Muzzy Spanish

Learning another language?

I've had the desireee to learn a foreign language since i was a little girl and saw "muzzy" :] But, I would like to know: how long does it take? i'm not gonna be like a lot of the people on here, and say.. I NEED TO KNOW NOW!!!! also, are there any internet resources i could use? I'm very interested in learing Spanish, since the population of hispanics in the U.S is growing, i just thought it be it'd come in handy :] If no spanish resourcess are available, i would like to learn danish, since i have relatives over in Denmark that i would like to speak their language with them. THANKS TO EVERYONE!

Public Comments

1. These are for Spanish.. http://www.fsi-language-courses.com/Spanish.aspx http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/beginner/ http://www.languageguide.org/espanol/ Good luck!
2. If you have an MP3 player of any type you can use Pod Casts. There is a great spanish class called Coffee Break Spanish. They teach 1 new lesson each week and each lesson is about 15 Minuets long. You can download all of the lessons for the past year as well so it's really cool. They start out very basic and it grows quickly. Since they already have 80 lessons in there, you can learn at your own pace.
3. You first need to know what language you will want to speak, for you it seems as though Danish would be useful because you would actually have a practical use for it, although if you travel a lot in Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish would obviously be the best option. If I were in your position, I'd probably do Danish, seeing that there's a very realistic chance that you'd be able to go to Denmark and use it, thus improving your speaking and comprehension etc, and a lot of the Hispanic population in the US can (or definitely should) speak English. As for how to go about learning, try the Rosetta Stone courses (I'm doing the Japanese course and am really enjoying it), as well as regularly contacting your Danish relatives or other Danish people just by MSN, Skype, Yahoo etc. Good luck
4. Basically, none of all languages is easy or difficult, the best or the worst. Most importantly, there is no difference between what is useful and what is not, no duration limit in how long it takes to be fully proficient, and no age limit in when a person can learn a foreign language. The most important thing you need to remember while learning any foreign language is you learn and apply with confidence (maintain your morale), determination (keep up with your good fight against all odds), and patience (control yourself even during a difficult time). Learn to make mistakes; you can’t improve yourself without making mistakes first. Practice frequently with full consistency and you will overcome any obstacles, large or small, in life. Don’t worry if you are a slow learner; everyone learns in different speed and style and learning a new language takes time. So know yourself first in how you learn and how you can utilize your skills to maximize your learning potential. Remember to maintain your interest in the language you are learning. Also, always manage to use your native language and second language(s) equally in respect to your schedule so you will retain you native language and second language(s) easily. For more information on how you can learn a new language, try the webpage Language Learning Tips from Omniglot (www.omniglot.com, an excellent informational website on languages run by Simon Ager, an Englishman with tremendous interest in foreign languages). You will like Simon Ager and his website after you read those information if you haven’t visited his website before. Language Learning Tips from Omniglot http://www.omniglot.com/language/index.htm Also, if you want to know about how you learn, I recommend you to understand theory of multiple intelligences by Howard Gardner. You will be surprised by how much you haven’t known about your secret self. Theory of multiple intelligences (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences There are also plenty of websites where you can get yourself tested on your preferred learning method for free. Just use your favorite search engine and type “Theory of multiple intelligences” or “multiple intelligences” and it will do the searching quickly and easily. Regarding how many languages one should strive to learn at one time, the answer is simple. The sky is the limit! The more languages you learn, the better you can communicate with others, particularly in international traveling and employment. (In other words, “The more, the merrier!”) If you can handle this, do it; otherwise, learn one language at a time until you are ready for the next one. Most importantly, you must be proficient in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in each language to be considered as fluent. If you are not proficient in at least one of the four categories of a particular language, then you are not fluent in the particular language, even though you can only speak another language without flaws. Imagine you are lost and you try to find a place to stay in Russia. The address you have is in English but the street names are in Russian. It is really horrendous when you can’t read Russian, especially when you are stranded in the middle of the frigid, winter night (brrrr!). So, therefore, learn to read and write just as you learn to speak and listen, even if it is difficult. Also, master every aspect of the language you are learning, including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and expression. Get it wrong and expect something unusual to happen. Finally, keep practicing with consistency. It will make you better in using another language while practicing, whether you are at home, work, or traveling. Some languages have phonetic alphabet that is not found in most languages, which makes most people having difficulty in mastering some of those languages without knowing the exact pronunciation first. If you have that difficulty in pronunciation, I suggest you use IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) as a guide for correct pronunciation. For those of you who don't know what is IPA, it is a set of alphabet where each letter represent only one sound for consonants and vowels and other symbols as changes in the way a consonant or a vowel is pronounced. It is traditionally used by most linguists around the world as the most standard form of phonetic alphabet and now used in many foreign language textbooks where the foreign languages do not use Latin alphabet (including Russian, Greek, Hebrew, and Japanese). If you can find it, I encourage you to buy it, or at least borrow it. Alternatively, go to Wikipedia or Omniglot (you can use any search engine to find it) and find the language you are learning; many languages now have pronunciation guide in IPA. Just look for the pronounced words closed by two square brackets like these [ ] on most webpages, including Omniglot, or two slashes like these / / on many webpages of Wikipedia but not in Omniglot. Good luck and happy learning!