Language Requirement

[Scantronphobia]

Quick question to throw out to anyone who might have some insight. I need to learn a language as part of my program, and quickly. I need reading proficiency mostly, not necessarily speaking fluency. What are the best approaches to do this?

 

[lyrehc]

Can you join an immersion program?

[Scantronphobia]

Can you join an immersion program?

That's a good thought--I'll see if my university has one. Thanks for the suggestion!

[adela]

duolingo.com is a free language learning program!

[bakalamba]

I second Duolingo, but if the language you're interested in isn't there, you can use Memrise.com for vocabulary and pick up a grammar book for reference. Reading is a lot about making connections and piecing things together, so there's skills like sentence structure and pronunciation that you won't have to focus much on.

[victorydance]

Duolingo won't do crap for getting a language to researchable levels. That program is meant for supplemental learning for basic skills.

[maelia8]

There are other threads that discuss this subject across grad cafe (run a search and see if they are helpful).

 

The best series of books that I can recommend to you (they offer them for a large number of languages) are "English Grammar for Students of _________," which helps you to quickly understand grammar, and "__________ for Reading," which helps you to learn how to prep and pass a reading exam in a language you want to read for research.

Edited September 14, 2014 by maelia8

[danieleWrites]

Many schools offer intensive 5 week courses to fulfill the phd reading requirement. Spanish is, frankly, the easiest language to use for this in the US. There are many places that offer intensive 5 week courses to fulfill the phd reading requirement that you can take online and will be accepted by many programs. Check to see if your university offers one. The online university attached to the University of Wisconsin system offers a reading course in German for just over 1,000 to everyone in the country, for example. I think they have one in Spanish.

[Quantum Buckyball]

Rosetta Stone

[Scantronphobia]

Hey, all,

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I'll try duolingo to begin a language with which I have no facility (but that has been recommended to me to learn), and the others for another language I'm struggling with.

 

Everyone in my program seems to be fluent in, like, six languages, but, having been educated in the US, I had limited opportunities to develop language skills early on when the old brain was most receptive. I am sure some of you can relate.

 

Anyway, your suggestions are very helpful!

[bakalamba]

Duolingo won't do crap for getting a language to researchable levels. That program is meant for supplemental learning for basic skills.

 

And your constructive suggestion is ...

[victorydance]

And your constructive suggestion is ...

 

What? Pointing out suggestions that are pretty much a waste of time isn't constructive?

[victorydance]

Hey, all,

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I'll try duolingo to begin a language with which I have no facility (but that has been recommended to me to learn), and the others for another language I'm struggling with.

 

Everyone in my program seems to be fluent in, like, six languages, but, having been educated in the US, I had limited opportunities to develop language skills early on when the old brain was most receptive. I am sure some of you can relate.

 

Anyway, your suggestions are very helpful!

 

First of all, it doesn't matter if you are 6 or 100, learning a language isn't really dependent on age but rather how much work you put into it. Sure, growing up in an environment where you are exposed to multiple languages is definitely advantageous, however that is due to environment. Something I will get to later...

 

Secondly, focus on one language at a time. Trying to learn multiple languages isn't efficient and what will probably happen is you will end up pitiful in multiple languages and probably forget most of what you learnt anyways.

 

Now....

 

Use multiple sources. Yes, duolingo is fine for basic and supplemental, but it won't be effective for much more than that. Same goes for Rosetta Stone. You need to start reading in your target language, start with children's books, then move to news articles, then work your way to novels or other more complex texts. Start watching movies in targeted language, start with subtitles then move to no subtitles (you can also watch movies in English with other language subtitles). You also need to purchase or pirate a good grammar book as a reference guide. 

 

Does your university offer language courses? Take them?

 

Is it possible to do a summer in a foreign country with your target language? Do it.

 

Three avenues for learning languages, and harnessing all three is the best way to learn them: immersion (can be manufactured at home - but hard to do, better to spend extended periods of time in another country) + informal (independent studying) + formal (classroom or 1 on 1 formal language study). 

 

About informal studying:

 

Depends on the language really (especially if in a different alphabet like Mandarin or Russian), if in a Latin alphabet, much easier to learn because the first step is to understand the alphabet. 

 

Second, and probably most important, step is to learn verbs + their conjugations. Verbs are like the skeletons of all languages, if you learn how to manipulate verbs, you can make sentences, if you don't know how, you can only say phrases which is useless. Start with basic verbs. For example, if studying Spanish you want to start with verbs like poder, comer, ir, tener, estar, ser, ect. First learn present tense verbs (yo, tu, el, nosotros, ellos), then move to future + past tense. After you have started to get these down, then you can move to infinitive + gerund + reflexive, ect. Then move on to other verbs (irregular verbs for example).

