fairygirl69
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 217
CharleyD, I think it's impressive that you are able to speak, read, and write all of those languages. I know a smattering of Spanish and English is my mother tongue.
Welcome to Discuss Cooking inviteur. Don't get stressed about having perfect spelling or grammar. Like Got Garlic, I too admire someone who can communicate in more than their native tongue. If I were in France, I would consider it a success if I was able to ask for directions to both a restaurant and a restroom. However, I can fluently deliver the phrase "Excuse me, but do you speak English?" It's been 40+ years since my two years of high school French.don't care about it it's the same in all language particularly in France where grammar and spelling are very important
You are all welcome to correct my spelling But i do not think it has anything to do with English. I am a horrible speller no matter what language I write in. Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish back in school and college, now English.
I appreciate being corrected. Believe it or not I love to spell words properly, I just cannot.
I just got done with 3 semesters of Spanish and I am horrible
When Poo's first wife was in college she was unable to graduate with her class. She was in college for five years just to get her Bachelor's Degree. What was her problem? Learning Spanish. She just couldn't get it. Kept failing. She tried everything. Tapes, private tutoring, you name it, she tried it. She finally was able to accumulate enough points to graduate. They mailed her the diploma.
So don't feel bad Frank. I just hope you do better than her.
Sad part is I did well in the classes...
My daughter took four years of German in high school and dosen't have a clue.
CharileD--I was very good at languages--I was exposed to Spanish and Swedish as a child and had a good ear, ability to mimic, and a good memory. I was able to take German, French, Latin, Spanish, Norwegian and Ojibway classes back to back (gifted student--allowed to go to the local university from 10th grade on) and not mix up the languages when in high school. In university from 10-2 p.m. every day I was in different language classes, and didn't mix up my languages then either. According to my hs Spanish teacher who picked on me in front of the class, "one in a million" people are able to do that. I ran out of class after 15 minutes. The rest of the class followed me. I don't believe that, but I do know I can't switch from French to German as smoothly as I can from English to German or French to English. Of course, I didn't learn French from German. English is definitely my first language. Sadly, other than living in Quebec, Germany, and spending a summer in Sweden, I never really got to use these languages and develop near native fluency.CW, I am ambaresed to even mention the fact that I speak more than one language, standing next to you. My gosh, all those languages. In school and college, and even many years after, I did really well with Spanish. When I lived in Italy, for 6 month, I picked up enough Italian to get by. But when I came to America and started learning English, it was like all other languages got wiped up from my head.
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The natural position of rest for one's tongue is "set" around the age of 13, so learning to make the sounds that are not part of one's native language become more difficult with age. It has nothing to do with one's ability to learn, it has to do with the fact that the tongue muscle is set. Babies are born being able to make all the sounds found in every language but lose that ability as one's language skills in one's native tongue develop. Reading and understanding is easier for some than speaking depending on how one learned the language and at what age.I just got done with 3 semesters of Spanish and I am horrible
Or as Himself puts it: "I didn't take German, German took me".My daughter took four years of German in high school and dosen't have a clue.
Sad part is I did well in the classes...
Pobrecito, esta es un chapucero.