My school now gave year9s (or top-set-for-languages year9 s) a chance to learn Russian or Spanish. I realy want to do Russian though.


I have to

1. have the time (if it's after school, it's quite unlikely that I'll have the time)

2. Get selected (I bet a lot of people want to do it...)



so I might not be able to actualy do it, but It's something to do which would be fun.

Go for it!!

It sounds like a fantastic opportunity and you'll never regret learning another language, it opens so many doors for you.

If you're worried about not being chosen, just do what you can to impress the person who's deciding, and make sure they know that you have a strong interest. As for the time issue, if you do get chosen, I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it and organise everything. Good luck

lizbun, I recently completed my Russian GCSE which I did after school at the local sixth form. It is quite hard at first to get the hang of it due to the fact that you have a different alphabet. But it's fun, and peoples reactions are great when you say you study russian

I did Spanish at GCSE... but now don't remember a word, coz I dropped it.. wish I hadn't... learning another language is always useful (fun too)

Russian all the way! I took it, and LOVED it. Brilliant language, it sounds lovely, it looks lovely....

Ya loobloo ruuski yaziik!

Ooooh, do Spanish!! It's an amazing language!

Or for those who can read cryllic

Я люблю русский язык

Wow, fantastic!

I had a one night stand with a russian once... Its a beautiful language, even though I i couldn't understand him and he couldnt understnad me, it was something in his eyes, and he had to leave the next day and I nver spoke to him again.

Shades of A Fish called Wanda here, methinks.

Russian.... do Russian
it is such a beautiful language - so poetic and lyrical - it's wonderful. I still keep my dictionaries, although I haven't used them in ages

Go for Russian - I've regretted not being able to learn a non-latin alphabet.

Both languages are great! I can't decide because I speak them both

And don't forget to tell us which you choose!

Since you're in secondary, I assume you're doing french already, so a slavonic language would be useful. It opens up a whole new doorway into languages.

The alphabet is the least of your problems. You'll learn the characters very quickly and the pronunciation is easy. The difficulty will be the grammar, but then it depends on how far you want to take it.

I believe that when learning a language, you have to decide why you want to learn it and to what level. Is it for purely academic interest, to enjoy yourself on holiday, or to get a qualification?

It's similar to the 'price versus quality' graph. The fact that to have basic HiFi system you pay 50, to have a pretty good system, 200. A better system, 400 etc...

i.e. the effort you put into it will have to increase a huge amount to get better and better and the learning curve starts to flatten out. Just like music. Anyone who's learned an instrument and reads music can learn another one very quickly, but after a while, the rate of progress slows and you have to decide how much work you want to put into it. Fluency is not easy.

So ask yourself how interested you are, why, and what benefit you'll get in the future.

Steve

Yes, but I do German as well.and I decided to do German for GCSE. I find German easier to pick-up.



Well, As long as there aren't too many 'exeptions' to rules of grammer, It's my strong point for languages. Like in German, I find a lot of the grammer easy to learn, when a lot of people I know find it hard.

you shouldn't have a problem with Russian then. It is really quite ordered and structured... sounds as if grammar will come easy enough for you.

Мне очень нравится Русский язык!


So true! The alphabet is the easy bit!

isn't that just so beautiful??

Yes

Oh, well. Might as well take the effort to learn it in y10... The alphabet is realy different...

you'll soon get the hang of it. Then it will be worth it - honest!

Got to admit, I love the Spanish language. Got halfway thru A-level before I quit (didn't like the teacher). However, over the last 20 years it's served me SO well on holiday (and work). Spain/Canary Islands/Mexico/Belize/Coasta Rica/Chile etc etc. Trying to sort out a puncture in a remote village in central Mexico!

I've been to Moscow once with work, and have no desire to go there again - though I don't think I saw the best bits!

Just done one of my Spanish A Level exams today and I am emotionally drained. 2 hours writing about the political movements of Latin America in Spanish is not at all fun. Wouldn't wish it on anybody. *Collapses in a dramatic heap*

Definitely! It is in all honesty in some ways easier than learning a language which uses a familiar alphabet in weird and wonderful ways. You're less likely to mispronounce something because you say it how it would sound in English, because you're in a totally new "code".

If you decide to go for it and want any help, I'm sure the Russophones round here will be only too happy to help.

Which reminds me, don't we get to start our summer fun language learning threads soon??

What's this about Summer fun language threads?!?! I want in ...

Indeed! I'm intrigued now...

http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?s=&s...st&p=484666

...and following posts.

Latest date (which appears to have been you , pianosecrets!!) for exams was 15th June, but I'm fairly sure some are still happening.

Thanks for reminding me of this though!!

Haha, yeh, my aim for the Summer is to teach myself Italian

EDIT: Ooooh, it was for helping people for their GCSE's!! I remeber now ....Awww, and i was getting all excited about these threads aswell!!!

I want to learn a bit of greek, but I can't understand the alphabet, so there's a slight problem there

I read that as "a bit of geek"...

Well, there's one remedy for that you know: sit down and learn it. With regular practice it won't take you long

I can't type in Greek, but:

Kali mera - good morning
Kalimari - squid (don't mix them up)
Kali spera - good evening
Efharisto - thank you

Hmmm... can't think of anything else at the moment. (My knowledge of Greek is, how shall I put it... sparse!!)

http://www.greece.org/gr-lessons/gr-english/Gif/script.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet
http://www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/alphabet.html <- this last is for New Testament Greek, but I think it would give you a start!

Kali tihi!

Thankyou so much sarah-flute!! Wow, guess I have no excuse not to get on with it now

I'm doing AS Ancient Greek next year ....

I have and alphabet/ pronunciation sheet somewhere that i could e-mail to you if you want

Thankyou! That would be fantastic

I'll try and get round to it later.

You're welcome - have fun!

Oooh, pianosecrets you will definitely have to start a Greek thread

Yep. The form was given to me today, It's filled in now, and all I have to do is give it to the teacher and wait to see if I got the offer.



I think Spanish is more popular, so I do have a good chance...





Bad newsis that... I'll be even buisier than I am! I'm very buisy as it is.

Any year 10 just gets busier!! hehe but it's all good...

It looks like I may well be learning Spanish, the school wants to introduce a new language and want my french teacher to learn spanish and she's asked if any GCSE students want to kind of learn along with her and I was like YES!!! Also trying to learn Polish, I know a few simple phrases but I'm lacking in a little thing called time...

Quite a few people in my school are polish - I'd love to be able to join in with their conversations! I wish I had more time too, as it is, I don't think I'm going to be able to carry on with latin

You people get such good languages - we got French German or Spanish, and we didn't get to choose which one, we just got lumped with it!

Shall we start the language learning threads now??

It might be a good idea

Sorry Lizbun...

There has to be someone who can do a Russian thread - then Lizbun can get a bit of a headstart! I think Sarah-flute can?

*Goes to start Spanish thread* Umm what shall I put in it!

Why not just start with a few simple phrases that people could say to each other to demonstrate their 'talents'? Just things you would use if you went on holiday, counting to 10 etc...

Good idea! Hehe

Polish is so pretty!

So should I start a Russian thread...? Has everyone finished exams?

No! ALCM on 27th June

Are you a potential Russian learner Malone? Okey dokey, I'll hold fire

I said earlier in this thread, I did have a Russian one night stand once, I can write my name in russian.

Sorry I missed it! Will hold off till after your ALCM