 

Once you start learning a lot of verbs and how to manipulate them, then you can focus on building your vocabulary. One way of doing this is to download Anki, put in a crap load of words, then use them as flashcards. Also, if you are reading + watching media in your language, you should be picking up vocabulary + look up words you don't understand.

 

Something else...you should work on everything, that means writing + comprehension + reading + speaking. It's all relative, when you are practising one, you are learning the other. Since you are looking for research proficiency, reading should be priority. However, if you can't speak or comprehend a language, then you simply don't know it.

 

Sources:

 

- Buy or pirate a good grammar book.

- Download a reading pack off of the internet (PM if you don't know how to do this for free).

- Duolingo or Rosetta Stone.

- There are various websites available where you get skype/talk with people in their native language.

- Find someone you know who speaks the language you want to learn and talk them often on facebook in that language.

- Switch googlenews to target language and read a couple of articles a day.

- Find a basic (and more intermediate) workbook from your library and do the questions.

- See if your university has informal language immersion get togethers and attend them.

- Utilize formal classes.

- Try to spend a summer in a foreign country.

 

You must be diligent if you actually want to learn a language, good luck.

Edited October 20, 2014 by victorydance

[victorydance]

Also, I forgot to add:

 

Take a few hours and work your way around the linguistics portal on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Linguistics

 

Learning a language is also about understanding how languages work. For example, before you start studying verbs in another language, you should learn how verbs work and their different types: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb

 

I mean, in English we don't use inflected verbs, but in Latin-based languages, they are everything: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflection 

Edited October 20, 2014 by victorydance

[bakalamba]

...

 

You must be diligent if you actually want to learn a language, good luck.

 

Touche. That's certainly very constructive.

[lyonessrampant]

Touche. That's certainly very constructive.

 

Also true, though.  If you just need a reading knowledge to check off the Ph.D. lang requirement box, you don't need to do all that the above poster lists, but if you want fluency or near fluency, that list seems pretty accurate.

[liebkuchen]

Can I add Assimil's ' x with Ease' packages? They're not cheap- around £60/90 USD and do work best with daily repetition and study, but I'm using the German with Ease book and mp3 and it's been really useful. The dialogues are in everyday German and often amusing so it's not dull. They do about 10 languages for native English speakers with Arabic apparently being one to avoid...

 

As with any language, you're better to work using 2 courses side by side as one supports the other. I've been using it alongside Hugo's Complete course. But if reading is your ultimate aim, then read, read and read again in your target language. 

[danieleWrites]

Libraries often have free access to Mango! I'm talking about public, municipal libraries, not just university libraries. If there's a large enough community, you might find it helpful to make some connections with immigrants that speak the language you're working with. You can exchange English lessons with Spanish (or whatever) lessons. There are often community organizations that will help you get into contact with people who can help you out that way.

[bhr]

Also worth checking to see if you can take some CS/Programming classes for the language requirement. I know that won't work for something like a Lit or History program, but I've seen it for many others

[m-ttl]

Duolingo won't do crap for getting a language to researchable levels. That program is meant for supplemental learning for basic skills.

 

But it will help amazingly well with basic translations, conjugations, verbs, pronouns, tenses, etc..... which is exactly what this person is asking for. 

 

Sure, I don't NEED to know how to say "She has a pretty green shirt" in French for translation, but the fundamentals of practicing are all there AND duolingo isn't simply just the lessons they give you, you're given a slew of translation opportunities on the website which is how it runs/pays for itself. You give the world free translations, and they teach you how to translate. It's a GREAT resource, especially since the articles for translation come in a variety of different lengths/subjects. I wouldn't discount duolingo unless you actually use it. 

Edited November 11, 2014 by m-ttl

[Tsui Rainsoul]

Chinese will be good choice and it's really a kind of challenge 

[victorydance]

But it will help amazingly well with basic translations, conjugations, verbs, pronouns, tenses, etc..... which is exactly what this person is asking for. 

 

Sure, I don't NEED to know how to say "She has a pretty green shirt" in French for translation, but the fundamentals of practicing are all there AND duolingo isn't simply just the lessons they give you, you're given a slew of translation opportunities on the website which is how it runs/pays for itself. You give the world free translations, and they teach you how to translate. It's a GREAT resource, especially since the articles for translation come in a variety of different lengths/subjects. I wouldn't discount duolingo unless you actually use it. 

 

I have used duolingo. It's fine for a supplementary resource, but nothing more. You have to remember that learning a language needs to come from a number of sources, not just one type. Learning a language almost solely based on translating text is a fool's errand. 

 

Like I said, fine as a supplementary resource for a beginner. But really has no value beyond that.