> With all the work I have to do for high school these days, I must have a death wish for saying this, but...
>
> I have decided that I'm interested in learning a new foreign language.
>
> I am a native speaker only of English, and am currently in my fourth year of French, so I have been considering the possibilities. Spanish, of course, is an obvious choice, since it is easy to find textbooks, and I could probably get my Spanish-speaking friends to help with pronunciation. (Spanish and French, by the way, are the only languages taught at my school.)
> I am also considering studying different languages that I don't have as much exposure to, such as Latin, Greek, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, and Arabic. (Maybe not all at once, though! :-) )
>
> So, the question I have is: how do I go about learning a new language? I have tried several times, with computer programs and books from the library, but I can't seem to get motivated enough to buckle down and use the resources when I finally have them. A big factor, of course, might be that I have so much other school work to do, but I am still interested. Any suggestions?
>
> Sir "J'aime bien le francais, mais je voudrais apprendre les langues du monde" Gawain
>
> (P.S.: How important to students of Latin think is is to learn to speak Latin instead of just reading and wriitng it, since it is no longer spoken much in the modern world?)

You can do it. Here are some of the things I tried. All worked, but some worked better than others.
1.Go to a place where the language is spoken and not very many people speak English. The longer you stay there the better it works, but it can be costly.

2.Buy a book. You might need one of those Spanish-English, English-Spanish dictionaries, but get a Spanish-for-Dummies type book too. Don't shy away from books aimed at small children.

3.Tapes. If you know the words to a song in English, get a tape of it sung in another language and listen to it until it wears out or you learn it in the other language. Whichever comes first. I found a tape that was in Spanish but without any English on it. I had no idea what it was about. So I listened to it driving to and from work for about six months. It was a tour guide leading a tour through a museum in Madrid and learned to understand every sentence on it.

4.Watch foreign language programs on TV. I like newscasts, because the language is spoken very well by professional newscasters. You also have the pictures to help you get an idea what they are talking about. Talk shows work, too.

5. Find a friend who knows the language and is willing to work with you for a long time.
My niece, who spoke only a little Spanish had a college room mate from Puerto Rico who spoke little English. They both wound up fluent in both
languages. They spoke English and Spanish on alternate days.

6. As soon as you can read a little of the language, get a tape recorder and listen to yourself.

The best time to learn a foreign language is when you are a small child. The younger, the better. I never learned to carry on a good conversation in Spanish, but I started trying to learn it late in life. However, I can order from a Spanish menu, rent a hotel room in Spanish, and read signs in Spanish. I am not helpless in Spanish-speaking countries.
Don't give up too easily. You can do it.
Howard