Basically as it says.
How effective is learning a language on your own? If you already have a knowledge of learning Languages. (been studying German for 5 years and Spanish for 5 months but studying these two at university).
Is it possible to get to a stage where you're understanding / being able to use the language effectively.. by yourself?
If grammer books, dictionaries, cds, books, dvds and short courses are used, and if enough time and effort is put into it, is it possible to gain sufficient knowledge in a new language?
(I want to learn Lithuanian…quite different from German and Spanish!)
Thanks in advance
It's not very effective at all — yes, theoretically, these methods give you all you need, but you won't find many people who have actually learned a language this way. There are plenty of training DVDs out there with effective methods, but you have to be *really* motivated in order to stick with them long enough to become fluent in the language.
Also, at some point you need to move past exercises and practice the language in real life settings — all the training in the world won't prepare you to negotiate a real conversation with multiple speakers.
In short, you can do it, but it won't be easy. At the very least, you should find some speakers of Lithuanian to hang around with — you'll learn from them quickly.
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Hmmm…….. you mean totally seperate from anyone who speaks the language?
not ideal… I guess it can be done, but would be quite difficult just on the basis of listening to a CD or DVD and reading some text.
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I would say that learning to read another language by yourself is much easier than learning to speak it. Without native speakers to help you, it's easy to find yourself perpetuating errors without ever correcting them, whether they be conjugation errors, pronunciation errors, etc. At some point you need a native speaker to help you to figure out your language weaknesses that you are blind to.
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It's doable, provided you have good materials, are prepared to put in a lot of time and effort, are very organised about your learning, and have a good idea of strategies to use. But it will be hard work. Any contact you can make with Lithuanian speakers is a massive bonus. If you could arrange to visit Lithuania for a week or two, that would be excellent.
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It's not very effective at all — yes, theoretically, these methods give you all you need, but you won't find many people who have actually learned a language this way. There are plenty of training DVDs out there with effective methods, but you have to be *really* motivated in order to stick with them long enough to become fluent in the language.
Also, at some point you need to move past exercises and practice the language in real life settings — all the training in the world won't prepare you to negotiate a real conversation with multiple speakers.
In short, you can do it, but it won't be easy. At the very least, you should find some speakers of Lithuanian to hang around with — you'll learn from them quickly.
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Its is possible, but an inherent problem with learning a language completely on your own is learning it incorrectly. This can manifest itself in your pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary … and it is very hard to correct once you've imbedded the language incorrectly in your head. This isn't to say it is impossible … I've met people who have only studied languages out of books and can speak near natively in a foreign language, but this is the extreme exception … not the rule. In my experience (I can speak 6 languages) I've noticed those who study on their own tend to have numerous glaring flaws in their fluency.
The best way to go is to live where the language you want to speak is spoken naturally. Granted, this is not always possible in most cases, but it could be as simple as just staying around a couple Lithuanians and listening to them talk. I've known people who have studied French for 8+ years in high school and college and still have horrible pronunciation, and make frequent grammar mistakes … simply studying a language for a long time does not necessarily equal proficiency in a native environment. I've had the same experience with those who have studied Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish for several years … they "knew" the language but couldn't really speak it fluidly.
I don't want to discourage you from studying Lithuanian on your own, but I should caution you to the pitfalls of doing so. It is completely possible you might have a natural aptitude toward Lithuanian, and it won't be a problem, but I'd estimate the chances of that happening being extremely unlikely. Even if you have learned other languages learning a new language is still a challenge …
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Well it wont be easy but you definitely have the skills in place to make a good stab at it.
If you can include some direct contact with a native speaker, or if you can afford to spend any time over there that would definitely speed up the process.
If you're determined enough them you will succeed.
Best wishes to you.
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Not to sound like an advertisement here, but the RosettaStone program works wonders for my German. There is not English at all in the program and they have native speakers of the language creating it.
Good luck!
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Well, define "learning on your own." It's very possible to learn a language without ever going to class. However, the purpose (at least for most people) of learning a language is to use it with native speakers, either to speak or to read or write. In that sense, it will be a lot more difficult (but not necessarily impossible) to learn the language well without lots of exposure in a language usage setting. However, at that point, if you're not going to use the language, there's not much point in learning it.
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It's pretty effective, and right now I'm doing it (learning Japanese) at the cost of nothing.
Many people feel it's impossible to learn something well without taking a course, but these days, there's something very convenient that has almost everything you could ever want to know about everything: the Internet.
With the Internet, I've found sites that explain grammar thoroughly, vocabulary/phrase sites, Youtube (perfect for watching Japanese movies for experience), several native speakers, and a Westerner who has mastered Japanese completely. Sometimes, I also go to a nearby Borders and look at the grammar books there.
And if that's not enough to help me learn Japanese, what is?
I think that you can definitely do just as well on your own if you have the motivation than taking a course or even living in that country.
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Halò agus dùrachd às Braisil!!! (hello and greetings from Brazil)
Very interesting question, because that's how I learnt English and Gaelic! (even though I'm Brazilian and I've never left South America yet).
And yes, it is very easy if you put enough effort into it (you don't need to have too much free time, it's all about practicing the second language by yourself). For example, I live in South Brazil, so I can visit Argentina once a week although I can't Speak Spanish at all. (that's because I'm not interested in learning Spanish. I understand, surely, but I don't practice, as I think it's impossible to study 3 languages at the same time).
Have a look at some hints:
–> It's much more easy to learn another language if you really like studying it (many people who have or need to study a foreign language because of work or whatever, usually spend more time trying to understand it than those who study for curiosity). I don't like Spanish and I love Gaelic languages. How about you?
–> Don't you have time to study regularly? that's ok, you can read something in Lithuanian anywhere and anytime. Ceart gu leòr, I know it seems crazy, so let's explain it: if you're a beginner, the first thing you have to do is find out as much information as you can about pronunciation and sayings (audio and correspondent writing, which you can copy anywhere and carry with you), save on your computer, iPod, mp3 or whatever and listen to it everytime you've got some free time. Try to repeat what they say by following the text, even if you can't understand anything (thrust me, that's the easiest way to get friendly in another language, because you'll be able to recognize each word you hear. After that you can translate it to English)
–> as you get familiar with the language, you can finally start practicing it! a nice idea is searching for Lithuanian Internet surfers who can at least understand ya mother tongue (would it be English, yes?) and try to talk to them as much as you can (youtube is also a good way to get started). We learn too many words we never thought of asking to the teacher by talking to native speakers.
I hope my "essay" somehow helps you^^ (sorry if I mistake some words, I'm still learning English…heheh)
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Brazilian linguist