Learning the Language
 

I have been struggling with the language, someone suggested that Linkword Languages provide really good language learning material, has anyone used them.

Many thanks, Dennis

Re: Learning the Language
 

The Michel Thomas cd's are very good, maybe give them a try.

pwwm

Re: Learning the Language
 

Thanks I will check them out as well.

Dennis

Re: Learning the Language
 

I must be the only one that can't get on with Michel Thomas. I find his voice really, really irritating.

Re: Learning the Language
 

Must admit Glynis, I do find his voice irritating, but I like his way of teaching and it has helped us quite a bit.
Like the format, shame about the voice!!!!

Sadly he died last year.

pwwm

Re: Learning the Language
 

Try the BBC Spanish Languages also the Learn Spanish which is a link from BBC. ¡SUERTE! John

Re: Learning the Language
 

I like Michel Thomas too, but rather than irritating he makes me fall asleep.....there was a very good quick Spanish booklet and CD with the Independent newspaper some Saturdays ago, and I also like Visual Link Spanish which is an American course, and there is a free trial online.
Isn't it hard though learning back in Britain?? When in Spain I listen, then try it out in bars and shops and it seems so much easier...

Re: Learning the Language
 

Hi Poolounger

Quite agree it is sooo much easier in Spain, luckily for us, living here and having Spanish neighbours (who do not speak English).
Tolerant when we make mistakes, also having to use Spanish on a daily basis has helped, but our Spanish friends are insistent we speak English only to their new baby, Miguel. :D

pwwm

Re: Learning the Language
 

That's the irony...as Brits struggle to learn new languages now more than ever before, other people just want English,English, English. I am amazed by all the Eastern Europeans who arrive in Britain with not a word of English, find jobs and learn the language, amazingly well. We can sometimes get so hung up about languages, and really it is juts one of the tools we use to communicate, albeit the major one. I find I can get around most places with a dictionary and a copious use of mime and facial expression.. :eek: :D :rolleyes: :p :scared:

Re: Learning the Language
 

That's the irony...as Brits struggle to learn new languages now more than ever before, other people just want English,English, English. I am amazed by all the Eastern Europeans who arrive in Britain with not a word of English, find jobs and learn the language, amazingly well. We can sometimes get so hung up about languages, when it is just one of the tools we use to communicate, albeit the major one. I find I can get around most places with a dictionary and a copious use of mime and facial expression.. :eek: :D :rolleyes: :p :scared:

Re: Learning the Language
 

That's the irony...as Brits struggle to learn new languages now more than ever before, other people just want English,English, English. I am amazed by all the Eastern Europeans who arrive in Britain with not a word of English, find jobs and learn the language, amazingly well. We can sometimes get so hung up about language, when it is just one of the tools we use to communicate, albeit the major one. I find I can get around most places with a dictionary and a copious use of mime and facial expression.. :eek: :D :rolleyes: :p :scared:

Re: Learning the Language
 

Or you can allways try repeating everything three times. :D :D

Re: Learning the Language
 

Never mind Poolounger you must have heard how great the weather is here 28dg as I type :D repetitive strain injury springs to mind!!!

pwwm

Re: Learning the Language
 

Meant to add, re carrying the dictionary around, we did that for quite some time and I now cannot remember when we stopped, so must be getting somewhat better with the language. I think that was the turning point for us.
:D

Re: Learning the Language
 

The pc was slow this morning and I was trying to edit the typos....or is senility setting in and I don't recall typing everything three times ???

Re: Learning the Language
 

It'll be senility setting in........ :D

Re: Learning the Language
 

Well, join the club , you'll be in very good company! Now, what was my name again?!

Re: Learning the Language
 

Never mind, at least you gave us a chuckle :D

Re: Learning the Language
 

Laughing at the ageing is cruel in the extreme Unexpat. :D Wonder what you people think is best..to retain one's mind as the body begins to fail or vice versa ??? I would prefer the latter I think!!!

