...I've decided to learn Spanish. I find languages very difficult. I suppose I am OK learning on paper - I could learn to translate the written word reasonably easily. But as soon as anyone speaks in a foreign language, my brain goes into a sort of panic. I'm hopeless. Anyway, I'm convinced it will be good exercise for my aging brain, so I've ordered the BBC Viva Espana course and a Michel Thomas CD. Anyone else learning a language?
Me! I'm struggling to learn Hungarian ...... struggling being the operative word! It's such an odd ball language because it has completely different rules to any other European language. I've just bought a CD/MP3 player as I was getting on quite well with the Pons self study Hungarian course until I swappped my PC for a Notebook and couldn't play CD's any longer! I speak fluent French which is very useful as I have a French daughter in law and a grandson who speak very little English. I can also get by in Spanish because I lived in Spain for around 5 years but Hungarian will be the death of me!
Barbara - if you think Hungarian is difficult, you should try Ivrit! Not only is the spoken language difficult enough but it has two forms of letters, and is written from right to left. Block [as used in print] and script used in handwriting. Believe it or not, those are the same letters from right to left. No vowels either.
It is not really any different to a child learning the ABC. Children learn block first, with dots and things for vowels which are either in or under the letters when they start. Not sure at what age they are taught the script letters though. Vowels: The Hebrew words here actually spell out the name as written in English. Look at the last four. The vav has different sounds depending on where the vowel is. The fourth from bottom, "Cholem Vav" has three vavs - in "Cholem" the dot is above the vav, which is silent, but in the word "Vav" both are sounded. In the second and third from bottom "Qibbuts" [Kibbutz] the dot is in the middle to the left of the vav, so the vav is silent, just the vowel sound. But in the last one, "Sheva" [as in the city Be'er Sheva] the vav is sounded as the vowel is under it. Oh, and "ch" as written in English under Name, is pronounced as in the Scottish Loch. Have I confused you yet?!
How do you think I feel - after almost 29 years I cannot read anything handwritten, and although I have very little difficulty with necessary and important things there is no way I could read a newspaper or book in Ivrit as I rapidly lose eye to brain connection!
I want to learn spanish then maybe italian which im told will be easy after doing the spanish. My little brother has just started mandarin as he wants to work on stock exchange. I cant listen to the lesons without laughing its dosnt sound like real words
I envy people who can speak more than two languages. I used to be fluent in French but when I started learning Ivrit I started losing my French. Now I can still read and understand most French and also understand most when I hear it, but have forgotten far too many words to actually speak more than the basics. Also, not having been to France since I took the children camping in 1978 and we toured around for four weeks, I have not had the need to use it.
I suppose the 'use it or lose it' saying applies to speaking a language too. I was just looking at a list of what are supposed to be the top ten easiest languages to learn (for the English, presumably). Funnily enough, Ivrit didn't make the top ten! Africaans was top. Spanish - the language I am planning to learn - was third.
Janet, I was disadvantaged to start with as instead of the usual 5 month course in Ivrit when I came here, I missed out. First because we arrived just a couple of weeks before Rosh Hashana [the Hebrew new year] so there were just a couple of mornings lessons before then which explained it all for those who did not know [and a surprising number of people did not], then there was a break for the High Holydays - and immediately after that I was offered a job as an English secretary - so I never had the opportunity to learn Ivrit. But I earned good money and was able to save, and then bought an apartment. Still no time to learn but I picked up more than enough "street Ivrit" to manage, and have carried on learning similarly. It is a bit odd though in that the word for "screwdriver" is firmly entrenched in my brain and yet I always forget the word for "brush"! As for grammar and tenses... as long as everyone understands me it is not really important for everyday living, and I think that being fluent in street Ivrit is far better than being ploddingly accurate.
Well let me know when you start learning Spanish and we can practise phrases on each other! I don't think my brain would ever get round Mandarin!
I agree Malka - being fluent in the street language is the most important thing. And you're willing to carry on learning - not like some Brits who go to live overseas and expect everyone to speak only English!
As I have always lived amongst mostly non-English speakers and never joined in any of the "expat" activities, I have never expected anyone to speak English - I mean I did not come here to be an "expat Brit" did I. Very few of the over 30s on the Moshav speak any English even though it is taught at schools from quite early on, and although my vocabulary is not very extensive it is more than sufficient for normal conversations - which really is all I need.
dont think i could either. my brothers ok as hes only 18 and is one of those strange A* students that doenst go outside very often.
