My name is James. I am half-filipino and half-American. I grew up in a family of multi-lingual speakers. My dad has lived in Asia for 10 years and is conversational in many languages. My mom grew up in the Philippines and speaks at least 7 different dialects of Filipino plus Tagalog and English. In our family, we mix out languages. Unfortunately, I only speak English fluently.
I have no real Linguist training but I love to learn languages. Grammar, sounds, and cultural difference are my love. I love to just listen to people speak and guess where people are from.
I am currently trying learn Mandarin. I have been studying it for a couple years. My vocabulary is good, but my grammar and listening is horrible. Where online can I find great resources to practice my lacking skills in especially grammar? Also what resource books are great to learn Mandarin?
Plus what are good books to read about languages, dying languages, and tracing history of languages?