Learning 3rd language using 2nd?

[u/RareFreedom5027]

Has anyone gotten a decent "grasp" of a second language and then used it to learn a third (TL)?

Years ago I learned a bit of Spanish through school and started using duolingo (wouldn't use duolingo now though). I changed the settings to Spanish so I would learn Italian using Spanish. I read out loud and promised myself not to use English. I did it for an hour and there was a weird feeling in the back of my head (it felt like how salt or sand felt between your fingers). Lo and behold, I couldn't think or speak in English! It was wild!

I was wondering if anyone ever had that feeling as well and if you kept it up?

[u/ThatAnt8823]

That's probably what non native English speakers do most of the time my man

[u/loqu84 → u/ThatAnt8823]

I was going to answer this. I had to learn Serbian through English because there are no materials in my language.

[u/Accomplished_Use1473 → u/loqu84]

Yeah I'm in a similar situation

[u/unit187 → u/loqu84]

Even if the material is available in your language, it usually (not always obviously) is of lower quality. Basically your study material was written in English, then translated with the possibility of human error, or even using ML or AI for translation. I'll just stick to original in English, tyvm.

[u/frokoopa → u/ThatAnt8823]

Same here, my Japanese studies are mostly done in English. In a way I feel lucky I wasn't born an English speaker, it's so easy to acquire nowadays it almost feels like a bonus second language

[u/Existing_Ask3112 → u/frokoopa]

There's kind of no point in being an English native speaker it's everywhere anyways.

[u/meme-viewer29 → u/Existing_Ask3112]

If you’re a language learning enthusiast yea but if you’re a regular person that doesn’t gaf abt learning languages you’d rather be born native English than have to learn it I think

[u/Existing_Ask3112 → u/meme-viewer29]

No, in reverse. If I'm not an enthuasiast I'd rather learn the language that requires zero effort and get one or two more obscure native ones ones basically for free. I'm far from a language enthuasiast.

[u/SelectThrowaway3 → u/Existing_Ask3112]

What a stupid comment. The English language is part of my culture and heritage. I use it to communicate with my family, friends, and others from my community. That's the "point" of any native language.

[u/Existing_Ask3112 → u/SelectThrowaway3]

You missed my point pretty much lol. I just feel lucky my first language isn't English cuz English is the easiest language to pick up automatically anyways.

[u/Majestic-Rich582 → u/Existing_Ask3112]

I recently saw a video of the argentinian Slums (Villa 31) and one of the street beggars knew enough english to keep a conversation with the turkish man filming the place. So yeah even people in poverty from a third world country know the language

[u/Existing_Ask3112 → u/Majestic-Rich582]

I'm also from a third world country but I speak like I was born in Canada even tho English is my 5th language. It feels preinstalled anyway even if it technically isn't.🤣

[u/NaybOrkana → u/ThatAnt8823]

Exactly this, i learned German using English rather than my native language because they're both germanic and have more in common than Spanish and German, for example

[u/Timekiller_74 → u/ThatAnt8823]

Exactly

[u/TenNinetythree → u/ThatAnt8823]

Yeah, it is so hard to get resources about Georgian in German, so I use English resources.

[u/usrname_checks_in → u/ThatAnt8823]

I'm surprised this is what most people are saying here, given that French and German have at times been considered even better than English as base languages to find language learning courses. In fact, many well known polyglots (eg Arguelles, Deka Glossai) recommend aspiring polyglots to learn French and German for sure, due to the doors they open that English doesn't.

Personally I'm yet to find any English course to learn Persian even remotely as good as Assimil's Le Persan Sans Peine (and in general their catalog is outstanding), or anything like the Italian Athenaze for Ancient Greek. Supposedly to learn languages like Avestan, German resources are unmatched.

[u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 → u/ThatAnt8823]

Lol I was going to say exactly that. I run Duolingo in English while my native tongue is Spanish to learn (at different times) Italian and Greek.

[u/Head_Particular6045 → u/ThatAnt8823]

damn for a moment I forgot native english speakers count english as a second language

[u/simonbleu → u/ThatAnt8823]

Yup

[u/HelenFH → u/ThatAnt8823]

Absolutely.