Learning a new language every year

[MacGyver]

This challenge sort of fits into what I was thinking. Many people do wine tastings to see if they find a better one than they currently drink and would want to switch. For those who wouldn't do a language a year because they are working on another language, what if you discovered you prefer the new one? What if there is a language which "tastes" better and you're drinking cheap cooking wine for a language when you could be having a lovely rose from somewhere else?

https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =21&t=9736

Hmmmm.....

If you've been drinking Shiraz for years, then suddenly switch to Malbec, what have you lost?

However, if you have spent the last couple of years building a house by hand only to stop halfway through and start building an office somewhere else instead... you've lost a lot.

[golyplot]

You still have the skills in your old language.

Personally, I'm in the "better to have basic skills in many languages than near native skills in one" camp.

[jeff_lindqvist]

Personally, I'm in the "better to have basic skills in many languages than near native skills in one" camp.

So am I. Hashimi's recent topic about speaking like a 6 year old is slightly similar to this one. What can be done in a short amount of time, with a limited vocabulary (but with an adult brain!)? It's not in the C levels, we know that. Probably not even B1. A2? Maybe. Even if it's only A1, is it really that bad? Many people don't even complete Assimil/Linguaphone/etc. What's the shortest route to A1? To A2? Which level could be reached in one year? Do people think they'll lose it all when they open the next course book? Really?

MacGyver prefers to be C2 in one language instead of A1/2 in 100. I can imagine there are people (even on this forum) who like travelling,and who actually would be quite happy to function as, say, a tourist in 100 languages.

[Iversen]

... like me. But I wouldn't mention those 100 languages on my language list unless I also could have extended conversations in them with the employees of tourist informations, museums and zoos, hotel personel (also those outside the reception area), shop assistants and natives who ask me for directions in the streets in the false belief that I live there.

I would put the memorizing of a few tourist phrases at the same level as memorizing street plans and the opening hours of local sights (and supermarkets).

[gadano]

A year seems like a short period of time dedicated to 1 language. If your goal is to be multilingual, you will achieve it but only partly, because you can't really learn a language if you don't dig deeper in its roots, like history, culture etc.