An Obligatory "Which Should I Learn?" Thread

[eido]

I'm still a little confused about the timeframe for this: when do you need to pass the exam in your new language?

Not for a while. Hopefully I'll have graduated from college soon and be moving on to graduate school. I'm just trying to plan. I want to get a jump on it because I know I'll struggle with speaking and listening... Pretty much everything. I think I'm slowly proving to myself that I can't get this degree.

I see Norwegian on the list of language tests Xmm provided, but I think self study is hard unless you are absolutely committed. If you can't fully commit, I think that doing French or German at community college is the actual path of least resistance.

I don't think I can commit to anything. But German does seem attractive if because it has the easiest way to access help.

Do you know how to work alone and really learn another language to pass that exam by yourself? Only you can determine that.

What I've seen, and there will be plenty of distractions along the way, is that without truly strong motivation and dedication it is very difficult to stay the course. Meanwhile the school proposes all these other resources for German or another language.

It's like you've got this nice buffet set up before you and you still want to eat next door? Consider that you are seeing is classical overchoice.

I can't do it without a class. The only reason I've stuck around with Spanish this long is because I have a strong base in the language. I've considered getting a teacher from italki to guide me because my method of learning has consisted of looking up words, writing them down, not using them, and moving on to further misunderstanding and stagnating.

The whole reason I'm getting a degree in Spanish is to provide structure to finally get that language learned, and because I have no remote other interests.

The past few years, I've had so much trouble making decisions I just ask other people to make them for me. Even what I eat. I think something's wrong.

German is a terrific language and very rewarding, but it will involve more of a time investment than a Romance or continental Scandinavian language. I actually quit German for a year or two because French was so much easier.

At this point I'm thinking of dropping the idea of this Master's altogether, even the Bachelor's, and going back to, "I'll learn Spanish someday and it'll be the only language I learn. Forget all the other things I was pursuing."

Thank you all for the information. You're all so informed and it's wonderful for people like me who only know a little bit on the surface about languages.

I'll be thinking.

[Deinonysus]

At this point I'm thinking of dropping the idea of this Master's altogether, even the Bachelor's, and going back to, "I'll learn Spanish someday and it'll be the only language I learn. Forget all the other things I was pursuing."

Thank you all for the information. You're all so informed and it's wonderful for people like me who only know a little bit on the surface about languages.

I'll be thinking.

Nooo please don't be discouraged! If you can get Spanish to B1 you can absolutely do the same in any Romance or Germanic language without too much trouble. The first language is always the hardest.

French or Norwegian are probably the easiest starting point, but if you are motivated for German then that will make up for a bit of extra difficulty. German will also have better resources than Norwegian.

Why not try out all three of those languages on Duolingo for a little bit to see what strikes your fancy? It's free and those are three of Duolingo's strongest langauges.

[zenmonkey]

I can't do it without a class. The only reason I've stuck around with Spanish this long is because I have a strong base in the language. I've considered getting a teacher from italki to guide me because my method of learning has consisted of looking up words, writing them down, not using them, and moving on to further misunderstanding and stagnating.

The whole reason I'm getting a degree in Spanish is to provide structure to finally get that language learned, and because I have no remote other interests.

The past few years, I've had so much trouble making decisions I just ask other people to make them for me. Even what I eat. I think something's wrong.

Nothing is wrong - or more exactly, what is wrong is normal - start reading about overchoice and FOMO (fear of missing out). That is usually what it boils down to when people start asking "what language should I learn" because logically you know it's a commitment in consistency only you can make.

And begin removing yourself from mindlessness - spending time on the web, video games, netflix are sometimes just ways of avoiding self-awareness. Spend some time with yourself, start small, but do things where you need to think about what you're doing. It helps. And if you really feel you have issues makes choices, go and talk to a professional.

Back to the language learning - if you need a class/teacher certainly italki can be an excellent tool. But, to learn a language to a sufficient level to pass that exam do your calculation of having about 2 hrs a week with a paid tutor (the non-paid people are generally just not that good or constant). Are you ready to make that financial commitment for this timeline? Where German or another language is provided for much less by the school and with all the structure to receive the passing credits?

Personally, and having lived through the same type of uncertainty in college, I'd be more apt to take a safer route and take a language that is within the scope of school (my language requirements were fulfilled when I took advanced classes in Spanish and French) and study what you like on the side (I dabbled in whatever was being learned by friends for a while) without formal obligation. If you can learn enough Icelandic to take the placement test, great, go do that. But you can use German (or whatever other language is taught at the school) as your safety net. Do the classes, pass them, move on.

At this point I'm thinking of dropping the idea of this Master's altogether, even the Bachelor's, and going back to, "I'll learn Spanish someday and it'll be the only language I learn. Forget all the other things I was pursuing."

Why? What makes you think that?

[Xmmm]

You know, I studied German for four years in high school many years ago. This whole thread has got me tripping back to the past.

How can anyone watch this and not want to learn German?

Rock Me, Amadeus

[jeff_lindqvist]

You know, I studied German for four years in high school many years ago. This whole thread has got me tripping back to the past.

