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#22
11-17-2005, 07:36 PM
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Re: Learning a foreign language
[ QUOTE ]
if you are trying to learn the language, maybe it would be better to go a more rural part of a country that way you really are immersed. in the city people will probably speak a lot of english and your conversations will be in english a lot, not foricng you to learn. what do people think of this? [/ QUOTE ] This is pretty true. In France, people tend to be pretty proud of whatever English they have, just like Americans are proud if they know a little French. They'll want to "practice" (read: show off) their English, especially if they're young and know a good amount. Older people are more likely to either not know or not care to speak English. I had the same experience you're planning (two months in France, and I'm about to have 2 in India). I knew a little french from school. I learned a lot in the two months, mostly from the immersion course I took. If you take a class, make sure the instructor doesn't allow you to speak English. That's cheating, and will get you nowhere. After two months, you won't be anywhere near fluent, but you should be able to have basic conversations. I was able to do all the necessary stuff at the end: eat at a restaurant, buy train tickets, talk to real estate agents/landlords, converse with friends, see a movie without subtitles and get most of it. Philosophical conversations are tough though, and my hearing and speaking are way behind my reading and writing. India shouldn't be a problem for getting by. Indians speak half in English even amongnst themselves. They'll speak only in English with you. This will make it pretty hard to learn Hindi. You should have a strong motivation to learn it, so you can get through the trials: i.e., a fascination with the culture, the movies, literature; a desire to live there; business reasons, etc. But this is true of mastering anything. 
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