About Languages
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This thread was inspired by my current muddling through a German language programme, the producer of 'Anthony Bourdain' providing subtitles for viewers as 2 Belfast taxi drivers spoke in yesterday's episode, and the following excerpts from a post about the Estonian language.
Share your experiences in learning a new language or getting used to another accent. We can about mother tongue and fast disappearing dialects as well.
Originally posted by Giustino...Of course, English is no easy language either [compared with Estonian]. English speakers forget how difficult this language is. In reality, English is nothing but an apple that fell a bit far from the Germanic tree. It's a mutt, in other words, an odd mix of German, French, and Scandinavian languages with Celtic syntax and pronunciation added in. What makes English that different from Estonian? Not much.
I try to remember this fact as I work my way through the Estonian language. I try to remember that for Estonians, what's the difference between "sale", "sail", "seal" (to close), "seal" (the animal), "cell" (the bilogical construct), and "cell" (the room in the prison) not to mention "shell"?
I wonder if this 'method' is similar to the Rosetta Stone Software that I'm currently using for learning Deutsche. I'm still in the early stages, so I can't speak any really useful phrases except telling people the hour of the dayReply to GiustinoI wouldn't put english as an easy language. It is definitely not an easy one. But the English, they have a long history how to teach language properly from the colonial times. They basically invented the modern methods of teaching the language, starting from limited number of easy forms and then gradually expanding it.
As I have browsed a lot of language books and books on teaching languages (even if I am not a linguist), I have developed a feeling that no-one else in the world has not yet developed the teaching of language on such a master-level. And that is why the english language is sort of a "lingua franca".
I say "sort of" because there are lots and lots of places where english is not speaken and understood almost at all. Even in Europe for example, Italy for example.
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You will learn it fast enough KB
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english is an ever-evolving mish-mash. true; no one can ever muster it. well; estonian on the other hand - don't know much about it though.
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english is not easy lor.....
if not try to fill in the blank with "Yes" or "No".
"_______, I am a pig."
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I read an article in The Straits Times donkey years ago when I was still in college, that German and French are considered two of the hardest languages in the world to master.
I can't comment on German, but I did learn French for eight months whilst waiting for my 'A' level results, cause I had extra pocket money by working as a private English tutor to a few foreign students then. French IS tough! Everything, non-living objects included, has a gender! I remember my French tutor at Alliance Francaise teaching us cheekily that "Tables and chairs are female... why? Cuz if you looked between their legs, there's nothing!" In English, it's just 'the table' and 'the chair' but in french, 'the' has a masculine form - 'Le' and a feminine form - 'La', a plural form - 'Les' and if the first letter of the word is a vowel, it become 'L'' as in 'L'aeroport'. And that's just governing the use of the article 'the'.
French grammar (Les Conjugation) ... or how in the world you spell it, I'm sure I've mis-spelt it
... is even worse! In English, we have the various tenses - Past, Present, Past Participle, Future, etc. In French, you have all those PLUS the verbs all take on a different spelling when the pronouns are different! 
ie. Present tense in English : Present tense in French
I swim. : Je nage.
She / He swims. : Il / Elle nage.
They swim. : Ils nagent.
We swim. : Nous nageons.
So, for every single tense for the word 'swim', there will be at least four variations!! I must have burnt up a lot of my brain cells then, memorising all these conjugations! 
No wonder now not so bright! -
Oh, btw, I'm now interested in picking up a few Korean phrases! I want to be able to handle simple conversational Korean because in about two to three years' time, I want to travel to Korea and tour there for 3-4 weeks!
Korean characters and the Japanese Kanji is unique cause they kinda operate on a system similar to the alphabet system. -
We also have 'swim', 'swam' and 'swum'.Originally posted by Rhonda:So, for every single tense for the word 'swim', there will be at least four variations!! I must have burnt up a lot of my brain cells then, memorising all these conjugations! No wonder now not so bright!
Are you able to switch codes when you talk to different people over there? -
Okies.....Thai language has to take a back seat for a while.
