Learning a language

[bunn]

How long do you reckon it takes to learn a new language to the point where you can have simple conversations with native speakers of that language?

Specifically, how long do you think it would take for someone who can already speak at least two languages to learn an unfamiliar language, when they are in an environment where the unfamiliar language is spoken by everyone and they are working on picking up the language as the main thing they are doing?   Assume that the person has the assistance of someone who can speak both languages, and that the structure of the language is similar to those already known.

I reckon two weeks would be more than enough, but then my attitude to languages is a bit Top Gear.  Pp, who has A's at O Level in several languages he can't speak at all, feels that two weeks is a ludicrous underestimate. 

Comments

[wosny.livejournal.com]

I agree that people vary in their ability to pick up languages...I don't think I could do much in two weeks. I spent two weeks in China in 2003...and all I can say is Ni how, for hello and a sound like tsay-tsay for thank you. They annoyingly don't have a word for no, which was awkward. I have struggled to speak German in Munich and Vienna, even though I did it with the OU...mostly confounded by people speaking English as soon as they realised I was struggling. I just about managed to order beer and do simple shopping in Benidorm, although they too default to English at the slightest hesitation. I really tried to talk in Czech and Slovakian when I was there for the car rally... dobry den for good day is all I can remember, and I have been struggling to improve my French for 25 years, and I am still not as fluent as I would like to be! One important factor...if there is no-one who speaks your language and you need to eat you pick it up far quicker than you might in a less urgent situation. :) (voice of experience)

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I think I'd expect Chinese to take much longer for a European language speaker than a closely related language. I've had that experience with German too! One reason I am so much worse at speaking than understanding...

On the other hand, I remember finding that I could puzzle my way through quite a lot of written Dutch just by extrapolating from English and German (and my German has never been good).