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Even if you feel that English is the most significant to language to know in this land, do you feel any necessity at all in knowing more than just it?
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Shale
Supernova
Cheaps
Chris
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The importance of being multilingual.
Chris- Chamber Admin.
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Cheaps- ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
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Not a necessity, but with where I live and work, it can be very helpful to know Spanish.
Supernova- The Book Chamber
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It's becoming a necessity but unfortunately I don't think I'll ever be able to really learn enough to communicate with.
Shale- ...is a Chamber Royal.
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Cheaps wrote:Not a necessity, but with where I live and work, it can be very helpful to know Spanish.
In fact I have often had to use my limited Spanish to communicate with ppl who didn't have limited English.
English has been the minority language for years in South Florida.
Alan Smithee- ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
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Chris wrote:Even if you feel that English is the most significant to language to know in this land, do you feel any necessity at all in knowing more than just it?
The only time I think it would be necessary is if I lived in a foreign countryI would make it my business to learn the language as best I could. That's the thing that frosts my cupcakes the most about "undocumented" aliens. having to press 1 to continue in English in this country. And I blame U.S. businesses the most for that.
CaffeinePlease- …is an Up 'N Comer.
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Chris wrote:Even if you feel that English is the most significant to language to know in this land, do you feel any necessity at all in knowing more than just it?
Not a necessity, no. It can be helpful to know Spanish, but I have no interest in learning it.
TheEnglishButterfly- …is a Newbie.
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Chris wrote:Even if you feel that English is the most significant to language to know in this land, do you feel any necessity at all in knowing more than just it?
I think, wait I KNOW the benefits of being multilingual but it is VERY hard to learn a second language when we are older. Our brains are wired for language, multiple languages. But as children get older the sponge-like nature of their brain to learn language decreases. So a baby can easily, EASILY pick up on 2, even 3 languages and pick it up as easy as it is to breathe. Adults? Well it's hard. Very hard.
That being said, it is extremely beneficial to know other languages. It helps your brain strengthen, and it also makes you more cognizant of your own language.
Shale- ...is a Chamber Royal.
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TheEnglishButterfly wrote: ... it is extremely beneficial to know other languages. It helps your brain strengthen, and it also makes you more cognizant of your own language.
I wish I could learn other languages more easily, but all I know is what I am forced to use often, so I know Travel Spanish and am not conversant in it. However I practice that whenever I can.
What is funny to learn the quirks of other languages. I work with several Russians and I learned some Russian in the Air Force during the cold war (forgot all but the cursing now). Anyhow, I was looking in the fridge for sugar and mumbled in Spanish "azucar." The Russians at the table were staring at me thinking I said cyka "suka" which means bitch in Russian and they couldn't understand why I would say that.
I also accidentially learned a very vulgar Russian word for "cock." I was talking about something and said "that's a bunch of hooey!" My Russian co-worker was aghast. Who knew hooey is Russian for cock?
As for learning about your own language: "English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary"
I was making safety signs to teach our clients and I knew "Danger" was "Peligro" in Spanish. We also have Haitians here and I asked a co-worker what was the French word for Danger. Yeah, that's one of those words English rifled out of French pockets in that dark alley.
TheEnglishButterfly- …is a Newbie.
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[quote="Shale"]
Yup, so very true. English is full of borrowed words and has such a rapid rate of new words entering the language it's hard to keep up. That's why English is actually a really hard language to learn. I get mad when people say "English is the easiest language to learn, foreigners should be able to speak it easily!" Well um, no. Take a linguistics class and you will understand why.
But English does somewhat bastardize other languages. It's almost unoriginal... we create new words from other langauges and call it our own that many people don't even realize how much of our language is just slightly changed from other languages. Or, not even changed at all, lol. But yet, we call it English when the etymology of the words have a deep history and significance and we just kind of bastardize it.
Some changes are necessary for the changing times... but at the same time, we are rapidly losing the beauty of the English language. I can in part blame this on the younger generation... much of which choose to communicate in the shortest and quickest way possible. Conversations which are full of rich words with history and meaning are no more. This saddens me a lot.
Yup, so very true. English is full of borrowed words and has such a rapid rate of new words entering the language it's hard to keep up. That's why English is actually a really hard language to learn. I get mad when people say "English is the easiest language to learn, foreigners should be able to speak it easily!" Well um, no. Take a linguistics class and you will understand why.
But English does somewhat bastardize other languages. It's almost unoriginal... we create new words from other langauges and call it our own that many people don't even realize how much of our language is just slightly changed from other languages. Or, not even changed at all, lol. But yet, we call it English when the etymology of the words have a deep history and significance and we just kind of bastardize it.
Some changes are necessary for the changing times... but at the same time, we are rapidly losing the beauty of the English language. I can in part blame this on the younger generation... much of which choose to communicate in the shortest and quickest way possible. Conversations which are full of rich words with history and meaning are no more. This saddens me a lot.
Shale- ...is a Chamber Royal.
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TheEnglishButterfly wrote: ...English is actually a really hard language to learn. I get mad when people say "English is the easiest language to learn, foreigners should be able to speak it easily!" Well um, no. Take a linguistics class and you will understand why.
I feel so lucky to have been born into English and don't have to learn it as a second language. I work with Russians who are always asking me about the confusing aspects of it. (And I have to show them when and when not to use "the"). However, some of our words' spellings have deteriorated into ideograms. Like 'cough.' No way that spells 'kof.' You will notice I often use fonetik spelling and only use standard English in the most formal of writings. And 'ppl' makes much more sense than 'people.' I agree With Shaw's observation that in English 'ghoti' spells fish.
Alan Smithee- ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
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Either way you slice it I don't think it makes as big a difference as the importance of being Enrest.
Nystyle709- ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
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Alan Smithee wrote:Either way you slice it I don't think it makes as big a difference as the importance of being Enrest.
Agreed. It's not as pressing to know another language than it would be for someone to come to America and not know English. Or go to any other country and not know their language. I know Latinos are the biggest minority now, but even they have to learn English more than we have to know Spanish.
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