<p>Ok, I've decided that I really want to learn either Arabic or Chinese... ironically one of the toughest languages to learn. But I love these languages (and in the case of Chinese - I love the country), so I am completely sure that I want to learn one of these two languages.</p>
<p>So how should I go about doing it? I dont know any native speakers, except my grandfather who speaks Arabic, but he lives thousands of miles away. Is it possible to self learn it with cassetes and programs? Do I have to go to a community college?</p>
<p>If you want to learn a language that your high school doesn't offer, I guess I'd suggest taking a class at your community college, if you have the time. I suppose those "teach yourself" books might help you with the basics, but it's easier to learn in a classroom setting, where you have the teacher to ask any questions... with tapes and stuff you don't get an opportunity to practice as much, either. In a classroom setting, you have at least 20 other students that you can make friends with and practice the language.</p>
<p>Or just wait till you get to college, and take one of those languages as your foriegn language requirement...</p>
<p>Agh. I have bad memories of arabic. Ten years of classes at my school, and I still can't speak a word... I would have failed had my dad not been able to help me with my homework.</p>
<p>Learning Arabic is EXTREMELY difficult if you have not grown up learning it. My father lived in Saudi Arabia for many years as an adult, worked in Arabic and said he barely learned any of it. Please note that my dad speaks five languages fluently, so he is good with languages. </p>
<p>I myself studied Arabic for about eleven years and all I can do is read it. I went to Sunday school and had private tutors. I wasn't very interested in learning, but still.</p>
<p>I think one of the problems with learning Arabic is there are very few good teachers. Most of the teachers I had used very simple teaching methods that were pretty much useless. You can take classes at your local CC or something, but I don't think it'll help too much.</p>
<p>You can take Chinese -- I spectulate Chinese will only become more popular as China rises to establish itself firmly as an economic power. </p>
<p>I'm a native speaker though, so I don't really "know" how it feels to learn it. However, most of my foreign friends said that learning Chinese in a foreign country is difficult and dry but once they moved to China/Taiwan, their Chinese improved drastically and the language became "fun." I guess if you're really serious about Chinese, you should consider spending a summer here. Otherwise, I think it just might be easier to learn a language like Spanish or French on your own (those languages are easier to pick up on your own and you probably have established teachers where you live, whereas it's more difficult to find good Chinese/Arabic teachers).</p>
<p>Central Perky is right about Arabic being difficult to learn. I didn't speak a single word of Arabic til the 5th grade. I know that the best way to learn a new language is to be around people who speak it. That's basically how I learned to speak it. Plus, watching movies or programs in that language can really help.
I've been speaking Arabic daily for nearly seven years. I'm fluent and everything, but people who meet me can still notice a few glitches when I talk.
It's difficult, but doable; if you are patient enough.</p>
<p>Like oasis, I'm a native speaker of Chinese.</p>
<p>I suggest you learn the pinyin romanization system first and get familiar with the four tones.</p>
<p>I myself am struggling with literacy, but I have found that memorizing radicals makes it easier. Many Chinese characters have a "root" or "radical" that can clue you in on its meaning (e.g. does it deal with water? language? feelings?). Memorize these and Chinese characters will become more organized.</p>