes have different messages to cross when speaking different languages. I always felt kind of warm feeling when I am speaking in French, and it's not just because of the melodic sounds the language produces (depending for whose ear that is of course), but also because whenever I interact with French people, I get a different vibe that probably stays with me and within me without me being aware of it even!  

These are all mild nuances now, but they used to be more obvious. 

Have you noticed anything like that within yourself? Or been told maybe? 

This is one of the suggestions too: 

"...what is seen as a change in personality is most probably simply a shift in attitudes and behaviors that correspond to a shift in situation or context, independent of language." 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/life-bilingual/201111/change-language-change-personality 

Do you agree? And if you HAVE noticed anything similar, do you think these apparent switches are beneficial, or can harm us? 

These days I was bombarded by ads on quick language learning, and I figured out it must be a sign to create a topic on that. Do you often see these? Offering books, manuals, guidelines on how to acquire and learn a language the quickest way possible? Have you ever purchased a service or an e-book or an offered cd like that? Did you ever gave into the temptation to get a help like this? If yes, what was your experience? 

I ran into this article, looking for online advertisements on quick language learning. It incorporates basic rules or guidelines on how to really learn quickest while mainly self-studying. 

I would also include www.languagetools.io in the list of legitimate sites from where you can learn :) 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/how-to-learn-a-language-in-super-fast-time/ 

"Of course, each student benefits from different approaches, but the best thing is to aim for this repeated exposure to the language you are trying to learn, and engaging in regular speaking practice sessions with a native speaker" 

I was once told repetition is the mother of knowledge, and that is why I cited this quote. I agree with that so much. What do you think? What is the best method to acquire a language? 

And from that standpoint, have you ever consulted a polyglot for advices on how to do learn quickest? Or maybe purchased one of their books and guidelines advertised online? 

I myself have not, I even checked the guy mentioned in the advertisement as an alleged superpolyglot. He turned out to be some fictional character in a TV series :)) 

What do you think? 

https://www.fluentin3months.com/a2-level/

According to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the levels of learning a language are the following: 

A1 Beginner

A2 Upper Beginner

B1 Lower intermediate

B2 Upper intermediate

C1 Advanced

C2 Mastery 

However this chart can be a bit misleading and cause you to agitate around aiming the higher ones always. The article above is so helpful and supportive, that it gives you a boost and encouragement to really look one step at a time and celebrate every level you attain! And by celebration it means taking the time to practice and settle in what you have acquired, really feel the contempt and move forward if, and when, you feel ready. 

The A2 level can be as fulfilling as some of the higher levels too, and really gives you the opportunity to engage in basic conversations and maybe listen and learn more than speak. The article explains every situation and handling it with more details. In addition, with a patient partner, you can always feel more at ease and also evaluate more objectively your level and be happy about it. 

What do you think? Should we aim successively or are you capable of sliding to the higher levels quickly and prefer that? 

Idioms are groups of words that explored separately have different meaning, than when put together, and form an idiom! An idiom conveys a figurative meaning, and exploring the words individually wouldn't give you the meaning the idiom does. All cultures and languages have phrases like these that convey certain advices, wise thoughts and attitudes, that can also tell you a lot about the cultural preferences and values. Usually native speakers use them frequently, so it's important to get familiar with at least the most commonly used idioms in the society you want to reside, in order to merge easily and understand the native people. Idioms can also be so debilitating to language learners because as I said, given the words separately have a different meaning, it's not so easy to remember the idioms by heart, and also many conversations can lead to confusions because if you take them literally, they can sound illogical and irrealistic.

http://www.smart-words.org/quotes-sayings/idioms-meaning.html

"I don't like when people judge the book by its cover."

 However, many times foreigners learning the language would believe anything, so they might also believe that what they assumed the construct of words was about, is correct. So it's advisable and also can be very amusing to many people, to check for these kind of intricacies of a culture when learning a new language. 

