From: "Antti Kurenniemi" 

"John Beamish"  wrote in
message news:41431932$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> It gets easier, but never easy.
>
> There is a phenomenal amount of brain activity needed to learn a language.
> It isn't just the sheer memorization of new words (tough enough as a
> standalone exercise) or the new alphabet -- it's the structure of the
> language (and it doesn't matter which langauge) which is intellectually
> the
> most challenging, draining and, eventually, rewarding.
>
> Half of me wishes I could be there learning, too.  Half of me is glad that
> it's you.
>
> Incidentally, I've been told that the third and fourth languages are (as
> long as they are _somewhat_ related) much easier to pick up because the
> mind
> has learned how to learn a language.

They are. After learning English as a kid, then Swedish at school and later
German at nightschool, I took on Thai very easily (friend's wife is from
Thailand and they speak Thai with each other). One problem is, that if you
don't use the languages you tend to forget - words, mostly. I don't know if
I'd manage myself in German anymore. Probably not.


Antti Kurenniemi

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