Even though most of my life I have been surrounded by people speaking a language other than English, I have been too lazy to learn any other language.
Ironic that my elder sister to use her title is a 'Doctor of Languages'. Before retiring she worked her entire career in the education system at schools and universities, refusing high paying jobs in international commerce and banking, saying "I am an Educator."
Foreign Languages
- ChilwellWhite
- Howard Wilkinson's military attaché
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Re: Foreign Languages
No but I have nephew who’s studying linguistics at a university in Amsterdam, he’s a natural. When he was little he went to Spain on his holidays and tried to learn some phrases which he could use. Upon his return I asked had he learnt any Spanish to which he replied yes, Ola room service
- Barlow Boy
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Re: Foreign Languages
I will come back to this once I’ve learnt some Spanish swear wordsWigan White wrote:As you're a Yorkshire man Kev, I'd have thought you'd have tried English as your second language before Spanish.
When you retire, you switch bosses - from the one that hired you, to the one that married you.
Re: Foreign Languages
Strictly speaking, English is my foreign language, though to be fair, I don't converse daily in Irish. Shame, it's a wonderfully descriptive and colourful language.
"An astonishing number of people despise Leeds United or what Leeds United stand for. But this club was never made for them." - Phil Hay
- bc grinner
- Allan Clarke's tissue supplier
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Re: Foreign Languages
I had a few years of Spanish in school. Started teaching myself French back in December 2016 in preparation for a trip and haven’t missed a day since. I can read it and speak it alright but I’m starting to doubt that I’ll ever be able to understand it spoken at normal speed.
- Barlow Boy
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Re: Foreign Languages
Interesting that bcg.bc grinner wrote:I had a few years of Spanish in school. Started teaching myself French back in December 2016 in preparation for a trip and haven’t missed a day since. I can read it and speak it alright but I’m starting to doubt that I’ll ever be able to understand it spoken at normal speed.
I’m teaching myself Spanish, and do a bitesize lesson every day (around 20 minutes or so). I can read a sentence of words when I have learnt those actual words relatively well, but I struggle from time to time formulating sentences, usually missing out a word, usually a ‘la’ or ‘el’ or more usually a ‘de’.
Thankfully, duolingo allows you to slow down the sentence, otherwise I’d have no chance.
When you retire, you switch bosses - from the one that hired you, to the one that married you.
Re: Foreign Languages
kk_white, 'colourful language' has a specific meaning in English.kk_white wrote:Strictly speaking, English is my foreign language, though to be fair, I don't converse daily in Irish. Shame, it's a wonderfully descriptive and colourful language.
I once played against Don Revie.
- bc grinner
- Allan Clarke's tissue supplier
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Re: Foreign Languages
It’s like the saying “how do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time.” I keep plugging away and hoping someday it will all click. I should have started younger. I keep encouraging my kids in their twenties to get cracking now while their brains are fresh.
Re: Foreign Languages
Swedish, English and German.
- mapperleywhite
- Raich Carter's Contract Agent
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Re: Foreign Languages
Gosh what an interesting thread!
Sorry to bore those who know this already, but Mrs MW is Colombian so we speak Spanish most of the time. Before I met her I knew a bit of her language...did some at night classes...visits there. But, essentially, none of her family speak English so I had to make an effort.
OK, many quizzes on the excellent sporcle website would indicate that I have an aptitude for languages, despite being trained as a chemist. And I would also remark that my advancing years (67) no longer permit me to speak sensible French - which was for many years my best language - because it resembles Spanish quite a lot (in my mind at least)
And most definitely 'if you don't use it, you lose it'. I count myself lucky in this aspect.
Also beware of dialects! Yes Geordie and some Scottish are incomprehensible to Mrs MW. I was told by a Spanish nurse that (unsurprisingly) I speak with a Latin American accent.
I could ramble endlessly on this subject, but if you'd like some help in your learnings, especially in Spanish, then please PM me. Gracias!
Sorry to bore those who know this already, but Mrs MW is Colombian so we speak Spanish most of the time. Before I met her I knew a bit of her language...did some at night classes...visits there. But, essentially, none of her family speak English so I had to make an effort.
OK, many quizzes on the excellent sporcle website would indicate that I have an aptitude for languages, despite being trained as a chemist. And I would also remark that my advancing years (67) no longer permit me to speak sensible French - which was for many years my best language - because it resembles Spanish quite a lot (in my mind at least)
And most definitely 'if you don't use it, you lose it'. I count myself lucky in this aspect.
Also beware of dialects! Yes Geordie and some Scottish are incomprehensible to Mrs MW. I was told by a Spanish nurse that (unsurprisingly) I speak with a Latin American accent.
I could ramble endlessly on this subject, but if you'd like some help in your learnings, especially in Spanish, then please PM me. Gracias!
Might have to take an interest in the Premier League now....