Lingual suggestions, please.
I took advantage of an opportunity to get a one year license to Rosetta Stone online language learning materials for a comparatively low price.
I wanted to learn Mandarin. The most obvious obstruction to communication in my work environment and otherwise is, in my judgement, between Chinese and English speakers. Once I started I was excited at the prospect of being able to understand Chinese characters, and to converse in a language that had seemed totally incomprehensible to me.
However, as it is a language so totally different, unfamiliar, and difficult to access from an English speaking angle, I really needed to work on it every day to make any useful progress. I currently have even more important commitments that make it difficult to devote time to language learning every single day.
With this in mind I have decided to postpone Mandarin for another time, lest I waste the money I spent on the license. Instead I shall learn a language I have more familiarity with. It could be French, Spanish, German, or possibly Italian. Spanish is a front runner as it is a very widely spoken language here in California. We have several friends and friends of friends who speak German, and I have learned some German in the past, so I like the idea of following that through. I like the sound of French and, as an Englishman, it would be beneficial for me to learn something about my natural enemies. I also like the sound of Italian, but my only connection is that my great-grandparents on my Mother's Mother's side were from Italy.
What are your thoughts?
I wanted to learn Mandarin. The most obvious obstruction to communication in my work environment and otherwise is, in my judgement, between Chinese and English speakers. Once I started I was excited at the prospect of being able to understand Chinese characters, and to converse in a language that had seemed totally incomprehensible to me.
However, as it is a language so totally different, unfamiliar, and difficult to access from an English speaking angle, I really needed to work on it every day to make any useful progress. I currently have even more important commitments that make it difficult to devote time to language learning every single day.
With this in mind I have decided to postpone Mandarin for another time, lest I waste the money I spent on the license. Instead I shall learn a language I have more familiarity with. It could be French, Spanish, German, or possibly Italian. Spanish is a front runner as it is a very widely spoken language here in California. We have several friends and friends of friends who speak German, and I have learned some German in the past, so I like the idea of following that through. I like the sound of French and, as an Englishman, it would be beneficial for me to learn something about my natural enemies. I also like the sound of Italian, but my only connection is that my great-grandparents on my Mother's Mother's side were from Italy.
What are your thoughts?