smallwhite wrote:If this thread sprang out of Lysander's, Iguanamon's and my curiosity, I guess we three can or actually should define what we mean by "learnt successfully"? For me let's say B2 or something similar, all skills.
And I'd love to hear success stories from multilingual speakers as well. If past language success is to be considered (unfair) advantage (and disqualifies) then other non-language successes will have to be so considered as well - previous success in self-learning to program, in self-learning the guitar, a distance-learning university degree, bringing up kids... I don't see the big deal uniqueness in language-learning; it's just a school subject like any other. It is a huge leap to go from having 0 languages to having 1 language, but from 1 to 2 I don't see the big deal. L1 took learning, too.
I have never successfully learned a language, so I think a definition from you and iguanamon would be more useful. My past language "success" was passing French in undergrad, though I had no practical active skills. I'd define success as being able to get through any survival/tourist situation in addition to comfortable being able to chat with someone about myself while understanding the same from them. Also, being able to discuss the news of the day and to comfortably read the news and young adult novels. Because, to me, once you are that far, it would seem it is just a matter of time before you can read "serious" literature or discuss "heavy" philosophical or political topics if that is how one was so inclined. I am unsure where on the CEFR scale my description of success would fall, but I think around B2.
I have gotten a lot out of my time with Brazilian Portuguese so far. Though mostly along the lines of, "so this makes sense for how to learn, and if I were to start learning one from scratch, then I'd do that next time for the start". I had no practical reason to learn this language. I just wanted to give it a go for fun That's why I am so interested in learning from other people's experiences. Perhaps one day I actually need to learn a language due to career or life circumstances, and this experience will help me almost immeasurably.
On the topic at hand, though I could easily do an hour or more every day if I set my priorities that way, I am usually at 30 minutes or less. If I did at least one long chunk with the language of say two hours spread over a Saturday or Sunday every week I think I could still get to B2 in no more two years from now, perhaps. Once I finish Assimil, assuming it at least exposes me to all the grammar topics and such that I'd need even if not teaching them efficiently, I'd probably be able to have a better idea on the timeline.
However, the transition to leaving course-land and using "real" BP would be quite difficult if I was limited to 30 minutes a day no matter what outside of one day a week.
Though, to be honest, after sorting out a few personal obligations over this next week, I should be able to put in a lot more daily time until the end of August or so. Though I guess I could volunteer to never do more than 30 minutes a day of active study and be a guinea pig for everyone since I am learning BP as much to learn how to learn as anything else
edit: typos