Re: Learning the Language
 

Tough call. I'll let you know in about 25 years ;) Then again, are you sure you meant the latter and not the former? :D

Re: Learning the Language
 

I somehow doubt you are 25 years younger than me....I love a quip I read on a sailing site recently..'The purpose of life is not to arrive at the grave in a state of perfect preservation........ ' :D

Talking in Spanish
 

I put my details on www.conversationexchange.com and have found Spanish people in my area wanting to learn English. It works really well. We meet up and I talk for 30 minutes in Spanish then she talks to me in English over a coffee. If you get any dodgy ones it is easy to ignore them because they don't get your address till you tell them it.

Re: Talking in Spanish
 

What a brilliant idea!!!

I've just signed up, as there's no-one in my area at the moment

Re: Learning the Language
 

Its not his voice that irritates me so much, its that picture of him on the CD packet :eek:

Re: Learning the Language
 

His stuff is a waste of money, I spent a fortune buying the German CDs and it was like he brought a tape recorder into a class room taped a few hours and then sold it. He didn't even bother correcting mispronunciations, or editing out errors, total waste of money.

For Spanish I bought the BBC serries for 5 pounds from Amazon and have been very happy with it.

Know if only the Spanish could speak English the way the Germans do I'd have it made!

Re: Learning the Language
 

Well thats strange cos I heard from many different sources that it was very good :confused: Haven't used it yet, so I guess I'll find out if you're right soon

Re: Learning the Language
 

The course you mention that was given away in the Independent was very good. I was delighted as I'd actually bought it on audio cassette whilst in Spain, and the tape got mangled, so getting it as a freebie cd in the paper was a huge bonus!

Whilst I can more or less (less, probably) understand very basic written Spanish, I find that when I try to speak the language, I'm replied to at such a speed that I've simply no idea where one word ends and the next one has begun ... :confused:

I know that the British speak fast, but my, we'd lose the olympic voice speed race to any of the Latin contries, and Spain would take the gold!

Re: Learning the Language
 

I remember some 15 years or so ago signing up for a Spanish course at the City Lit in London.. a large centre for a variety of FE courses. The Spanish guy teaching was very funny, and on the first day he said the biggest hurdle Brits had to overcome was that Spanish needs to be spoken very loudly, with a huge opening to one's mouth, which he proceeded to demonstrate with a series of facial contortions. Sadly work intervened and I never finished the course.

Re: Learning the Language
 

Hola,
May I join in this discussion? I've posted before about watching spanish television (international), but hardly anyone has commented anything good about it. Why? I'd beg to disagree, especially when trying to improve your ear for the language (if living outside of Spain). Yes, I'd agree it is at bullet speed - pues, hombre, hay mucho que decir! The news programmes, sports, etc. are fine. You could watch the day's news in english on another channel, and then watch the spanish coverage. You may even enjoy a soap, something to chat about down at the market!! Let the language "wash over you", so to speak, while you do the chores ( :o ) and you can answer back or try out a few phrases you've heard; there's always the "off" button when you've had enough.
Regards,
Carol

Re: Learning the Language
 

Good advice. It's worth buying a Daily Spanish national paper and taking a half hour out to translate the headlines of the day, dictionary in hand. Then turn on the news and listen for those phrases and words you painfully translated earlier. This has the added advantage of keeping you up with the daily Spanish perspective on the main news events and since they speak a good quality of Spanish, you will know the difference between the dialects and colloqualisms and the correct way to say something. You do have to make the effort though - half an hour a day, soon adds up :)

Common Spanish uses about half the vocubulary that we commonly use in English, so it becomes a neccessity to get more words in per minute, to avoid loss of interest from your audience. Then there is the added factor that the Spanish like a good conversation, for its own sake. ;)

Re: Learning the Language
 

I'd have to agree with this. Your mouth definitely has to learn to work in different ways and it helps to over-enunciate when you are first getting used to it. Even though I have been coming to Spain almost every year since I was born, it always takes me 3 to 4 weeks to re-acquire the necessary oral dexterity - by which time I am on my way back to the UK. Thankfully, I am now here for good and I only lose control when I have one more drink than I should have had :D

Re: Learning the Language
 

Hola,
Yes, & very interesting, too! :) It made me chuckle to think of doing facial exercises before going on holiday this summer, but I think that might do the trick!
Regards,
Carol

Re: Learning the Language
 

For me its the idiotic man who gets it wrong all the time, he is really off putting! Surely no-one would really be so hopeless.....

