Comment Re:Music, comedy and something else of interest (Score 1) 165
I far prefer speaking with foreigners that have a something different from a US accent or BBC accent. Irish, Ozzie, Jordie, whatever.
It is usually a good sign that they have learnt the language by immersion, rather than by reading.
I find that when I speak with people that have learnt english by using books, they never recover from the errors that occur (many errors are grossly obvious that they are due to thinking, rather than listening).
I agree with other posters that singing, watching vids, watching movies, internet chat or anying so long as it is learning by ear is preferable than by mind. Be like a child, learn like a child, and speak a language properly.
I suspect geeks are especially susceptible to trying to learn via other unnatural cerebral routes and stuffing it up!