Learning languages with Cantr

[tmbg37]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but have any of you had success with learning/improving foreign language skills by playing Cantr? I've started some characters in the Esperanto section, and I was thinking of trying some in French (I'm studying French in school). I think that being able to hold conversations (even if text only) in a casual-ish game environment outside the stresses of school helps.

What are your thoughts?

[wichita]

I hope my German has improved, though you would have to ask the German speakers if they have noticed me butchering their language too badly!

It is definitely a nice change from the English area. It adds a whole new twist to the game for me that makes it new and exciting again.

[Racetyme]

My spanish is definitely getting a little better.

[nitefyre]

Okay, I think I'll start one too. How do you create the backwards question mark and the backwards exclamation point?

[El_Skwidd]

YESS!!!!

I've learned so much from playing Cantr in Spanish. Just the sheer vocabulary you acquire is insane. I walked into Spanish class on the first day of school with my vocabulary easily doubled. Now, most of it was impractical for class purposes (how often do you talk about swords, shields, and bows in Spanish class?) but the practice just using the language was valuable.

nitefyre:
I don't know what Windows you're running or if the keystrokes are different, but these are the ones I use:

Code: Select all

¡ = Alt+0161
¿ = Alt+0191

[Savanik]

I'm playing in the Russian group, and today I translated my first sentance.

'Don't attack us and return the stone, or we will feed you to the wolves!'

Не атакуйте нас с возвращайте камень, йли мы кормйм вы к волкам!

Some of the letters' pronunciations are still giving me problems, but I'll get it down.

Sav

[Junesun]

I practise English, French and Esperanto using Cantr (I don't need to practise German) and I have been doing so for over a real year. I learned a lot of words. Not just unusual ones like "bagh-nakh", but also very useful words and expressions.

[Dee]

As English is not my native language, I can say that I have learned a lot by playing in the English language.. It has certainley improved my vocabulary!

[AoM]

I tried playing in the Esperanto language area, but I got very frustrated with being unable to say what I really wanted to say, so I let myself get eaten by animals after having mapped the entire continent. (I wonder if anyone ever found Taur Mino's map?)

How much cantr helps you with language probably depends greatly on how much time and effort you put into proper translation. And frankly, playing cantr in my native English already takes up way too much of my time.

[wulf]

I found it hard work playing in Spanish and relied on a translation engine a lot of the time. In the end, I let that character pass away, having found someone else to pass his legacy onto and having roleplayed through a process of feeling sick.

Mind you, that was from having done almost no formal study of the language. I'm now learning it more seriously and there are some bits of my vocabulary that have been helped (eg. "las uvas" is now as natural to me as "the grapes"). Once I've done some more Spanish, I may well return to that area of the game.

Wulf

[Jos Elkink]

I tried playing in German and Russian, but both are just too poor to work with. In Russian I tried a little, but was immediately arrested ... and in German I resorted to only cutting wood and giving it to my boss, without really talking ...

[Okud]

I actually started playing Cantr for practicing my German. But I ended up learning Esperanto.
The map of Taur Mino ... yes it was used, at least by my character, but now new maps are starting to appear. Though, he missed a location in the mountains, didn't he?
I also noticed an increased number of Esperanto characters lately. This is going to get interesting, the island just got over the "animals eat us" period and is entering the seafaring age. Everyone's searching for the holy grail: minerals.

To answer your question, yes, it helps improve your language skills. It even helped me with my English.

[El_Skwidd]

To what wulf said, probably the biggest obstacle that the language groups present is that you've got to have a pretty good basic understanding of how the language works before you jump in. I know about six words of French... if I were to start a char in the French group, he would never, ever make it.

[nitefyre]

YESS!!!!

I've learned so much from playing Cantr in Spanish. Just the sheer vocabulary you acquire is insane. I walked into Spanish class on the first day of school with my vocabulary easily doubled. Now, most of it was impractical for class purposes (how often do you talk about swords, shields, and bows in Spanish class?) but the practice just using the language was valuable.

nitefyre:
I don't know what Windows you're running or if the keystrokes are different, but these are the ones I use:

Code: Select all

¡ = Alt+0161
¿ = Alt+0191

Thanks, it works for me

[wulf]

To what wulf said, probably the biggest obstacle that the language groups present is that you've got to have a pretty good basic understanding of how the language works before you jump in. I know about six words of French... if I were to start a char in the French group, he would never, ever make it.

It's also that a lot of the phrases you need are not found on most basic Spanish courses. Also, I'm sure there are just as many mispellings and colloqualisms as in the English speaking areas.

Pero, aprendo español...

Wulf