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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Fyodor Diglot Newbie Russian FederationRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6708 days ago 27 posts - 33 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: Swedish, Mandarin, German | Message 25 of 41 26 September 2006 at 11:57am | IP Logged | |||||
“The Adventure of the Lion's Mane” Arthur Conan Doyle …. “But how did you know, Mr. Holmes?” “I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles. That phrase 'the Lion's Mane' haunted my mind. I knew that I had seen it somewhere in an unexpected context. You have seen that it does describe the creature. I have no doubt that it was floating on the water when McPherson saw it, and that this phrase was the only one by which he could convey to us a warning as to the creature which had been his death.” ... It’s seems like Sir Doyle was of a different opinion in the end of Holms saga. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| ilcommunication Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6703 days ago 115 posts - 162 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 26 of 41 26 September 2006 at 12:36pm | IP Logged | |||||
The very fact that we are reading a translation of what Nietzsche wrote shows the value of learning languages. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| lengua Senior Member United States polyglottery.wordpre Joined 6695 days ago 549 posts - 595 votes Studies: French, Italian, Spanish, German | Message 27 of 41 26 September 2006 at 12:44pm | IP Logged | |||||
An excellent point. :^) 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Captlemuel Groupie United States Joined 6733 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, Mandarin | Message 28 of 41 26 September 2006 at 2:29pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I would like to know what the native language of the translator was. If it was English, then I say the very fact that the translation is so poor and inelegant is (or may be) a proof that learning a second language little improves one's use of his native tongue, if it improves it at all. If it was German, or some other language, then I say he should have applied himself to the study of English with greater diligence than he did. Edited by Captlemuel on 27 September 2006 at 4:51pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| frenkeld Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6954 days ago 2042 posts - 2719 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German | Message 29 of 41 26 September 2006 at 2:42pm | IP Logged | |||||
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The philosopher may not be completely correct, but he is not entirely wrong either.
Like any obsession, endless language learning takes away time from other things. I saw a statement in a book on polyglots by D. Spivak (there is a short thread on it in this forum) that polyglots usually don't have outstanding accomplishments in other areas. Likewise, it is very easy to neglect one's own language while pursuing others. Do I read a novel in English or in X, Y, Z, tonight? What about the next movie I watch? Is it possible that you have been reading in other languages for months on end without opening a book in your own? So, yes, learning too many languages, especially if done superficially or mishandled in other ways, can make you into something pretty close to an idiot savant, a student of many, master of none, in no time. Edited by frenkeld on 26 September 2006 at 2:43pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Captlemuel Groupie United States Joined 6733 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, Mandarin | Message 30 of 41 27 September 2006 at 2:01am | IP Logged | |||||
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I made some changes to a sentence in my first post in this thread. I did so because the sentence was very likely offensive to someone who spoke highly of Nabokov - I mean Alex. Alex, I apologize to you; I apologize for being insensitive--I believe you know what I’m talking about. And I realize that I went overboard. I’ve been reading Lolita (in English) for the past few weeks, and my thoughts regarding Nabokov’s style and craftsmanship are all fresh. He was, he is, indeed, a great writer. I marvel when I think about the amount of work he must have performed in order to have been able to write so exquisitely. To use with such felicity, as he does, so very many ornamental words, is quite a feat, one matched by few. What most impresses me, however, after the extraordinary beauty of his style, is his ease. Surely, it is very difficult to maintain, page after page, the quality of ease in the writing of ornate prose. He succeeds--and he succeeds better than admirably... If you haven’t read his translation of Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, read it. (In fact, whoever enjoys reading great books would be delighted with Lermontov’s masterpiece--highly recommended.) Nabokov’s translation is superb, and the novel is great. ‘Russian fiction is like German music [classical]--the best in the world.’ Indeed. Edited by Captlemuel on 30 September 2006 at 8:03pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| alexptrans Pentaglot Senior Member Israel Joined 6776 days ago 208 posts - 236 votes Speaks: English, Modern Hebrew, Russian*, French, Arabic (Written) Studies: Icelandic | Message 31 of 41 27 September 2006 at 2:38pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Thank you, Captlemuel. I appreciate your message, even though I rarely, if ever, take offense at people expressing opinions not exactly the same as my own.
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| Captlemuel Groupie United States Joined 6733 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, Mandarin | Message 32 of 41 28 September 2006 at 3:25am | IP Logged | |||||
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Here is the sentence correctly transcribed: ‘Learning many languages fills the memory with words instead of facts and ideas, while the memory is a receptacle which in the case of each man [not ‘language’] can take only a certain limited content.’
'While’ in the Nietzsche sentence indicates concession, as you may or may not know, and therefore ‘although’ or ‘though’ can serve as a substitute for it. The clause that ‘while’ introduces is a subordinate clause of concession. In the following variations, I have removed unessential words in the sentence, and added some words, in order to make it more intelligible... The definition of the word ‘content’ is – something contained in something; amount of something contained in something... R.J. Hollingdale is the translator, and the book that the sentence is from is Human, All Too Human. The sentence in question, with nothing removed: Learning many languages fills the memory with words instead of facts and ideas, while the memory is a receptacle which in the case of each man [all men] can take only a certain limited content. First change: Though the memory can take in only a certain limited content, learning many languages fills the memory with words, not with facts and ideas. Second: Though only a certain limited (by lexis) content (amount of words) can be committed to memory, learning many languages fills the memory (only) with words, not with facts and ideas. Third: Learning many languages fills the memory (only) with words, though only a certain limited amount of words can be committed to memory. Hmmm. Edited by Captlemuel on 07 October 2006 at 12:03am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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