Learnin a new language. Options

[Valo666]

So has any one here ever learned another language by them selves??..ie, not somethin they took in school. But like learned a completely new tounge with no background of speaking or hearing the language?? I just started to learn Finnish just recently. Im just curious on how long it takes roughly to learn the basics of the language. So far ive been workin on it for about 2 weeks and im just starting to develope an ear for the way it sounds.

[CoSo]

I'm self-learning French right now.

Best tip I can give is immersion. Immerse yourself in the language and the culture. Watch movies, listen to radio, talk to people who speak that language, get a penpal or such. It will help you learn it faster than just an exercise book.

As for the technical aspect of actually learning, get a good dictionary and a couple of grammar books, audio tapes and learning CDs. There should also be a lot of stuff on the net. One thing I've noticed in French is that young people tend to speak and write in a colloquial/informal style moreso than adults which should be noted (ie, j'sais pas vs je ne sais pas) so you might want to watch out for that in Finnish and stuff.

I've spent about... 4 months learning French now, and currently my main issue is listening and comprehending what is being said. This is a result of my studying method, which has focused more on writing than speaking and listening, since I rarely have people to practice French with. So make sure you don't fall behind in either area.

That's my experience of learning a new language, anyway.