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More than 6 anyone? | ||
Tags: Number of Languages | Polyglot | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots |  | |
| briemekon Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5861 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 49 of 53 06 November 2008 at 9:20am | IP Logged | ||
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My father has just started to learn Finnish, this is his twentieth language. All of which are fluent to a native level. I remember myself a German vehemently refusing to believe he was not German.
It would also amuse me when he would speak Hindi or Urdu to a child, and watch them double take as they realise it was a white guy speaking like a native. Although it seems a high number he started with English and Welsh, did German in Göttingen University after the war, and Russian at an English University. He would drill endlessly to perfect his accent and would always go to work and live in each county to perfect it. Think how many languages people could speak if instead of watching soaps they studied, but each to his own. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Juan M. Senior Member Colombia Joined 5898 days ago 460 posts - 597 votes  | Message 50 of 53 07 November 2008 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | ||
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That's fascinating, briemekon. I think many here would enjoy reading more about your father. I know I certainly would.
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| briemekon Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5861 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 51 of 53 09 November 2008 at 1:08pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks JuanM,
I'm thinking of getting him to write about his methods. He was a language teacher and to prove a point to the language department; in one year got 12-13 year old beginners to pass the O levels in 3 languages (O levels being the exams pupils took at the age of 16, now replaced by GCSE in UK.) Instead of boring the pupils he would find out what interested them, eg football, get magazines etc in that language. Both my parents are linguists, but typically of childeren I never bothered until now. The problem with childhood is it is where we waste the gifts of youth. Edited by briemekon on 09 November 2008 at 1:09pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Athlander Newbie United Kingdom greynorth.net Joined 5856 days ago 3 posts - 3 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Dutch, German | Message 52 of 53 12 November 2008 at 3:53pm | IP Logged | ||
I hope you can persuade him to say a few things about his methods. What languages did he teach the 12-13 year olds you mention above? French, German and Spanish? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| culdebout Tetraglot Newbie France Joined 5849 days ago 1 posts - 1 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Japanese, Hindi | Message 53 of 53 18 November 2008 at 10:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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I am French, 20 years old, currently freshman in a US college.
I would say I am fluent in 4 languages (French, English, Spanish and Portuguese) and confident in Hindi and Japanese. Next will be Italian, and Arabic or Hebrew. I'd like to learn Russian, too, eventually. English and Spanish came with studying them in school, the others through self studying (which is much more enjoyable than classes often desperately mundane...) 1 person has voted this message useful |
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