Learning languages

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by Paul Corfield, Aug 24, 2010.

  1. Paul Corfield

    ogden Guest

    Yeah, that's exactly why.
     
    ogden, Aug 25, 2010
    #61
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  2. Paul Corfield

    darsy Guest

    oh, I think it is, a bit...
     
    darsy, Aug 25, 2010
    #62
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  3. Paul Corfield

    darsy Guest

    done so.
    it's marketed as a postmodern[1] Bildungsroman.

    It's not that bad.

    Do you want to read a properly pretentious but yet still worth book?
    Try Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections".

    Or, totally left field, Guy Gavriel Kay's "Under Heaven". Hah - Ogden,
    give that a go too - it'll make "Wolf Hall" seem like "Vanity Fair".

    [1] incorrectly, given the date in which it's partially set.
     
    darsy, Aug 25, 2010
    #63
  4. Paul Corfield

    Krusty Guest

    I'd agree if that subject wasn't a language. I really do think they
    take a different skill to learn. If you haven't got a good memory,
    languages will always be a struggle no matter how intelligent you are.

    I had the same problem with history. The emphasis seemed to be on
    remembering shitloads of dates, & who ruled when, neither of which
    could be worked out logically. Because I couldn't do that bit (the
    remembering), I hated the lessons & didn't bother with the rest of it
    either.
     
    Krusty, Aug 25, 2010
    #64
  5. Paul Corfield

    ogden Guest

    That sums up history in my first year at secondary school, where the
    syllabus seemed to consist entirely of coronation and battle dates.
    Utterly pointless.

    From the second year onwards it was proper analytical history though.
     
    ogden, Aug 25, 2010
    #65
  6. Paul Corfield

    Switters Guest

    Probably just to understand half of your posts on here.
     
    Switters, Aug 25, 2010
    #66
  7. Paul Corfield

    TOG@Toil Guest

    Definitely "if that".
     
    TOG@Toil, Aug 25, 2010
    #67
  8. Paul Corfield

    CT Guest

    But I bet not this:
    http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00011&RL=00172
     
    CT, Aug 25, 2010
    #68
  9. Paul Corfield

    Cab Guest

    Teach 'em when they're young. From about 2 upwards. Works for my nippers.
    Cass is fluent [1] in French and Spanish and understand English perfectly. Alex
    is fluent [1] in English and French and is now picking up Spanish.

    [1] And I mean that they speak the langauges as opposed to just understands
    them. Mind you, French is the first language, naturally.
     
    Cab, Aug 25, 2010
    #69
  10. Paul Corfield

    TOG@Toil Guest

    About that.

    English went over one million words (officially) last year.
     
    TOG@Toil, Aug 25, 2010
    #70
  11. Paul Corfield

    ogden Guest

    But... how would you know?
     
    ogden, Aug 25, 2010
    #71
  12. Paul Corfield

    TOG@Toil Guest

    Mind you, French is the first language, naturally.
    Ah. So nothing like their father, then.....
     
    TOG@Toil, Aug 25, 2010
    #72
  13. Paul Corfield

    ogden Guest

    Piano.
     
    ogden, Aug 25, 2010
    #73
  14. Paul Corfield

    Cab Guest

    Heheh. It's already got to the stage where Miss corrects me every so often. :)
     
    Cab, Aug 25, 2010
    #74
  15. Paul Corfield

    Timo Geusch Guest

    Yup, they're doing that in some parts of Germany (starting to teach a
    foreign language during the first 2-3 years in school) and the results
    are pretty impressive compared to the older curriculum where they
    started teaching foreign languages during 5th grade.
     
    Timo Geusch, Aug 25, 2010
    #75
  16. Paul Corfield

    Malc Guest

    Malc, Aug 25, 2010
    #76
  17. Paul Corfield

    wessie Guest

    I foxed the examiner in my French oral. He asked me to talk about my
    hobbies. I started rabbiting on about tire les lapins or some such. He then
    asked how often I did this. I replied not often because of, then asked him
    what was the French for myxomatosis. He hadn't a clue. La myxomatose,
    apparently.
     
    wessie, Aug 25, 2010
    #77
  18. Paul Corfield

    CT Guest

    Yes, but the Clanger's script was written in English. If you know what
    the script says you can definitely hear that they're just "whistling"
    the words.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clangers#Swear_words
     
    CT, Aug 25, 2010
    #78
  19. Paul Corfield

    TOG@Toil Guest

    "Vot ist your nem?"
     
    TOG@Toil, Aug 25, 2010
    #79
  20. Paul Corfield

    wessie Guest

    I used to work for Student Support when I was an undegrad, in the 03/04
    academic year. Some of the work involved attending lectures with disabled
    students and taking notes on their behalf. I was quite surprised at the
    basic level of maths on the biosciences maths module.
     
    wessie, Aug 25, 2010
    #80
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