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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:09 pm
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Fem_chan I'm often envious of native English speakers, especially from the U.S.! But that is mainly because I come from a country that has a language problem (Belgium). I have difficulty finding a job, in my own country, because I don't speak 3-4 languages fluently enough: French, Dutch, English, German (I never had the chance to study German, as I studied Arts, wasn't part of my school's program). ...my knowledge of other languages than those seems irrelevant. There's a lot of unnecessary language and dialect elitism. I have friends from other parts of the world (South Africa, Congo) who have similar problems. We often fantasize what it would be like, growing up in a country where nearly everyone can fluently communicate with one-another. And it's ironic my friends, from halfway down the globe, can often understand me better, than my own countrymen. But, the fact that I knew English from a very young age, has always allowed for me to communicate with tourists from further away (but French can also get you far, many people understand French, even if they can't form sentences with it). Which is great! Wow, I never knew that about Belgium... that is insane! And that's kinda what I meant about it being overrated to be a native speaker - particularly because I live on an island, there's not really any pressure to speak any other languages, as our neighbouring countries either speak English or speak a language that is too uncommon to really impact your career if you travel overseas, etc. (Well, New Caledonia speaks French, but I don't think that counts). While the number of foreign languages spoken in your country seems to cause problems, to me it sounds like a nice world to live it. Minus the dialect elitism, that is.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:22 pm
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[neon.zombie] Wow, I never knew that about Belgium... that is insane! And that's kinda what I meant about it being overrated to be a native speaker - particularly because I live on an island, there's not really any pressure to speak any other languages, as our neighbouring countries either speak English or speak a language that is too uncommon to really impact your career if you travel overseas, etc. (Well, New Caledonia speaks French, but I don't think that counts). While the number of foreign languages spoken in your country seems to cause problems, to me it sounds like a nice world to live it. Minus the dialect elitism, that is.
Yeah, I agree. But even here in Florida, despite the fact that there are huge Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto-Rican populations (and a bunch of Venezuelans o-o), most people don't even know how to say simple phrases like "Me llamo...". It's just...frustrating o_o lol. I mean, English speaking countries should at least officialize a second language. The US could really benefit from mandating Spanish. ._.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:57 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:49 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:17 pm
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Xx Noir-Keller xX Well, I suppose that I look at native speakers of other languages like they would look at native English speakers. I think English is a good language to be native in, because (whether we like it or not) it is pretty much "THE" language. And it's a hard language for foreigners too, because we have exceptions to almost every rule. So I'm glad I'm a native speaker. English is by far the easiest language I've learned so far... In my opinion, this is probably why English speakers have so much trouble learning other languages. That, and the fact that they barely have language classes at school and are, sadly, unmotivated because they don't feel the need to learn a foreign language. It's just a hobby. Fortunately, some people are interested and motivated, and that's even more admirable since they don't have to do it.
I think it's easier to learn something in a foreign language if you've got something similar in your language, so the more complex your language is, the easier it is to learn other languages. (Un)fortunately, since English doesn't have genders for nouns or a different conjugation for each person, for instance, these things are harder to learn in a foreign language.
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 3:54 pm
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Moonlight_Naida Xx Noir-Keller xX Well, I suppose that I look at native speakers of other languages like they would look at native English speakers. I think English is a good language to be native in, because (whether we like it or not) it is pretty much "THE" language. And it's a hard language for foreigners too, because we have exceptions to almost every rule. So I'm glad I'm a native speaker. English is by far the easiest language I've learned so far... In my opinion, this is probably why English speakers have so much trouble learning other languages. That, and the fact that they barely have language classes at school and are, sadly, unmotivated because they don't feel the need to learn a foreign language. It's just a hobby. Fortunately, some people are interested and motivated, and that's even more admirable since they don't have to do it.
I think it's easier to learn something in a foreign language if you've got something similar in your language, so the more complex your language is, the easier it is to learn other languages. (Un)fortunately, since English doesn't have genders for nouns or a different conjugation for each person, for instance, these things are harder to learn in a foreign language. Also, at least where I'm from and among the people that I talk to, language education for public high school in a lot of parts of the United States isn't as great as it could be...teaching methods might have a lot to do with it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:12 pm
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 12:18 am
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 12:22 am
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Henneth Annun Moonlight_Naida Xx Noir-Keller xX Well, I suppose that I look at native speakers of other languages like they would look at native English speakers. I think English is a good language to be native in, because (whether we like it or not) it is pretty much "THE" language. And it's a hard language for foreigners too, because we have exceptions to almost every rule. So I'm glad I'm a native speaker. English is by far the easiest language I've learned so far... In my opinion, this is probably why English speakers have so much trouble learning other languages. That, and the fact that they barely have language classes at school and are, sadly, unmotivated because they don't feel the need to learn a foreign language. It's just a hobby. Fortunately, some people are interested and motivated, and that's even more admirable since they don't have to do it.
I think it's easier to learn something in a foreign language if you've got something similar in your language, so the more complex your language is, the easier it is to learn other languages. (Un)fortunately, since English doesn't have genders for nouns or a different conjugation for each person, for instance, these things are harder to learn in a foreign language.Also, at least where I'm from and among the people that I talk to, language education for public high school in a lot of parts of the United States isn't as great as it could be...teaching methods might have a lot to do with it.
I also think it's a bit backward to be teaching a second language in High School, don't most places teach it around 1st or 3rd grade? That's around the time we comprehend language best I think i read somewhere.
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 4:18 pm
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Sexhibitionist Henneth Annun Moonlight_Naida Xx Noir-Keller xX Well, I suppose that I look at native speakers of other languages like they would look at native English speakers. I think English is a good language to be native in, because (whether we like it or not) it is pretty much "THE" language. And it's a hard language for foreigners too, because we have exceptions to almost every rule. So I'm glad I'm a native speaker. English is by far the easiest language I've learned so far... In my opinion, this is probably why English speakers have so much trouble learning other languages. That, and the fact that they barely have language classes at school and are, sadly, unmotivated because they don't feel the need to learn a foreign language. It's just a hobby. Fortunately, some people are interested and motivated, and that's even more admirable since they don't have to do it.
I think it's easier to learn something in a foreign language if you've got something similar in your language, so the more complex your language is, the easier it is to learn other languages. (Un)fortunately, since English doesn't have genders for nouns or a different conjugation for each person, for instance, these things are harder to learn in a foreign language.Also, at least where I'm from and among the people that I talk to, language education for public high school in a lot of parts of the United States isn't as great as it could be...teaching methods might have a lot to do with it. I also think it's a bit backward to be teaching a second language in High School, don't most places teach it around 1st or 3rd grade? That's around the time we comprehend language best I think i read somewhere. I'm so jealous that some people have the oppurtunity to learn languages early...I only started Spanish in 7th grade, and Chinese in a crappy Saturday school when I was younger. (But of course I wanted to watch Pokemon and do little kid stuff instead of study /regret)
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Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 8:06 am
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