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Well this topic is only for those who do not speak English as a first language. I have noticed many on this forum know English as a second language(if not a third or fourth) and I was wondering how you all learned it because for the most part, you all speak it very well.
So, how did you learn English?
I can read just most english books, understand most films, write in english quite a bit. Only my pronounciation lacks a bit of skill, becouse I hardly ever Speak english.
I learned english though computer games and TV (here in holland we subtitle just about everything but cartoons, If those silly french and german would do the same they wouldn't suck so much at english).
And ofcourse allso of the internet =) On forums I learned to formulate a (just about:D) correct sentence :)
Wow. You are a lot more talented than I am. I have heard English is a hard language to learn for someone who wasn't raised with it.
I learned english when I was like 7-10, at that time I lived at florida, Growing up and traveling I learnd some more(modism and stuff) Being in Canada and UK, the rest I guess from TV, I always watch movies In their original language cause its better, I also know a bit of german and enough french to insult people :P . Mostly traveling I guess.
People always say this, but this is just one of those things that has been word of mouth for who knows how long, I doubt wether this is a real proven thing, or just someone said and then people started saying it like it was a fact.Quote:
Originally posted by Gwendolyn
Wow. You are a lot more talented than I am. I have heard English is a hard language to learn for someone who wasn't raised with it.
Compare 26 English letters, to 80,000 chinese characters.
i didn't
English is easy, it doesn't have a wide vocabulary, basicaly any languaje that coms from Sajon(English, Russian, dutch, etc.) is easy to learn; I would guess the hardest lenguajes are from asia, I personaly haven't tryed any. Latin derived languajes(french, spanish, Italian, etc.) are always hard to learn for Sajon speakears, being the opposite case for Latin speakers.
Well I have to disagree. Some guy allready said that for people that allready speak languages simular to it don't find it as hard: Dutch (like me:)) German (but still they suck at it), and eatster-europeans people.Quote:
Originally posted by Gwendolyn
Wow. You are a lot more talented than I am. I have heard English is a hard language to learn for someone who wasn't raised with it.
English however has alot of things that people think are ' normal '. English isn't like math, it isn't as ' logic'. Some languages are a bit more ' logic' like latin.
For asian people its hard, but so is asain for just about everyone but asians. =)
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Did you people know that Dutch allmost become the main language of the USA? :D The senate (or something) chose english with just a few votes difference. :)
my parents taught it to me, and by parents I mean television
English was the easiest language I've ever had to learn.
I heard it was by one vote, a Dutchman told me when I was in Holland. I was quite surprised when I heard it.Quote:
Originally posted by Neruo
Did you people know that Dutch allmost become the main language of the USA? :D The senate (or something) chose english with just a few votes difference. :)
As for me, English wasn't easy for me. Lol, actually it's my first and only language, but when I was younger I was being raised with both English and Japanese. The combination confused me, and I wasn't talking, so my mom switched to English and we moved to the United States. I began speaking when I was three. Yay for late bloomers!
My primary language is Malayalam. Secondary language is Hindi. But I had to learn English from childhood. English has much importance in our country since English is the Global language here. In India, a country with more than 200 languages, unity in diversity is established with the help of English. There was an attempt to remove English from the administration and educational scenario, but failed.
Now it is a famous game here to speak completely in mother tongue, without telling a single word in English. If you tell an English word, you are out of the game. It is not easy as you think. You have to translate so many words like "computer" "pencil" etc to mother tongue.
And I am currently studying "Word power made easy" by Norman Lewis.
One day someone(wont mention name) in DV called me in Phone. Huh... I said so many things. but he/she didnt understand. Then he/she said many thing. I didnt understand. What both of us understood was some "hi" "hello" again "hi" "hello".... and it repeated more than ten times. I think he/she dont know English like me :lol:
tv, computer games, internet, many questions to my dad, and school (!)
and still there are words from english that i can relate to latin wordsQuote:
Originally posted by Neruo+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neruo)</div>and: new york was bought from netherland (i think it was called new amsterdam, or something)Quote:
Did you people know that Dutch allmost become the main language of the USA? :D The senate (or something) chose english with just a few votes difference. :)[/b]
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English is easy, it doesn't have a wide vocabulary, basicaly any languaje that coms from Sajon(English, Russian, dutch, etc.) is easy to learn; I would guess the hardest lenguajes are from asia, I personaly haven't tryed any. Latin derived languajes(french, spanish, Italian, etc.) are always hard to learn for Sajon speakears, being the opposite case for Latin speakers.
Err...yah...sorry about that. Our language barrier made the phone sex a bit ackward and I do apologize. :oops:Quote:
Originally posted by korothism
One day someone(wont mention name) in DV called me in Phone. Huh... I said so many things. but he/she didnt understand. Then he/she said many thing. I didnt understand. What both of us understood was some \"hi\" \"hello\" again \"hi\" \"hello\".... and it repeated more than ten times. I think he/she dont know English like me :lol:
I havent learned "enough" English to answer to this. But I know how to answer in Malayalam.Quote:
Originally posted by InTheMoment
Err...yah...sorry about that. Our language barrier made the phone sex a bit ackward and I do apologize. :oops:
"Nintachan nayinte mone. Ninte vicharam enthada panni ? Aare venamenkilum kaliyakkamenno ? Athinu enne kittilla. Panni mone. Nintechan kattupanni. Ninte matteduthu vedhanayedukkunnundenkil parayeda. Njan mattitharam. Eni eee mathiri alavalathi thamashayum kondu vannalundallo, ninte moocku murichu uppilidum"
I wish the moderators dont know Malayalam.
Sorry... haven't quite gotten to that language yet. Still working on Spanish and Russian.
Nice word for scrabble :DQuote:
Originally posted by korothism
vedhanayedukkunnundenkil
I actually learnt to speak English at school.Here,in Greece,we have to learn English as a second language and we have also to choose a third language which has to be either French or German.I opted for French and I must say that English is a way easier language than French or German.I 'm trying to improve my Enlgish by watching American/English movies,chatting online with people whose first languadge is English and by reading books.