Questions tagged [multiple-languages]
Questions guided towards multiple languages, whether it be comparing them, using them in tandem, or questions about more than one language in general
87
questions
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Pronunciation of “ll” in the Romance languages
I have noticed that all the Romance languages (Spanish, Galician, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, and French) usually pronounce the "ll" like the "y" in "yacht". ...
5
votes
1answer
16 views
Learning schedule with multiple languages
I am wondering how to schedule learning my languages to get the best results and to give each of the languages enough time.
Currently I am learning English(C1), German(B2),Turkish(A2) and Spanish(A2).
...
1
vote
0answers
7 views
Why do “beer” and “cherry” have similar words in Spanish and Portuguese? What is the historical origin of this coincidence? [migrated]
I noticed that in Spanish, "beer" is called "cerveza" and "cherry" is called "cereza". The only difference in these spellings is the letter "v". ...
4
votes
1answer
41 views
Spanish vs Russian rules
I am a native English speaker, and I also speak Spanish with a decent accent having lived in Spain for years. For example I know how to roll my 'r' letters the Spanish way.
I have decided to learn ...
0
votes
2answers
67 views
How long does it take to learn German at a B1 level?
I speak Hungarian and learnt English as a second language (both are at a C1/C2 level) and recently developed an interest in German. I tried to find out roughly how long it would take to learn German ...
6
votes
2answers
82 views
Learning a fourth language is messing my third language: How can I avoid that?
After learning English, I studied Finnish for some years and I attained a decent level. When I was studying Finnish, I noticed already that it was sort of "displacing" my German (A language ...
1
vote
2answers
50 views
What languages have words which you can pronounce reliably purely based on the way they are written? [closed]
It appears that Spanish and Chinese (Pinyin) are languages which you can accurately derive the pronunciation of the words purely from their spelling. Whereas English is definitely not that type of ...
2
votes
2answers
42 views
How do keyboards work in general across different language scripts?
For example, these are some scripts:
Arabic for Arabic/Persian/Urdu
Devanagari for Hindi
Tamil
Kanji/Kana for Japanese
Tibetan
Hebrew with Niqqud
Amharic
Sinhala
etc.
How do you typically write ...
3
votes
0answers
43 views
Does the similarity between closely related language contribute to the effectiveness of learning them simultaneously?
Basically what I'm interested in is whether there is any research on whether the linguistic similarity of two languages that are learnt simultaneously contributes to the effectiveness of learning them....
5
votes
0answers
67 views
Based on research, is it better to learn a new language in your mother tongue?
I live in a multilingual country and often people that visit a language course will have the class in one of the languages spoken here, let's say French.
But most of these people do not speak a lot of ...
1
vote
2answers
57 views
How do you take a break from languages with minimum memory loss or detriment?
I'm a Sixth Form student in the UK. At the start of July, I have work experience. In mid-July, I have exams. In August, I have coursework and university preparation stuff. All of this is severely ...
5
votes
1answer
67 views
When is it best to add another language to the mix?
Little bit about myself in case that helps: I'm a 17 year old living in England. I'm fluent in English (of course), have a good understanding of several South Asian languages because of my ethnicity, ...
3
votes
0answers
29 views
How do you learn to read Vietnamese using Chữ Nôm?
I am able to read Chinese characters, and have been exposed to Chữ NÓm, which is derived by amalgamating Chinese characters according to their meaning and pronunciation, so as to represent a Native ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
When two people each speak one another's first language as a second language, in which language will they communicate?
Let's take an English-speaking Norwegian and a Norwegian-speaking Englishman as an example. What are the most and least influential variables that influence how they will communicate outside of a ...
1
vote
2answers
29 views
How can I be an interpreter? [closed]
I'm Bangladeshi and my native language is Bangla/Bengali. If I can speak English fluently, can I be an interpreter?
And is there any course for interpretation?
-1
votes
3answers
46 views
How to choose a foreign language to learn based on my interests? [closed]
I already know Russian and Ukrainian, I study English.
I'd like to find the next language to learn.
In fact, I'd like to know all the Romance languages, but I should start somewhere.
