German

[mrs.wes straker]

I want to learn German. I know there are some of you here who actually know or are learning German, so, I was thinking maybe we could have a thread all about German, the best way to learn it, practicing on one another etc.

I wish I could offer you something in return...maybe Spanish help? Sorry my second language isn't more exciting.

Anyhow, let's get it started (hopefully). What are some suggestions you might have to a beginner who is interested in German?

I learned Spanish by watching Spanish television, listening to Spanish music, and such. What are your ideas? Help, please. Thank you.

[Saddiction]

Listen to lots of German Industrial or German EBM ;D

[MollyMac]

I know very little German, but I learned smatterings of other languages mainly by listening to music over and over and simple conversations over and over. I learned the syllables and cadences while I was learning the basic words. Sometimes it is less about words than sounds. If you cannot get the words to sound right, then there is little point

Also, I would get short stories and poems in Russian or Italian and I would translate them, learn to turn the phrases. Then I would find the words in English and compare them.

It seems to work best when you bust your ass first and then get the corrections.

[mrs.wes straker]

I'm trying to start with Rammstein lyrics, but from what I understand those seem to be poetic and complex, so I'm not sure that's the right way to go as far as learning everyday German. I also understand that the lead singer rolls his "r"s, and from what I hear a lot of people associate that with Hitler.

[Attitude_Stricken]

Have you looked online, or at about.com? I'm trying to learn Italian through about.com and am learning a little bit of Danish through watching Danish movies. Sometimes you can find free language courses online.

[killer_asian_Dax]

Ya, There's actually not that much R rolling in properly spoken German. But it is a wicked awesome language!

Most of the languages I know (Japanese, German, Russian) are self taught so from personal experience I can advise checking out about.com and ilike2learn.com

Those were very helpful to me. Also if you don't feel too wierd about doing it, just pop into your local college's bookstore and buy a textbook and the workbook associated with it. If you're lucky, there will also be either a cassette or cd that comes with the textbook.

I wouldn't advise trying to go by Rammstein or Funker Vogt lyrics, but they will help you with your pronounciation. Funker Vogt will help the most of the 2.

The lyrics in FV's music are more like telling a story or whatever, so there's more ordinary sentences to help you learn the structure and all.

Good luck!

[Minyaliel]

German is my first language. If you want the help of a native speaker, feel free to drop me a line =)

[mrs.wes straker]

Originally Posted by Minyaliel

German is my first language. If you want the help of a native speaker, feel free to drop me a line =)

Oh yes thank you, I will. :-)

[Vako]

A personal observation;

Spanish is a "romance language". The Latin and ancient tribal languages it is based on are more "poetic" or "artistic".

German is... well... Germanic. It is more "pragmatic" and "straight-forward", more efficient.

To learn someone else's language, the person has the be very open-minded. If you are not able or willing to learn to "think outside of your tribe", you will do poorly at learning other ethnicities' languages.

Just a bit of thought about it.

[mrs.wes straker]

It's true, Vako. In order for me to become fluent in Spanish I had to immerse myself in Hispanic culture. Learning the language is learning the culture and thought processes of those who are using it as well. You do have to keep an open mind in order to do this, and be willing to accept those people realities. I imagine Germans might not be too different from Americans, because we are all of a modern brand, but Hispanics do tend to be different; and I'm not saying we are better, but I've found their culture and reasoning tends to bit more primitive.

Sorry about any errors. I'm drinking Pepsi and vodka. :-P