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Urban legends about languages...

  Tags: Stereotypes
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
81 messages over 11 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 10 11 Next >>
beano
Diglot
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United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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1049 posts - 2152 votes 
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian

 
 Message 73 of 81
23 January 2013 at 10:37am | IP Logged 
In one respect, it's good that people who move to France are expected by society to learn French. It doesn't happen overnight of course and not many people arrive fluent. But after a few years it is a reasonable expectation that incomers should be able to use the language in their everyday affairs. People who don't make an effort with the language should have problems....and necessity is the mother of invention.

But I read about people who settle in other countries and never learn the language to any usable extent. I think that is wrong, and I also think it's wrong that society permits this to happen. For example, Dutch and Norwegian people should look down their noses at someone who has been in their country for 10 years and still expects everyone to speak English to them. There has to be a carrot-and-stick approach on both sides.

Edited by beano on 23 January 2013 at 10:38am

3 persons have voted this message useful



Serpent
Octoglot
Senior Member
Russian Federation
serpent-849.livejour
Joined 6540 days ago

9753 posts - 15779 votes 
4 sounds
Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish

 
 Message 74 of 81
23 January 2013 at 12:59pm | IP Logged 
lingoleng wrote:
Serpent wrote:
But preparing for fluency should not be considered enough.

I am not so sure. A more than superficial education in both your native language (very important) and languages in general, if it leads to fluency or not, can serve as the solid and lifelong foundation for whatever you want to achieve in foreign languages. Maybe like a soccer player, who does not yet play soccer very well but has excellent fitness and mobility.
You do not think that the linguistic training you have received at school, in Latin, English, I don't know what else, is a big plus for your ambitions as a polyglot? You think people who leave school without a solid preparation are equally well equipped for such high ambitions?
I received this training because I already had ambitions as a polyglot.
That was a lyceum, not a regular school. And the goal was a bit too specific: to prepare us for linguistic university. Of course very few people get prepared like that at school, but many reach a similar level in English due to traveling at a young age or even watching American movies, playing computer games etc. (not such a big thing in my childhood)
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Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
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Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 75 of 81
23 January 2013 at 1:34pm | IP Logged 
Serpent wrote:
   due to traveling at a young age or even watching American movies,
playing computer games etc. (not such a big thing in my childhood)

I've never heard of anyone like that. I know that someone lived in an English-speaking
country and there learned the language.
1 person has voted this message useful



tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4650 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 76 of 81
23 January 2013 at 1:53pm | IP Logged 
Mark, that is how practically all of my friends and younger family learned English. Some
of them have travelled to England for a week or so a few times, and I know one who was
born in the US and has lived there, but other than that, they have spent like no time in
English country, and all of them were capable English speakers before they travelled
there.

Edited by tarvos on 23 January 2013 at 1:53pm

3 persons have voted this message useful



Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4999 days ago

2096 posts - 2972 votes 
Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 77 of 81
23 January 2013 at 2:15pm | IP Logged 
tarvos wrote:
Mark, that is how practically all of my friends and younger family
learned English. Some
of them have travelled to England for a week or so a few times, and I know one who was
born in the US and has lived there, but other than that, they have spent like no time in
English country, and all of them were capable English speakers before they travelled
there.

I know people who know English well, but they had strong English at school or after
school. But they didn't reach their level by watching films, travelling or playing
computer games. I did not mean that living in a target language country is necessary for
learning the language.
1 person has voted this message useful



beano
Diglot
Senior Member
United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 4565 days ago

1049 posts - 2152 votes 
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian

 
 Message 78 of 81
23 January 2013 at 2:30pm | IP Logged 
tarvos wrote:
Mark, that is how practically all of my friends and younger family learned English. Some
of them have travelled to England for a week or so a few times, and I know one who was
born in the US and has lived there, but other than that, they have spent like no time in
English country, and all of them were capable English speakers before they travelled
there.


Although it must help when nearly all of your movies are shown in English and English-speaking TV channels are readily available, not to mention the dominance of English in popular music. There is a constant backdrop in English which provides real-life reinforcement to the materials learned in school.

Edited by beano on 23 January 2013 at 2:32pm

2 persons have voted this message useful



Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4999 days ago

2096 posts - 2972 votes 
Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 79 of 81
23 January 2013 at 2:52pm | IP Logged 
beano wrote:


Although it must help when nearly all of your movies are shown in English and English-
speaking TV channels are readily available, not to mention the dominance of English in
popular music. There is a constant backdrop in English which provides real-life
reinforcement to the materials learned in school.

I learned English at school, then the university added some knowledge and finally reading
helped me to learn new vocabulary.
1 person has voted this message useful



cathrynm
Senior Member
United States
junglevision.co
Joined 6068 days ago

910 posts - 1232 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Japanese, Finnish

 
 Message 80 of 81
23 January 2013 at 3:31pm | IP Logged 
That anime fans watch thousands of hours of subtitled Japanese cartoons and pick up none of the Japanese
language.


7 persons have voted this message useful



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