Learning multiple languages

[Jamie]

There are quite a few people here who can speak several languages, and I'm curious if anyone has tried learning two languages at the same time, and what your experience is with that. Would anyone strongly recommend not learning two languages at the same time? Based on your experience is it more productive to learn languages that are similar to each other, or different? What are your thoughts on this?

[xuechengfeng]

I think the human mind is capable of doing it. I'm currently learning Japanese and Chinese, and I'd say the progress is going well. They are both east Asian languages, so I suppose you could say they are "alike," but the only similarity I see is the Kanji. That's the only help, but you still have to know the Japanese/Chinese words, so blah.

What languages do you plan to learn?

[trooper]

I am learning both Chinese and Spanish. I'd say my Chinese is intermediate while my Spanish is basic. Because the two languages are totally different, there is no danger of confusion.

I am sure that it would be quicker for me to learn Chinese to an advanced level first and only then begin Spanish. The more intensive and focused your study, the faster the progress you make. Unfortunately, even if I concentrate on Chinese alone, it could take me years to reach a high advanced level and I can't make myself wait until then to start Spanish.

In the past, I tried learning Japanese at the same time as I was learning Chinese. I found this to be difficult. I got confused between Japanese and Chinese pronunciations of the same characters. I think this was a problem because my Chinese was not secure enough (and still isn't) to cope with learning the new and unfamiliar Japanese pronunciations. Consequently I stopped my Japanese studies.

So my advice is: there's no problem if the languages you are studying are different from each other. However, if they are similar, you should make sure that one of the languages is secure before you start the other one.

[Bamboo Grove]

It certainly is possible. In Finland we study 3-4 different languages at college (seniour high). Also when I was studying Chinese, we were also required to take courses on Japanese and Korean. Motivation is the main word here.

[SassybutSweet]

I'am trying to learn more then one language as well!! I'am trying to learn Mandarin, Cantonese, and spanish!! My Mandarin(spoken not written) is better then My Cantonese, I'am learning them both together and it's coming along pretty good!! I focuse on my Mandarin more though, and My Spanish is very limited!! But I'am working on it!! But it's not hard for me to remember which is which because I can pretty much store each one away and when the time is right I whip it out and use it!! I guess it dose mix up some, but it's not impossible to do!! I just hope for the best in everyones studies!!! As well as my own!!!

[wushijiao]

I would say that learning two languages at the same time is a good idea. I studied Spanish and Russian (forgotten now) at the same time for four years, and I think this actually helped me in some ways. In learning languages, you must create, evaluate and discard different methods and strategies all the time. You will train your mind to learn languages faster. For example, I often encourage my Chinese friends to try to learn another European language so that they can see that the most important thing is how the parts of a sentence work together. I think this helps them get away from memorizing single English words in isolation.

So, I think it's kind of like learning how to play a sport like tennis, then trying to use some of the same skills to play raquetball.

[bunni87]

All throughout high school, I tried pretty hard to balance French, Mandarin, and Japanese. I think I had a fairly positive outcome with all three.

It probably depends on someone's own willingness and drive to learn multiple languages at the same time. As long as you don't confuse yourself, go for it. However, if you feel that it may hinder progress in another language (something that I've seen happen with a lot of friends), then it would be best to slow down and focus on one.

If you have the determination, go for it

[Machjo]

and practicing patience in the process. Mind you, my knowledge of French, English and Esperanto have been helping me too.

For more information on strategies for language learning, you can also look up "Language Orientation Instruction" or "Interlinguistics" in google.

[xuechengfeng]

I'll tell you what, learning multiple languages has made it easier to grasp grammar for me.