JD Diglot Newbie Sweden Joined 6169 days ago 36 posts - 37 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Finnish, French
| Message 25 of 32 29 March 2008 at 6:55am | IP Logged |
Earle wrote:
I think that it's accurate that most American English speakers do not find the Svensk/Norsk accent bothersome. On the contrary, it's quite charming. |
|
|
Ah, that's right, I've heard that as well, but regarding another language. One of my German teachers once told us that many Germans find the Swedish accent charming, especially when we try to speak their language ;) (for example, saying the word "Ja" as you would in Swedish instead of German).
Edited by JD on 29 March 2008 at 6:55am
1 person has voted this message useful
|
Earle Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6318 days ago 276 posts - 276 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Norwegian, Spanish
| Message 26 of 32 29 March 2008 at 7:55am | IP Logged |
You mean with the little lilt? :)
1 person has voted this message useful
|
ZanyHermit Bilingual Tetraglot Newbie Belgium Joined 6319 days ago 8 posts - 8 votes Speaks: Dutch*, Flemish*, English, Mandarin Studies: Indonesian
| Message 27 of 32 29 March 2008 at 10:23am | IP Logged |
Well I grew up in Flanders, and I do think subbed TV is the main factor for the degree of English fluency here. Most Flemish kids only get about 2-3 hours a week of English for four years in high school, not exactly what you'd call intensive.
The focus in school is still much more on French, of which we got about 4-5 hours a week for eight years.
Even so, alot of young people here speak English better than French. In my case, I could speak English quite well already even before I started getting English in high school.
This doesn't mean that every Flemish person speaks English fluently though. Mostly it depends on the amount of exposure they get. Even though all foreign shows are subbed, many people prefer to watch Flemish and Dutch shows instead. At the other side of the spectrum, some people get more exposure by making a choice to read books in their original language. Videogames help too.
Edited by ZanyHermit on 29 March 2008 at 10:24am
1 person has voted this message useful
|
JD Diglot Newbie Sweden Joined 6169 days ago 36 posts - 37 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Finnish, French
| Message 28 of 32 29 March 2008 at 5:46pm | IP Logged |
Earle wrote:
You mean with the little lilt? :) |
|
|
Exactly ;).
1 person has voted this message useful
|
Ra Diglot Newbie Norway Joined 6142 days ago 14 posts - 19 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English Studies: German, French
| Message 29 of 32 29 March 2008 at 7:56pm | IP Logged |
I found some numbers for those interested.
According to the latest reform, the number of hours of English instruction in Norway is supposed to be:
Grade 1-7: 328 hours per annum [children start attending 1. grade at age 6]
Grade 8-10: 227 hours per annum
And then for secondary school (grade 12-13, not compulsory) - 140 hours; as far as i have understood.
There are currently debates as to wether one should increase these numbers, so the above numbers may not be absolute in any way.
frenkeld: Thanks for sharing this interesting information. And I think I agree with your conclusions; I guess the way the amount of hours spent on instruction and the amount of hours of exposure (through various medias) compliment each other, plays a major role.
Edited by Ra on 29 March 2008 at 8:32pm
1 person has voted this message useful
|
frenkeld Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6946 days ago 2042 posts - 2719 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German
| Message 30 of 32 29 March 2008 at 11:02pm | IP Logged |
Ra wrote:
Grade 1-7: 328 hours per annum [children start attending 1. grade at age 6]
Grade 8-10: 227 hours per annum |
|
|
Is it really per annum rather than per indicated period (combined 1-7 or combined 8-10 grades)? The number of school days in a year is less than 328, so 328 hours per annum would mean more than one hour of English instruction per school day in grades 1 through 7. If true, this would be nothing short of amazing.
1 person has voted this message useful
|
Ra Diglot Newbie Norway Joined 6142 days ago 14 posts - 19 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English Studies: German, French
| Message 31 of 32 30 March 2008 at 9:05am | IP Logged |
frenkeld wrote:
Ra wrote:
Grade 1-7: 328 hours per annum [children start attending 1. grade at age 6]
Grade 8-10: 227 hours per annum |
|
|
Is it really per annum rather than per indicated period (combined 1-7 or combined 8-10 grades)? The number of school days in a year is less than 328, so 328 hours per annum would mean more than one hour of English instruction per school day in grades 1 through 7. If true, this would be nothing short of amazing.
|
|
|
I'll have to admit that these numbers confused me, and it may be per indicated period. It did say "annual hours" somewhere on the ministry of education webpage.
Edited by Ra on 30 March 2008 at 9:15am
1 person has voted this message useful
|
Earle Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6318 days ago 276 posts - 276 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Norwegian, Spanish
| Message 32 of 32 30 March 2008 at 9:28am | IP Logged |
Burrowing down through the MoE material, it appears that a student taking general studies must take at least three hours of a foreign language. For those students opting English I and then English II, it's at least three hours for the Alternative B in English I. In English two, Alternatives A & B, the requirement rises to five hours per week, or 187 hours per year. If anyone finds otherwise, correct me...
1 person has voted this message useful
|