Any tips on learning a new language?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hey Dopesters,

I’m in the process of learning Swedish with a view to moving to the country, so it’s for a proper reason not just for my own amusement. I’ve been learning if for the past six months and I wondered if anyone has any tips on learning another language as an adult? I think I’m doing pretty well so far but suggestions are always helpful. Background facts:

[ul]
[li]I don’t know any other languages, I learnt French in school but only up to secondary school/high school level[/li][li]I’m seeing a teacher one to one every week, he’s English but learnt Swedish as an adult too so had a decent perspective on it[/li][li]I’m using Rosetta Stone as well to help shore up what I’m learning - I’m finding it so so but as I’m getting it free I shouldn’t complain[/li][li]I have friends who are Swedish that I try and practice on, but so far I’m below conversational level so I can’t really do much[/li][li]I watch the news in Swedish but, again, I’m not really getting a great deal out of that right now as I can only understand a fraction of it[/li][li]I’m going on a four week residential language intensive course in the summer which I’m sure will be a big shot in the arm to what I’m doing.[/li][li]I’m planning to make the move at the end of the year, so my timeframe now is to get as good as I can in less than 12 months.[/li][/ul]
Any help greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

2

What level. Conversational? Able to read and write at an adult level, which means being able to read instructions, communicate with other and fill out forms? Fluency?

3

See if you can get Swedish children’s books. They will help build and contextualize vocabulary. Watching the news and conversations (and listening to Swedish music) are great but you need to get to that level first. Tove Jansson is awesome and has been translated into English, so if you get stuck you have help.

ETA: Constant low-level reinforcement is good, too. Better five minutes a day, every day, than an hour once a week.

4

Rent every Netflix movie in Swedish? Some have so little dialogue that you can almost hear every word.

5

Sounds like you’re really on the ball.

One thing that works really well for me, although it will depend on your learning style, is flashcards, in combination with all the other stuff. It’s just rote memorization, but when I’m simultaneously trying to learn the language in more creative ways (ie, conversation, watching movies, reading books, etc.) it helps a LOT with learning new vocabulary.

My method was to watch TV shows (especially the news and telenovelas) with the dictionary and a notebook, and write down as many unfamiliar words as possible, then look them up in the dictionary. Then I would make flashcards of those words. This way I was sure that I was actually learning words that people used, and not obscure words that would make people look at me funny when I used them. It was a pretty good method.

6

Can you find Swedish children’s shows, online or via Netflix? That could help to train your ear to recognize the patterns of the language while helping out with vocabulary.

7

Sounds like you’re doing all the right stuff.

Surrounding yourself in the new language as much as possible is essential. Explain it once a week in English and don’t use it outside the classroom doesn’t work that well.
Mind you, I took a total-immersion Japanese course once a week that worked amazingly well. By the end of the 8-week course, we were taking notes in Japanese. :slight_smile: I still have them. Now I can’t read them.

You say that this is not the first time learning another language. That makes a big difference; it’s easier if you have even some exposure to another language as a kid (the earlier the better). I have a theory that early exposure to speaking multiple languages builds mental flexibility that later monolingual learners really have to work to catch up to.

I found that, once I was past a certain basic level of fluence on my chosen language, instant messaging was excellent for practicing. It’s more immediate than email and requires you to be on the ball, but doesn’t show every textual misstep the way IRC might. I IMed for months.

Then came the frst phone call in the new language. I remember it being so difficult that I got a splitting headache and was drenched in sweat. But that passed. Now I chatter away. :slight_smile:

8

The best advice I can give is to use what you learn. The more you use it, the longer you’ll retain it, and the better and more confident you’ll become. If you’re learning to speak a language, speak the language as often as possible. If you’re learning to read and write it, read and write it every chance you get.

Also, nothing beats personal interaction with a native speaker. Don’t waste time being too embarrassed to speak in the language you’re learning. Dive in. You’ll learn from all the mistakes you’ll make, and much more quickly than those who rely solely on books, tapes, or CDs.

Try to immerse yourself in the language you’re learning as much as possible, even if it is just in the background, like a radio or TV program.

9

I learned Spanish as an adult, and my suggestions are:
To aid your comprehension, learn lots and lots of vocabulary. It’s easier to fill-in-the-blank if you know what was said around it.

Would your friends and/or teacher be willing to correct written compositions? If so, write, write, write. Have them highlight your errors, and depending on your method of learning things, either ask them to tell you why it’s wrong, or figure it out on your own if bookwork works better for you. (Argh, here we go, straight back to “What I did last summer…” :D) Then read them aloud to yourself, it really helps.

I agree children’s books and tv shows are a good idea, they’re learning the language, too.
*This might be a little off topic, but when I was learning Spanish, my professor told us a story. In the States, we (usually) find an accent charming. While my professor was living in Spain, another couple from the States moved there. The man had spent his time learning vocabulary and verb tenses, not so much on the pronunciation. The woman was an excellent mimic, so she sounded right, but she used the wrong words for things, and everything was present tense. At parties, everyone commented on how well she had learned the language!! My professor would argue a bit, saying the husband spoke it flawlessly, if you forgave his pronunciation. He said they would acknowledge this, but then still state that she spoke the language better!

