13 messages over 2 pages: 1 2
reineke Senior Member United States https://learnalangua Joined 6446 days ago 851 posts - 1008 votes Studies: German
| Message 9 of 13 19 February 2016 at 8:39pm | IP Logged |
Yes, no immersion necessary, how long depends on a number of factors. Keep listening.
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| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6596 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish
| Message 10 of 13 20 February 2016 at 1:45am | IP Logged |
luke wrote:
Serpent wrote:
Also, if a native listens to a conversation among people they don't know, they may well understand the words but not the meaning (or sometimes not even the words, if it's in some professional context you're not familiar with). |
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Even in a personal context with one's intimates, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding.
There are infinite examples. Here is one.
Chore: For a person who has familial roots in agriculture, even if at a distance of a generation or two, may simply imply daily work necessary to keep things going. E.G., milk the cows. To another, a "chore" could imply a difficult task, whether the difficulty is psychological, physical, or mental. E.G. write a book report.
If these two people hear or use the word "chore", they aren't necessarily implying the same thing.
Summary: The connotation of words is quite vast.
Upside: Language learners at least have some practical insight into this fact. |
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You misunderstood me ;) I mostly meant that only specialized or colloquial words might go past you in L1, to the point that you may be unable to repeat or write down the word. Outside these areas, you won't come across any unfamiliar words, though the nuances may very between the speakers, like with "chore". (also, wouldn't the collocations be different? "doing one's chores" vs "that's a chore" - surely the latter is not a description of something as being part of your routine?)
Edited by Serpent on 20 February 2016 at 1:46am
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| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7204 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 11 of 13 20 February 2016 at 10:38pm | IP Logged |
Words have infinite possibility. Do they mean what the speaker or writer meant? Do they mean what the reader or listener understood? Both? Do they have a meaning that transcends the speaker and listener?
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| Speakeasy Senior Member Canada Joined 4051 days ago 507 posts - 1098 votes Studies: German
| Message 12 of 13 21 February 2016 at 12:34am | IP Logged |
luke wrote:
Words have infinite possibility... |
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I appreciate your point of view. However, there are definite limits beyond which no reasonable person would, or should, venture. For example, if I see a CAT cross the road, does my calling it a COW fall with your notion of "infinite possibility"? I certainly hope not!
Some years ago, I had the occasion (too often) to discuss "word choice" and "meaning" with a fellow employee. She maintained that she had the "right" to ascribe any meaning she chose to words. Quite frankly, her "own definitions" were often so beyond reason as to cause not only considerable confusion but, at times, also heated reactions from other staff members. I tried, unsuccessfully, to encourage her to stick to the "dictionary definitions" of words as these are known to represent the most common uses. She invariably replied that such definitions were "too constraining" and she continued with her practice of viewing words as having "infinite possibilities" which she was free to ascribe. Over time, she lost a lot of credibility and many people simply ceased reading her distorted little memoranda. It's shame really, she was a very nice, well-intentioned person.
Edited by Speakeasy on 21 February 2016 at 12:35am
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| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7204 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 13 of 13 21 February 2016 at 11:37am | IP Logged |
Just as there are defined limits to what constitutes an "integer", they are nonetheless part of an infinite set.
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