educatemeplease

Specifically Spanish.

I took it in school for 5 years but it's so easy to just take it in school and not actually learn the language... so most of the time I don't care about the language and figure I won't need it and learning it is cumbersome so why bother? But other times I wish I hadn't given up a few years ago and actually learned it.

And other times I wish I spoke German... But it's mostly just because I like the way it sounds and would just like to be able to call myself bilingual (to look good on applications for grad school/jobs) - basically shallow reasons.

Should I just not bother learning another language and just impose my dream of being bilingual onto my children - teaching them at a very young age so they don't actually have to study it?

smarteeangel101

of course it's not to late to learn a new language, although this is a lot easier when you're young. but, i mean, since u seem determined, sure u can.
haha, i plan on doing that with my kids at an early age too...i want them to learn languages & i don't care how much they complain

futurenyustudent

It's not too late, but in the foreign language education world, they consider the ages of 12-14 to be ideal for learning a new language. Beyond that you'll likely never become fluent.

educatemeplease

I knowwwwwwwwwwww
I don't think I will though because I never stick with it. A couple summers ago I really tried and listened to Spanish and French music all the time and studied a couple hours a day........maybe it was too much... but lasting an entire summer was kind of hard...

I don't think I could do it... but knowing I'll never speak another language makes me kinda sad...

futurenyustudent

Don't say that-like I said, it's never too late. You just have to work at it. Take a couple language classes (audit if you don't want to risk the adverse impact on your GPA). Go up to the department and see if there are any noncredit programs. See if there are any social organizations based on a language (for example, at NYU, La Maison Française offers programs on French culture and the french language in general). Maybe get a French (or whatever language-speaking) gf/bf or penpal. Maybe study abroad in France or Spain. It won't be easy but it's still doable.

As romance languages (I'm assuming you're a native anglophone), it's going to be much easier to learn French or Spanish than it is for an anglophone to learn, say, Korean. However, don't feel bad if you don't ever become fluent-some people just aren't linguistically inclined and it's just not meant to be.

I say this as a multilingual who has had to learn two languages from scratch, and whose mother is also multilingual and is an expert in foreign language education (I'm not bragging here).

Anyways, bonne chance!!! Bon courage!!!

If I have kids, by the time they enter school they'll speak at least two languages, fluently-I think I'll start them off with French.

molly4190

it's not too late. i studied italian for years, but never really felt like I could speak italian until I went to Italy for 3 weeks. after a while you get so used to it you start to speak it without even thinking about it. and when I study abroad in Italy I hope i'll become close to fluent. force yourself to speak it and interact with other native speakers. i'm pretty good with standardized italian, but as far as conversational, I need a lot of improvement. I also wanna learn some slang and learn to speak it like a young person would, and not in a formal sense like i'm writing an essay. I think studying abroad, if you can afford it, is a great option. Oh and in a lot of countries, college is free or really cheap so studying abroad can be cheaper than home. The Italian college I picked is only like 2000 euro a year, half for 1 semester. Try going to South America, Central America, or Spain for a semester and I bet you can find a relatively cheap college.

educatemeplease

That's encouraging
I'll try studying abroad (I'd want to anyway even if it didn't help me learn another language)
Thank youu

Pathetique

they consider the ages of 12-14 to be ideal for learning a new language. Beyond that you'll likely never become fluent.

Really? Because as far as I know, it's much earlier than that, so 12-14 is typically beyond the critical period for language acquisition. At most 12 is at the top end. I'd say you'd want to start at at least 8 for best language acquisition. But hey, I could be wrong.

And it is more than possible to become fluent after that. It does, however, take a little more work than if you started learning a language at a younger age. Again, it is more than possible.

And educatemeplease, you can totally do it. :] It will probably take a butt ton of work, though. I think the best tip anyone can give you is to emerse yourself in that language. You do that by, like others suggested, studying abroad. Good luck. I hope you do do it, and stick with it. :]

educatemeplease

Actually I learned in psychology that children should hear the language within their first 6 months or they won't sound like a native. def within the first 2-4 years of age. I'll be teaching my kids (..in 10 years when I have kids that is=-]) from birth.

futurenyustudent

Oh wait, pathetique, you're right-12 is the maximum age. The ideal period is probably a bit earlier.

b@r!um

Considering that many European countries start teaching foreign languages in kindergarten or 1st or 2nd grade, I would assume that the ideal age for picking up a new language is as young as possible.

greennblue

Even middle-aged people can learn a new language if they're dedicated. They will never
speak without an accent, but can be fluent.

haikumarukuchan

I GOT YOUR SOLUTION

study abroad in Spain, Mexico, Chile or some other Spanish speaking language for at least 3 months.

FOCUS on speaking spanish by reading newspaper, watching movies, TV, ALL IN SPANISH

you'll come back knowing more than a fulll year of AP Spanish, GUARANTEE