If English is not your 1st language, how did you learn it?

[Coiffeur_En_Flame]

Just to satisfy my own curiosity really. There are an amazing number of people on here, for whom English is not their native tongue, and yet they write very fluently in it. I'd be interested to know what methods you employed to start/aid your learning. Did you learn everything you know at school? Maybe by watching American films in the original with subtitles. Or maybe you just moved to an English-speaking country and immersed yourself in the culture, and thus, the lingo. Alternatively, native English speakers who are fluent in another language (but not one they were brought up with) may also take part. Poll away!


Coiff.

 

[miryam_moz85]

at school for 5 years..two times a week for just one hour..but also by listening to music..when i got REALLY interested in..at the age of 15/16..i wanted to translate all lyrics by bowie..stones..U2..beatles..and so on...
well, also in addition with comunication per net (like this forum for example or other stuff) to talk with people from other countries..but nevertheless i will never know enough..they're so much stuff that i have to learn anymore..AMAZING..i think..it'll never stop..but.. who cares..we will never knew enough..do we?!

 

[Not Right in the Head]

Great thread idea, Coiff. I've often wondered the same thing, because it amazes me how well some non-native speakers write English. Would we understand their spoken English just as well?

 

[Flax]

I never studied English in school. It's all from music and movies... that's why I can only talk about love, war, stairways that go to heaven and blitzkrieg bops.

When I moved to the US I was all worried about speaking correctly, so I watched the news all the time.

Now I'm not so worried anymore, since not even the president speaks English correctly... and when he does, the sentences can't have more than 10 words.

 

[girlunafraid]

I am a native English speaker, but I wanted to broaden my horizons so I moved to Scotland, I've only a basic grasp of their language but it's enough to get by on (I've been here 3 years tha-noo)!

love

Grim
P.s I too am amazed at anyone who can speak/write in more than 1 language!
P.p.s. If this message gets edited than it's been bloody sabotaged!

 

[EPbabe]

Wow, Coiffure, this is finally a poll that actually makes sense!

I started learning English at school when I was 13, 3 times a week. Then in summer I took courses at the local language school. Plus, I've been a music fan since a very early age so basically as soon as I understood the existence of other languages, I wanted to understand what the songs were about.

I would also like to give you a short overview of the education system in Socialist Hungary. As of 4th grade in primary school (age of 10) Russian was the compulsory foreign language to learn (for obvious reasons). Kids usually could add another language at a later stage but had to stick with Russian. Then the principal of our primary school had a very innovative idea of introducing Spanish already in 3rd grade, and only in one class - mine. My mother soon realized that I was capable of learning languages very easily so she kept on pushing me towards language learning. And now I work as a translator-interpreter but, funnily enough, not English is my main work language, but Spanish.

I also have to mention how much it helped me to talk to you guys. How much I learnt from you. You have absolutely no idea. So, lots of thanks to all of you!

Ps. @NRitH: I don't know of others but my pronunciation is pretty good. Mainstream British English, if there is such a thing.

 

[nugz]

I also have to mention how much it helped me to talk to you guys. How much I learnt from you. You have absolutely no idea. So, lots of thanks to all of you!

haha i knowwww I've taught you new things!!! *evil laugh*

 

[EPbabe]

haha i knowwww I've taught you new things!!! *evil laugh*

You did. Very useful things.

 

[chica]

@ school, 5 x 45 minutes every week for four years, it was impossible not to learn it.

Russian was compulsory here too, I think that was great On a school trip to Budapest we spoke Russian with a waiter, we were surprised he could speak it. As I grew up I learned more about recent history and I figured he wasn't very happy to speak Russian with people

P.S. I voted for films and "other" too, other being t'internet.

 

[Dave]

Samuel L Jackson taught me English. The only word I knew was "what".

 

[nugz]

Samuel L Jackson taught me English. The only word I knew was "what".

"english, motherf***er. do you speak it?"

 

[laughing_anne]

At school, from age 9 onwards.
I'm a massive anglophile and I read a lot of literature in English, especially British literature. I also love British tv series. One of my all time favourites is Jeeves and Wooster. I simply love the language.
I also listen to a lot of British music so I guess that has helped as well. When I was a teenager I used to buy British music mags religiously (never NME though ).

 

[EPbabe]

I also love British tv series. One of my all time favourites is Jeeves and Wooster.

I adore Jeeves and Wooster. Stephen Fry is my intellectual crush.

 

[laughing_anne]

An interesting thread. It is good to hear of where the 'bloody' foreigners learn a proper langauge like English, like what i speak



Hopefully the Americans can learn it too

There are plenty of good schools around for that, like the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too

 

[nugz]

There are plenty of good schools around for that, like the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too

but how are they expected to learn how to read, if they can't even fit inside the building??!!! is it a center for ants?!

 

[nugz]

That films sounds funnier when other people quote it

what are you talking about? that film is a cinematic achievement of epic proportions.

 

[Amy]

I never studied English in school. It's all from music and movies... that's why I can only talk about love, war, stairways that go to heaven and blitzkrieg bops.

When I moved to the US I was all worried about speaking correctly, so I watched the news all the time.

Now I'm not so worried anymore, since not even the president speaks English correctly... and when he does, the sentences can't have more than 10 words.

I never thought for a moment that you weren't English what is your first language?

An interesting thread. It is good to hear of where the 'bloody' foreigners learn a proper langauge like English, like what i speak



Hopefully the Americans can learn it too

Bilingual people always make me feel ignorant and stupid because I am useless at learning other languages; my French is terrible and that's about it .

The Americans? Oh, they are beyond hope....

I alternately love/hate America. It is the most advanced, powerful nation on earth, and yet the most regressive at the same time. If I ever become rich, I will shack up in California for the rest of my days

 

[Kewpie]

An absent member Zenith Nardir asked how many languages you spoke:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=67437


Flax is Brazilian, his mother tongue is Portugese.

 

[Amy]

like yorkshire

Shurrup tha' silly southern poof, tha' dunt know what tha's on abaht... we used ter live, in a rolled-up newspaper, in a septic tank!

Or is it a rolled-up newspaper in a shoe-box? I haven't heard that joke in ages

 

[laughing_anne]

Shurrup tha' silly southern poof, tha' dunt know what tha's on abaht... we used ter live, in a rolled-up newspaper, in a septic tank!

Or is it a rolled-up newspaper in a shoe-box? I haven't heard that joke in ages

edit: this is on topic, I swear! The stuff I learnt watching Monty Python...