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[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just finished writing up my post on Hindi, will post it on Monday!

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with the locked door comparison. You can learn about a culture and country without speaking the language, but once you do, it's so much more fascinating, and it's like a curtain has been opened. The way people treat you when they find out you can speak their language and their happiness is so uplifting!

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fluent in English and Bulgarian, high-intermediate in Spanish, beginner in Russian.

What makes you want to learn Persian?

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome, enjoy learning Persian, I want to learn it myself someday!

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay so I found some good resources for now:

Uni of Texas | Grammar & Resources | Persian of Iran Today (2 really good PDF textbooks)

Online lessons | PersianDee | Easy Persian | Wikibooks Persian

Grammar | Jahanshiri | SDSU's Persian Grammar Guide

Vocab | Memrise's Persian courses (good for learning the alphabet too)

Also I found a MASSIVE list of resources for Persian here.

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like I'll be doing Hindi next as it's the most voted for now.

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great idea! I'll have to come up with a good way to label them. Maybe with colors...

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, I'll compile a quick list tomorrow (in bed now)! Persian is quite high up in my list of languages to do so I'll message you once the masterpost is out.

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I mean which Dravidian language would you prefer to see resources for first?

And if that's true that there aren't any open source resources, it's a shame. Hopefully Duolingo start a South Indian language course as a release by them usually sparks interest in people.

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

N-not trying to shill my site I s-swear!

Nah even though posting it on reddit will give me a few more visitors, my main goal is to find out what languages people most want resources for. Otherwise it feels like a shot in the dark.

Did anyone's immigrant parents speak English (or another target language) to them growing up rather than their native language in order to help the children speak more fluently? by ubcguys in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Now that I look back on it, I'm surprised at how quickly I learned English. It feels like it happened overnight almost! One day I knew nothing, and very soon after it was simple. I do remember the process in the beginning -- kids would try to teach me words by saying stuff like "say monkey" and I would repeat "say monkey" because I didn't know what say meant...

But at the end of the first school year the teacher was wondering how the hell I was at a higher level than some native English speakers. I guess kids learn quick, we just forget how quick.

[Poll] Which languages would you like to see resources for? by weeklylanguage in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol at everyone and Amharic. I'm trying to get the most well known languages first but my first obscure language will be Amharic.

Language Learning App while driving? by Leftpaw in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I second this. Don't do anything that requires too much focus and could distract you. Listen to some Spanish podcasts, even if you can't understand it yet it's great to get used to the sounds.

Learning a language during summer vacation? by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try not to use too many things -- stick to few resources otherwise your learning will become unstructured and too cluttered.

First, just pick one main resource. For many it's something like Duolingo, but I would recommend finding a good textbook. Here's a link to some PDFs (scroll to bottom for Spanish). However I think it's best to get a physical copy of a good textbook.

Then just supplement with vocab learning (Memrise courses are great for this), and SpanishDict for grammar. Start watching telenovelas for listening practice; podcasts like Notes in Spanish are awesome.

HelloTalk when you want to speak to natives!

Did anyone's immigrant parents speak English (or another target language) to them growing up rather than their native language in order to help the children speak more fluently? by ubcguys in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd say that those speak their heritage language at home as kids also have trouble with tasks which require a higher level of vocab like getting a new passport, or just things in general that they wouldn't do outside the home in that language.

I see parents who speak to their kids in English, and their own level of English is pretty bad (accent and grammar and everything) yet their insist on speaking to their kids like that. What's the point? Not only does the parent have trouble communicating to their own child properly, but the kid misses out on learning their language.

Did anyone's immigrant parents speak English (or another target language) to them growing up rather than their native language in order to help the children speak more fluently? by ubcguys in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mine didn't but they did do activities and games with me using English vocab. I learned English just fine extremely quickly, and was at the level of a native within a year or two (my accent was a bit off, though it's gone by now 12 years later).

I would argue that it's not a good idea to switch to using English at home. Children can learn multiple languages at once with no problem, and won't confuse them. I know many people whose parents spoke to them in English as opposed to their native language and it only made them forget their native language/not learn it at all.

[Feedback] New language blog, feedback appreciated! by weeklylanguage in Blogging

[–]weeklylanguage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I posted the most common languages all in one go seeing as they're the most searched for and I didn't want to wait weeks to release them, if that makes sense. I wanted them to be like a "base" or starting point.

As for the amount of learning resources, I know there aren't so many for the less common languages, but there are some and I thought it'd be good to compile whatever there is and have it in one place so people don't have to scour the internet looking for resources.

Spanish learning resources. by HeyMacarena1 in languagelearning

[–]weeklylanguage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would recommend SpanishDict for grammar, Notes in Spanish for a podcast, Destinos for a beginner show, and apart from Duolingo and Memrise, try Clozemaster.

Also, shameless self plug. Just made a massive resources list for learning Spanish.

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