Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Mar 28th 2005, 11:24 am
#61
Guest
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Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by fatbrit
I see you're using the military method for language learning: don't think, do! You should try Berlitz for any new languages you wish to learn -- this is their method.
However, as some folks get older the way their brain works changes and they cannot learn in the same way a child would. These folks often need some grammar "hooks" to hang their understanding on -- it helps.
Horses for courses...
However, as some folks get older the way their brain works changes and they cannot learn in the same way a child would. These folks often need some grammar "hooks" to hang their understanding on -- it helps.
Horses for courses...
Thats what happens when you've been in the military...you get militarized as the yanks would have it.
yeah, I was suggesting that if he cant learn languages the trad way then to try the un traditional way. As you say, horses for courses.
Mar 28th 2005, 11:28 am
#62
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
Thats what happens when you've been in the military...you get militarized as the yanks would have it.
yeah, I was suggesting that if he cant learn languages the trad way then to try the un traditional way. As you say, horses for courses.
yeah, I was suggesting that if he cant learn languages the trad way then to try the un traditional way. As you say, horses for courses.
Whatever works...
as long as it doesn't harm animals or children.
nil sine labore
Mar 28th 2005, 11:30 am
#63
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by fatbrit
Whatever works...
as long as it doesn't harm animals or children.
nil sine labore
as long as it doesn't harm animals or children.
nil sine labore
Ex Logistics Corps?
Personally, In Arduis Fidelius
Mar 28th 2005, 12:40 pm
#64
Not living a 9 to 5 life
Joined: Jun 2002
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 11,061
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
You speak English dont you? What makes you think you cant speak another one? Its more likely the learning method you find hard not the language itself.
Ive had this argumenrt with language teacher in the past. When we learn our first language as a child we just point and say words then we slowly learn to construct sentences by mimicking what we hear. We dont give a shit about nouns, pronouns, verb conjugation et al until way after we can actually speak a language pretty well...even then most adults go through life without knowing what a bloody pronoun is! Yet when we try to learn a second language we do it all back to front...hundreds of verb tables and grammatical contructs we havent a hope of remembering. No wonder we struggle! Best way to learn is to mix with native speakers and go for the "Point and speak" method. Trust me its a whole lot easier since thats how our brains are programmed to learn a language.
Ive had this argumenrt with language teacher in the past. When we learn our first language as a child we just point and say words then we slowly learn to construct sentences by mimicking what we hear. We dont give a shit about nouns, pronouns, verb conjugation et al until way after we can actually speak a language pretty well...even then most adults go through life without knowing what a bloody pronoun is! Yet when we try to learn a second language we do it all back to front...hundreds of verb tables and grammatical contructs we havent a hope of remembering. No wonder we struggle! Best way to learn is to mix with native speakers and go for the "Point and speak" method. Trust me its a whole lot easier since thats how our brains are programmed to learn a language.
Just wondering...
NC Penguin
Mar 28th 2005, 1:04 pm
#65
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,176
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by NC Penguin
Have you ever tried learning a language that doesn't have a Roman alphabet such as Russian, Chinese or Japanese? What about a language with different grammatical construction?
Mar 28th 2005, 3:22 pm
#66
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by NC Penguin
Have you ever tried learning a language that doesn't have a Roman alphabet such as Russian, Chinese or Japanese? What about a language with different grammatical construction?
Just wondering...
NC Penguin
Just wondering...
NC Penguin
No. Have you? But then I guess about 2 billion people have all learnt Chinese or Russian without knowing how to conjugate a verb. Amazing really.
I had a friend who could speak 7 languages fluently including Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Dont ask me how.
Mar 28th 2005, 3:23 pm
#67
@matthewb76
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 21,886
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
I had a friend who could speak 7 languages fluently including Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Dont ask me how.
Mar 28th 2005, 3:25 pm
#68
Guest
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Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by Manc
by practising I imagine.
You would think so but she actually was a complete natural linguist and could pick up a new language almost straight away. I remember she started learning Italian one day...could speak it conversationally within a couple of weeks.
Mar 28th 2005, 4:13 pm
#69
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,176
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
You would think so but she actually was a complete natural linguist and could pick up a new language almost straight away. I remember she started learning Italian one day...could speak it conversationally within a couple of weeks.
Kind of envious, the git.
Mar 28th 2005, 5:01 pm
#70
.
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
You would think so but she actually was a complete natural linguist and could pick up a new language almost straight away. I remember she started learning Italian one day...could speak it conversationally within a couple of weeks.
Mar 28th 2005, 5:55 pm
#71
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 148
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by ImHere
No. Have you? But then I guess about 2 billion people have all learnt Chinese or Russian without knowing how to conjugate a verb. Amazing really.
I had a friend who could speak 7 languages fluently including Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Dont ask me how.
I had a friend who could speak 7 languages fluently including Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Dont ask me how.
Now my wife is a linguist - French and Spanish at school, then more French and Mandarin Chinese at university (Language and Linguistics at York). On her year in France she had to take one course for credit, so she took Hungarian, so she was at no disadvantage to the French students! Since Uni she's done Italian at evening classes and on holidays.
Mandarin Chinese was very impressive, although she never got to use it in the UK, as most Chinese people there speak Cantonese (the dialect from Hong Kong and its environs). The only time she really used it was on holiday in San Francisco - Chinatown, of course.
Cheers,
Pat
Mar 28th 2005, 8:17 pm
#72
Lapine Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, Texas in my own little world
Posts: 21,691
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
If we're going to force people to learn things, I would suggest that we start with the Americans:
"There are countries other than America."
"There are more people in the world who do NOT speak English than those who do."
"There are countries other than America."
"There are more people in the world who do NOT speak English than those who do."
Last edited by snowbunny; Mar 28th 2005 at 8:21 pm.
Mar 29th 2005, 1:41 am
#73
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,579
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by Bob
yeah, one of my mates is like that, he's icelandic, so obviously speaks that, but also speaks danish, german, italian-while on a week holiday, french because he moved to Switzerland and thought he needed it but ended up moving to a german speaking part...and also speaks good spanish, latin and greek...he just picks it up when he hears people speaking a different langauge in the background he's figuring it out somehow and then a couple hours of a tape, or being in the country and he's conversational in the language.
Kind of envious, the git.
Kind of envious, the git.
French/Spanish/Italian (sp?) are similar, if you have one down, chances are you will do pretty well at the others.
But I would be really impressed if someone could speak a variety of languages based on completely different structures, i.e. English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Farsi etc...
Mar 29th 2005, 1:43 am
#74
You Are All Diseased
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Farnham, UK
Posts: 4,511
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Yes. If you move to another country, you should at least respect their mother tongue and learn it.
Yes. If you move to another country, you should at least respect their mother tongue and learn it.
Mar 29th 2005, 1:54 am
#75
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,579
Re: Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Originally Posted by rincewind
Should forgeiners be made to learn basic English?
Yes. If you move to another country, you should at least respect their mother tongue and learn it.
Yes. If you move to another country, you should at least respect their mother tongue and learn it.
