Thread: Success at Individual Studying

Originally Posted by net surfer

What's the point in classes then? I don't have extra money and time to spend them at classes.

Well, you won't get proper pronunciation without proper advice from your tutor. I mean the qualified help you get at special phonetics classes.

No mon', no fun!

Tutors also don't kick your ass when you said something really offensive, but you didn't know it was offensive.

tdk

Anyone attempting to learn a language should take the attitude that they will do it on their own and just use college as something extra on the side. Whio knows, you might even get lucky and find a good course!

I think most classes are extra on the side not only as to learning a language.

Originally Posted by poobread

I am wondering, for anyone who has studied completely independently, and totally on his/her own, have you actually achieved a good amount of fluency in Russian?

I want to know how feasible learning it completely alone can actually be, and in what time frame, and if there's anybody here willing to testify sucess in understanding the language in an advance way by learning in this fashion.

Thanks.

I have studied completely independantly. I am in no way fluent (In Russian) at all. I understand bits and pieces of spoken Russian and my vocabulary is very small. I can read some Russian (with help of a dictionary) and write even less. I have been studying for close to two years now. I also must admit that I have been very lazy in my studies. (Five months total study time, or less)

It really, really, really, helps to speak with a Natvie Russian speaker. Univesity classes are good for this in my opinion.

I think it would take two to three years of self study to become fluent in basic reading, writing, comprehension and speaking skills. If you stick with it and do not stop for months at a time. You will be amazed at what you learn.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

The only way to study a language is to go to the country that speaks it.

End of story

рассказ закончен

This is patently untrue.

I've never had any real formal English instruction to speak of. I had not known a single word of English until after I finished high school.
I haven't spoken to native speakers of English at all until age 25, when I arrived to the US -- and where I did not have any problems whatsoever studying full time in a graduate program, communicating with people, understanding TV, later teaching classes, etc... (I should note that I did have a decent practice speaking for some time before that at home, but it was with other non-native speakers, Germans, Danes and Poles, mostly, as I was working for an international company).

I do not think Russian is much harder.

Originally Posted by MOG

I think most classes are extra on the side not only as to learning a language.

Yes, I think you are right.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Hehe. This whole time I thought you were speaking Ukranian! That was Russian?!?!? I guess that explains it...

Lol, that was utterly uncalled for!

BTW, how did you learn Russian? From what I've read it sounds like you live in Russia. How good was your Russian when you first got there?

Get on Skype, boy Smile.

Yeh skypes alright, but kind of lame talking to some random across the internet, and boring too. I meant speaking to people face to face, which is much more fun.

As for classes, I think that they are bad because the progress is so much slower, but also good because I think they help you get a feel for the language and are just a good opportunity for some exposure, especially if you're slightly новичок.

Well, try to find Skyping Russkies with similar interests to you. Still good practice.

Originally Posted by laxxy

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

The only way to study a language is to go to the country that speaks it.

End of story

рассказ закончен

This is patently untrue.

I've never had any real formal English instruction to speak of. I had not known a single word of English until after I finished high school.
I haven't spoken to native speakers of English at all until age 25, when I arrived to the US -- and where I did not have any problems whatsoever studying full time in a graduate program, communicating with people, understanding TV, later teaching classes, etc... (I should note that I did have a decent practice speaking for some time before that at home, but it was with other non-native speakers, Germans, Danes and Poles, mostly, as I was working for an international company).

I do not think Russian is much harder.

OK, let me be specific and clear as diet water.

If you surround yourself in an enviroment where you can speak, read, listen and write your target languages every day, if you are FORCED to use the language every day, you will learn much faster, much better than any self-study in your bedroom. End of story.

One year in Russia vs. One year stuck in your bedroom trying to pronounce Яблоко.

Besides, learning a language is not just about grammar and phonetics, it is about culture, mentality and situational expressions. I am sorry, but you can read a hundred books, but you won't get much insight until you experience it yourself.

рассказ теперь закончен?

Bingo.

Well the people in my German class were so bad at pronounciation it wasn't actually anything like German. They just said the words with an English accent completely defeating the object.

We had these language programs in the computer room that were audio-based and we had to watch these crаp educational videos featuring the characters 'Rolly und Rita!'. I just remember this motorcycle woman that kept saying 'prima' or 'fantastisch' when you got an answer right.


You know, I think I want to start forcing myself to only use Russian when posting at these forums, with the exception of this General one and the English for Russians one. Expect terrible mistakes if I do so, but it's the only form of immersion I can do.

Originally Posted by волк

Well the people in my German class were so bad at pronounciation it wasn't actually anything like German. They just said the words with an English accent completely defeating the object.

That is because German is the most damn impossible language to pronounce in the whole world. I started doing German but I quit because of the horrible pronunciation.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

If you surround yourself in an enviroment where you can speak, read, listen and write your target languages every day, if you are FORCED to use the language every day, you will learn much faster, much better than any self-study in your bedroom. End of story.

One year in Russia vs. One year stuck in your bedroom trying to pronounce Яблоко.

Besides, learning a language is not just about grammar and phonetics, it is about culture, mentality and situational expressions. I am sorry, but you can read a hundred books, but you won't get much insight until you experience it yourself.

рассказ теперь закончен?

Does living in the other country help? sure. Is it either necessary, or sufficient in order to learn the language? no.
There is no shortage of people who've lived abroad for 20 years or more and yet learned less of the language than one could learn in a couple years of self-study without much exposure at all. Maybe with an exception of some cultural things and set expressions -- but those are not exactly that hard to pick up when needed.

Originally Posted by basurero

That is because German is the most damn impossible language to pronounce in the whole world. I started doing German but I quit because of the horrible pronunciation.

It simply means that German is not for you because you don't have the linguistic abilities to learn it. And it is untrue to say that German is what you wrote just because you can't learn it. But you were kidding about that, weren't you?

Я шутил, конечно.

I studied French for three years in high school and got straight A's.
I studied Russian for a year and a half on my own and I speak Russian far better than French.

and I speak Russian far better than French.

Потому что французский очень сложный язык, наверное, как я слышал :)

Я учил английский 8 лет в школе, а иврит 2 года. На иврите я говорю, а на английском почти нет

но это из-за галимых учителей в школах в России, я думаю

Originally Posted by kwatts59

I studied French for three years in high school and got straight A's.
I studied Russian for a year and a half on my own and I speak Russian far better than French.

Similar here, replacing "three" with "five", "high" with "secondary" (), and "a year and a half" with about "nine months".

Originally Posted by Dimitri

and I speak Russian far better than French.

Потому что французский очень сложный язык, наверное, как я слышал

Французский не очень сложный язык. Французский легче учить чем русски for native English speakers.
I am just saying that I learn faster on my own than in a classroom. The fact that I got A's gave me a false sense of security that I learned something.