The most useful foreign language to pick up in S'pore is...

[TRiShnDaisy]

Actually, how many of you have been consistently using it when u learn a foreign language?....Now they remember only the extreme basics. Quite a waste of time/money actually.

Yea...agree with you. Have been deliberating about taking up Spanish classes for ahem, 4 years! Uh huh, you read that right. I've been intrigued with Spanish since young. What's keeping me is exactly what you said. Language is such that if is not constantly practised, it is easily and quickly forgotten, which is what happened to my Vietnamese...
But there's the other side of me that says, 'Just do it.', 'Carpe diem.', and all the rest of it...
I'm just not a 100% believer yet

 

[xmen1977]

interesting, Bahasa Indonesian is 2nd in demand here :think:

 

[Veronica Choo]

Yea...agree with you. Have been deliberating about taking up Spanish classes for ahem, 4 years! Uh huh, you read that right. I've been intrigued with Spanish since young. What's keeping me is exactly what you said. Language is such that if is not constantly practised, it is easily and quickly forgotten, which is what happened to my Vietnamese...
But there's the other side of me that says, 'Just do it.', 'Carpe diem.', and all the rest of it...
I'm just not a 100% believer yet

Hee-hee... Yah Spanish.. Also once crossed my mind to learn it. And maybe French. I visited Spain and Paris a few years back and I was so intrigued with Spanish culture that I thot, wow, I want to learn their language. But it's just some 10-minute enthusiam I suppose on my part. I still have the desire buried somewhere in my mind but it's just the practical side of me inside asking U sure?

Also, I think when you want to learn a language, it's better to go all the way and do it seriously. The basic and intermediate courses teach one the idealistic way in which the foreigners will speak with each other. But when you go to the country, often the variation in tone, accent and speed in which they speak just leaves you trying hard to catch the meaning. Constant use and practice is still the way to go... Preferably exposed to the actual culture and spoken with native speakers.

 

[Poledra]

Hee-hee... Yah Spanish.. Also once crossed my mind to learn it. And maybe French. I visited Spain and Paris a few years back and I was so intrigued with Spanish culture that I thot, wow, I want to learn their language. But it's just some 10-minute enthusiam I suppose on my part. I still have the desire buried somewhere in my mind but it's just the practical side of me inside asking U sure?

Also, I think when you want to learn a language, it's better to go all the way and do it seriously. The basic and intermediate courses teach one the idealistic way in which the foreigners will speak with each other. But when you go to the country, often the variation in tone, accent and speed in which they speak just leaves you trying hard to catch the meaning. Constant use and practice is still the way to go... Preferably exposed to the actual culture and spoken with native speakers.

Yup. I totally agree with you about that part of language being lost if not used frequently.
That's why Malay is the most practical thing to learn. In my opinion. We're surrounded by Muslim countries... And when you haggle at night markets in Malaysia, you're gonna get a better price if you use Malay..

 

[TRiShnDaisy]

...But it's just the practical side of me inside asking U sure?

YES!

...Also, I think when you want to learn a language, it's better to go all the way and do it seriously.

YES YES!

...Preferably exposed to the actual culture and spoken with native speakers.

YES YES YES!

 

[Wolfgang]

YES!



YES YES!



YES YES YES!

i think you need to take a cold shower. :devil:

 

[Zerstorer]

i think you need to take a cold shower. :devil:

Maybe its the brand of shampoo she's using?

 

[mervlam]

I am keen in taking up Malay... been trying to apply to take Bahasa Melayu as General Elective in NTU, but can't due to limited spaces...

 

[Flare]

I am keen in taking up Malay... been trying to apply to take Bahasa Melayu as General Elective in NTU, but can't due to limited spaces...

Wah... Malay as general elective ah... Hee... Me picking up malay too, but just started a couple of months ago.

Actually Indon and Malay quite the different... Indon so much 'cheemer' malay Imbohan can kill me liao... indon one will be like a skewer through me and hang at market to sell...

 

[satcat]

I agree with you 100%. I think, though, that there is another factor which affects which affects the success levels.

From past experience (I have travelled and worked widely in Europe, Asia and the US), I know that in a number of non-English speaking countries English is still fairly widely spoken and understood. The incentive or should I say pressure to learn the language in such circumstances is simply missing.

I am now living in Japan which is a completely different ball game. Sheer survival forces one to learn the language to the best extent possible.

Ganbatte kudasai!
Sat

 

[TRiShnDaisy]

Maybe its the brand of shampoo she's using?

I AM using Clairol Herbal Essence Conditioner as a matter of fact.

 

[lovells19]

if can i'll learn german and french and russian

 

[henavs]

Bahasa Malay is supposedly a national language, not a foreign language, am I rite? Correct me if I'm wrong...



Anyway, since Bahasa Indon has been programmed in my brain since childhood, so I'll definitely go for Japanese...

 

[Dagger]

me currently took up a Korean class

wonder what's next is best?

Amsayhan yo!

You so bad, go for korean class, never tell me...me hunting for kaki to join for this language as mommy wants to go there for a vacation.....sigh

 

[SniperD]

actually if I had the opportunity I would like to try French and German... so at least I can understand to the greater extend of those damn good foreign films I hoard

 

[xmen1977]

Amsayhan yo!

You so bad, go for korean class, never tell me...me hunting for kaki to join for this language as mommy wants to go there for a vacation.....sigh

;p
pai seh, didnt get to ask ard

:sweat:

 

[Flare]

Bahasa Malay is supposedly a national language, not a foreign language, am I rite? Correct me if I'm wrong...



Anyway, since Bahasa Indon has been programmed in my brain since childhood, so I'll definitely go for Japanese...

Well, you are correct, official national language. And that's one of the reason i'm picking it up... And now, finally I can actually understand most of those signs in malaysia. It reallt felt different on my last trip to KL... Muahahahaha..

 

[Stefen]

I took Malay elective as third language in singapore from sec 1 to sec 4, and my malay knowledge didn't really improve at all.

it was until i spent 6 months in malaysia when my broken broken vocab became coherent sentences...

learning is hard if its from the books...you really have to use it to appreciate it...

 

[jsbn]

Hmm... Malay would hardly qualify as a 'foreign language' since its our National Language.

Its best to pickup Bahasa Indonesian followed by Bahasa Melayu.
Japanese shouldn't be much of a problem if you have reasonably competent skills in Chinese. Its like a complement to Chinese.

Other languages like Thai, Vietnamese would also be good languages to pick up due to their proximity to our country.

Korean would probably be good since the 'Korean Wind' (I dunno blow what 'wind' now. Kids nowadays change taste very fast) is blowing.

European and latin would prolly rank on my lowest scale in 'urgency to learn'.

But the best way to learn any language is to pick up swear words first which would allow u to learn in double quick time.

 

[razor]

.....English....