'im in the office' has come on in leaps and bounds listening the the CDs in the car on the way to work, although he does have a talent for languages I suspect. I find it a good method but can't keep up concentration because of the silly man getting it wrong.

I still think its the best course I have tried so far.

Re: Learning the Language
 

I've tried watching and listening to the tv in Spain, but I find it a bit disasterous, unfortunately. Horses for courses, and all that!

Does anyone else have that perculiar thing that the minute you land in Spain, the only language you can speak (apart from English, obviously!) is French? Likewise, landing in Paris, suddenly all you can think of is Spanish? Life is very perverse ... Or perhaps it's just me.

Re: Learning the Language
 

:D Hola,
Could it be the "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium..." syndrome?
A bientot,
Carol

Re: Learning the Language
 

Ha! No, unfortunately I don't get to travel as much as I used to. I suspect it's something far more foolish than even that - a subconscious fear of misprouncing Spanish to a Spaniard or French to a French person, my mind locks onto another language (which I mysteriously seem to have become fluent in, whilst tongue-tied whenever actually in the country itself!). I'll happily chatter away in my local restaurant to the Spanish waiter in French (he doesn't speak English), deep down feeling secure in the knowledge that his French is not much better than my own! Let's just say that his Spanish rather exceeds my own pitiful vocabulary! I am guessing that this is - somewhere along the line - the "reason" for it.

I don't do this deliberately, it's really a subconscious thing and deeply tiresome.

Re: Learning the Language
 

Interesting article on the BBC news today about language learning:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4883418.stm

At least I may now have an excuse for why Spanish words seem to vanish from my memory minutes after I close the text book!

Re: Learning the Language
 

Hi
To get back to the original question, yes I tried Linkword Languages. It is quite fun for vocabulary but Im not sure about the rest. I'm afraid I didn't pursue it.

Having said that I think I might have another bash, I have been listening to my Michel Thomas CD again this week. A change is as good as a rest, they say.

Re: Learning the Language
 

The "idiot" one is probably not an idiot really. In fact it is very clever the way the course is conducted. When learning a language, we all learn at different speeds and for some it will take longer than others. For the more gifted language learner they will relate to the clever one on the CD and others will relate to the "idiot".

if both pupils were smart a***S some people would feel as if they were being left behind. It is all about trying to keep everyone's confidence up.

I have listened to the Spanish, French and German courses and there is always an "idiot" pupil, thankfully not always a man.

Listen to the advanced course and there is no "idiot", but there is still one slightly brighter than the other for the reasons mentioned. Still a good course to listen to in the car!

Michel Thomas' life story is a good read, especially about his time during the war. He died last year aged 90.

Re: Learning the Language
 

Hi GrayC

Sorry I did not mean to be rude, I know he is an actor and what he is trying to do is difficult, but the script makes such a meal of getting it wrong that it ends up being totally unconvincing and therefore an irritation. No-one would continue to make the mistakes he does so consistently by CD No. 5.

Perhaps others find it helpful, Im afraid I find it a hindrance. You translate the phrase and by the time the 'dunce' has had it sorted out you find you have forgotten your own translation or got totally confused again.

Nevertheless, it is still the best language teaching system I have come across, and over many years, I have tried quite a few.

My husband (who does have a language friendly brain) is on the advanced course, having streaked ahead of me. But then he does have an hour's journey to work every day and the opportunity to get on with it.

My vocabulary and comprehension are still better than his, so I listen, translate into English and he replies in spanish. What a team!