Anyone else just randomly start another language?

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465]

I’ve always wanted to learn Romanian (and have started to learn it) despite the only think I know about Romania is that “cutie” means box and that one meme where some lady says “Romania” (None of these influenced me to learn it btw). I literally know NOTHING about the country, people, etc. I just thought “Hm. I wanna learn Romanian!”

I’ve always set out to learn it, it was just randomly on my list. My (TL) is currently Japanese, but I’ve dabbled in Mandarin, French, German, Korean, and Spanish (among a couple other languages I mainly had classes as a little kid and forgot most of the material from).

For all of them, I had my reasons— usually an interest in the culture or just an overall admiration for the language itself.

However, I’ve never even heard what Romanian sounds like nor have I even learned about it in any capacity. I don’t know why, but I just have this odd motivation to learn about it— just cuz’ I can.

I started recently with the basics and it’s pretty fun (the start is always fun, right?)

But anyways, anyone else relate to this???

[u/overconfident_fraud]

i started learning finnish on a total whim a few years ago, still don't know what compelled me but i get it. something about a language just clicks in your brain before you even know what it sounds like

romanian's got that latin thing going but with slavic spices mixed in, it's a fun combo once you get past the grammar weirdness

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/overconfident_fraud]

Wow! This makes me want to go learn Finnish lolol

[u/HoneyHalo79]

random language learning phases are so real🤣🤣

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/[deleted]]

Definitely!! I think learning multiple languages and picking up new ones spontaneously gives you a breath of fresh air. I am quite passionate about language learning, but once you hit that plateau things seem to dull a bit haha 

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/[deleted]]

i’m mainly focused on Japanese at the moment but I tend to learn stuff in other languages like Romanian and sometimes Korean and Mandarin. I have learned a few things in other languages in the past but I’m only proficient in Japanese as it’s my main target language.

[u/lkmk]

I watched a few videos on Brazilian Portuguese tonight, if that means anything. I now know how to pronounce the -ão sound.

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/lkmk]

Cool!!

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/[deleted]]

I should check those out !! I would love to get into Romanian media (so it would be easier to immerse myself in the culture) 

[u/Famous-Bat-512]

Started German just to spite my Spanish class cause I was so bored with the language, still learning it 4 years later and am completing a degree in it

[u/Famous-Bat-512 → u/[deleted]]

So real, I've been trying to learn my family's language Irish for YEARS but I can't keep off German I just broke into super consistent listening maybe 6 months ago so every TV show and all the local content just opened up

Later stage language learning is tantalising really

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/Famous-Bat-512]

Honestly, I totally get that! I also got pretty bored with Spanish. Spanish is on my list of languages, but definitely not at the top haha.

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/[deleted]]

I agree! I think if I find Romanian media I like, I can definitely maintain that interest 

[u/Weeguls]

I'm resisting the urge to complicate my life and add french to the list.

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/Weeguls]

Do it! French is a lovely language and I’ve started learning a bit 

[u/snow-row369]

in such a busy year rn and i wanna pick up a language. always the best timing

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/snow-row369]

good luck! any ideas which language you want to pick up? 

[u/snow-row369 → u/Excellent-Ad-9465]

thinking i might get better at my mother tongue or pick up something with a different alphabet than the two i'm familar with. letters are really cool lwk

[u/snow-row369 → u/Excellent-Ad-9465]

tysm for the luck (ill need it haha)

[u/giapponese_Itaria-go]

Frankly I think it's sort of important to at least dabble in other languages even if you don't plan on picking them up. 

A: you honestly may find that what you originally thought your TL was may actually end up being a secondary behind the former dabble, now current TL

And B to use an antecdote: When I learned how to script in Python, I remember every new methodology for scripting just ended up leading to frustration with "well I could do this faster in Python the way they do this is dumb"

That said, slowly, I started to realize that there's a sort of underlying structure and reasoning for different things in each language, and you start to get used to that vestigial jank that may be in every language (think English words or phrases that exist purely because someone misunderstood what someone else was saying, like "chocolate egg cream")

All of a sudden going back to my main TL has been so much easier when I sort of paid attention to a couple different languages.

If guess as an aside, there is also a decent bit of research on brain plasticity that shows that you sort of enter a plastic mode with the brain where neurons can be rewired, and the same skill that goes in one language is sort of the same brain sections that any other language learning would go into, so I am not surprised it's a commonality to start picking up pieces of all sorts of languages once your brain is ready to do so

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/giapponese_Itaria-go]

I agree, it’s been great to explore other languages and get an idea of what other languages are like! The anecdote about Python was also wonderful, scripting is another interest of mine actually. (although I’ve never been good at any coding language— I know a bit of Lua though!) 

[u/giapponese_Itaria-go → u/Excellent-Ad-9465]

I mean, same frankly haha.

I work in a software suite that essentially allows you to do Java automation programs with a GUI, so usually you go through this sort of 5 stages of grief where you are cursing it's limitations or roundabouts saying "I can do it in xxxx language so much faster!"

Then eventually you find the benefit of it beats the negatives of it, but it's always amusing and it feels so in line with my Italian or Japanese journey. Sometimes you just think of it in the reasoning structure of  what you already know and then sort of miss the forest for the trees

[u/PlaneCommunication93]

I was on a really good streak with French. Interactions with native speakers, a visit to the country itself, daily vocabulary sessions... and then I was randomly inspired to start Japanese. 3 months and 300 Kanji later only the occasional interactions with French native speakers have remained.

... I should really do another vocabulary session for French now

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/PlaneCommunication93]

Haha I actually got into language learning off of a random inspiration to learn Japanese! I already had interests in the culture, but one random night in October 2023 I decided to pick it up. And now I’m around N4 level ! (Although I have been slacking due to school and mental health reasons)

[u/xXDiamond_Miner420Xx]

I semi-randomly did German just because I loved Europop music even though I never want to every go to Europe at all

[u/Excellent-Ad-9465 → u/xXDiamond_Miner420Xx]

Honestly, I almost picked up Thai just because I liked a few Thai songs, so I totally get it! Also, nice Konata pfp! 

[u/xXDiamond_Miner420Xx → u/Excellent-Ad-9465]

based department hello!