French

[atitarev]

Yes, you could do both. Don't expect huge activity, so maybe a broader focus is better.

What software? I created some groups myself but I forgot how. Can't find the buttons/links any more. Please ask Roddy.

[chrix]

Roddy said in one of his announcements that in December the forum software will be updated. Let's see what happens to the social groups after that. I for one hope that they will be integrated better, so people will actually see new messages

[chrix]

So recently I have been listening to the foreign language news podcasts provided by NHK. Right now I'm listening to three language versions, Chinese, Indonesian, French. And the order of intelligibility for me is reverse to the length of time I have studied these languages so easiness to understand: French > Indonesian > Chinese, length of formal study: Chinese > Indonesian > French.

So in what order should I listen? Randomise or start with the easiest language, French, so I know what to expect when I get to the more difficult ones?

(Note: the contents is usually, but not always, completely the same. Right now my hypothesis is that French and Chinese as tier 1 languages have more topical and more frequent newscasts)

[mcgau]

A few years ago, I watched a Taiwanese horror movie and a French horror movie on consecutive days.

Although I had dabbled with Chinese for at least half a decade and had never ever learned a word of French, I could understand the French movie better than the Chinese one.

That was very depressing.

That was amazing, renzhe!

How did you learn your French? Did you learn that in a school before?

I'm a french learner in all-time wannabe status although 30% of my family are Francophone. I took one course in L'AF long time ago but had to miss half of it because of my unstable working hours. Then I got some pimsleur audio lessons and completed most of them but I only manged to talk about very basic stuff.

[Meng Lelan]

Weird. I took French for eight years and I can read it perfectly still, but never was able to understand spoken French ever, not even in French class, ever.

[mcgau]

Weird. I took French for eight years and I can read it perfectly still, but never was able to understand spoken French ever, not even in French class, ever.

moi aussi. I'm wondering how French survive in their complicated liaison.

[Meng Lelan]

That's why I abandoned French. I'm not going to ever take it up again because French is billion times harder than Chinese. It's a billion times harder to get any language practice in French at least for me.

[Hofmann]

I can't understand normally spoken French. My French teacher in high school was the only person I ever understood.

[Hero Doug]

I'm not here to join the group but I want to offer a suggestion about practicing French.

I came across a site which I found somewhat useful. It's called Polyglot Club. You sign up, list the languages you're good at, and the languages you want to learn; then you find partners who are a match for you and you help each other out.

The trick I found is getting a decent partner who will actually help in return; and make corrections.

God, it makes me want to start studying French again.

[Meng Lelan]

God, it makes me want to start studying French again.

But then you would have to speak to your wife in French.

[Hero Doug]

And get a nice blank stare

[Meng Lelan]

But it would inspire her to learn French, then the two of you learn French together.

[chrix]

I'm surprised that Meng Lelan finds French harder than Chinese. French should be way easier for an English speaker to learn, though. Or do you mean in terms of finding French speakers? I know that French tourists are tricked into visiting New Orleans thinking that people there still speak French, but we all know that's no longer true

Regarding listening comprehension: I've noticed that after learning some more intermediate-to-advanced vocabulary by reading the newspaper, my understanding of audio news increased significantly, so this just might be a case of being stuck in intermediate land?

[gato]

I'm surprised that Meng Lelan finds French harder than Chinese. French should be way easier for an English speaker to learn, though. Or do you mean in terms of finding French speakers?

She has to lip read since she's deaf. It's probably because French people tend to mumble, which makes it harder to lip read.

[Meng Lelan]

gato, your answer is 100% correct.

I have an extremely hard time speechreading in English, Spanish, and French because I can't speechread the verb endings, the plurals, the singulars, all the words keep changing.

It's thousand times easier to speechread in Chinese. A word is a word is a word. They don't change.

[Hero Doug]

But it would inspire her to learn French, then the two of you learn French together.

I like the theory, but I don't think it'll quite make it in practice.

Besides, I don't need distractions form Chinese, I'm on a mission.

[Meng Lelan]

Kids! Try this resource for your French skills. You can read the script for the day's news en francais facile, listen to the script, take a comprehension quiz, etc.

http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp

[renzhe]

That was amazing, renzhe!

How did you learn your French? Did you learn that in a school before?

Actually, I have never learned any French, ever.

But, to be honest, I forgot to mention that I did 6 years of Latin as a kid and that I speak passable Spanish.

Still, it was depressing that I understood more French than Chinese. The situation has improved since then

[renzhe]

It's thousand times easier to speechread in Chinese. A word is a word is a word. They don't change.

You don't have problems with tones?

It's quite amazing. And I'm here struggling to make sense of Chinese, even with very sensitive ears.

[Meng Lelan]

I don't bother with the tones when I'm listening, if I'm listening at all.