For those of you who know three or more languages, how does the learning curve change after the first additional language?
MUCH easier to learn a third language after having gone through the hard work of learning a second. This is because you now recognize the patterns and structures inherent to language and, instead of having to start from scratch, you just plug the new concepts, terms, idioms, structures, ideas and what not into the frame you had built previously. I can remember really struggling with progressive tenses while learning Spanish, just not getting them. But later, when it came to understanding them in Japanese, it was a cinch, despite that progressive tenses in Spanish and English are FAR more similar than are Japanese and English.
Another big benefit that I have found in learning another language is that it tends to give you a far greater appreciation, understanding, and, usually, command of your own native language.
I am sorry to report, however, that it appears to have no effect whatsoever upon one’s typing skills, or lack thereof.
[quote]Cortes wrote:
MUCH easier to learn a third language after having gone through the hard work of learning a second. This is because you now recognize the patterns and structures inherent to language and, instead of having to start from scratch, you just plug the new concepts, terms, idioms, structures, ideas and what not into the frame you had built previously. I can remember really struggling with progressive tenses while learning Spanish, just not getting them. But later, when it came to understanding them in Japanese, it was a cinch, despite that progressive tenses in Spanish and English are FAR more similar than are Japanese and English.
Another big benefit that I have found in learning another language is that it tends to give you a far greater appreciation, understanding, and, usually, command of your own native language.
I am sorry to report, however, that it appears to have no effect whatsoever upon one’s typing skills, or lack thereof. [/quote]
This is true, once I understood the ablative in Latin, I understood a very similar structure in French easily.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]orion wrote:
[quote]Cortes wrote:
MUCH easier to learn a third language after having gone through the hard work of learning a second. This is because you now recognize the patterns and structures inherent to language and, instead of having to start from scratch, you just plug the new concepts, terms, idioms, structures, ideas and what not into the frame you had built previously. I can remember really struggling with progressive tenses while learning Spanish, just not getting them. But later, when it came to understanding them in Japanese, it was a cinch, despite that progressive tenses in Spanish and English are FAR more similar than are Japanese and English.
Another big benefit that I have found in learning another language is that it tends to give you a far greater appreciation, understanding, and, usually, command of your own native language.
I am sorry to report, however, that it appears to have no effect whatsoever upon one’s typing skills, or lack thereof. [/quote]
This is true, once I understood the ablative in Latin, I understood a very similar structure in French easily.
[/quote]
Ha ha, what’s an ablative?
So much for my English skills![/quote]
This is where my English fails so here is the definition:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ablative
It is when you have a whole describtion condensed into a grammatical form, f.e, - Caear, his hands raised- adressed his legions, Caear his hands raised would be only three words, Caesar, hands and a declination of raised. Or maybe you had to change the ending of hands I am a bit rusty on the details.
Obviously not much of an advantage in this example, but it can be and it allows for very elegant stuctures.
In French it is often used in parts that could be translated into English with “given that…” and, after having established the premise you can come to your conclusion.
Very elegant, does not really work that well in German or English and if it does there is no grammatical structure for it.
Of course the ablative has other uses too, but this is the one that is most similar to French.
[quote]Ambugaton wrote:
Anyone here study/know languages beyond your first? How’d you learn it? How do you retain it?
I know (some) Arabic. I try to study a few times a week. I read/listen to Aljazeera and BBC.[/quote]
Well, I don’t speak as well as others here, but I have some capacity in Japanese. I learned it by picking up some books and studying them + living in country. I used to spend 45min-1hour before work everyday + additional study when I could.
I retain it because my wife is Japanese and, basically, I have no choice but to speak daily. I also still try to study a little bit every morning (end up being about 4-5 days a week). Although I’m somewhat just “retaining” now instead of “gaining.” That said, my fluency (as in ability to speak and follow a conversation in-language) has probably increased by shear volume…or maybe I am just hoping so. Regardless, I see myself as the tortoise. Slowly and surely. Hopefully I won’t embarrass myself too much when I head over to Chushin’s place.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
[quote]Ambugaton wrote:
Anyone here study/know languages beyond your first? How’d you learn it? How do you retain it?
I know (some) Arabic. I try to study a few times a week. I read/listen to Aljazeera and BBC.[/quote]
Well, I don’t speak as well as others here, but I have some capacity in Japanese. I learned it by picking up some books and studying them + living in country. I used to spend 45min-1hour before work everyday + additional study when I could.
I retain it because my wife is Japanese and, basically, I have no choice but to speak daily. I also still try to study a little bit every morning (end up being about 4-5 days a week). Although I’m somewhat just “retaining” now instead of “gaining.” That said, my fluency (as in ability to speak and follow a conversation in-language) has probably increased by shear volume…or maybe I am just hoping so. Regardless, I see myself as the tortoise. Slowly and surely. Hopefully I won’t embarrass myself too much when I head over to Chushin’s place.
[/quote]
Please don’t ever have that thought again. We all start somewhere, and I respect anyone who’s making the effort.
The only time I get condescending about language skills is if the person is an ass – and you don’t seem to qualify,
Besides, I’m not really as good as Cortes says anyway. 
[/quote]
I’ll be silently judging you both.
Lived in Japan for a few years and reached the point where I’d be considered “half-decent” for a foreigner. Lots of grammatical and stylistic mistakes, but I could make myself understood in some fairly complex situations. I had a pretty odd job portfolio there…I went from English teacher to fake priest to pharmaceutical rep, and the latter two required daily use of the language.
As mentioned, study, practice, wash rinse repeat. Get your time in. I found myself on the Shinkansen a lot - I made a point to either have a study book open or harass my neighbour in conversation.
If I had to do it again, I’d have spent WAY less time studying for those silly JLPT tests. I spent a lot of time studying for the 1-kyuu, and passed it (barely!), but I had friends much more fluent and proficient than I was who failed it.
Another small but important tip - learn the 10 cent words before the 10 dollar words. I was bad for this - I knew how to say things like “spleen” and “diabetes” in Japanese before I mastered simple verbs like “to grow”. Baby steps…
Another thing - use it or lose it. I’ve been back in Canada for 3 years now, and can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve engaged a Japanese person in conversation (very few Japanese in the Toronto area, comparatively, and most that live here are quite fluent in English). As such, my level has gone way downhill, but I find that if I pick up a study book it comes back pretty quickly.
I’m an ass in any language. (>_^)v
I’m fluent in English, Serbian, Albanian. Pretty good in Spanish from years of school. Learning Arabic at the moment.
Yea, Serbs and Albanians like each other just about as much as Israelis and Palestinians do. My family is ethnic Albanian from Montenegro, so you had to know Serbian living there when it was Yugoslavia. That’s why most Albanians also speak Serbian unless they’re from Albania proper.
[quote]DaBeard wrote:
I’m fluent in English, Serbian, Albanian. Pretty good in Spanish from years of school. Learning Arabic at the moment.[/quote]
Most impressive. Let me know how Arabic goes. Are you studying a dialect or MSA?
I’m actually studying Fus’ha, which is Qur’anic arabic. But I’m pretty sure MSA is based off of it and all of the grammar is the same. Except for the fact that there are extra rules for the Fus’ha.
And it’s actually not impressive, English, Albanian and Serbian were all spoken in my house growing up so they’re all my first language. I actually only learned Spanish as a new tongue and now Arabic. Although I can read and write fluently in Arabic.