Are you interested in language learning? If you’re reading this blog, then probably yes. However, I’m sure that you’re not aware just how much the internet can help you in learning languages. My favorite resources below – this is going to be a lengthy post…
Read moreI’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but beside working for GermanPod101 and teaching private German classes online, I also created a German course for people to study on their own on the iPhone. It’s a brand new concept, involving many tiny German lessons rather than several long ones. It’s just perfect for the iPhone. When you’re waiting for the elevator, or any other of those myriad of small time wasters every day, you can just whip out your iPhone and do a German lesson in that course. You don’t have to be afraid of starting something you can’t finish, and you’ll be slowly but surely making progress in German.
For just a few days, this iPhone app is now priced at only 3 Euros / 4 dollars, as we’re preparing to send out a free upgrade to 50 lessons. Once the upgrade has been approved by Apple, the regular price will go up to 5 Euros, so get this app now – you’ll never see it that cheap again!
German – my native language, which I also teach at GermanPod101.com, Edufire and Myngle.
English – I speak it totally effortlessly and at a near-native level, but employing a curious mix of British, Scottish, Canadian and American vocabulary and pronunciations. Never managed to keep them apart in my head.
Esperanto – my third strongest language. I speak it as a secret language with my boyfriend and I’ve been attending more and more international meetings as well. I had to resign as a board member of Edukado@Interreto (Esperanto-based educational non-profit org) though because of lack of time. See my online Esperanto classes, also I wrote most of the articles for Esperanto.info.
French – I’m basically fluent and my degree involves reading lots of French literature classics in the original. I would appreciate the chance to practise speaking it more often though, especially with French Canadians because I love their accent and would like to copy it.
Latin – I can read it fluently and have taught Latin for more than 7 years. I’m not one of those who’d have conversations in Latin though, that’s what Esperanto is for. Check out my Latin classes on Edufire!
Italian – Studied it for 3 years at high school, after which I spoke it pretty much fluently and got an A- in my final oral exam. However, since 2003 I have used it at most once a year and now it’s seriously rusty. I would love to revive it.
Chinese – Following a summer course in Beijing and some serious studying in Germany, I can get by in Mandarin. At this point I know approximately 1500 characters and am always working on that. I study lots of characters at once, then counter it by studying lots of texts or textbook dialogs and also taking conversational lessons.
Modern Greek – I initially started learning Greek from and because of a friend, with whom I’ve been out of touch for a while now. I still like the language though, take the occasional Greek lessons on Myngle and try to at least not let it fall into disuse. At the moment I’d classify myself an upper beginner.
Arabic, Indonesian, Maori, Spanish, Swahili – All languages that call out to me and that I’ve studied at some point or am still studying on occasion. I’m a beginner in all of them. For Swahili I’m trying to study Assimil every day, but something always comes up…
Czech, Dutch, Lithuanian, Swedish – Studied these for concrete purposes, such as upcoming travels, but they don’t really call out to me and I’ve already forgotten everything or almost everything I learned. I can still understand Dutch because of my German of course, and same goes for most Romance languages.
In a perfect world, I’d be speaking all of the world’s known languages by the time I die (yes I am a Unilang member), but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t have a talent for languages, just an immense love for them. I’ll give it a shot.