How can anyone watch this and not want to learn German?

Rock Me, Amadeus

I was maybe eleven when I did my best at deciphering Falco's lyrics (which was before I got my first lessons in German, autumn 1986 - 7th grade).

Vienna Calling

[David1917]

You must also strike a balance, because while there are only so many hours in a day, there are also only so many you can devote to one language per day. You can devote 15-30 minutes daily to something fun like Japanese while also giving the same amount of time to a "required" language like German or French. I also think you also focus a bit too much on rating your progress. Not only based on our discussion in the job requirements thread, but in your post you say "Get to A2 then what?" and describe Korean as "A1.5" - that isn't even a score! I understand what you're saying, but I think instead of thinking about scores and Category IV/V and hours and return on temporal investment, it might be high time to just put your head down and do it. If rating your progress is important, maybe put one of the blue progress bars in your signature and watch it fill up. Just gotta roll the dice and choose one!

I like setting up waypoints, even though I keep getting reminded CEFR levels are vague.

And yes, A1.5 isn't a score, but it doesn't stop others from putting it in their profiles. I put it as a marker.

I know, I know, get tested, prove it. I get it.

I'll try the progress bar thing.

I didn't mean to beleaguer the point, and I think benchmarks are definitely good to have. I meant only to suggest an alternate solution for benchmarks that is more concrete and gets you started down a path. But if you're hopping around and theorizing too much (a problem I had/have) - it's high time to get down to it. 15 minutes writing out a post wondering which language to learn and why is 15 minutes that could be spent on one day's Assimil lesson.

[Xmmm]

You know, I studied German for four years in high school many years ago. This whole thread has got me tripping back to the past.

How can anyone watch this and not want to learn German?

Rock Me, Amadeus

I was maybe eleven when I did my best at deciphering Falco's lyrics (which was before I got my first lessons in German, autumn 1986 - 7th grade).

Vienna Calling

Yeah, Vienna Calling is my personal favorite but I figured the video was flashier for Rock Me, Amadeus.

When I started German class in high school, it was a class for troublemakers and unpopular kids. The cultural status of German was pretty darn low at the time. We were only taking it as some kind of protest against "the system" that wanted to force us to learn French or Spanish, lol. Then Der Kommissar came out and our status went up 4000 points overnight.

It's funny because our German-from-Germany teacher had been begging us "bring in German songs, I'll translate them for you." Someone brought in Der Kommissar and the teacher was horrified.

[eido]

Why? What makes you think that?

I do not have what it takes to get there. I bounce around too much and dilly dally. My methods aren't efficient.

It's funny because our German-from-Germany teacher had been begging us "bring in German songs, I'll translate them for you." Someone brought in Der Kommissar and the teacher was horrified.

I've heard that song, but in English! I knew it was familiar.

[Xenops]

Why? What makes you think that?

I do not have what it takes to get there. I bounce around too much and dilly dally. My methods aren't efficient.

You’re more efficient than me (which, I confess, is not saying much). Actually, I’d say you’re more efficient with Spanish than many members on this board. From my reading of your log, you have effectively “followed the way of the Iguana”—you listen intently to Spanish dubs of your favorite shows, and rewind and listen again to catch any new words. That’s very impressive. I admire your grit and perseverance with that. I hope to get to that level with Japanese.

Some ideas to narrow down...Well, ideas:
1. Go through Xmmm’s list and circle ones that interest you.
2. See which ones have proficiency tests near you.
3. See which ones have courses in your area.
4. If you’re looking to do a master’s online, why not consider an online class for the language?

Another thought: have you considered doing a master’s in Nordic/Icelandic studies? I think it would go farther than a master’s in Spanish (anyone, feel free to correct me). What do you want to do for a career? I’m not saying it’s an easy decision.

[iguanamon]

There are reasons why it's hard to give advice on these threads. One of them is that learning a language is such a deeply personal endeavor. I chose to learn languages on my own partly because I like what they do for me, how being able to speak a language makes me a part of another world whether I am physically there or not. I don't like "seeing through a glass darkly", as the Apostle Paul said. So I put in the effort and hard work to make it happen as much as I can. A lot of language-learning consists of repetitive tasks. Some describe them as boring and have little tolerance for them, but whether those tasks be reading and struggling, listening and struggling, explicit vocabulary learning and struggling. What separates the successful learners from the "also rans" is, in my observation, the ability to persevere and continue to be as consistent as possible until it starts to come together. A learner has to also trust that struggling to read the first few books and struggling to understand a series, films, podcasts, native-speakers eventually pays off for the learner in giving them that ability through the struggle. Desire tends to create ability.

None of us can do this for any member. They must do it themselves. It takes focus, determination and drive. These qualities must come from within.

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.”

I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.

I second zenmonkey, spend some time with yourself without distractions. Get to know yourself in your own context of who you are and what you want to do and be. You can indeed learn Spanish to more proficiency, or any other language, but it takes more effort... especially for your first second language. There are so many resources out there that there's bound to be something that works for you. Or don't, learn accounting, engineering, music, whatever you want. Your future isn't written yet. It can be what you want it to be, what you make it.