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expressing feelings in Japanese (Original Post) yuiyoshida Jun 2019 OP
When the actors in Korean historical dramas start speaking Japanese... soryang Jun 2019 #1
One of my best friends got a job at SFO... yuiyoshida Jun 2019 #2
Wow. soryang Jun 2019 #3
My friend learned from family... yuiyoshida Jun 2019 #4
NEVER too late to try. You're smarter than you realize. Haggis for Breakfast Jun 2019 #5
Yes, thanks for the encouragement soryang Jun 2019 #6
I'd imagine that Mandarin and Cantonese would cross-contaminate. Igel Jul 2019 #7

soryang

(3,306 posts)
1. When the actors in Korean historical dramas start speaking Japanese...
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 05:58 PM
Jun 2019

...I just have to read the subtitles. Taking on another Asian language is a bridge too far for me. I tried to start learning Mandarin but it actually impaired my comprehension in Korean so I gave up after a few months. When I see people who know multiple foreign languages (and claim to be proficient) I'm amazed.

yuiyoshida

(42,793 posts)
2. One of my best friends got a job at SFO...
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 06:01 PM
Jun 2019

She speaks
Japanese
Mandarin
Cantonese
Korean
and
English. She speaks them all fluently. She was my tutor for a while with Japanese..

soryang

(3,306 posts)
3. Wow.
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 06:23 PM
Jun 2019

I tell myself I'm too old. I've heard some neuroscientists say that if one learns a foreign language as a child, then the facility to learn languages is enhanced. I didn't, so it's a handicap. I read about one person who was like that and one of the parents was professional linguist so that explained a lot I thought.

Even the people I knew as a student or early in my career who were competent interpreters in European languages were raised as children in Europe.

yuiyoshida

(42,793 posts)
4. My friend learned from family...
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 06:29 PM
Jun 2019

Her parents and grand parents speak Mandarin and Cantonese, her brother lives in South Korea and she lived with him for a while, learning Korean. She went to High School in Japan and learned Japanese there, and later learned English... before coming to the USA. She told me that English was the hardest to learn, which I thought was funny because to me, learning Kanji and learning to read Kanji seems difficult ...


日本語で漢字を学ぶことさえ難しいです!
Nihongo de kanji o manabu koto sae muzukashīdesu!

Haggis for Breakfast

(6,831 posts)
5. NEVER too late to try. You're smarter than you realize.
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 06:32 PM
Jun 2019

Think of it this way. IF you were placed in a different situation where you HAD to learn, you would find your way through. Motivation is a powerful tool. Start small and be realistic - a few words a day. By the end of the week, two or three sentences. By the end of the month, a small conversation. Try to find someone who would be willing to endeavor on this adventure with you.

Don't sell yourself short. You never know where this journey may take you.

Good luck.

soryang

(3,306 posts)
6. Yes, thanks for the encouragement
Sun Jun 30, 2019, 06:50 PM
Jun 2019

This is what I've been thinking about Korean for the last five years or so.

Igel

(36,187 posts)
7. I'd imagine that Mandarin and Cantonese would cross-contaminate.
Mon Jul 1, 2019, 06:14 PM
Jul 2019

I know my Russian suffered when I learned Serbocroatian--they too easily mixed.

Same for Czech and Slovak, so I quickly stopped Slovak (except for passive knowledge) when I realized my Serbian/Russian problem was about to repeat. (But my Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, and Russian all nicely staid separate. I shied away from Sorbian. And don't ask about Belorusian and Ukrainian.)

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