To begin with, I'...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Is there data on number of people who do not speak a particular language, or none out of a group of languages?
Similar to this question (What are the most common languages among people who DON'T speak English?), is there any data on individuals who do not speak a language (or none of multiple languages), ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
Simultaneous intensive summer course in German and French? Or is it too much?
I am an unemployed engineer currently, and I have 0 knowledge of French and German (I am Spanish) so I have a lot of time this summer (virtually 100% availability).
I can enroll in one or two ...
1
vote
0answers
39 views
Where to find the differences in punctuation between European languages?
The languages that use the question mark "?" seem to do it in a fairly uniform fashion, but I have the feeling that the full stop "." and the exclamation mark "!" are used slightly differently in ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
How should I decide the order of learning each of languages if you learn all of them in the end?
I wonder if you will have learned multiple languages in the end, the order of learning each of them has any influence and if it does, what is the most effective order to learn.
For example, suppose ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Does learning a new language while in the target country instead of learning the current language reach the goal of acquiring both faster in the end?
Here is the situation:
I have now been learning French for two months.
I will start to stay in South Korea for one month.
After staying in Korea, I'll stay in France and attend language school for ...
4
votes
3answers
143 views
How to get most language learning benefits from frequent casual conversations with natives?
I know several languages on various levels:
Polish native
English C1-C2
German B2-C1
Russian B1
Spanish B1
I have tons of opportunities to speak to natives:
English - quite a few people at work (...
6
votes
1answer
172 views
What is the better way for structure the learning of 5 languages in 1 year and 6 months?
It's really this, I have a dream to speak Japanese, Korean, Standard Chinese, French and Russian. I know it is hard and very difficult to learn five language at the same time.
Right now, this is my ...
3
votes
0answers
68 views
If you don't speak your native language (e.g. Spanish) can you lose your native accent?
I am practising several foreign languages, i.e. Japanese, Korean, Standard Chinese and Russian (I am A1 in the first three) and my question is what will happen if I don't speak my native language (...
3
votes
2answers
66 views
Is learning Attic Greek a good thing at the same as learning Modern Conversational Greek?
I'm currently reading Plato, Homer, and others in their English translations. I also currently am learning how to speak modern conversational Greek. I also want to learn Attic Greek in order to better ...
4
votes
2answers
72 views
How to look for resources that are available in multiple languages?
In order to efficiently learn multiple foreign languages simultaneously, I noticed that resources provided in multiple languages can act as a big help.
I have been using http://www.goethe-verlag.com/...
7
votes
1answer
78 views
Is there any vocabularies or best practices for a technical support how to communicate in multiple languages?
I am a technical support engineer.
My mother tongue is not English, I still write and speak with a lot of mistakes, constantly improving my English skill, please do not judge me strictly ;)
In my ...
7
votes
1answer
88 views
From an economic point of view, what are the most important foreign languages to learn for Germans?
Discussions about which foreign languages to learn are often based on the number of native speakers a language has. However, on the job market, what languages look good on a CV is determined by other ...
3
votes
0answers
226 views
How many languages did Vera F. Birkenbihl know?
Vera F. Birkenbihl (she insisted on the "F.", which stands for Felicitas) was a German management trainer and author. She coined the term "gehirn-gerechtes lernen" as a translation of "brain-friendly ...
5
votes
1answer
365 views
Original source of Arguelles' statement about learning at least six languages
The Reddit thread Alexander Arguellesā Six Most Important Languages, which started earlier this year ("5 months ago" from October 2018) states that the polyglot Alexander Argüelles once said that an ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
How to maintain three foreign languages (polyglot)?
For the sake of this question, assume that you have reached CEFR level B2 (basic fluency) or higher in four languages (one of which is your L1).
What sort of daily/weekly techniques and time ...
7
votes
2answers
100 views
How can I quickly learn to understand a Latin text if I know Romance languages?
After studying French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and now looking at a Latin text it seems like Iām basically there, Iām just missing things.
What are some things I could/should learn to ...
11
votes
1answer
106 views
Updated versions of FSI courses
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) courses (found here, here or here) are free, thorough, and an amazing resource for language learners. But they are quite old - many of the courses are well over 50 ...
