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Ziad Fazah | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| yawn Bilingual Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 5429 days ago 141 posts - 209 votes  Speaks: English*, Mandarin*, FrenchC2, SpanishC2 Studies: GermanB1 | Message 49 of 58 23 February 2011 at 4:14am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Wait... what?
I've seen the videos of Mr. Fazah on YouTube (including the recording from the "Viva el Lunes" show), and while I'm tempted to agree that he's probably a little bit over in his head by claiming to speak 58/59 languages fluently when he's demonstrated that he has a rudimentary knowledge of some of them at best, I wouldn't go so far as to call him an alcoholic or mentally disabled. I just think he's a gifted person who unfortunately does not have a good grasp on where he really is in terms of language ability. P.S. I'm a native Mandarin speaker, and I could *barely* understand the video on his channel where he spoke in Mandarin... 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| janababe Triglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5517 days ago 102 posts - 115 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, German | Message 50 of 58 23 February 2011 at 4:00pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Yeah, he wasn't taking the harsh criticism well but the nobody would when attacked that way. If people had advised him calmly it might have been different. Again, Cesare openly said he was autistic. Can't we make some allowances, or does that go against how people here like to view this language learning business?
Agree with the first comment, but where are we (or I) trying to define someone as something they're not? Second comment, yeah, the 59 languages divine gift guy could be arrogant but in my books it sounds more delusional. Arrogance is more like something within normal limits, delusion is when it's out of all proportion or unreal. And yeah, I agree, it's more respectful to say arrogant than insane. But hey, I never said that about anyone.
Didn't know I was. I think we agree on most of this actually. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| janababe Triglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5517 days ago 102 posts - 115 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, German | Message 51 of 58 23 February 2011 at 4:08pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
I don't think anyone is saying that guy is alcoholic or mentally disabled... Cesare is mentally disabled with autism, the other guy who knows, but I sure don't think he's a "gifted person" although he certainly is in self-marketing! What makes you think he's gifted? It comes down to where the line is between when you "don't have a good grasp" to "arrogant" or then "delusion". Yawn, your opinion is extreeeemly politically correct ;) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| janababe Triglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5517 days ago 102 posts - 115 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, German | Message 52 of 58 23 February 2011 at 4:13pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Yep, I agree. So accept that some folks are autistic or "don't grasp something" or whatever, and if you wanna criticise them at least do it with respect and calmly. On this forum the people attack people like those guys in such a vicious way it's just not right. Peace ;-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| portunhol Triglot Senior Member United States thelinguistblogger.w Joined 6255 days ago 198 posts - 299 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: German, Arabic (classical) | Message 53 of 58 23 February 2011 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
This is what I'm talking about! There is obviously nothing wrong with challenging Ziad's claims but there is sort of a negative "one-up-man's-ship" that is too present in these forums. Thread starter I think so and so might not be as good as he thinks he is. Next person to comment I think so and so isn't good at all. One thread later I am offended by so and so's existence and wish he were in jail. No one thinks you are cool or more confident for saying the nastiest things. Returning to the issue at hand, I for one hope that Ziad step's things up. I've been telling him to make videos and post them on youtube for years and he's finally done it. Hopefully he will start making longer videos in the languages he knows best and admit that, while he has studied certain languages, he is not fluent in them. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| yawn Bilingual Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 5429 days ago 141 posts - 209 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin*, FrenchC2, SpanishC2 Studies: GermanB1 | Message 54 of 58 23 February 2011 at 7:02pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Oh, I merely skimmed over the previous page of comments and saw a few responses that mentioned alcoholism and mental disabilities, and (perhaps wrongly) assumed that they were referring to Mr. Fazah.
Well, just the fact that he's even attempted to learn 58/59 languages is something. I know many people who are struggling their hardest just to be able to say simple phrases in a second language (especially many of my Chinese and Taiwanese relatives)... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| translator2 Senior Member United States Joined 6922 days ago 848 posts - 1862 votes Speaks: English* | Message 55 of 58 23 February 2011 at 8:42pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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It is probably just a cultural thing, but it is his odd body language and intonation patterns that strike me as extremely off-putting and make the videos totally unwatchable for me. I have never met anyone who speaks like that. Even when he speaks a language I do not fully understand (including his native language), the body language and speech reads to me like something isn't quite right. If not narcissism, Asperger's or other psychological disorder, there is clearly, at least for me, something wrong and I cannot get past that. However, kudos to him for being brave enough to post videos. I hope others will enjoy them. Edited by translator2 on 23 February 2011 at 8:44pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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