Learning another language...

[Karlos]

I'm currently trying to learn to read another language. It's quite dissimilar from anything I'm familiar with in that:

1) It's plainly written the wrong way round :-P
2) It does have an alphabet but it visually loses any meaning when you see the written form
3) It has the most unprononceable consonants ever devised, most of which sound exactly the same to the untrained ear.

Yep, you've guessed it, it's arabic :-D

I'm not naturally gifted when it comes to any language that doesn't involve curly braces and operators. Just getting used to the script is proving difficult.

Are there any multilingual types here that can offer any tips when embarking on a new language?

-edit-

For those that might be surprised to hear I can't read it already, like many people I've just memorised the chunks I need, along with their meanings. Actually tackling the language itself is an entirely different proposal ;-)

[Cyberus]

The advice I can offer you is this:

If you really want to learn a language so you can become what I call 'fluid'  (not fluent, i.e. if you were going to an arabic speaking country on holiday you'd be able to get by). Then the easiest way is to actually go for an extended period of time (at least a month) to a place where the language is spoken, and make sure you aren't around any English speakers. You will gain confidence, the ability to understand and be understood BUT your written arabic and grammar will not be that good.


If you want to learn a language properly, grammar and all, you need to go to classes every week. IMO you cannot just teach yourself a language, particularly if you don't already speak other languages and don't have the experience of learning before.


I would recommend getting the Pimsleur courses - 'listen and repeat' does work well, and also having lessons for six months, and then going to say, Egypt, for a month next year....

[GadgetMaster]

Karlos wrote:

Are there any multilingual types here that can offer any tips when embarking on a new language?

The first one is always the most difficult. Once you learn more than two it becomes easier because you start to see common patterns in language and things start to make more sense.

It is always a challenge to learn one that is written the opposite way.

As for tips, I think the books written for kids are a good starting point and lots and lots of practice. Sems obvious but it's the best way really.

Knowing you though, you'll probably write a language learning computer program entirely in optimised C first  :-D  ;-)

[Karlos]

@GadgetMaster

I remember learning German at school, which was largely OK, what with the latin alphabet and similar grammar. Arabic, OTOH is seemingly as alien as it can get at this point.

I still have those reading materials, which are proving handy. Unfortunately, I really do seem to have a blind spot with seeing the letters in words :-/

Oh, and the letter "ghayn" (the one that looks like a horizontally flipped number 3 with a dot above it) is giving me a sore throat :lol:

-edit-

I wonder if it'll render it:
غ

[GadgetMaster]

Its easy just look for the giveaway dots or curls.

Remind me to demonstarte to you next time we meet. I think you will get the hang of it once they are pointed out to you.

After you recognise them another good practice for learning how to write is to make up words and just join up the letters to make these no-existant words. I am telling you it all starts to become clearer once you see past the squiggles :-D

[Karlos]

GadgetMaster wrote:

I am telling you it all starts to become clearer once you see past the squiggles :-D

Said the pharmacist said as she took the prescription slip...

[GadgetMaster]

Karlos wrote:
Oh, and the letter "ghayn" (the one that looks like a horizontally flipped number 3 with a dot above it) is giving me a sore throat :lol:

hehe :lol:

It isn't supposed to be pronounced very deeply. Ayn and Ghayn are a bit unique but many people make the mistake of pronouncing them too deeply and suffering the consequences as you are finding  :-P

[Karlos]

Is it the letter in the word "ghayril" from Al Fatiha?

[GadgetMaster]

Karlos wrote:
Is it the letter in the word "ghayril" from Al Fatiha?

Yep

[Karlos]

Now that's exactly the sort of pronunciation guide I need. I have a sound recording of someone reciting the alphabet and each letter sounds so strained :-D

[GadgetMaster]

The guys are probably overdoing it and I expect the recording quality is not superb either.

Ghayn is just a softer form of the letter "G" in English

[Karlos]

This site seems OK, but I am not sure if the letters are rendering properly when they start to add the vowel indicators. That is to say, many of the consonants look totally unchanged when adding the vowel marks (see lessons 2+).

Is that the browser not rendering the text correctly?

[Speelgoedmannetje]

The g in Arabic is quite similar to the Dutch g :-)

I remember well when I was a kid (about 13yo.) and had to learn 4 foreign languages at the same time: German, English, French and Spanish. The first two were easy, though I mixed French and Spanish up regularly when I was on a holiday in France.

[Karlos]

I get the impression there are a lot of similar throaty sounds in Dutch and Arabic.

I also imagine that the letters "khaa" and "haa" would be easy for scousers to pronounce :-D

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Maybe you should begin with Klingon, to begin simple? ;-)