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Learning Increases Resolution | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
 meramarina Diglot Moderator United States Joined 5972 days ago 1341 posts - 2303 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Italian, French Personal Language Map | Message 1 of 16 18 October 2010 at 6:16am | IP Logged | ||
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Learning Increases Resolution 
Forgive me the silly graphic. But here's an observation I've found to be true in learning languages: The more you learn, the better you can see. That's no great revelation or learning theory, of course, just a simple way to describe what can take a long time to actually experience. All good learning does this. But knowledge of other languages seems to give the learner a sharper sense, a better perception of the world of words, and in high definition. It’s as if, as you gain proficiency, you first see the world in polka dots; next, you progress to a kind of pointillism; and this view, with work and time, switches to pixels, and you can then detect ideas, details, and nuances you wouldn't have had access to earlier. Has this happened to you? What do you see now that would have been invisible without your learned languages? 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6587 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 2 of 16 18 October 2010 at 7:15am | IP Logged | ||
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Etymology. Learning French has deepened my understanding of English (and to a lesser extent Swedish) etymology, since it allows me to recognize the many French (and often Latin) loan words. And the influence of Cantonese on my Mandarin has been equally deep, allowing me to see different and often older meanings of characters and it has helped me in understanding formal Mandarin (though I'm still struggling with that one). I can only imagine the kinds of revelations a knowledge of Classical Chinese would bring.
This has made me contemplate Icelandic as my next language, to take up after Cantonese, due to the deepening of my knowledge of Swedish I feel it might have. But that's still in the future. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Chill Diglot Groupie Japan Joined 5170 days ago 68 posts - 77 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French | Message 3 of 16 18 October 2010 at 8:12am | IP Logged | ||
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A very interesting idea.
I am wondering how much an improvement in perception comes from just the learning of a language itself and how much from the assimilation of a foriegn culture that the learning of the language can allow. My worldview has certainly broadened and sharpened due to my studies of Japanese, but I live as part of a centuries old Japanese family with four generations living together and I also have a lot of experience studying a traditional martial art. I`m not sure I could separate out teh study of the language from the study of the culture 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ManicGenius Senior Member United States Joined 5486 days ago 288 posts - 420 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, French, Japanese | Message 5 of 16 18 October 2010 at 5:48pm | IP Logged | ||
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That guy's overthinking his beverage choice. I brew wine, all different varieties, and it all comes down to this:
Does it taste good? Yes. Drink it. I apply the same aspect to languages: Do I understand it and can communicate in it? Good. Speak it. To each his own, but I care more about speaking than I do examining all the little details. My enjoyment comes from actually talking to people (damn it was an adrenaline rush the first time). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5561 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 6 of 16 18 October 2010 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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If there's no beer (or Oreo milkshake) in the fridge, then red definitely seems the better option for hamburgers!
What's even more interesting in these pictures though...is how this poor fellow has managed to get his fingers stuck to his cheek (after first applying extra strong Brylcreem to his hair of course), and yet soldiers on valiantly for the camera as though nothing has happened. His strained smile says it all... Edited by Teango on 18 October 2010 at 6:11pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6587 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 7 of 16 18 October 2010 at 7:06pm | IP Logged | ||
Well said; to each his (or her) own. I've got more people I can talk to in my native language than I could ever hope to get around to, and there are people in every country in the world who speak excellent English. I just like languages, and the increased resolution is a part of that. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| meramarina Diglot Moderator United States Joined 5972 days ago 1341 posts - 2303 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Italian, French Personal Language Map | Message 8 of 16 18 October 2010 at 8:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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To give credit where credit is due, I didn't make this picture - it comes from a blog called Creating Passionate Users by Kathy Sierra.
Yes, I agree the guy is kind of creepy . . . and I don't know anything about wine, but for me, language study really has changed the way I understand and appreciate the world around me, and not just the wordy world, either. I can see historical, etymological, and grammatical details of all kinds now. And I agree with those who wrote that the cultural understanding you can get through language study enriches your life. What better use of a new language is there than meeting others from around the world and learning how to speak together? So there is a serious point behind the silly photo! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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