Anyone have Rosetta Stone?

[USAFVET98]

I wanted to start on some of the rosetta stone sets to learn another language with my son. Hes only 4 but I figure if we learn together, we will both know it.

My problem is, I cant see spending $500.00 on the stuff. Anyone have it that I can borrow and copy or maybe trade for something?

Thanks in Advance
Brian

 

[Florida Marine]

I get it free from the USMC since we are required in some instances to learn a language...

Been using it for Chinese.

Not sure I would pay 500.00

 

[Akula]

You can not borrow them, buy them used or from anyplace other than from one of their sites. You can not copy them.

When you place the cd/dvd into a computer, it logs the information and can not be used in any other computer. The program will not run. Plus they actively trace and enforce their software policy.

 

[penhead]

My daughter was working on learning to speak Korean...
neither of us could imagine the software being worth that much,
so she googled around the I'net, was able to find enough websites that were free to use,and was picking up the language nicely.

 

[USAFVET98]

Thanks for the input everyone.. I think I will start with the free kids versions..

Thanks Again

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Kids pick up languages MUCH faster than adults...best time to learn is as a child.

Expect your child to be on stage 5 when you're struggling with stage 2!

Andrew

 

[EBorraga]

I found a very good site that's free to learn spanish.
http://www.spanishdict.com/
You do have to register, but it's completely free. The store I work at is 90% spanish oriented. Over the period of a year i've learned to speak the language quite efficiently. It's just hard to comprehend the speed that the talk at.

 

[sbwertz]

Kids pick up languages MUCH faster than adults...best time to learn is as a child.

Expect your child to be on stage 5 when you're struggling with stage 2!

Andrew

I'm a retired English teacher, specializing in English as a second language. In our training, we were taught that the brain changes at puberty, and it is more difficult to pick up languages after that. In my own experience, if I could get a child before 12 years of age, he could learn to speak English without any accent. After that age, no matter how proficient he became or how fluent, he would always have a "foriegn accent." (Some experts believe the cutoff age is as early as 5 or 6 years old.)

Of course there are exceptions. There are people who have a gift for languages who can learn them accent-free at any age, but they are very rare.

Here is an article on one such study

http://inet.dpb.dpu.dk/infodok/sprogforum/Espr26/Lund-eng.PDF

 

[Phunky_2003]

I learned German at a very early age. My grandmother taught all the grand kids.

Sharon,

That's another reason why I believe they should teach foreign languages in elementary school instead of making it a requirement in high school. Things are much easier to learn at early ages.

I took german in high school as a foreign language so it worked out okay for me.

 

[sbwertz]

James. I agree about languages in elementary school. Languages are easy for me...4 years Latin, 2 years Spanish, 2 years French, 6 years German...but if you don't use them regularly you lose them. I find that if I get to talking to someone who speaks German, mine comes back pretty quickly. My Spanish stays fairly fluent because of where I live, but my French is laughable now, after almost 40 years. I can still read Latin fairly well, but it is the old case of use it or lose it.

 

[sbwertz]

Brian, what language were you considering? I have a couple of computer language programs running around somewhere, I think Spanish, French and German if I remember correctly. Nothing the quality of rosetta stone, but a jumping-off place.