What do You think? Do you recognize any of the idioms mentioned on the page I shared? How do you like them? Is it hard for you to learn idioms? Or you like getting into and memorising expressions like that in a language ? 

Have you ever heard about this? When a native and a foreigner communicate, but both want to exercise the language they are learning, so the guest in the native country tries to exercise its Chinese in China, while the Chinese wants to exercise his/her English with the American guest. It can be such a drain. 

I learned so much from this article/blog post. 

http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2010/05/18/language-power-struggles 

And the points shared bellow are awesome too. This is the case. 

A language power struggle appears when you want to exercise the language you're studying with a local person in the country of origin. But the other person, also wants to practice his/her learning language with a native speaker (you). However, in many states, this struggle can be so intense, because both parties do not let loose and give up. Natives usually tend to exercise their English for example with native English speakers. It can sometimes be a case of a social prestige (in India for example Indians prefer talking in English with English people apparently sometimes as a sign of higher education and status, so of course they are going to prefer to practice and brag with THAT language), or how much pride someone takes in his/her own language (even in my case, when foreigners used to want to practice Macedonian with me, or just telling me they are studying it, I always replied with "Why the heck would you do/need that..." . I understand their will now though and even though it's not spoken almost anywhere but here :)), I offer help). 

There are also two points taken into consideration when there is an issue of finding a common language when two language learners are conversing. Are we going to focus on efficiency of communication, or on practice. That's why it is beneficial to find someone who would do language exchange with you, rather than trying to enforce your language of practice on native speakers who are not there for that. The topics, ambient, reasons for being in a certain place and a certain time, are also relevant to the intentions of communication both parties have. So, in my opinion, you can not expect a Chinese waiter for example to lend you his/her fluent Chinese and corrections to your poor Chinese in a restaurant where you came to eat (while you're an American and the waiter does converse in English), and not practice your Chinese. A Chinese waiter isn't supposed to also expect to exercise or demonstrate his/her poor English when taking an order from a native English speaker guest in the restaurant (when the guest speaks Chinese, no matter the level).

I believe usually men or male's energy tries to enforce his/her learning language, it's that energy that raises the language power struggle (or whatever power struggle for that matter). I believe women or female's energy is more allowing and focuses on the exchange of content, rather than dominance in knowing a language (or just the urgent need to practice your language). Not that anyone is better or worse! I love power struggles sometimes myself, it can be fun to see how much one desires to have his/her own need to practice the language in question in this case, placed as one's priority. 

I find this article great, I encourage you to read it. It's part of the study of sociolinguistics. And PLEASE share if you have any similar experiences or thoughts on it whatsoever! I would really like to know 

Thanks!

Mai 

Hi guys! 

What are you favourite exercises in the process of learning a language? 

Is it grammar exercises? Listening and paraphrasing/narration exercises? Speaking/conversational exercises? Do you prefer homework and why? (For example you prefer working alone so you can focus better, or because you feel you embarrass yourself often with the teacher, or, what else?) 

Do you like homework anyway? 

Do you like dictation exercises? What do you think about those? How do they help us while learning a new language? 

Is it maybe your favourite exercise describing images? You prefer verbalising it or writing it down? Or mentally creating your own images and/or describing your day? And why, if yes, or no.

How do you feel about repetition of words and learning new words? Is enriching your vocabulary the most interesting and/or important to you? 

How about the ones where you link the images with the words? Or the grammar ones, filling in the gap in sentences? I love that one 

Or what's your favourite part in the grammar rules? Conjugation, tenses, syntax or morphology? 

https://www.uni-due.de/SHE/REV_MorphologySyntax.htm. 

Please complement me and add some that I can't remember at the moment 

I myself I like constructing sentences with the new words and I can't live without repetition. I need everything to be repeated before we continue to the next lesson, or we need to incorporate whatever previously learned to the new one. I like words and dictation. I love deciphering the spelling of words. At a certain intermediate level of course. 

