Learning a language.

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"Learn Spanish in 10 minutes!", "Learn French without memorizing!", all sorts of strange things spew in banners, offering to teach easily and well.

I have learned French and German, at one time, up to basic or even to middling levels of ability.  As well, I learned some Italian and Spanish (Castillian), and recently began praciticing Japanese.  So little remains.  Some skills remain.  Trilling, rolling r's, things like that.  Not... fully, but there are some things which cross languages which do lightly remain.  Some numbers. in some tongues, remain.  I can still count to, pretty much the millions, in German, from one up if I had the time.  Mostly.

I have to laugh at the promises of videos and books.  Learned too much to not know better.  It isn't just learning a work, such as gift.  That word means what is commonly understood, but just as with English words, but, in German (iirc) it also can mean poison.  So... really, you have to know more than just the common (or uncommon?) meaning, but best to know the whole of it.

Oh, sure, even in English, there are things which take learning.  Double, and more, entendres (which we stole from the French, but in whole or part?), and other languages oddities.  Double speak, hidden intentions meant to be only known within groups, etc.  Language just isn't straightforeward.  And, more, some of that is incidental, some of it is with absolute intent.

As well, between languages, the verb for, say, to eat?  May not be the same meaning.  Eating, in one language, may be about consuming food while in another language it is about the rites associated with eating, not the consumption itself.  What things really mean don't always translate, exactly, directly, or even nearly.

To be honest, my goal is to start learning Spanish.  The thing is, I'd like to learn Argentinian Spanish.  Which is... more like old English, or maybe middle English, to the English or American.  Which... can be considered different even one from the other?  Yes, I think so.  It was a Spanish dialect transferred before Spanish went through serious revisions.  And, for whatever reason, it didn't change in Argentina as it did in Spain (as well as in most of it's current and former colonies).  Sort of like the differences bettween American, Britis, Australian, and other sorts of English, only much more pronounced.

What I am saying is... I have no real idea of how or where to start.  If I start with standard Latin American Spanish, that is probably as good as it gets.  But, finding lessons for even that is odd.  Even Mexican, Ecuadarian, or Brazilian forms (assuming those countries still speak Spanish, only as blind, possible, examples) would be rather different.  So, which to even start with?

And they wonder why most people don't give it a go?  I have pulled some things down, collected sources, am considering what to start with, or how to begin...  Looking over, and listening to, the top 1000 words, or 200 phrases?  Or beginning with just lessons in a book?  The problem with these, as other things, is figuring out how to learn to speak AS I learn the rest.  Gotta be mixed.

One thing I am going through are lists of "what I would have done differently, should I begin learning the language from the start" type of things.

Pretty girl, but she has some tips that... are worth hearing.  So I try to stay focused.  I am looking into advice for Spanish, and languages in general.  As well, I am looking for specific suggestions about how to start out the learning process whole-hog as a, essentially at this point, beginner.  Ugh.

Just writing out my frustrations.  No one reads here anymore, but that... isn't all about why I wrote.  Still isn't.  Just trying to clear my mind.  Perhaps give myself a hand up, into the process, clearing the air, organizing thoughts, putting down ideas from others for later review.  Ugh.  

I found one, at random, that... actually... gives me some hope.  I speak better than he does, but I can't do it off the cuff.  The question part just... crushed me.  But, the speak after part I did quite well.  Anyway...