Wish I understand
So yeah, I'm so interested in Japanese, Cantonese and Korean but I have no idea how I should start it. I understand the three languages very well if it's orally but if it's written, I assure you, I have no freaking idea what it says. I have a Korean friend, and I was begging him to teach me Korean. It's not easy, WAHAHAHA, the fact that I seriously don't understand the way they write and the way they have a specific pronunciation for the words is very nerve racking for me, but I still tried until my mom hired a Korean teacher/translator (I have no idea, just a person who teaches foreign languages). To be honest, the teacher is sort-of good looking and that's why my progress of learning turned into a turtle walking up the hill (I was so distracted, my yaoi mind kept on roaming around thinking he might be gay, somehow), what I hate is that he doesn't correct me, he would praise me but not point out my mistakes. I'm not complaining about their efforts of teaching me but I would prefer someone who would correct me from my mistakes. And now, it's almost been a month and I only know simple words TT ^ TT (like, "Hi" "thank you" "sorry" etc..)
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I worked as a linguist for about 5 years and here's what I've learned about picking up new languages. First off, it's not for everyone. Some people will absorb a language like a sponge and some have to work very hard at it. So if you're one of those people, give yourself time and stay dedicated. It can be done. Second off, immersion is best. If you want to learn Korean watch nothing but dramas, listen to K-pop, find some pen pals, and figure out how to read Hangul (it's one of the more simple written languages to pick up and learn). Lastly, make it fun. Try to travel there someday. Learn the culture. Enjoy yourself. What's the point in doing it if you're not having a good time? :)
I've been only into Kpop recently (5 months ago WHAHAHAGAH). And yeah, I don't even know why I put "a year" there, it's been only a month ._. And thanks for the nice advice! :)
Hey, this is actually a very good advice! I tried learning Russian once, but then I got distracted on the way, and then I stopped completely. So, I agree that dedication is really important.
My Korean, Japanese, and Chinese learning progress is better, because since the beginning, I love watching Asian movies, cartoon, and shows, and listening to the music as well. In the end, even though my vocabulary is still very limited, I can at least understand some words, phrases, and sentences.
My family might sometimes yell at me because I often say whatever I want in whatever foreign languages they don't understand, but well, since I have fun practicing the language that way, I just ignore them! ╮(￣▽￣)╭
I'm actually learning those languages as well (native English and Spanish speaker, as well as knowing ASL).
Hangul is somewhat easy to read, but that's all I can do.
I'm learning Mandarin Chinese for a few months. Though, I still find myself with the Pinyin.
And, Japanese as been off and on for so many years.
My family is mix. And some are Japanese-Mexican. I find it somewhat embarrassing on my part to *not* speak Japanese as well as I should. The kanji is killing me. Mostly cause I want to pronounce it like in Mandarin, or it has a different meaning. Like 他in Japanese is Other while in Mandarin, it's He.
What I use for Japanese and Mandarin is - Memrise. It's an app and website. Daily practice is helping a lot. Also. I have a Japan Region Locked 3DS LL. Downloaded a bunch of games. Most games has furigana, which is helpfully. And I can look at kanji that is more popular. Tutors can help. But, it's better to get basic grammar rules/etc before hand. Well. Mostly in my case cause I attend college/work/etc and I don't have sooo much money to throw away when I know just the basics are gonna take me a long time.
Also. Write. Write sentences (originally in the language you are trying to learn), and make sure you know the characters/etc. Make sure you at least know what the sentence is. And write like 20 or so sentences a day. Writing helps to brings stuff from short time memory, to long term.
I'm curious what is your nationality?
curiosity killed the cat :). Sorry :(( it's a rule of mine not to tell anyone about my private info, other than my name and gender. I'm really sorry :((.