Grammar, not a big fan :)) (like most of us here maybe) 

I also love homework. Reminds me of what we have been studying and gives me an opportunity to prove myself (to myself and/or the teacher) that i am trustworthy, hardworking and dedicated. Or if I don't do it, it proves the opposite :))) for the time being :) 

Thank you! 

"Nowadays, many children grow up in bilingual families and environments and thus acquire two languages as their first ones." 

http://brainblogger.com/2018/02/14/why-children-learn-foreign-languages-easily/ 

I will have to say that scientific research on this is somewhat scarce, but I myself have done lots of self-exploration, deep-diving and research, so I will provide you an extensive answer (from what I have acquired).  

The subconscious, or unconscious mind as some scientists call it, is what we are only born with. There is no separation and we haven't developed the conscious mind yet. We are an open, blank-pages book ready to learn, absorb and experience life on planet Earth. From that point of view, we acquire the knowledge of a new language with the unconscious mind, which means, resistant-free. As we grow and socialize, in this age, sometimes we limit ourselves and restrict our flow by incorporating lot of intellectual reasoning behind our, and/or other people's behaviour, or whatever kind of phenomena we are trying and willing to give an intellectual background and meaning to. Therefore, sometimes our brains lose plasticity and our flow gets restricted, as I said. We restrict the growth of our other senses too, usually for the benefit of intellectual dominance and/or superiority. Children/babies do not have this because they/we are pure subconscious (depends on the age though of course), guided by the subconscious and hence, resistance-free. 

But it's very possible for an adult to (re)learn to (recurrently) purify his/her body, mind and heart and bring it to a state of ecstasy and openness to receive whatever the conscious mind wants to receive. There are many techniques used to purify the subconscious and maintain its plasticity. So many people that have maintained their "elastic" brains/minds and speak multiple languages, have done so because they have full mastership of the desires of the subconscious and just let the conscious mind be the tool through which they set boundaries and let learn/do what they want to. 

The conclusion is that even the ones here speaking multiple languages have succeeded in that because of using the conscious mind to start learning, and let the conscious AND subconscious do its job (which ultimately there is no escape from), which usually means using/making no real effort in your learning process, no effort at least that is not Your personal choice and desire. Subconscious is very easily programmed. With love, you can make it learn whatever your conscious mind/you, would like to learn, because you are one with it. 

If this blog was or sounded too esoteric or complex to you, I apologize and am open to whatever questions and discussion. 

Language exchange is a free of charge, yet very useful and usually effective way of learning languages. It takes place when you're offering a service to exchange your knowledge of a language with someone else's knowledge of another language you'd like to learn. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people and make friends! It's also a great opportunity to perfect your level of knowledge in only certain areas with a native speaker maybe. You, or the partner, can also practice and learn about teaching this way. Methodology and pedagogy of teaching is also a great field to understand, dive into and develop upon. The only drawback is that sometimes it is not constant and/or irregular, since it is free of charge and it can loosen its intent, or because both sides are not certified or specialized teachers, so it can become too unprofessional. It is also usually remotely done and private, so it can miss on the benefits of direct contact and evaluation, as well as group commitment and practice. 

I know that this site offers an opportunity like that too, and I am very grateful for it! I am a huge proponent and believe internet has made this possible like nothing before. We are living in a great age of information! 

I was once using Skype for this with a native Spanish speaker, a Mexican girl. I found this girl on Language exchange group on Couchsurfing. She was so friendly and willing, not only that it made my day, but also taught me many stuff. I was helping her with her French. 

What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever tried it? Did you ever have a group language exchange? What tool did you use? Did you start from scratch, or did you use it just to complement your specialized courses? Do you trust it, or would you rather pay for a specialized course? Where do you place this means of learning a language? 

"It’s a classic example of how the pressures of a social situation can trump the practical considerations of actual language learning."

https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/blog/worst-language-exchange-ever. 

This is an example of a negative experience with language exchange. The quote above is from the blog. 

What do you think?