10

Interacting using the new language, however simplistic, is key (credentials: I’ve learned five foreign languages to various states of ‘being able to communicate’). Online chats with your (patient) Swedish friends are a handy boon, although nothing beats being forced to speak IRL, if only pointing your finger at everyday objects and saying ‘hund’, ‘svenska köttbullar’ och ‘Volvo - en bra bil’ etc.

11

Related to the children’s books idea, you could try books you are familiar with that have been translated into Swedish. Even better if they are on a kid-friendly level. For example, Harry Potter. This might hold your interest better than a picture book, once you’re able to handle it.

12

As has already been said: get movies or books you know already in the swedish translation.

For movies, subtitles can be a great help. Also, listening to swedish music will help your ear a bit.

Instead of practising with swedish friends, look online for a tandem partner (you need a webcam, a microfone and good internet access for this). Tandem works that you partner two different native speakers who want to each learn the other’s language, and switch after 30 min. So the first half hour, both of you talk Swedish, then you both talk english.

Look for some swedish-language message boards and discussion forums on a topic that interests you, and start typing. (You know how on this board, nobody minds mistakes that non-native speakers make? Remember this).

Browse through the swedish wikipedia, and compare to the english articles (beware, though: these are not 1:1 translations, but seperate articles!)

As for children’s books, I have the problem that the simple ones are a bit too boring for adults to read (See spot run. Run spot run doesn’t have a lot of plot), while the more interesting ones (a translated Harry Potter e.g.) already have a lot of vocabulary and longer sentences. (Do Americans know Astrid Lindgren? Surely that would be a wonderful bonus to read in the original language, not only the innocent ones like Pippi longstoking or the childhood memories, but also the later ones - Mio, Brothers Lionheart, Ronja Robbersdaughter etc.)
Try Asterix comics, they have been translated in many languages.

I know that there are two line of publishing in my country for language learners: one are bi-linguagl books, the original on one side, a translation on the other side. The others are simplified - an original Sherlock Holmes story or similar, with a vocabulary of only 900/ 1200 words (plus extra words with footnotes and illustrations), or new: a mixture of English and German. Don’t know if the market for Swedish/ English learners is big enough, but your teacher might know.

Do you have a child/ pet/ teddy bear? Talk to them in Swedish about the housework or whatever else you are doing right now, alone at home, so you get used to using swedish.

Get recipes for original swedish food from the internet and try to cook that (if you can get the ingredients).

Look at google streetmap and get a map of the city you’re going to stay in for your summer course, and practise asking how to get from … to… - the usual tourist stuff, but also what you personally would ask a native (where’s the next internet cafe? Do you know Doper X, he’s from Sweden? :))

I know it’s a bit difficult to overcome the “I’m making a fool of myself/ nobody can understand me” inner voice - but speak and write online as much as you can.

Here’san essay on learning languages - scroll to the end for the How-to section.

13

Thansk Constanze, that essay was really helpful. And the tip on flashcards was good too, I’m using that as a way of recording and building my vocabulary base too, means I can test myself on stuff when I want to practice.

I think I’m at the stage now where I need to bite the bullet and start reading some books or watching programs in the language. I’ve just found a site where you can stream Swedish tv by category and there are quite a few kids programs, so I’ve struck gold there. I’ll look into some Swedish comics/magazines too I think, hopefully that will be a good place to start, before moving onto some easy books.

Keep it coming people!

14

Read, write, speak, and listen. Over and over and over. Even if you get a headache. Even if you’re tired. Even if you just don’t want to.

Now, of these four skills, the hardest ones to acquire are generally speaking and listening, since there’s not a whole lot of time for thinking. I would continue to watch the news. The context, especially if they’re talking about things you have some knowledge of, will help immensely. Also, news people speak fairly clearly. Talk radio will also help. You may think you don’t understand anything, and you don’t, but your brain is slowly figuring out where the word boundaries are, and then you will know what words you don’t know. This is progress. Speaking is the hardest to practice if you have no one to talk to, and I can’t think offhand of any way to change that. I will say, though, that practicing pronunciation in the shower will improve your accent. As for reading and writing, I would suggest a message board, much like this one, except in Swedish. Spend most of your time reading at first, say a couple of months, but then chime in whenever you think you can. Don’t be too afraid; most people are more than accommodating to those who are learning. Do all this, say for an hour or ninety minutes a day, and you will be well set to deal with actually being in Sweden. You won’t be fluent when you arrive, but you will be in a position to be roughly fluent in say six months or so.

As always, the best advice is to not get discouraged. At times it will be a pain. It’s hard to juggle all the grammar and all the vocabulary all at once, and it will take time and effort to do so, but everything will get easier with time. It’s like learning to play a musical instrument. It sucks at the beginning because you can’t do anything interesting, but that time will pass sooner or later, and you will start to enjoy it, even if you don’t know everything. The hard part is that first hump.

I think I’m being a bit too pessimistic here, but it can be done, and done well. Good luck.