learning a new language..

[merveilles]

For the last few years I've been listening to music by a lot of Japanese bands. It's really good background music because I can't understand it, so I can be working on something and part of the lyrics won't pop out and distract me. I'm actually trying to learn Japanese now though.. So will the music start to become distracting? or since it wouldn't be my main language, would it still be pretty easy to tune out? What do you guys think?

[Ilikedeadpeople]

I teach English as a language and use music all the time to help the students understand the rhythm of the language. I would advise you to keep listening to the music- eventually youll understand more and more of the lyrics.

[Rose of Cairo]

Originally Posted by merveilles

So will the music start to become distracting? or since it wouldn't be my main language, would it still be pretty easy to tune out? What do you guys think?

When I have some background music playing with lyrics in one of the languages I speak, it is distracting because I do understand it, main language or not. I have a hard time tuning out, especially when it's a language that I am currently learning! I will automatically listen and try to parse it. But that's just me, maybe it will be different for you.

[CoolBee]

I downloaded this bit of freeware called Mnemosyne a while ago

Welcome to the Mnemosyne Project | The Mnemosyne Project

and only got round to setting it upin the last couple of days and I can already see it's going to be a complete star aid in learning Arabic!

I've typed in the vocabulary from the first chapter of the text book I'm using (Q & A form) (it's transliterated only at this point as it's colloquial Egyptian not standard Arabic - I've downloaded some bits and pieces to make the special transliteration symbols as well) - about 86 words or short phrases.

Basically, it turns them into Q&A cards - everything starts at level 0 - ie you don't know it at all, and it randomly presents you with cards from the decks you are working with and as you learn the word, you can improve its grading - up to level 5 - and depending what the grade is, you get shown the card more or less frequently.
(You can also downgrade the card if you thought you knew it and 5 minutes later discover you didn't!)

I've also ordered the Arabic Bible DVD which I will collect in the UK next week - this has classical Arabic bible, literal translation, then your choice of modern English versions - and every single word they use they tell you what part of the sentence it is (verb, noun whatever), the root (Arabic, like Hebrew, works on a 'root system'), and the prefixes and suffixes. It seems a very thorough tool. (Classical Arabic is not too far removed from Modern Standard).

(I want to learn both to speak colloquial Egyptian and to learn to read formal Arabic hence the mix).

[TonyToneTone]

Originally Posted by merveilles

For the last few years I've been listening to music by a lot of Japanese bands. It's really good background music because I can't understand it, so I can be working on something and part of the lyrics won't pop out and distract me. I'm actually trying to learn Japanese now though.. So will the music start to become distracting? or since it wouldn't be my main language, would it still be pretty easy to tune out? What do you guys think?

Is English music distracting while you work?