<p>I am a History major, which means that I am required to take a foreign language for graduate school consideration, and I would very much like to learn one anyway. </p>
<p>Anywho, I am wondering if anyone could recommend any software/whatever material that would both help me learn Spanish and assist me when I start taking Spanish classes, starting next Spring. If you say that the classroom is the best facilitator of the language, you are probably right, but I have learned to work largely on my own :)</p>
<p>Spending time in a foreign country is the best facilitator for learning language. And, I suppose it would be independent study. Besides, there are very few cooler ways to spend a summer.</p>
<p>I would recommend against software. Most software is 1) expensive and 2) worthless in that it caters to tourists and businessmen who only need to ask where the bathroom is and order food. You don't learn the grammatical structure of the language, which is what you need to know. I would recommend looking into some sort of cheap tutor, if you really want to beef up before classes. If that's too much money, I would search for the BBC's online Spanish tutorial (they have programs in a number of languages; I've used the French one), which combines grammar with phrases and even audio.</p>
<p>to actually SPEAK a language, you need a class with people to interact with. You can get a head start with the excellent program shown on PBS, Destinos, but nothing can replace the classroom.</p>
<p>It's sad that American language studies generally start too late in the game for most kids to become fluent without an amazing amount of work. I guess I'm lucky that my grandparents speak German in the house and I spent a lot of time with them when I was younger which also made it easier for me to learn Spanish. Apparently, there's some "wiring" in the brain for learning new languages that shuts down to some degree by the time we reach adolescence. Anyway, I guess getting a tutor who is a native speaker is the best way to get it outside the classroom. Look for colleges that have study abroad programs for no extra charge, too, because true fluency takes immersion. Also, if you're going to be a history major, pick a language from an area whose history interests you the most. If you work hard enough to get semi-fluent or maybe more, being able to translate your own primary documents will be an awesome asset. I'll hypothesize that's why language is required for grad school. I know that in my own field, being able to read Brecht and Lorca in their original languages has given me a big advantage in understanding various characters' intents since many linguistic connotations simply don't translate to English.</p>
<p>501 Spanish Verbs is a good reference, but isn't going to teach you the language. Do you live in an area with a large hispanic population? Maybe you could find some people willing to speak with you in Spanish. If they'll talk slowly for you. <em>mumbles about native speaking friends</em></p>
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my high school spanish class (the whole 6 of us last year) watched Destino's once or twice a week - good program.
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Destino's was a good program for learning the language, but I never understood the plot with the guy looking for his old girlfriend or whatever it was! :confused:</p>