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Dead Languages & Polyglottery | ||
Tags: Sanskrit | Polyglottery | Romance Languages | Dead Languages | Alexander Arguelles | Greek | Latin | Reading | Grammar | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots |  | |
| CaitO'Ceallaigh Triglot Senior Member United States katiekelly.wordpress Joined 6858 days ago 795 posts - 829 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian Studies: Czech, German | Message 65 of 115 26 July 2006 at 12:58pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
But at least you KNOW this. I can only take this to mean you've studied some Latin. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sinfonia Senior Member Wales Joined 6745 days ago 255 posts - 261 votes Speaks: English* | Message 66 of 115 26 July 2006 at 3:12pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes...I think anyone with a deep interest in language or (European) languages at some point has a look at Latin. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CaitO'Ceallaigh Triglot Senior Member United States katiekelly.wordpress Joined 6858 days ago 795 posts - 829 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian Studies: Czech, German | Message 67 of 115 26 July 2006 at 4:21pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
I honestly think that's all Ardaschir (I hope I spelled that right) was trying to say. At least, that's how I interpreted it. If I were really serious about becoming a polyglot, which I'm not, but if I were, I know that somewhere down the road, I would take a look at Latin because I'm so curious. I would want to know where these languages come from. Aragonese interests me only because I just wonder where it, like everything, all comes from. I had read snippets of it before on the Internet, and I was surprised by how much I understood. Take if you will its entry on "Biquipedia". I couldn't speak it and if I heard it, I might not understand, but reading it, I can see the similarities and I don't need to know Latin for that. I just think it'd be really cool to know Latin. I also sometimes think that if Ardaschir had used more colloquial forms of English (meaning slang), we'd have fewer misunderstandings. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sinfonia Senior Member Wales Joined 6745 days ago 255 posts - 261 votes Speaks: English* | Message 68 of 115 26 July 2006 at 5:46pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
I think you're pretty much right about all that. I repeat however one more time that Ardaschir did indeed say, "a knowledge of ancestral "dead" languages such as Latin, Old Norse, or Sanskrit is **an integral and essential ingredient of polyglottery**. Now, that is clearly a daft claim, but as you suggest, the trouble might be with Ardaschir's language use -- which I'd describe as a bit pompous at times, rather than use the more delicate terms you employ :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malcolm Triglot Retired Moderator Senior Member Korea, South Joined 7316 days ago 500 posts - 515 votes 5 sounds Speaks: English*, Spanish, Korean Studies: Mandarin, Japanese, Latin | Message 69 of 115 26 July 2006 at 7:39pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
But he also said the following, which I think is closer to his intended meaning:
He freely admits that you can learn modern languages without knowing ancestral ones, but his claim is that knowing the latter will speed up the process considerably. Ardaschir is well aware that you can learn a language without learning its ancestral form. Also, please keep the following in mind:
I don't think Ardaschir would appreciate being criticized in such an agressive manner, and posts such as the ones in this thread almost guarantee that he'll never return. His main reason for joining this forum was to share his learning methodology and experiences, and most of us will agree that his posts are the most valuable on this forum. However, there have always been people who are overly agressive towards him for whatever reason, and attacked him on a personal level. His use of language was bookish at times (as we would expect of someone with his education), but he always treated the other forum member with respect and he was extremely generous with his time and knowledge. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| rafaelrbp Pentaglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 7014 days ago 181 posts - 201 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, Spanish, English, French, Italian Studies: German | Message 70 of 115 26 July 2006 at 9:20pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
I have to agree with Malcolm. All the experience, advices, learning methodologies, his history and patience were incredibely valuable to me. Lots of people in this forum have copied the messages from Ardaschir in order to read them in the future, and there are lots of precious information in those posts. This is a language learning forum. Anybody with experience on this path is free to leave their arguments, and they can be taken in account by others - or not. And this also depends on the way the arguments are built. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 7104 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 71 of 115 27 July 2006 at 2:58am | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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One thing I remember from Ardaschir's posts was that having access and enjoying in its original the literature of whatever language he was studying was one of his overriding motives for learning.
For me, oral communication has always been the principal factor but I nevertheless respect his reasons. Now while I can't comment on the usefulness or otherwise of learning modern Sardinian instead of Latin for being a polyglot, I would doubt that great bodies of literary works exist that would tempt anyone so inclined in that direction - the same is most certainly not true of Latin. Seven years of Latin mean that I've been there and done that and, for me, the temptation to learn Sardinian as an alternative doesn't exist - even as someone who's main interest is in talking to people. Now while you might regard Ardaschir's statements on this as patently "silly" - that's your opinion and therefore a point of view that is no more objective than his. I've always regarded Ardaschir's style of language as "well-educated" rather than "pompous" and his posts have invariably been an enjoyable and informative read. Andy. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sinfonia Senior Member Wales Joined 6745 days ago 255 posts - 261 votes Speaks: English* | Message 72 of 115 27 July 2006 at 7:39am | IP Logged | |||||||||||||||||||||||
That's his claim, yes; and I've been disputing it.
Then why does he say (your quote): "I suppose it would be possible to..." -- that doesn't strike me as very clear. Quite apart from the quote of his I've been repeating.
If you think I've offended, then remove my post -- I'll accept that. I can't help my scepticism towards the veneration by some in this forum of someone whose musings in part seem to me to be inaccurate at best. I don't mean to be offensive. On the other hand, the racist and sexist remarks of one poster recently, which I drew attention to, went unchallenged -- that I do find odd.
By saying such a thing you demean everyone else. There are many posters currently posting messages here that are at least the equal of Ardaschir's. In any case, I think most of us came here for the same reason.
But that's got nothing to do with me, has it?
As are many others. I don't see what this is for? If 'silly' and 'pompous at times' are too strong words to describe someone else's comments (not that person himself, please note), that's a great pity -- but go ahead and delete. And if I reoffend, delete me. But make sure you delete sexist and racist remarks too. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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