8
votes
1answer
179 views
What are the most widespread languages besides English, Spanish, and French?
A great inspiration for some language learners is to be able to speak to a large number or wide range of people in more than one country. To that end, a language learner may want to know which ...
6
votes
1answer
99 views
Can I read nynorsk due to learning bokmål?
Suppose I learn enough Norwegian bokmƄl to be able to read books and newspapers well enough to follow what is happening, even if I would miss nuances and occasionally misunderstand something. I'm ...
4
votes
0answers
28 views
Using Multiple Languages in your Daily Life or Job [closed]
What are some ways that you can include the languages you have learned in your daily life and job? and what are some job where you could apply all the languages you know?
I know spanish(native), ...
7
votes
2answers
150 views
Should I use my second language to learn my third language? [duplicate]
English is my second language (I do not have a good command of it.) while Chinese is my first language.
I want to have Japanese as my third language. Can I learn Japanese from books/tutorials ...
5
votes
1answer
259 views
Which Austronesian language is simplest to pick up?
I am thinking of experimenting and trying to learn an Austronesian language that my school offers. I have the option of:
Hawaiian
Maori
Tahitian
Tongan
Samoan
Ilokano
Chamorro
Which one is the ...
4
votes
1answer
55 views
Predicting language interference between Danish and Norwegian
I am presently learning Danish, but will soon move to Norway. The languages are very similar, to the level that I can read both without ever having studied Norwegian. Norwegian pronunciation is likely ...
5
votes
2answers
130 views
Approach to multiple language learning goal for a multilingual family
I'm going to live in Japan with my future wife.
She is L1 (first language) korean speaker but lived in Japan for over 10 years making Japanese her L2 (second language).
My own L1 language is German ...
9
votes
4answers
177 views
What are some strategies for effectively studying two unrelated languages simultaneously?
We already have a few questions on this site asking about learning multiple related languages, however, what about learning multiple unrelated languages?
I'm a (mostly self-taught) student of Spanish ...
4
votes
2answers
104 views
How to memorize German vocabulary by connecting it to English?
My background vocabulary is English. Can you help me how to memorize German vocabulary by connecting the words with English?
15
votes
1answer
635 views
How was the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) list of language learning difficulty compiled?
There is a fairly standard ranking of the difficulty of learning various languages for English speakers, based primarily on its similarity to English. (Note: I've seen some contradictory information ...
14
votes
4answers
253 views
Should I start learning another language even if I haven't mastered the last one?
I have studied German for the whole year last year. But I want to study other languages too.
I haven't mastered German yet, and I am seeking advice whether I should start learning a new language ...
4
votes
0answers
53 views
Fluent in English and Spanish; according to scientific research, what order of learning other languages is most efficient? [closed]
I am a native speaker of the English language with 6 years of Spanish schooling. After re-establishing a fluent Spanish speaking status what should be the next language to learn?
Latin seemed like ...
6
votes
2answers
113 views
Does native Finnish and literacy in another language give literacy in Finnish?
Our child speaks native Finnish (appropriate to her age). We are moving abroad. Supposing the child learns to read and write in another language that uses essentially the same alphabet (probably some ...
9
votes
2answers
198 views
What is my first and second language?
First, let's take a look at the meaning of first language by Wikipedia:
A first language, native language or mother tongue (also known as father tongue, arterial language or L1) is a language that a ...
12
votes
2answers
218 views
Do people fluent in two languages learn a third, unrelated language more easily?
The question in the title is strongly shortened. In full length it goes like this:
Do people who speak fluently two languages (which they have learned as a child)
that are quite different from each ...
9
votes
2answers
186 views
Why can't I think of anything to say when someone asks how many languages I can speak?
There is this fairly common thing I've noticed, when a multiglot is talking to someone about languages, and they say "say something in x", suddenly all words in that language leave my head and I can't ...
11
votes
6answers
320 views
How can I overcome fear and failure when speaking to native speakers of my L2?
I've been studying Russian language on my own for more than 1.5 years. And I'm still bad at it because of lack of speaking practice. I didn't study everyday as I also paused for several months so I'm ...