I need some german language to last me a month in Germany on a europe tour.
please help! -
Alamak, my daughter starts high school next year and had to pick either French or German as one of her electives. The girl picked German.Originally posted by Rhonda:I read an article in The Straits Times donkey years ago when I was still in college, that German and French are considered two of the hardest languages in the world to master.
I can't comment on German, but I did learn French for eight months whilst waiting for my 'A' level results, cause I had extra pocket money by working as a private English tutor to a few foreign students then. French IS tough! Everything, non-living objects included, has a gender! I remember my French tutor at Alliance Francaise teaching us cheekily that "Tables and chairs are female... why? Cuz if you looked between their legs, there's nothing!" In English, it's just 'the table' and 'the chair' but in french, 'the' has a masculine form - 'Le' and a feminine form - 'La', a plural form - 'Les' and if the first letter of the word is a vowel, it become 'L'' as in 'L'aeroport'. And that's just governing the use of the article 'the'.
French grammar (Les Conjugation) ... or how in the world you spell it, I'm sure I've mis-spelt it ... is even worse! In English, we have the various tenses - Past, Present, Past Participle, Future, etc. In French, you have all those PLUS the verbs all take on a different spelling when the pronouns are different!
ie. Present tense in English : Present tense in French
I swim. : Je nage.
She / He swims. : Il / Elle nage.
They swim. : Ils nagent.
We swim. : Nous nageons.
So, for every single tense for the word 'swim', there will be at least four variations!! I must have burnt up a lot of my brain cells then, memorising all these conjugations! No wonder now not so bright! 
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BUT, we don't have different versions of each tense for each pronoun!!Originally posted by Kuali Baba:We also have 'swim', 'swam' and 'swum'.
Are you able to switch codes when you talk to different people over there? It's still He swam, I swam, She swam, We swam. OK, there are variations for the present tense depending on the singular / plural but that's about it.
What do you mean by 'switching codes'? You mean, adopting a modified accent?
That I definitely had to! I used to have to do that when I worked with my American bosses and colleagues and it's the same here. But when I speak to the Filipinos who've worked in Singapore before, a bit of Singlish creeps in! -
Get one of those language tape / CD for conversational German packs!Originally posted by viciouskitty74:Okies.....Thai language has to take a back seat for a while.
I need some german language to last me a month in Germany on a europe tour.
please help!
Hmm... now that I'm back, I'll head to our wonderful bookstores here and see if I can find stuff that teaches conversational Korean. I read in the travel guidebooks and my Korean colleague warned me too, that it's not enough to get by in Korea - one simply has to try to read the language cause the signs and bus/train schedules, etc is written in hangu. -
Originally posted by jetta:Alamak, my daughter starts high school next year and had to pick either French or German as one of her electives. The girl picked German.
Well, it was between the devil and the deep blue sea, really!
IMO, German doesn't sound quite feminine. It sounds really rough and gutteral. -
In Germany, they do speak English quite well, but you'll need to speak German in you're going to, say, Austria which is such a lovely lovely place.Originally posted by viciouskitty74:Okies.....Thai language has to take a back seat for a while.
I need some german language to last me a month in Germany on a europe tour.
please help!
*Break into song - The hills are aliveeee....!! With the sound of musikkk!! * -
They dont seem to stock much on other languages in USA. Mostly Spanish and italian Conversation DVD packs.Originally posted by Rhonda:Get one of those language tape / CD for conversational German packs!
But will try to look for a set in Borders at Santa Magarita Market Place this Sat. I get to roam the place for 8 hours while the family attends a wedding dinner.
I am.....so looking forward to it. -
I want to learn Thai. Anyone from SgF wants to tutor me the language can PM me.
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*clears throat* hooooorrrrrrrrrrccccccccckkkkkk ptuuuuuuuuiiiiii!!!Originally posted by Rhonda:
Well, it was between the devil and the deep blue sea, really!
IMO, German doesn't sound quite feminine. It sounds really rough and gutteral.