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Negative aspects of being a Polygot? | ||
Tags: Polyglot bashing | Polyglot | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots |  | |
| koffiegast Diglot Newbie Netherlands Joined 5270 days ago 29 posts - 33 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English Studies: Japanese | Message 81 of 94 27 December 2009 at 1:03am | IP Logged | ||
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My parents also always brag about me learning Japanese. But last year I didn't do anything! I had been serious for a month or three, 3 years ago. I'm still far from fluent.
I wish it would be a night to day thing. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ruskivyetr Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5291 days ago 769 posts - 962 votes  Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish, Russian, Polish, Modern Hebrew | Message 82 of 94 27 December 2009 at 4:42am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't like it when people ask me how many languages I speak. I always want to say "2", but I find it rude, because I don't feel like I'm as good in German as I am in English. I also don't like it when people ask me if I understand what someone else is saying in a language I don't know. My mother assumes I can speak everything so whenever she hears someone speaking she turns to me and asks me "what are they saying?" It's not even an intellectual question, it's just an annoying, bothersome question she asks every time she hears another language being spoken. I also think that purchasing many language books you will never need is a negative aspect. I sometimes dabble around with the books, but I never really go in depth.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| katilica Bilingual Diglot Groupie United States Joined 5281 days ago 70 posts - 109 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish* Studies: French, Catalan | Message 83 of 94 30 December 2009 at 7:47am | IP Logged | ||
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[QUOTE] Another drawback I've experienced is that many people may think you're extraordinary intelligent (even a genius!) when they discover you can speak several languages. Theres's an instinctive association in many people's minds between knowing foreign languages and having a high IQ, when in fact you can be a fool in 20 languages!
True, a person can be an idiot no matter how many languages he speaks. As they say, 'It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.' Some people just don't put their language skills to good use. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Morgan89 Newbie United States Joined 5331 days ago 7 posts - 8 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 84 of 94 08 January 2010 at 1:36am | IP Logged | ||
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One of my friends is from Japan, but has spent the last four or five years in the U.S. Even though she goes home over school breaks, she's forgetting how to read and write in Japanese.
As far as having vague familiarity confused with fluency is concerned: I can only say a few phrases in Japanese. One day at work, a Japanese customer came in and told me it was her birthday. I wished her a happy birthday in Japanese, and from then on, was known to my coworkers as "the girl who speaks Japanese," or even worse, they thought I spoke Chinese (the wrong language entirely). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ChrisVincent Bilingual Tetraglot Newbie Mauritius quicklearn.t35.com Joined 5245 days ago 23 posts - 33 votes Speaks: French*, English*, Italian, Spanish Studies: German | Message 85 of 94 08 January 2010 at 10:32am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think that there are many negative aspects of being polyglot, other than the fact some people try to overdo it in some cases, e.g. talking in one language when they could express themselves much better in another language.
Since the primary purpose of a language is communication, this defeats it, and the result is miscommunication and lost time. It can appear pompous and arrogant as well. I am really only playing the Devil's Advocate here, for the sake of this discussion.I truly believe it is a blessing to know several languages. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6513 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 86 of 94 08 January 2010 at 11:09am | IP Logged | ||
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For language learners it is a natural thing to try to speak one's target language to natives or advanced non-native speakers.
If we are really good at it nobody has any reason to complain, even if they can hear that we have an accent If we are reasonably good at it nobody ought to complain - and we don't have to apologize If we are so-so at it our 'victims' might prefer to speak another language - here it is a matter of diplomacy! If we are really bad at it we can expect negative reactions, but (depending on the language) also a certain amount of curiosity If we suck big time, but won't recognize it (or even try to boast), then we deserve to be ridiculed I can only see a problem for us at the bottom of the ladder, and we have to live with that. ... and at least where I live (Denmark) there are so many people who know at least a couple of languages that we really don't risk being singled out just for knowing a few more than the average citizen. In fact few people care about it - being somewhat polyglot ranks about the same as collecting stamps, playing the tuba or having a weird dog. The most irritating thing about knowing many languages is the trouble we can have when trying to find something relevant material for our rarer languages, but it has become much easier with the internet. Our predecessors had much more reason to complain! Edited by Iversen on 08 January 2010 at 11:24am 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5648 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 87 of 94 08 January 2010 at 5:42pm | IP Logged | ||
I agree with Iversen. I only get impressed if someone can speak three or more languages natively, or if they have managed to become fluent in a very unexpected / difficult language. Otherwise it's really not much to fuss about. Personally I also don't believe in learning (ot "collecting") languages just for the sake of it. There's got to be some kind of reasonably practical reason. Otherwise it's just a rather eccentric hobby. I also agree with Iversen's view of when and how to speak which language. (Has come up on this forum in the past). Unless there is some exceptional reason it goes without saying that the communication should be in whatever language is mutually most convenient depending on skill level of the speakers. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Alvinho Triglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 6044 days ago 828 posts - 832 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish | Message 88 of 94 08 January 2010 at 8:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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Negative.....again...only dummies who hate or are a rubbish at languages that will find it negative....I don't mind...
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