other than the courses offered in the university, are there any other way i can learn a language like french, spanish?

So do you mean a language class that isn't academic (ie, not for marks)?

If so, I would think so. If there aren't any, there's always the Rosetta Stone programs, and private tutors as well.

Originally Posted by chanduru

other than the courses offered in the university, are there any other way i can learn a language like french, spanish?

You could buy a book to teach you how. I don't think there are any classes though. If you already know a bit of French, try listening to one of the French TV channels.

Originally Posted by jhan523

You could buy a book to teach you how. I don't think there are any classes though. If you already know a bit of French, try listening to one of the French TV channels.

Ya, that would actually be a good way to do it - try buying the textbook for a first-year language class.

Yes, buy first year textbooks for grammar and get the Rosetta Stone software for learning pronunciation for your language of choice (don't pay for it though, it's a massive rip-off).

Livemocha.com! It's a site for learning languages. It offers many classes for free, usually they are about basic-intermediate, there are also paid premium classes which tend to be more advanced.

I've been using livemocha.com for about six months now and I definitely recommend it. All of the classes include lessons and exercises. The best part about it is that every time you submit an exercise, the website matches you with a native of that language, for example, a native French speaker if you're learning French, to review your submission and give you feedback. It's a great way to improve your pronunciation because if you have a mic, you can upload an audio recording of yourself reciting a text, and then someone can review it to offer you suggestions. Same thing with writing exercises too. There are a lot of other really cool features of the site. And there are other sites, if you search 'free language learning site' or 'social networking language learning site.'

Other resources/advice:

Other than mac, there are other colleges and universities that offer classes part-time, and there are also language centres and other places. In Hamilton, there's Collège Boréal for learning French. I know in Hamilton there are groups that get together to practice French, and they welcome Francophones as well as beginners. Same goes for other languages, like Spanish, I am sure there are resources out there in Hamilton and other cities.

http://swac-collections.org/ - audio recordings of words and sentences in many languages, wiktionary.org is also helpful

youtube.com- search for videos for learning languages- ex. - 'french pronounciation' 'french verbs' 'russian grammar' etc. iTunes also has a lot of language podcasts for free, but I haven't looked into those much.

about.com- really good website for french, but they also have several other languages.

the library- Mac has a great collection of books in French, and probably many other languages as well. The HPL (Hamilton Public Library) has a decent collection, and you can also download audiobooks online for free with your library card, I am sure other city libraries are doing this now too. you can also find free audiobooks and e-books online in many languages.

Learn the IPA of the language- this helps very much for pronunciation. Every language has an IPA(International Phonetic Alphabet), the phonetic symbols that represent every sound in the language. It helps you to learn the many variations and pronunciation rules.

some links on auto-didactic language learning (learning by yourself)- http://www.xamuel.com/golden-rule-of-language-learning/
http://www.xamuel.com/sentences-with...h-translation/
http://www.xamuel.com/how-the-mind-learns/
http://www.brighthub.com/education/l...les/72955.aspx

And of course exposure is so important as other people have posted. Watch tv, videos, movies, listen to music, read articles, etc. in that language.

Originally Posted by chanduru

other than the courses offered in the university, are there any other way i can learn a language like french, spanish?

there is also Hamilton Freeskool - they have spanish this year and last year they were offering French

http://www.hamiltonfreeskool .org/courses#Spanish

Originally Posted by EmilySusie

Livemocha.com! It's a site for learning languages. It offers many classes for free, usually they are about basic-intermediate, there are also paid premium classes which tend to be more advanced.

Oh man, I'm glad I read this post, lol. Man livemocha.com has gotta be one of the greatest website ever :o

It's so awesome how people review and give feedback on stuff you do almost immediately.

I take back what I said before; screw Rosetta Stone. This site destroys it - and for free :p.

I second LiveMocha. Another good site is Smart.FM.