I just ordered Rosetta Stone to learn Latin American Spanish...

[WillParkinson]

I hope my feeble brain can handle it. Wish me luck.

[old mark]

1. I believe you will be happy with it. I studied SA Spanish using that technique

and I actually LEARNED SPANISH!!! I took Latin in HS by the drill and repeat endlessly method, and swore I could not learn another language-I remember maybe 5 words and never could put sentences together in Latin.
I had the Spanish over 10 years ago and can still understand and read some and figure out newspapers, etc, although rapid conversation eludes me most of the time.

Good luck!

mark

[hippywife]

2. How does it work?

What technique does it use?

[old mark]

5. It is a series of recordings and videos that explain situations in Spanish -

it is conversational almost immediately and Spanish only as much as possible, even the instructions.Ex: A man saying ,"Yo gusta mucho tocar la guitarra." He would be playing a guitar (I really like playing-touching-the guitar).

It is a very widely used program in the government and military which teaches large numbers of people to speak many languages every year using it.

The class I took was total immersion conversational Spanish in ten weeks...if you missed over 3 classes, you were dropped because it was impossible to keep up.
I dreamed in Spanish after the first week or so.

mark

[nuxvomica]

3. "Gallia in tri partem divida est."

That's all I remember from three years of high-school Latin. :D

[old mark]

4. "Cave Canem" - Beware of the Dog....pretty much covers it, oh yeah -

Cornu is horn.....


mark

[hippywife]

6. I took two years of Latin

and can't remember much of it, either. Only reason I didn't take third year is they dropped it.

If nothing else, it was helpful for my English vocabulary. :hi:

[nuxvomica]

7. Good point

I actually enjoyed studying it and I think it awakened in me a love for the sound of English. It's like my native language became imbued at points with the muted voices of a distant and glorious past. I can't speak it at all now but maybe a trip to Latin America would bring it all back. ;-)

[rug]

8. Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres

:D

[nuxvomica]

9. That was Caesar's version

My quote was from Sister Mary Something-or-other. :D

[XemaSab]

14. Guttam cavat lapidem

Felix dies natali tibi

De gustibus non disputandum est

Me habeo catipultam

[nuxvomica]

17. My offhand translations...

"Beware of gallstones."

"Today is my cat's birthday."

"Don't complain about the food."

"I have a catapult."

How'd I do? ;)

[XemaSab]

18. That was pretty close

I forgot one:

Semper ubi sub ubi.

[WillParkinson]

10. I hope so...I don't need to be fluent or anything, but...

I'd like to be able to take orders from the baseball players who come to Milwaukee or help the housekeeper who wants to ask questions I can't understand.

[rabs]

11. I am curious

about whether the Rosetta Stone package actually says "Latin American Spanish."

Reason I ask is that Spanish in Latin America varies widely in speech patterns from region to region. For example Dominican or Cuban spoken Spanish is quite different from that of Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and so on.

Y buena suerte, se le va abrir un mundo nuevo !!

:-)

[WillParkinson]

12. The receipt says...

Version 3 Spanish Latin America Level 1,2,3,4&5 Set with Audio Companion™, Personal Edition

[rabs]

21. Looks like it is to differentiate it from Spain Spanish

I spent more than two decades in South America working for a U.S. company and in my experience, the most well-spoken Spanish was in Colombia. So if down the road you speak like a Colombian, you will be in fine shape.

Once again, buena suerte.

[kentauros]

13. Here's a helpful site I've been told is good for learning and practicing your language skills:

http://www.livemocha.com
http://www.livemocha.com/pages/about

I've never used it, but maybe I will this year :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. I was just about to post this. I am using this site and it is incredible

what I have learned in a few short months...for absolutely free! :)

[SeattleGirl]

16. I just registered for that site.

I have some clients who are Spanish-speaking; I'm hoping this site can help me learn some Spanish so I can communicate more directly with them, and not have to rely completely on their interpreters.

[WillParkinson]

19. I'm actually on that site!

Someone mentioned it in an earlier thread (was it you?) so I went and registered. I figure I can use the Rosetta Stone at home and practice with LiveMocha while at work. Best of both worlds.

[kentauros]

20. It may or may not have been me.

I know I got the site from here at one time. Maybe you could review it sometime, too.

Good luck with your language-learning :hi: