[Richard]

I took Spanish for 4 years in high school because I had learned it growing up working in the 'fields' of Northern California and could get B's without studying.

I learned Thai and Tagalog fairly well because - as a Medic - I (1) needed to in dealing with the the civic action patient loads we were confronted with in those regions, (2) I was always a bit leery of exactly what any interpreter was actually saying (many stories about that issue), and (3) it gave me > credibility with the populace. Thai was hardest for me because of its multi-tonal qualities, some of my hearing issues, and my normal speaking voice.

I learned German through a formal language program similar to DLI which was in place in Bad Tolz - formal training combined with immersion.

I studied Hebrew at Indiana University because - in conjunction with my German - it allowed me to delve into Yiddish, at that time a commonly used trans-national language among a culture with a strong potential to operate as a guerrilla force throughout the former Soviet empire if the so-called 'balloon had gone up' and we had gone to war.

I agree with Mark's comments - and immersion is how I best learn languages, too.

Richard