#Is it fine to learn 2 languages simultaneously given how much time I have?

15 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

dreamy grotto
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Hello, people. I've been (successfully) getting out of a pretty shit period of my life lately where I was pretty doomer and basically for many years, kind of have just been doing nothing and wasting. I'm happy to say, things are going better, and I've decided to pick up one of my old interests ive always had a very strong desire to pursue for maybe 2 years now, which is learning a language. I basically kind of just want to go full ahead into it, and I have around 10 hours or more per day to spend trying to learn it. However, the problem with me (and I've always had this) is an incredibly horrible case of FOMO, if there are even two options which to choose between that are in the same category, I just end up not being able to choose and failing miserably.

The languages I want to learn are Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, both for similar reasons of wanting to meet people, move there one day, and in general for the pure fun and intrigue I've always had for languages, and these ones I've been attracted to for a long time. (O.K. Maybe my touhou obsession has a little to do with the Japanese part... But not totally!) I want to know if learning these two languages side by side would be possible, or if it would detract, especially given how much time I have. I already know the Kana and some basic things about Chinese, and I figure that when I learn Chinese characters, I can learn both the Chinese and Japanese pronunciations, meaning both will be supplemented from one study, and learning two languages at a time, I could divide my time equally and then some days, when I feel like doing Japanese less, I could immerse more with Chinese, and vise versa.

Is this a possible thing? Thank you for your input

dim ploverBOT
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<@&1248039856404431062> Is it fine to learn 2 languages simultaneously given how much time I have?

idle tapir
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So first off, learning two languages is possible; however, learning two at a time slows your progress tremendously in both areas. This is why it's generally recommended to learn one language at a time for maximum efficiency. it's like trying to draw a picture and code a program at the same time (some fallacies to be had with that analogy but you get the point lol). that being said, you do have a lot free time, so if you decide you want to give it a go, it's up to you.

mental linden
deep gate
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I think you would benefit from reading a similar discussion on this server where Violet addressed the question of learning Japanese and Mandarin at the same time. Violet is a polyglot who has experience learning like, 5 languages already, so I trust his knowledge. #methodology-questions message

tl;dr, you will be severaly slowing down your progress in both if you try to do both at the same time. It's recommended to just focus on 1 at a time. If you have that much free time, and you can actually utilize it effectively (which isn't a guarantee because you sound like someone who is new to language learning and isn't experienced), it would be best to just focus on 1 language because you will learn much much faster and can transition to the next language instead of making slow and sloppy progress in both.

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I think if you are someone who doesn't have experience acquiring a language through immersion already, it's just overzealous and optimistic to try to undertake 2 languages at the same time, especially ones as difficult for native English speakers as Mandarin and Japanese. I really think you need to get some experience first on what language learning is actually like and the stamina and dedication it will require for just 1 before even thinking of trying to go for 2 at a time.

mild talon
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I'd kinda like to talk as someone who has attempted to learn two languages at once and successfully did it for a while.

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So, what everyone is saying is correct, it will slow you down massively, but I also feel like everyone is glossing over the point that the two languages in question here are Mandarin Chinese and Japanese respectively. Having learnt two languages that were far away from each other, learning two languages that aren't close together would be what would be recommended as if you did try to learn two languages at the same time, learning two quite similar languages generally leads to a lot of confusion/mixing up the two languages on a daily basis. If you were to learn two far away languages, and it seems that you have plenty of time on your hands to learn two languages if you wanted to, then it would be easier to process information separately, whereas if you were to learn two similar languages, say if you were reading kanji and the chinese reading for a character pops into your mind first, that can kinda cause frustration/become an annoyance. On the flipside, it can also help, say if you already have a base in mandarin chinese and you try to learn Japanese, you can absorb kanji much easier. However, if you're starting from 0 for both of them, learning two quite similar languages can be quite confusing.

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On top of that, learning for 10 hours a day repeatedly can cause you to become quite fatigued.

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Beginners say they will try to study for X amount of hours a day but often fail to commit due to strenuous amounts of fatigue or some other factor beyond their control.

deep gate
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I also think we shouldn't gloss over that if you choose to do both Mandarin and Japanese together from 0, it will take you 10 years to even get decent at them. And that's assuming you study for several hours every single day without ever missing a day or slowing down. That is simply not sustainable for 99% of people.

blissful iris
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Do not learn Mandarin and Japanese at the same time. I'm Mandarin native and it's already causing me enough trouble. Starting from 0 for both of them will only be more chaotic. The only exception I see this could work out is if you have the natural environment for it, i.e. you have one parent who speaks Mandarin to you and the other who speaks Japanese to you, and preferably you still have baby brain.

You will have to pick one to master first I'm afraid.

mild talon
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Is there a way to become a baby again?

dreamy grotto
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Thank you all for your input. After consideration, I have decided to focus solely on Japanese for a few reasons, including the ones you all listed above (thank you very much by the way)

  • I think I'll need to do Kanji study regardless, and I feel like learning Japanese first is the better "value proposition", considering alot of Kanji mean the same thing in both languages, but in Japanese, Kanji aren't used individually for their meaning, they are just components of words and regardless of study, it seems like you'll generally be learning them in the context of words. So if I learned Mandarin first, I'd still have to do maybe 95% of the work, rather than I feel going from JP to ZH where it would be a more significant reduction.

  • Japanese has alot more content I am already interested in. I'm very certain given my wide variety of interests it wouldn't be hard to find things Mandarin, but also It'd alot longer to enjoy my Immersion most likely, because I'd have some amount of prior understanding of the material in Japanese but none at all with Chinese.

  • Generally this one thinks Japanese is more interesting and challenging as well.

Also, I did say I had 10 hours to spend (usually, it depends), but I wont spend all of them always ofc. I think I'll probably slowly try to increase how much I immerse per day until I reach a cap where I begin feeling fatigued after my daily learning rather than content or refreshed. I'm trying to build a habit more than anything else. (and I have some experience with learning a language prior, but never by this "automatic" or "immersing" method.)

Thank you all very much, and I hope to return one day with some progress