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

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's really helpful! I think French and Spanish are a little further apart than I was envisaging...

I'm now watching Welsh TV to try to see how much I can figure out based on a knowledge of Welsh unused since I was 12 (and never to conversational level :-D)

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Having already learned about the concept of conjugation for French, Spanish was relatively straightforward, and the pronunciation was much, much easier, since Spanish is mostly spelt as it is pronounced.

And I spent hours watching children's cartoons, telenovelas (for simple, contemporary vocabulary) and the news (for clear pronunciation), which was both fun and helpful. My accent in Spanish is considered a neutral, educated-Latin American one.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I'm probably exaggerating the difficulty of Spanish, because the one time I was in Spain, I was only there for a week, and I can still remember the enormous relief of getting back to France where I could understand and be understood!

But I'm pretty sure that would have been much easier if I'd actually tried to learn something about Spanish before I went. Even a few hours preparation makes such a difference!