Tips for learning a language?

[Aarondalf]

Anyone got any tips? I am currently learning German and Norwegian. Does anyone know what is considered the fastest way to learn (besides going there) and learn properly?

Also, for any of the non 'english as a native language' people, can you tell different accent (and appreciate them) just like in english? Ever hear someone speak in your native tongue with an aussie accent? Does it sound good or bad?

I'd like to talk on MSN with anyone who can speak norwegian... my email is aarondalf@hotmail.com

Thanks!

[Aarondalf]

One more quick question. Anyone been to Norway, and if so what can I expect Oslo to be like in May? More details the better

[Chuck]

How long could it take to learn to say "Out? Are you blind?" in any given language?

[Ningal]

The best way around is, of course, to use the language; if you can't go to the country and don't have any speakers on hand, online message boards and mailing lists in the language are a good way to keep your hand in (though you'll learn very little of the formal usage), as are internet radio, listening to music or reading books/newspapers/whatever in the language, finding texts to translate, looking around and saying the words for everything you see, etc. (Which reminds me, I need to do more of all those things with Spanish and Portuguese. And Greek, if I plan on using it professionally.)

Good lord, that was a long sentence.

[casinopete]

I think the best way to learn a foreign language is by listening to tapes while sleeping. It's how I learned Spanish and Classical Greek, and it's helping with Japanese and German (haven't yet found ancient Hebrew tapes, but I certainly wouldn't want to try to tackle such a project without them).

[sk]

do you really absorb information while you're asleep? although (according to my mom) i have conversations in my sleep... i never remember them.

but it would much cool if i coudl learn a language that way.

[Quailman]

I don't have advice that applies to your situation, but way back when I was in graduate school I became good friends with a married Japanese student. His Engrish was lousy, even though he'd been in the US in school for nearly two years. I suggested that he and his wife start speaking English at home (they both wanted to improve, but both spoke only Japanese around Japanese-speaking friends). In about a month you could notice the difference. I've since recommended that to others and it seems to work.

[Agamemnon]

For someone from Aussieland, Oslo will be damn cold for you in may. Temps can range anywhere from 3c - 12c, but One will soon get used to the slight May chill in the air. You will have missed the ski season by 2 months but the longer days bring out the tourists in and around Oslo, so still plenty to do and see. I recommend going to the Oslofjord in the early evening, it has a wonderful view from in front of City Hall, over the small harbour and outwards to the fjord.
Beer, food and lodgings are expensive (You gotta try the Norwegian Fjord Trout pizza from Pizza Hut, or the lutefisk in Oslo, or the national dish 'meatcakes'), the people are very friendly and the public transport is weird to understand (they use a common ticket system, allowing free transfers within a period of one hour, so if One is sightseing, One has to keep an eye on the time to save a few pennies)

Let me know what you need to know and I'll tell you all.

BTW
I'll phone Zesty tonight and get her on here, She'll know lots about the difficulties of learning new languages.

[Aarondalf]

Thanks a million Aga. I read the average temp in May is about 12C so I expect I'll freeze my ass off. Its been 25-30C each day here.

I'm traveling up from Germany -> Denmark -> Sweden -> Norway, all by bus. 19 hours!

I have a native who's gunna take me around for the weekend so that should be nice.

As far as learning the language, I talk about 5 hours a week on msn, and I recently got 8 hours of random tv, which is helping. I try to do all the things that people have said, but I sometimes get stuck finding clever ways to get my point across using what I know rather than finding the 'best' way to say it. I've almost completed 'Colloquial Norwegian' which has 1 hour of Cd's included. I also have this mental block (since I'm not fluent in anything but english) that I'll never be fluent in another language. Strange? I've been doing it for 4.5 months and I want to be as good as possible by Sept 24. I can converse on MSN fine about anything if I have a dictionary. I can converse fine about most 'normal' topics without a dictionary. But my listening skills are still poor and my speaking isnt great.

I'll think of some more questions later, but I *really* want to get good at this. I'll try to see if I can get the 2 hours of cd I have onto my iPod and listen to that at night. But thats more of a course, not just talking... whats the best type of cd for subliminal learning?

Thanks a bunch guys!

[casinopete]

The post about listening to a language while sleeping was intended as an April Fool's Joke. I have a feeling the effect of such efforts would be negligible at best.

[Aarondalf]

You bastard!

[Zesty Spanker]

Hi Aarondalf, i was speaking to Sean who told me to get my bum on here
I find that learning a new language isnt that hard really as long as you have the enthusiasm and willingness to listen listen listen and listen untill you get sick of listening then talk talk talk untill you tired it helps if you can stay in the country of language you are learning but if not then try to talk and listen to somone who speaks it very well.
ive been told that i have a good ability of learning different languages but it also helps that my father is Dutch and my mother is Danish and my brother lives in Germany and my sister lives in Italy. this childhood bringing up meant that English was my third or forth language quite different from other Dutch people who usually have it as their second.
how far into speaking Norwegian are you now? for me I find it quite an easy language but because maybe i do due to speaking many other similar European languages like it.
So really the best way i can recomend is to listen lots, talk lots and be prepared to be getting lots wrong in the process. also i find that looking at persons mouth instead of eyes when talking to them give a good idea of pronounciation, but having someone there to generally help with basic talking goes a long way.
good luck Aarondalf and nomatter what happens just keep at it.

