forked: foreign languages (absinthe)

[Josie]

We had to learn English starting in the 5th grade. For a higher education you had to pick either French or Latin later on.

The fact that I had to take English as a second language did not help my grades at all... LOL.

!!! I can't help myself :laluot_22:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG5cFYMuZb4

[CrAnIuM]

Fake fork fake fork

[InterStella]

I lurrrrve this track.... wassup with that?



*edit - yes, I waited til the track finished before exiting the thread. I have no life, you see.

[Josie]

Fake fork fake fork

What. Ever. You're her American Boy!

[CrAnIuM]

What. Ever. You're her American Boy!


Indeed.

And she is fluent in English, in fact she has a better grasp on the language and syntax than most native US english speaking folks.

Still .. I correct her on a thing or two on occasion.

And don't even ask her how much I butcher the German language.

[Josie]

Indeed.

And she is fluent in English, in fact she has a better grasp on the language and syntax than most native US english speaking folks.

Still .. I correct her on a thing or two on occasion.


German seems to be a much more technical language than English. English is more like a slopped together mess of European and Hick.

Any fluent English speaking German I've met knows all the technical nuances of the English language by the back of their hand... and at times can speak so well that it sounds odd lol


And don't even ask her how much I butcher the German language.

*evidence to support fro's hawaiian thread comment*

I grew up speaking a combination of Yup'ik and English. Yup'ik is NOTHING like English, haha. And the guttural sounds in it are similar to some European languages (German). So when I started taking German and competing in state competitions, I was actually accused of being a closet native-speaker. The judges thought I was trying to compete in the wrong category just to win... but I'd never even been outside the US! hahaha

They had to satisfactorally question me in German.. my confused "huh?" and "Ich bin... uh... yeah... what'd you say?" finally learned 'em!

When other people can't pick up the sounds or the pronunciations, it's purty funny. :biggrin:

[KommieKat]

German seems to be a much more technical language than English. English is more like a slopped together mess of European and Hick.

Technical in what way?

Grammar is grammar in any language and that makes EVERY language a challenge.

One of the more easier languages I found is Japanese. The 'technical' aspect is quite logical and the pronunciation, being phonetic, is quite easy.

Cantonese is bit easy with grammar but try using 6 different tones.
Tong (going up), tong (going down), tong (from middle going up). Sugar, soup and waste bin. Christs, I've been laughed at a lot when asking for sugar.

Spanish seems easy to pronounce, but on the other hand, the verb conjugation is a nightmare on poncho street.

You would be surprised how difficult English is for ESL speakers. None will admit it's an easy language to learn. Writing system completely sucks.

What pisses me off is the attitude of the people. Most are quite happy to see you learning their language. The Mexicans were very nice and helpful when visiting. The Asians are the worst. They laugh in your face, not realizing that their English is not any better. They seem to not understand that it is not only words you're learning but CULTURE.

[Josie]

Technical in what way?

The grammar rules are not broken nearly as often in German as they are in English. There are a million and one exceptions to the rule - in German, it's not that way.

[KommieKat]

The grammar rules are not broken nearly as often in German as they are in English. There are a million and one exceptions to the rule - in German, it's not that way.

I'm not sure what or how you mean.
Slang? Every language has slang which almost always breaks some grammar rules. I really don't see the difference.

German is NOT a mix of languages.
English is: Sanskrit, Latin, French, Italian, German.....hell, just about every country that has been brutally colonized by the Brits.

And not only slang, but youth talk, loan words, commercialized Hollywood crap, media and so forth.
New words does not mean broken grammar.

Grammar is grammar. Every language has a base rule to be used.
Anything other is not correct educated speaking.

[Josie]

I'm not sure what or how you mean.
Slang? Every language has slang which almost always breaks some grammar rules. I really don't see the difference.

German is NOT a mix of languages.
English is: Sanskrit, Latin, French, Italian, German.....hell, just about every country that has been brutally colonized by the Brits.

And not only slang, but youth talk, loan words, commercialized Hollywood crap, media and so forth.
New words does not mean broken grammar.

Grammar is grammar. Every language has a base rule to be used.
Anything other is not correct educated speaking.

....

No. I am talking about grammar rules. German is not a mix of languages. Good job. That means that the base rules don't need much editing to accommodate a part of another language. English is one big international conglomerate. There are many exceptions to basic grammar rules.

That's why it is so difficult to learn. The patterns are not consistent enough to instantly make sense to a non-native speaker.

Why is this not getting across to you... what's up with bringing up slang?


Grammar is grammar. Every language has a base rule to be used.
Anything other is not correct educated speaking.

You seem quite fond of speaking in absolutes - if you're not sure what the original poster meant... it can get a little frustrating to continue trying to make a point with you when your replies are half absolutes.

Yes, buddha. You can table turn if you like. I just wanted to point that out real quick. It isn't an attack, just an observation.