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Benny Lewis | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| beano Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4403 days ago 1049 posts - 2152 votes  Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian | Message 121 of 164 23 May 2012 at 2:39am | IP Logged | ||
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I love the way Benny debunks all the popular language-learning myths which prevent people from making progress. His (enjoyable) ramblings may not provide dedicated linguists with much of an insight into the language-learning process but his words are exactly what some people, myself included, need to her. Namely that you need to forget your pre-conceptions, embrace the language and start talking to native speakers.
The guitarist Bert Weedon died recently. He could never be described as one of the all-time great players but he influenced many of the greats because his famous "play in a day" method inspired people to pick up the instrument and have a go. Edited by beano on 23 May 2012 at 2:41am 8 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| translator2 Senior Member United States Joined 6700 days ago 848 posts - 1862 votes Speaks: English* | Message 122 of 164 23 May 2012 at 2:29pm | IP Logged | ||
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I love how some of the language gurus claim "I have no talent for languages and look what I was able to accomplish and therefore so can you." To which I reply either 1) you do have talent and/or 2) you really are not that good at the language and your talent is showmanship.
Edited by translator2 on 23 May 2012 at 2:30pm 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| fabriciocarraro Hexaglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Brazil russoparabrasileirosRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4496 days ago 989 posts - 1454 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishB2, Italian, Spanish, Russian, French Studies: Dutch, German, Japanese | Message 123 of 164 23 May 2012 at 3:15pm | IP Logged | ||
I disagree with you in this specific point. Define "talent for languages". If there really is such thing, in my opinion that "gift" would be a catalyzer for your studies, you'd probably learn faster than others. That doesn't mean that a person "without talent for languages" wouldn't learn the TL to the same level, even if in a longer period of time. I believe that language learning is MUCH more related to hard work and the right motivation than to "talent", that's such a subjective concept in this case. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5337 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 124 of 164 23 May 2012 at 3:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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Sorry to go off-topic here but I just wanted to add that I was sad to hear about Bert Weedon passing recently (although on a positive note, it sounds like he had a very good innings at the age of 91). His 50s "Play in a Day" guide, alongside "The Complete Beatles", kick-started my humble entry into the world of guitar playing as a hopeful nipper and Santana wannabe. This riff's for you, Bert! ♪
Edited by Teango on 23 May 2012 at 3:34pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| translator2 Senior Member United States Joined 6700 days ago 848 posts - 1862 votes Speaks: English* | Message 125 of 164 23 May 2012 at 4:12pm | IP Logged | ||
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Today's society believes that "you can do anything if you just try hard" and "everyone deserves a medal."
I do not share that belief.
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| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4488 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 126 of 164 23 May 2012 at 4:55pm | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think we all deserve a medal (let's keep those for the real achievements, yes) but did you think any polyglot ever learned a language by being lazy?
It's no secret that professor Arguelles spent 2/3rds of his day studying languages. Is he extraordinarily talented? Maybe more than I am or you are. But he only developed it because he spent time with it. Talent without effort is a waste, and effort without talent is just a slightly imperfect achievement, which is okay, since none of us are perfect. But you are also one of those people that probably thinks the people of Luxemburg must all be inherent geniuses because they're bilingual. Edited by tarvos on 23 May 2012 at 4:56pm 8 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5043 days ago 2237 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 127 of 164 23 May 2012 at 5:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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There is an interesting article entitled: The Myth of Fast Fluency that puts this into perspective.
If I study for a couple of hours a day and, say Benny, studies and speaks for several more hours a day, it stands to reason that he will be better at said language after 3 months than I because he has put in considerably more time and effort. So, I think it's a bit more than just "trying hard". It is effort with results. In Benny's case he also knows how to learn and what works for him best due to his experience in learning other languages- a virtuous circle. As far as "talent" goes is that innate or acquired? I think a good case can be made for both. 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| fabriciocarraro Hexaglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Brazil russoparabrasileirosRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4496 days ago 989 posts - 1454 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishB2, Italian, Spanish, Russian, French Studies: Dutch, German, Japanese | Message 128 of 164 23 May 2012 at 6:18pm | IP Logged | ||
Then I believe you're wrong. The sentence "you can do anything if you try hard" is a valid concept as far as language learning is concerned. Giving a silly example, I know that I won't become a great football player like Messi or Ronaldinho because football is much more related to talent (and also a lot of hard work, take Cristiano Ronaldo as an example). On the other hand, in language learning this talent concept does not apply in the same way. Do I have talent for languages? Maybe, since it's a subject that I love, but I've been struggling with Russian for the past 2 years and can't get it to a solid B2 level, I'm certain that it's because I don't spend time enough doing it. On the other hand, my wife doesn't appreciate languages that much, never learned English to a "speakable" level even having studied it at school and at a private course for several years, but in only 5 months she could "speak" Portuguese with me, and 1 year after that, even living in Russia (and studying it alone and with my help) she was already pretty fluent. Does it mean she has talent? Maybe also, but I don't think so. What I do know is that she worked hard and practiced it A LOT with me. In my opinion, this "talent" concept is what makes people give up learning languages in the first place. Edited by fabriciocarraro on 23 May 2012 at 6:19pm 6 persons have voted this message useful |
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