learning a language

daven1986 · 19 Apr 2006 at 20:37

Hi guys, I have decided since some of my family don't speak english and my dad didn't bother to teach me panjabi when I was young, to start to learn it.

I want to learn it quickly and was wondering how long it has taken people on here to become fluent in a language - both speaking and listening.

Thanks

Daven

pyro · 19 Apr 2006 at 20:40

How about you go back home for a year and study there? I managed to speak Italian in 8months when I was living in Rome, it's very helpful if you have to speak the language.

Morlan · 19 Apr 2006 at 20:59

You really need to move the country to become fluent. It's the easiest and quickest way.

daven1986 · 20 Apr 2006 at 00:56

My home is England, my fathers side of the family come from India. I can go there for a few weeks each year but I can get my father to speak to me in panjabi.

Was just wondering about a time scale.

Thanks

Daven

pyro · 20 Apr 2006 at 00:58

What are you doing now? If you are finishing school/uni you can take a gap year and go there, fair enough England is your home but you have to speak your father's language dude.

Mattus · 20 Apr 2006 at 00:59

It depends on your commitment. I've been learning German at school for five years and I'm fairly good but nowhere near fluent. If you can be immersed in Panjabi in a natural environment, though, I suspect you'll learn more quickly than this. I'd get some books to teach you the basic vocab and grammar.

theleg · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:15

Get your mum and dad to talk in punjabi at home..Not just to you, but to each other as well..but it will depend on how much you are around them as to how fast you pick it up.

Nikias · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:22

I'm doing an A-Level in German and I'm fairly fluent in it. That's taken about 7 years, but as others have said, if you move to a country you'll be fluent in about six months.

If that's not an option, then just speak, read, write and listen to as much of it as you can.

theleg · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:23

Crispy Pigeon said:
if you move to a country you'll be fluent in about six months.
.

People keep saying this..Its not true...

If you are learning a language that is very similar to english, IE french or german, then its possibly true....but not if its a more distinct language.

Raymond Lin · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:27

Balddog said:
People keep saying this..Its not true...

If you are learning a language that is very similar to english, IE french or german, then its possibly true....but not if its a more distinct language.

I came from Hong Kong to England and picked up English in under a year, but English seems easy compare to Chinese.

Mattus · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:27

Also worth mentioning that fluency really involves reading and writing as well as speaking and listening - learning the written language will also help you with your speaking. But as Panjabi uses a different alphabet it could be heavy-going.

theleg · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:28

Raymond Lin said:
I came from Hong Kong to England and picked up English in under a year, but English seems easy compare to Chinese.

Were you completely fluent in a year? and how old were you when you got here?

Morlan · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:34

daven1986 said:
Was just wondering about a time scale.

If you are really determined and have a passion for it you could be up and running in 8 months (not fluent of course!). I am studying Irish in college and learning Spanish in my own time. I find the best way to learn is to go to forums/chatrooms/msn and try to converse with people - have a dictionary on hand and jot down words you don't know. I also tune into radio stations and TV channels in Irish/Spanish every day - You'de be surprised how much you can pickup just by listening to the language. I'm sure there are Online radio stations in Panjabi.

Some days I find it really hard to sit down and study languages, but once I get into it, it's very enjoyable.

Good luck to you

Nikias · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:38

Balddog said:
People keep saying this..Its not true...

If you are learning a language that is very similar to english, IE french or german, then its possibly true....but not if its a more distinct language.

Yeah that's true. German has the same Latin alphabet that English does and so on.

Your experiences with Korea would probably be more similar to learning Panjabi.

Raymond Lin · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:39

Balddog said:
Were you completely fluent in a year? and how old were you when you got here?

I came when i was 11 and i realise I knew I had the grasp of the language when i heard my uncle and Antie talk in English in their car and i knew what they were talking about. At school I did carrry around a pocket dictionary in case of a word i didn't know come up. But in a year i could hold conversations, the speaking part took a little longer but i can pretty much undestand it in a year. That hardest part was adjusting to the speed of the conversation as most people don't realise that the pace they are speaking at are incrediblly difficult for someone starting out to learn that language.

theleg · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:42

Raymond Lin said:
I came when i was 11 and i realise I knew I had the grasp of the language when i heard my uncle and Antie talk in English in their car and i knew what they were talking about. At school I did carrry around a pocket dictionary in case of a word i didn't know come up. But in a year i could hold conversations, the speaking part took a little longer but i can pretty much undestand it in a year. That hardest part was adjusting to the speed of the conversation as most people don't realise that the pace they are speaking at are incrediblly difficult for someone starting out to learn that language.

Im not quite sure thats the same as being fluent

fluent is quite a high level of ability..IE native level.

Raymond Lin · 20 Apr 2006 at 01:46

Balddog said:
Im not quite sure thats the same as being fluent fluent is quite a high level of ability..IE native level.

well, i did get move up to 2nd/out of 4 set of English class in under 6 months, and took my GCSEs like everyone else. I don't know how you define native levels when i can interact with all my friends at school on a daily basis without needing a interpreter. The dictionary was only used if someone use a word that's seldom used.

theleg · 20 Apr 2006 at 05:11

Raymond Lin said:
well, i did get move up to 2nd/out of 4 set of English class in under 6 months, and took my GCSEs like everyone else. I don't know how you define native levels when i can interact with all my friends at school on a daily basis without needing a interpreter. The dictionary was only used if someone use a word that's seldom used.

You took GCSEs at 12?

Sudden · 20 Apr 2006 at 09:14

I think you'd have a hard time learning punjabi even if you were to go back to India, unless you're willing to live in a small village somwhere.
I lived in chandigarh which is the capital of punjab for the first 9 years of my life and went there again just last year for a month. Most people speak hindi, but very few people speak only punjabi. While most would certainly be speaking a hindi and punjabi mix (with most of the speech being hindi with te occasional punjabi word here and there), I doubt anyone would be speaking only punjabi.

Unless of course, you mean gurmukhi. Gurmukhi i'm not so sure about but I could ask my parents if you want.
And as someone else mentioned, the fact that it is a different alphabet would make it tougher. Although if you can get a grasp of the alphabet, it might make speaking it easier because hindi is a phonetic language.

First step might be to figure out exactly what your dad speaks, hindi, punjabi, a mix, or gurmukhi.

daven1986 · 20 Apr 2006 at 10:37

He speaks it all, however I can get him to just speak panjabi to make it easier. It isn't possible to go back to india for longer as I have just started university. My mum doesn't speak it, or I would already know it, just my dad.

Right now I'm studying for my end of year exams, but after that I am determined to get quite far by the end of summer.

I am determined!!!

Thanks
Daven

P.s. I find the script quite easy to learn, I already know quite a bit of it.