I was wondering, since many of us have different goals, what are your expectations of yourself when you start learning a new language. What is the pace/rhythm you take? How fast do you expect until you master the language? Do you EXPECT mastering the language anyway or... ? What do you expect and where do you find your motivation/inspiration from? 

Sometimes, some of us, place very high expectations and that is the reason why we usually quit easily and quickly. Or sometimes, we start more grounded with more realistic expectations, or no expectations whatsoever, and then we catch ourselves conquering the language pretty well and quick. In what group to do you think you belong? How passionate are you about learning and mastering a new language? 

In addition, what are the reasons for you studying a certain language, or all the languages you've chosen in general? Is it to meet certain criteria for a job, to be more qualified, or because you find it intriguing and interesting? Is it because you would like to challenge and stimulate your brain? Or is it because your parents told you so? Or because you fear not being qualified enough for your society? Or because a friend of yours or your crush speaks it? :) 

What are your expectations when starting to learn a new language, and what do they depend on? Expectations of yourself and maybe the teacher(s) too. And what are the initial reasons for starting to learn, and do they depend on what language it is and its meaning and place in your life, or not really, the reasons stay the same for every language I(you) learn? 

Thank you! 

Hi guys, my name is Majda, i'm 29, from and currently in Skopje, Macedonia (South-east Europe). You can also call me Mai. I studied interpretation in/from both French and English languages, but I am doing something else at the moment. I am currently studying Spanish and started Arabic recently, but it all goes bit slow, looking for inspiration here among you :) 

Thank you! See you on the forum/chat :) 

Good day

Hi dear fellow language students,

Have you ever heard about Gibberish? If not, I will give you a brief explanation of what it is. It is an invented language where people talk nonsense, no meaning whatsoever, no legitimate words, just pure nonsense. What is interesting about gibberish, is that it does however cross a certain message, because one of the ways to use it, is to know in your head what you are saying and the intention, but say it in a totally ridiculous unfamiliar way. Many actors use the technique of gibberish to learn and exercise the accent of a certain language. You can talk Italian gibberish, Spanish gibberish, Hebrew gibberish, Russian gibberish, and it’s a good start to getting used to and learning the language. Why? Because by listening and focusing only on the accent and form of the language, as well as many other details you’d be interested in, not only that you take in and understand the dominant sounds or/and exceptions in vowels, consonants or symbols in comparison to your most known languages for example, but you also get a relatively broader image of how the language sounds, what it emits, and many times, what is the dominant attitude of the people speaking that language themselves. Sometimes friends create their own gibberish language like a secret language that no one else understands. But I am mostly mentioning it here as a technique often actors use themselves, to just grasp the attitude of the people themselves, and fortunately, it’s a very good beginning to diving deeper into the language. Just play around, is the main goal of this exercise. However, the brain reacts to it very well, since it doesn’t strain to achieve any correct answer, but just focuses on producing the sound of it. If you include the specific body movements/language too, even better. It does get us out of our comfort zones very often. 

So, have you ever tried practicing your new language in a totally ridiculous way like this one? Would you try this? Have you ever? With what language would you start? 

There are things that we enjoy absorbing and taking in in our lives, and there are things we are resistant to taking in and understanding. However, if you commit to learning a new language, you will be faced with lessons that oppose your desires, your initial intentions. You will be faced with things you refuse to learn, or something inside you is opposing to learning them. There are two ways to approach those moments and obstacles, and hopefully, continue. You can either make yourself learn the unwanted, and in a loving way that would look like finding a good reason to absorb the “unwanted” of the lesson, or you can take a non-conventional, but unique to yourself way, to learning the language you want to learn. Because eventually, when you are excited for 80% of the material that you take in, the other 20% will look like nothing, we don’t feel them. You won’t even notice that you have conquered the grammar that year or that you have easier time listening to natives speaking in the language, after you have enjoyed reading in it most of the time, for example, etc. So, what is that you “hate”, or dislike while learning a language, and how do you overcome it, or planning to?