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Disliking English

 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages Post Reply
73 messages over 10 pages: 13 4 5 6 7 ... 2 ... 9 10 Next >>
Via Diva
Diglot
Senior Member
Russian Federation
last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 4234 days ago

1109 posts - 1427 votes 
Speaks: Russian*, English
Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek

 
 Message 9 of 73
07 November 2013 at 4:57pm | IP Logged 
The actual reason of why I was hating English in school is that I didn't really knew why do I need to struggle and read some words in weird Latin alphabet, to learn its tricky pronunciation and to do some unclear tasks from textbook.
My feelings about English has been changed long time ago, but the target of "I know English" claim do not seems to be really any closer. My ears set up on my native Russian or language with clear pronunciation like German. My mind is Russian regardless of how much time per day I spend thinking English.
I'm glad to have Russian as my native, but English would be much more useful. And I do think that it'll be very hard to learn it well enough in my present conditions. If once I am to leave the country, first days in English-speaking society would be hell of a challenge to me, I know that. And there is no guarantee of establishing some decent level even in English-speaking country.
I feel somewhat depressed when it comes to English materials. There are so many of them, I should understand them, they suit my level, but there is always something I don't know, forget... To have this problem every single time when it comes to something English is... frustrating. And there is simply no solution for that.

Edited by Via Diva on 07 November 2013 at 4:59pm

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Papashaw
Newbie
Australia
Joined 4103 days ago

28 posts - 32 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Mandarin

 
 Message 10 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:06pm | IP Logged 
How would you reckon that English has tricky pronunciation? It has fewer vowels than German but or course more
diphthongs, but the consonants are of equal number. German could have more in common with Russian
pronunciation, though. Is that it? Something do to with stress or the dental fricatives?

Edited by Papashaw on 07 November 2013 at 5:07pm

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tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4707 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 11 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:09pm | IP Logged 
Try writing and then spelling it.
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Halfdan
Newbie
Canada
Joined 4184 days ago

13 posts - 21 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Danish, Mandarin, French

 
 Message 12 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:11pm | IP Logged 
It doesn't mean that the pronunciation is difficult, just the correlation between pronunciation and orthography.
2 persons have voted this message useful



tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4707 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 13 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:15pm | IP Logged 
Halfdan wrote:
It doesn't mean that the pronunciation is difficult, just the
correlation between pronunciation and orthography.


The pronunciation is nothing to scoff at either - the dental fricatives, stress, vowels,
glides, aspirations, and more make it quite a tricksy thing to conquer, especially
because you cannot rely on the orthography to point out what is what.
6 persons have voted this message useful



Via Diva
Diglot
Senior Member
Russian Federation
last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 4234 days ago

1109 posts - 1427 votes 
Speaks: Russian*, English
Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek

 
 Message 14 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:16pm | IP Logged 
Papashaw, one single th could be just enough for fussing around. But we were also taught not to "deafen" consonants (not to pronounce [t] instead of [d]), forget about brand Russian [x] replacing it with barely heard [h] and just the same for our rolled [r]. So, yes, pronunciation were, is and will be tricky for me.
For example, for me it's very hard to make difference between long and short vowel when speaking. This problem, of course, remains in German, but I do not need to learn it in order to survive. Plus, German pronunciation is indeed much closer to Russian than that of English.

Edited by Via Diva on 07 November 2013 at 5:16pm

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sillygoose1
Tetraglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 4636 days ago

566 posts - 814 votes 
Speaks: English*, Italian, Spanish, French
Studies: German, Latin

 
 Message 15 of 73
07 November 2013 at 5:48pm | IP Logged 
I love having English as my native tongue. I can't imagine what it must be like to learn it considering tricky words like "perfect" as an adjective and verb are pronounced differently, to name one example out of thousands. Not to mention all of our slang and made up words.
2 persons have voted this message useful



Papashaw
Newbie
Australia
Joined 4103 days ago

28 posts - 32 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Mandarin

 
 Message 16 of 73
07 November 2013 at 6:01pm | IP Logged 
All languages are tricky, but you do have a point. If you learn English natively then you can spend your time
learning what you want to know instead of having to learn English. But a majority paint a bullseye around the
bullethole and claim English was chosen for simplicity. A case of sour grapes.


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