Learning another language

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I was wondering if anyone has tips for someone with AS who wants to learn another language. My wife is trying to get me to learn Dutch and even though I'm trying, using some software and a book with CDs, I'm still struggling.

Thanks.

My advice to you is to remember that language learning isn't for everybody; some people are adept at it, some aren't.

I lived in South Korea for a few years and took classes, had language exchange partners, did self-study, and did whatever else I could to improve but I never advanced beyond the most basic sorts of discussions. I now know that Asperger's is probably the reason why I struggled... after all, the words don't come out right in my native language, how are they supposed to come out right with a second language?

I hate to sound pessimistic... but that's just my two cents.

N

Hiya,

I can also agree with the post from Nordic that we can have diffrent sense in the ability to learn another language. But the key to success would anyway be hard work and regular practise and EXTREME motivation.

I have also tried to learn another language by software and CD books. Its a lot about strict disipline and giving it enough and plenty of time if doing it completely on your own.
There is always parts that is more difficult than others. For me it was the grammar and the listening. For others it can be the reading and the talking. I found it way easier to attend a real physical class with a teacher. Because there I was forced to do all parts equal. If doing it alone at home its easy to drop the hard parts

Funny, my autism has made me more adept at learning languages, not less. I am an intermediate level speaker of Japanese, and I am going to be learning Russian in the fall, as well as learning French from my Canadian boyfriend. I also speak some Hawaiian, I am learning Greek on my own, and would like to one day learn Polish and Yiddish.

Language learning is different for everyone though. There are many different techniques that have been used to teach people language, from the old fashioned way Classics students learned Greek and Latin via textbook copying, to the more modern way of combining classroom immersion with lots of listening exercises (Which is how my Sensei teaches Japanese) find what works for you. My recommendation for a language like Dutch, which is really similar to English and has a rich vocabulary, would be to supplement your regular learning with watching Dutch television (Sessamstraat, the Dutch version of Sesame Street, is one my Holland-living Aunt recommends)
I hope this helps.

I'm learning French. The bottom line seems to be time, time and more time. Different people learn better with different styles. My preference is audio only rather than reading lots of grammar. Young children learn grammar by listening to their parents not by reading complex books on grammar. Now I've got a reasonable grasp of French I'm finally picking up the grammar books and learning formal grammar rules.

I'm also living in France and have French television - which helps enormously. If you are immersed in the language and hear it all the time, you develop and ear for it. Also every new word you learn gets reinforced by hearing it on TV. An easy way to do this immersion is to listen to movies on DVD with the language set to the one you are learning. Many DVD's come with multi-language.

I also take the opportunity to inflict my bad French on every French person I come across. People are usually very helpful and will correct your mistakes.

What's your first language? English?
Bear in mind Korean is probably one of the hardest languages to learn for someone whose first language is English (or whose first language is German or Dutch for that matter).

An average English-speaker would probably find learning Dutch far less difficult than learning Korean.

I love TRYING to learn new languages. I even lived in a French-speaking country (Belgium) for five years, but never really picked it up. I started obsessing a bit about it - so that I kept trying to learn French even after I got back to the US. I went through about a dozen French courses before I found one that seemed to make sense to me. I'm now a big fan of Pimsleur - it's based on critical listening - audio only (although there is a little booklet with some essential vocabulary.)

Since then, I've used Pimsleur to learn German & Italian (to some degree.) Took a 2-week trip to Italy a few years ago & got along quite well.

Even though I don't speak any of these languages fluently (at times, even my English is questionable), at least I've gained an understanding of the cultures & thought processes that stem from them.

It could be that you just haven't found the right style of instruction yet.

I'm learning German at school.

It gets harder and harder every year.

My native language is Dutch, so if I can help you in any way, please ask, since I love languages and sharing my language!
Well.. I live in Flanders (Belgium) so my native language is actually the Flemish variant, and probably you want to learn the Hollandic variant (although Flemish is much more beautiful imho! ). FYI, here English, German and French are mandatory subjects so I know these languages as well (especially English; others only to some extent). I actually have exam of English tomorrow, so I should be studying right now

I hear that software "Rosetta Stone" is very popular.

I struggle with this stuff. I want to be multilingual and have sampled trying to learn different languages. I can't seem to understand what is said or repeat it when I try self teaching. I end up being able to read and write a little bit of everything, but haven't mastered any language yet.

Exactly which aspects are you struggling with, PrisonerSix?

If you are able to read and post with good English grammer on a forum that uses English 99% of the time, I dont think you will need to study . Unless you are like me and get test anxiety.

i love to learn new languages and, especially if i hear them, i can pick them up very quickly. i took spanish for 5 years in jr-high and high school (i graduate from high school tomorrow) and i love the language; i make the mistake of slipping into spanish more often than my sister likes...though part of the reason i pick up spoken language so fast may be because i am a musician.

like 1 of my NT friends i have a bunch of languages i want to learn, from arabic to japanese to american sign language in my case.

as Nordic said though, learning a language isn't for everyone.

I'm learning Italian.

My advice is that it helps if it's one of your special interests, cos then you want to be learning it all the time and will automatically pick up on words in that language used in your native language (Italian words used in English include paparazzi, influenza, etc). And with Italian especially, a lot of cafes/coffee-shops have Italian names, and I find it fun to see if I can work out what they mean (in Leeds I saw Caffe Nero, Bocca Grande, and others I can't recall. A poster at my school is sponsored by a company called Azzurri).

Listening to music in other languages is helpful, too. And it's fun.

I'm probably rambling a bit now, I love Italian.

hehe i'm learning french at school too...and my native language is not english...yet somehow in the past 5 years...which was like the time i've been living in australia for... i learn it somehow very quick..it is easier to learn a language in the country itself but yeah for some people it is still hard....

ok... you know that the way you speak shows how your mind works.... yeah....

basically.... were trying to DECOMPLICATE...our brain...like set everythingelse aside.... and yeah...you just jump into it...so what i'm saying is that learning another language....first...you must kind of...jump in that language and try to experience it... that way it is easier... be part of the language...be into it....

i hope it helps.....