[mathgrant]

[Aarondalf]

I've been learning for 4 and a half months. I did a little german and french in school but I'm pretty useless at both now. I dont have anyone *with* me who I can speak to. I know some friends in Norway online, and i guess I could talk occasionally on the phone, so I'll try doing that.

I have 2 cd's with about 80 mins on each. One is just random conversations, the other is more of a 'lesson' with half in English, half in Norwegian. They are both in normal speed norwegian, not slowed or dumbed down. I've never heard what norwegian sounds like when slow I think thats a good thing.

I have 8 hours of Norwegian TV, plus 3 hours of movies. I try to use them all as much as possible but I'm busy and cant do it as much as I'd like.

I'm pretty good at reading, ok at writing, poor at speaking, and really poor at listening.

I come from Australia so I've never had access to anything but English.

I'll try to read more norwegian Newspapers and such... but it makes me so tired, and i have all my tennis training.

Thanks for the help and the confidence though.

Just a quick question: It took my gf about 6 years to be able to talk in English with English speaking people... I'm doing this for her birthday (a surprise, and hence why I cant talk to any fluent norwegians) and I started in late December. Her bday is late september.... so, how good do you think I have to be for the present to actually be worth something? I'm trying hard but I dont wanna have little to show for it. Do you think I can gain some level of slow conversational fluency by September?

[Zesty Spanker]

I think you will get some good slow conversational fluency by September quite easy in fact i would say that if you keep going doing what you are doing now you will be able to get a faster conversational fluency and probably be able to understand a good amount of Norwegian language spoken normaly by the local people.
I know that Aga picked up some good conversational Norwegian when he was over there and he did that in a few months, but that was living there and living speaking and eating Norwegian helps no end.
Keep it up Aarondalf you are doing so very well I know.

[Aarondalf]

Synes du at hun skal bli glad? Kan du Norsk ogsaa?

Hvilket spraak snakker du?

[Aarondalf]

Jeg reiser til Norge om 7.nde Mai men maa tilbake til Tyskland om 10.nde Fire dager er ikke saa langt. Jeg oensker at jeg kunne vaere der langere...

(If anyone knows any message boards for languages (with a norwegian board) I would love you forever)

[Quailman]

So you want our hjelp? Does this look like Norwegian: "Er det noen som vet hvordan man kan få kjøpt trados, og hva det koster? Hvem er det som markedsfører trados?"? If so then I think I found a diskusjonsforum here.

[Quailman]

Here's one about driving in Norway.

Possibly a more diverse forum is here.

[Zesty Spanker]

quote:

---

Synes du at hun skal bli glad? Kan du Norsk ogsaa?

Hvilket spraak snakker du?

---

I think instead of ogsaa you want også really. and your girlfriend will be very happy for you to speak nice to her in her own language, it shows you care very much.
I speak fluent Dutch, German, Danish and French. very good English, Spannish and Italian and i can get by in a conversation in Swedish, Norwegian and Portugese. i have problems writing in different languages and find it much harder than speaking them because of the punctuations.
When i've spoke Norwegian in the past i find saying "Jeg snakker bare litt norsk" make people slow down and pronounce their words better. i find it better than "Kan du snakke saktere" as they try tohelp you with what you know.
What dialect does your girlfriend speak? either bokmål or nynorsk? there is not a large difference but it could be difficult if you are learning more one than the other.

[Dragon Phoenix]

And a løng overdue custøm title for our Zesty.

[Zesty Spanker]

Het spijt me,ik spreek geen Nederlands,wat betekent dat?

[Vinny]

Yes, I will do anything you desire.

[Aarondalf]

I dont have that letter on this mac and I was too lazy to look up something to cut paste it. Also, I'm pretty sure its fine to sure 'aa' for that 'ring a' and 'ae' for the 'baby of a and e' and 'oe' for the 'cross o'. I was just a little lazy, thats all.

Hun snakker Bokmaal og Nynorsk begge... Med hun kommer fra Oslo saa Bokmaal er det foerste spraake hennes.

Thanks for all the help.

Quailman. THANK YOU. I dont have time to look up what trados means, but other than that I understand the sentence perfects (so yes, its Norwegian)

*hugs for all*

[Aarondalf]

Hehe, turns out I wasnt too ignorant Trados is a translator program.

[Egon]

You're not pronouncing 'aa' as 'a', are you? That's a dangerous trap.

[Aarondalf]

Nah, its more like 'oh' or an aussie 'aw'. Something close to that. Kinda like how us aussies say 'Poor'.