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I’ve just watched this limited Spanish series (English title: City of Shadows). I watched it with #Spanish subtitles for an enhanced language learning experience. It’s in Spanish and #Catalan - I really liked it. #langsky

That’s a good idea!

Hey #langsky do you guys journal in your TLs? If so, do you use a physical journal or do you use an app or website one? I’m currently trying out the Diarium app. #journaling

Gracias. Probablemente lo probaré algún día. 😊

#langsky The other day my Argentinian colleague told me that I’m fluent in Spanish. I told her I’m not. She then said, “yes, you ARE!”

I don’t think am. I consider B2 fluent and while I understand Spanish at that level, I’m more like B1 when it comes to speaking. I’ll take the win though! 🤩

Fyi #langsky

OMG this is the first I’ve heard of it. 😱

#LangSky

Time for a reality check: Britain cannot be a big player on the world stage unless we speak more languages | Sophia Smith Galer For all the talk of addressing the problem, things have got worse. Which is criminal when there is so much we could do, says journalist Sophia Smith Galer

Time for a reality check: Britain cannot be a big player on the world stage unless we speak more languages | Sophia Smith Galer buff.ly/NqqEKjq #langsky #xl8

Most of the “legit polyglots” also sell courses or coaching services. I’m not really interested in those courses etc., but some of their free stuff on YouTube can be useful.

Fair enough. I’ve mostly just watched some of his videos on language learning methods and a couple of interviews in different languages, so I can’t speak to any controversial views.

There’s a few of them that speak languages I know (besides English) that do seem really good. Richard Simcott, Luca Lampariello and Steve Kaufmann come to mind. But in general, I’ve got the same impression as you.

Hey #langsky, I just started dabbling in #Mandarin #Chinese again. I’m surprised at how much I remember from last time. 😅

You’re welcome! Yes, it has so many languages.

My top app for commendations: Busuu and Babbel (for a textbook-ish approach - especially good for the big European languages) and Mango Languages (free premium if your local library has a deal) and Pimsleur for speaking. For Pimsleur the app subscription is the cheaper option.

*In your case MSA + Egyptian makes a lot of sense.

Also, I lived for 20 years in a neighborhood with a lot of Palestinians, so I already understand Levantine fairly well. 2/2

In your case MSA + Egyptian. I’d even say that should be the default, unless you have a connection to or friends from another country. In my case MSA/Classical for religious reasons and books/news and Moroccan because my wife is from Morocco. Levantine because I know a lot of Palestinians. 1/2

Having recently dabbled in Mandarin (I’m 48) the difficulty of the tones makes that relatable! 😊

Hey #LangSky learners of #Arabic, are you learning #MSA and/or one or more dialects? I’ve learned MSA and Moroccan Arabic to a decent level and am working on Levantine Arabic. What about you?

Both. I took some courses and married a Moroccan 😅 - then I moved to a neighborhood with a lot of Arabs so there was a lot of immersion.

I doubt it’s impossible but there may be a need for other techniques once you get past a certain age. I started learning Arabic when I was 20 though, so I’m not sure.

I do think that technique is more important than being “born with it”. Also the more languages you learn, the more sounds/phonemes you’ve mastered already. For example in my case I learned Arabic before Spanish, the R/RR distinction wasn’t hard as both exist in Arabic.

I find it easy to learn pronunciation in general. However, when learning Arabic—which has a lot of sounds that are completely nonexistent in the languages I knew already—I had to shadow a lot and learn tongue placement etc. for difficult letters.

Mostly #2 for me but #1 once or twice

#Spanish is still my main TL focus, but I am currently trying out #Esperanto and considering going back to learning one of the TLs I’m taking a break from. Maybe #Mandarin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nuntempe, mi nur lernas iomete da la lingvo por amuziĝo. 😊