I live in the states so not an expat, but I'm really interested in learning Vietnamese. My wife is Vietnamese and many of her family members speak only Vietnamese, and so I would love to communicate with them. They are from South Vietnam.
I have read a few other posts on this forum which discuss Rosetta Stone and how it is geared towards those living in North Vietnam.
The RS program looks attractive but I wonder if the dialect issue is that big of a deal?
I know it will take me a long time to learn the language but I would prefer a structured sort of program, since i have tried to learn before, and got bored and just gave up out of frustration.
Anyone with tips or comments on the north/south RS dialect issue please let me know.
Thanks!
Best Way to Learn Vietnamese?
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Hello!
I've been learning Vietnamese for the past 5-6 months and have had experience with Rosetta Stone when I was learning Spanish in College.
Your question is a tricky one. The biggest challenge for foreigners learning Vietnamese is pronunciation. Now I know RS has voice recognition but I wonder how accurate it really is because the difference between a lot of sounds in Vietnamese is so small it's barely recognizable to amateurs.
I have been taking 1-2-1 lessons which involves mostly speaking exercises. The grammar points in Vietnamese are very simple and can be picked up at a later stage. Pronunciation and vocabulary I would say are your two most important areas to start on.
RS would certainly be good for vocabulary but for pronunciation.. I'm not so sure.
There are plenty of Vietnamese expats in the states and I'm sure there are people willing to teach. Try and search online for someone willing to give you some one to one lessons.
Now with regards to the Northern and Southern dialect, in my opinion there is a distinct difference between a number of sounds. You also find in some cases they use completely different vocabulary for words.
Focus on the dialect you will be preaching, if you're wife is from the South, learn the Southern dialect.
All the best!
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the Best Way to Learn Vietnamese: finding a Vietnamese teacher ^^
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hi cdogstu99
if you have free time, plese contact me, we will talk together
skype: tinpt101
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Hey, I can teach you Vietnamese for free if you live currently in Ho Chi Minh City and you can help my English. If you feel this ok, send a message for me at 84 973537 595
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Cdogstu,
The main difference between north and south Vietnamese is the accent, the pronunciation of a few letters in the alphabet, much like English is in the northeast and southeast US.
If I were you, I would focus more on learning Vietnamese now. Once I am proficient enough, then I will worry about that different part.
Furthermore, being a foreigner, Vietnamese don't really care which accent you have. As long as they can understand you, you are good to go.
In focusing on the different accents now, you are making things harder on yourself than it should be.
Finally, you have some very good Vietnamese teachers, in your wife and her family. I highly doubt any software or book can out do them. It is only a matter of you getting together with them and work out a program that fits you best.
Good luck,
Howie
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