Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm not multilingual myself. I wanted to study German in secondary school, but for some reason was forced into French instead. Found that a bit off-putting so I gave it the bare minimum effort. I tried learning Gaelic on DuoLingo for a few weeks, but I realised I'd been treating it like a memory game and wasn't actually understanding what I was learning. Which is part of why I ask the above question. Are there autists among us who have learned other languages? If so, how did you find your experience of learning a new language? Do you have any advice for autistic people in particular, looking to learn a new language?
Hi, here is English German and Russian packed up in one head. My first language is polish, because I’m polish. Whenever I learn a new language it’s a special interest for me. I keep repeating words, sentences in my head, also grammar, while walking or riding in the city. It turns off all the stimuli from outside world because I’m hyper fixated on the language. Some time ago I was very eager to learn Turkish, I even started, but unfortunately had no time, so there are only few single Turkish words that stuck in my head. Now I’m fascinated with French, but job and child and household and my other ideas with magnets ohhh I feel like my life is not enough to do everything I wanna do and I have not enough energy. Recently I saw a French word that sounds nice to me - Bon de Livraison - delivery note. I work in logistics. We are naturally programmed to notice details, this ability also let us see some words and sentences in the environment, such as ads, pieces information in this particular language (if we are living in the country). I have a very good memory, not everyone has it, but it’s also important for learning a language because you remember not only the word itself but also spelling, meaning etc. I’m not sure if it helps, if you are interested in learning one of the languages I speak, you can text me. I’m learning German and living in Germany, I passed B2 exam half year ago.
Thanks for the response, that was very interesting to read. I know there's an appeal in using words and phrases from different languages that have a better energy for the context one might use them in. I'm thinking about what second language I would try to learn, if I were to commit to it. The question of usefulness of course has no one right answer. At least, not if you already know English, I suppose. I'm wondering if, since English is such a heavily influenced language by neighbouring languages, it would be easier to tackle one of said languages.
I visited a nice Polish deli in my area recently, but was at a complete loss on what the signs said, and didn't want to bother the young lady working the counter with my questions.
I red the Book of Enoch in parts and it was written in old English, which resembled more German, actually both English and german originate from the same group of Germanic languages. when choosing a language to learn I always look at two factors- is this language often wanted, especially for jobs, and how similar is this language to my first language, or other languages I already speak. Arabic or Chinese would be extremely difficult for me.
You can send me friend request. I took the advice from this site seriously- to allow only “friends” message me. I’ve already been targeted by some weird accounts sending spam or offensive messages.
I thought to take you up on your offer to message you about learning German, but it looks like your account doesn't have open permissions for me to PM you. Should I send you a friend request, or would you prefer an alternative?