Comments on: Learning a language in yet another language http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2010/05/23/learning-a-language-in-yet-another-language/ Any language, any time, anywhere Mon, 21 May 2012 13:18:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Mark http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2010/05/23/learning-a-language-in-yet-another-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1141 Mark Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:20:35 +0000 http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/?p=970#comment-1141 I'd say it depends on your level of competency with the language you're laddering from. Another factor could be how close that language is to your target language. In some cases, it can be more efficient than working from your native language, if it's pretty unrelated. For example, I studied Taiwanese Hokkien through Mandarin. The main reason I did it that way was because there are precious few resources made for English speakers learning that language, but in retrospect I'm pretty sure it was faster this way. The grammar was different from Mandarin, there were more tones and the sounds of the language were different. However, English is much, much more distant from Hokkien than Mandarin is. Due to that past experience, I'm intentionally studying Cantonese via Mandarin during my vacation in Hong Kong this week. I’d say it depends on your level of competency with the language you’re laddering from. Another factor could be how close that language is to your target language. In some cases, it can be more efficient than working from your native language, if it’s pretty unrelated.

For example, I studied Taiwanese Hokkien through Mandarin. The main reason I did it that way was because there are precious few resources made for English speakers learning that language, but in retrospect I’m pretty sure it was faster this way. The grammar was different from Mandarin, there were more tones and the sounds of the language were different. However, English is much, much more distant from Hokkien than Mandarin is.

Due to that past experience, I’m intentionally studying Cantonese via Mandarin during my vacation in Hong Kong this week.

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