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Claims of 50+ languages

 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots Post Reply
57 messages over 8 pages: 1 2 3 46 7 8 Next >>
Cainntear
Pentaglot
Senior Member
Scotland
linguafrankly.blogsp
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4399 posts - 7687 votes 
Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic
Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh

 
 Message 33 of 57
19 June 2011 at 1:54pm | IP Logged 
Iversen wrote:
Personally I haven't had a language class since 1981, but from what I read/hear all classes start with short dialogs of the type "My name is blabla, what is your name?" "My name is bloblob, what is your name?" "My name is still blabla, what is your name" and so forth. I do see the point in teaching travellers some useful expressions before they leave home, but but it is not obvious that the ability to have simple conversations should be more important than the ability to read a novel or understand a news broadcast on TV.

More to the point, "hello, my name is Cainntear, I live in Edinburgh, Scotland" isn't having a conversation, in that it's something I would never feel the need to say in any language. Having a conversation involves the same grammar as any other language task.

"Conversational phrases" is an oxymoron, because conversation is all about reacting to what the other person says, not answering fixed questions.
1 person has voted this message useful



slucido
Bilingual Diglot
Senior Member
Spain
https://goo.gl/126Yv
Joined 6674 days ago

1296 posts - 1781 votes 
4 sounds
Speaks: Spanish*, Catalan*
Studies: English

 
 Message 34 of 57
19 June 2011 at 4:56pm | IP Logged 
Cainntear wrote:


"Conversational phrases" is an oxymoron, because conversation is all about reacting to what the other person says, not answering fixed questions.


Our questions and answers in informal meetings are usually very standard. It makes sense to learn them.

I even think that this patterns in more formal and technical meetings are quite repetitive as well.


3 persons have voted this message useful



Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
Senior Member
Norway
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4143 posts - 8864 votes 
Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian
Studies: Russian

 
 Message 35 of 57
21 October 2011 at 5:03pm | IP Logged 
I do not understand the need some have to claim to speak 50+ languages. I love the fact that they are eager to learn languages, but I think they would come across so much better if they said they were just studying them, and then just made the fluency claim when they could actually carry a fluent conversation. It does however make sense that they actually believe that they are fluent.

When I was 13 I thought I was pretty good at playing the guitar, because I played a couple of hours a day, and could accompany all the songs that I sang, and everyone was saying what a great guitar player I was. Then I started taking lessons, and realized that I was absolutely clueless, because I had no idea what playing a guitar actually entailed. I would imagine that a lot of the "mass polyglots" are in the same situation.

I don't remember who in this thread said that it was a good thing if you knew at least one language to C1 - C2, because then at least you knew what learning a language entails, and I would second that. I just shake my head at people who have "learned a language" in 24 hours, after having borrowed a course at the local library.
6 persons have voted this message useful



Cainntear
Pentaglot
Senior Member
Scotland
linguafrankly.blogsp
Joined 6010 days ago

4399 posts - 7687 votes 
Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic
Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh

 
 Message 36 of 57
22 October 2011 at 4:32am | IP Logged 
I used to think I was rubbish at languages...

Ach entonces j'ai m'enseignato franglitaliàgnol.
4 persons have voted this message useful



simonov
Senior Member
Portugal
Joined 5588 days ago

222 posts - 438 votes 
Speaks: English

 
 Message 37 of 57
22 October 2011 at 11:43am | IP Logged 
Cainntear wrote:
I used to think I was rubbish at languages...
Ach entonces j'ai m'enseignato franglitaliàgnol.

I take it you meant: "But then I taught myself French, English, Italian, and Spanish."
1. German "Ach" does not mean "but"
2. Spanish "entonces" does mean "then", but, to my ears, sounds a little off in this context. Unless you actually meant something more in the line of "so I taught myself"
3. French "j'ai" would be all right if followed by "imparato", but pronominal verbs require "to be" in both French and Italian, and the pronoun must be inserted between the subject and the auxiliary. So it should not be "j'ai", but "je me suis".
4. a) 'enseignato' doesn't exist, 'enseigner" is French, Italian is 'insegnare'.
   b) In French, Italian etc. you do not "teach yourself", you "learn".
      I taught myself English/Italian. - J'ai appris l'anglais (tout seul). Ho imparato l'italiano (da solo).
      I taught English - J'ai enseigné l'anglais. Ho insegnato l'inglese.
Your strange language concoction might look mildly amusing if you had used a tilde for Spanish 'español', not French 'espagnol'.

No, I'm afraid I did not think your post funny, interesting or useful. So, no vote!



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Volte
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Switzerland
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Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 38 of 57
22 October 2011 at 7:06pm | IP Logged 
simonov wrote:
Cainntear wrote:
I used to think I was rubbish at languages...
Ach entonces j'ai m'enseignato franglitaliàgnol.

I take it you meant: "But then I taught myself French, English, Italian, and Spanish."
1. German "Ach" does not mean "but"


"Ach" is 'but' in Gaelic, not German.
8 persons have voted this message useful



simonov
Senior Member
Portugal
Joined 5588 days ago

222 posts - 438 votes 
Speaks: English

 
 Message 39 of 57
22 October 2011 at 8:40pm | IP Logged 
Volte wrote:
simonov wrote:
1. German "Ach" does not mean "but"

"Ach" is 'but' in Gaelic, not German.

Sorry, my bad, should have checked Gaelic. Thanks for the rectification.

Edited by simonov on 22 October 2011 at 8:42pm

1 person has voted this message useful



leosmith
Senior Member
United States
Joined 6549 days ago

2365 posts - 3804 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Tagalog

 
 Message 40 of 57
23 October 2011 at 9:38am | IP Logged 
simonov wrote:
Thanks for the rectification.

Ouch, that sounds painful. On a lighter note, there is now compelling evidence that these aren't even a good idea
for men over the age of 50. Unfortunately, it was 6 months too late for me.


4 persons have voted this message useful



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