Is it possible to really learn a foreign language without living in that countryand mixing with the people ?

Question

Is it possible to really learn a foreign language without living in that countryand mixing with the people ?

Answer 1

You won't learn the language properly unless you do just that. This is because the best way to assimilate a language is to be living in the society where that language is spoken and to have first-hand experience of the culture around it.

Anyone serious about learning another language should go and live where it is spoken, if only for a short time.

Next best thing is to find a pen friend who speaks the language and/or a native speaker in your own country who is willing to help you. Listen to radio/TV programmes in that language, browse the web, read newspapers and magazines. Even if you don't understand everything, it all helps.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

Yes, and that's exactly what we call "foreign language learning" (FLL). If you go to a country to live and learn their language out of classes, it is called "second language learning (SLL), or "second language acquisition" (SLA) in more technical terms.

Answer 4

Dear Special Brew 2,

I am sure it is possible to learn a language without living in that country or even getting any help from others (not easy, but possible).

I think, however, that the point of learning new languages is to be able to communicate with (and understand) other people and other cultures and to gain access to what those people and culture can offer in terms of literature, music, food, philosophy, etc.

That said, if circumstances do not allow for traveling, it is not impossible to learn on one's own.  I recommend to you to immerse yourself in the language as if you were entering a sauna.  To read everyday, see all movies in their original language without any subtitles at all.  Then with the original language closed-captions, to listen to music and try to learn the lyrics.

Answer 5

yea .. i think you can. if you can pick up languages easily and everything, i think you can ~~

ive learnt a few foreign languages and now at about an intermediatte level and ive never been to any of those countries. but i can interact basic conversation and talk with local people if they talk to me on the street.

so i think you can!!

good luck!! and have fun learning languages!!!

Answer 6

I guess so. There are plenty of people learning Latin and ancient Greek and those civilisations have been gone at least 10 times longer than the USA ever existed :)

Answer 7

I would say there are varying factors.

I would say it is possible to learn to read and write a language without going to the location, but you would not be able to speak it. Above someone mentioned Greek and Latin. These are perfect examples of where there is only the written to learn. I am sure though, that even the best Latin scholar would not be easily understood or understand a real native speaker of Latin, as that sort of thing is not learned while reading - It is a different area of the brain.

As for becoming proficient in a language to the point that you can hold a conversation, that depends upon the language. With regards to Spanish, which is relatively easy for an English speaker, you could probably learn well enough from a second language teacher (though I would stress that having someone else pronounce the words for you is a must in any situation - unless you are a brilliant linguist)

On the other hand, languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Japanese are in my opinion impossible to become fluent in unless you do go there to study for sometime.

So it is a mixed answer. Writing -definitely possible. European languages - Probably hard but doable. Very foreign languages - next to impossible.

I hope this helps :)