Decline of Modern Languages

[teamsaint]

Learning another language, as Aeolium pointed out, is great for the literature, poetry, culture etc...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM5LgFyTzAQ

(sorry Aeolium, couldn't resist.....)

[Padraig]

Learning another language, as Aeolium pointed out, is great for the literature, poetry, culture etc...

Very true, ts, though I have not yet come across any etc...

I've been learning Irish for a while, segued into Jigs and Reels via the tin whistle - well I can play two so far -and now I find myself being drawn to a small group singing part songs in Irish. I'm picking up the bass parts today.

Edit:
Do you like 'segued' - it's a first for me? This post might be valuable one day!

[eighthobstruction]

'segued'

Duly noted and logged 001110011000101100101100P1

[french frank]

Edit:
Do you like 'segued' - it's a first for me? This post might be valuable one day!

You've been studying foreign languages. Or listening to Late Junction.

Have you not yet come across Táin Bó Cúailnge? :-)

[Padraig]

Have you not yet come across Táin Bó Cúailnge? :-)

Have a heart, ff. I'm not Heaney, you know. He could have done a Beowulf on it.

But I can do you a 'Bainne na mbo¹ as na gamhna' which is 'Milk of the cow for the calf'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWeVa5sYCWc

[Russ_H]

I loathed modern language lessons at school, but I've been trying to catch up.
I am studying Italian.

This method of learning has suited me:

http://www.pimsleur.com/List-of-Languages

It predominantly addresses conversational language. You can try a lesson, free,
in your choice of language. It is not cheap, but it does seem to be effective. You
might be able to get some bargains on eBay.

Here is another interesting website:

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/index.html

I have no business connection with either of these enterprises.

[Dave2002]

Russ

I wasn't very keen on languages at school. However, one of my first real world experiences of language was on La Gomera (Spanish island, near Teneriffe) where we hired a car. After a while I thought we might be running out of petrol (there was no gauge!) so a quick glance at a phrase book resulted in my going into a bar in the middle of nowhere, and saying something like "Ola. Deseo comprar gasolina" and to my amazement the chap inside understood me, and rushed out to the outside where there just happened to be a petrol pump. I had learned French at school, and eventually found that useful in France, though nowadays it's not so useful, as many of the people in hotels etc. actually want to speak English - which was definitely not the case several decades ago. I have found evening classes were quite helpful for learning a bit of Italian, and I used to watch most of the BBC TV language programmes.

Lidl sometimes has cheap CD courses (basic - but useful), and if you really get the bug, then it's possible to buy quite a range of CDs and language material. I found it made a change from music listening to language courses on my way to and from work.

I can't imagine how that Mezzofanti guy managed - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Caspar_Mezzofanti

[french frank]

It may well be that more people take to the less rigid methods which concentrate on comprehension - and speaking - than on "rote learning" when they're at school.

But some things just have to be learned and with languages you'll come up against that at some point if you want to gain a reasonable proficiency (apart from living in the country and constantly using the language). "Rote learning" which people loathe is in some cases a quicker, more efficient way of learning than hoping points will 'arise naturally' with a less structured method.

Our Latin teacher tried the 'Direct Method' on us and we spent weeks being totally baffled (not having learned any foreign language at that point).

[teamsaint]

It may well be that more people take to the less rigid methods which concentrate on comprehension - and speaking - than on "rote learning" when they're at school.

But some things just have to be learned and with languages you'll come up against that at some point if you want to gain a reasonable proficiency (apart from living in the country and constantly using the language). "Rote learning" which people loathe is in some cases a quicker, more efficient way of learning than hoping points will 'arise naturally' with a less structured method.

Our Latin teacher tried the 'Direct Method' on us and we spent weeks being totally baffled (not having learned any foreign language at that point).

and they only ever seemed to discuss military matters in ancient Rome. Domestic tasks, (for instance) seldom seemed to get a look in !!

[french frank]

In our school it involved finding a girl whose name ended in 'a' (Pamela) and getting her to open and shut the classroom door ('ianua').

and they only ever seemed to discuss military matters in ancient Rome. Domestic tasks, (for instance) seldom seemed to get a look in !!

That beat learning your conjugations and declensions ...

[teamsaint]

In our school it involved finding a girl whose name ended in 'a' (Pamela) and getting her to open and shut the classroom door ('ianua').
That beat learning your conjugations and declensions ...

What if you were short of a Pamela?

and remind me again about the ablative..........................

For all that I have genuinely found my low level latin education to be of great use. Honestly.

[french frank]

What if you were short of a Pamela?

Patricia? Even better than a Pamela was an Amanda or a Miranda (we had both: Lesson 2 - Gerunds and gerundives).

[ardcarp]

We had a most creative, though fierce, Latin master who set us a vocab to learn three times a week. The test the next day would consist of all the words strung together, eg

At sunrise Marcus was sleeping, clad in the general's tent under the shadow of the knees.

As far as modern languages are concerned, I am just glad that French is the one I struggle along with. Why? Because it seems English was as badly taught in French schools as French was in English ones. So at least there's a level playing field.

[Richard Tarleton]

Cotta and Labienus...ah, I still remember them. I was taught French and Latin atrociously at school, but enough of the grammar stuck to make learning Spanish as an adult much easier. In the 1980s when I began to travel around Spain I started (very grammatically) in with an old Teach Yourself book, progressed to evening classes, and in 1999 took the plunge and started a 3 year OU Diploma course - one of the best decisions I ever made. Part funded by my employers, it resulted in me being able to represent them at workshops, seminars etc. in Spain, and to read Spanish for pleasure.

The course was based on a notional 10 hours a week, though I generally managed in less, and the quality of course materials from every part of the Hispanic world was outstanding. My two regular tutors during the three years (from a leading university Spanish dept.), and all the team who led the summer school in Santiago de Compostela, were native speakers, so a total immersion course. Great value and highly recommended.