I suppose the poll question had been poorly phrased. The inclusion of the word 'primary' must has created some emotional markers which link it to the mother tongue.
Tiffany: Since you learnt Italian relatively late in life, is there a discernible accent when you are speaking the language?
Deborah: I suppose knowing a second language does not mean having a solid mastery of it. The definition of a second language can be as loose as having briefly studied it in school and not remembering anything about it save for a few stock expressions. But since you are clearly able to hold your own in the language of Cervantes, Spanish is definitely one of the many foreign languages under your belt.
Quote:
Something similar to what happened to you happened to me once. We had a party at our dorm and we had just sat down and started eating, when a Swedish-speaking German girl said what in English would be "that's fucking good!" about the food. Everybody went quiet for two seconds, but then someone was quick enough to make a joke out of it, by saying "that came straight from your heart, didn't it?", and everybody laughed. But of course, it's different with an office environment.
I must say, I almost never use the f word in my life. I used to be really touchy about it but I have since become largely desensitised to the word. Instead of saying 'fuck', I'd still replace it with 'bloody' or 'damn' - They are less likely to touch an exposed nerve. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
I said Spanish, even if I had started to learn english first.
As everyone here, learning english at shool is an obligation, and most people take it at first foreign language. generally it is at the age of 11-12.
I started to learn Spanish at 14-15.
But it is very "school" languages, not a current way to speak, but a generally very boring teaching.
After I finish "Lycée"(High school I think ?), I stopped to use both English and Spanish. And forgot very much.
It is only since a few time that I get more interes to languages, and especially to Spanish.
French : native.
English : fluent.
German : basic.
Spanish : painful.
Catalan, Italian & Occitan : smattering.
Old French : rising.
Middle English : stagnating.
Latin : great illusion.
Old Greek : hopless dream.
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Interlingua, Polish, Portuguese & Russian : futurible (possible under favourable circumstances).
Greg has reminded me... Middle English! Well, I can read it (I love Chaucer) and I know the official pronunciation, but I can't produce it myself.
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After I finish "Lycée"(High school I think ?)
For North Americans, yes. Here are the best translations of 'lycée' in various English-speaking places:
high school — United States, Canada
sixth form — England, Wales, Northern Ireland
S5 and S6 — Scotland
senior cycle — Ireland
college — Australia
forms 6 and 7 — New Zealand
grades 10-12 — South Africa
junior college — Singapore
upper secondary school — Jamaica
Tiffany: Since you learnt Italian relatively late in life, is there a discernible accent when you are speaking the language?
Hmm, I don't think you should use me to judge the average native English speaker learning Italian. You must remember than I learned native Spanish pronunciation very early in life. I've also been told I am a good mimic. So my foreign accent in Italian is minimal to non-existent according to native Italian speakers.
They can tell I'm foreign though because while my accent is good, I sometimes mess up verb tenses, interchanging "passato prossimo" for "imperfetto" and forgetting the subjunctive especially (I'm working on that). I also mispronounce some words when I say them for the first time because the Italian rule that second to last syllable (in lieu of an accent) is emphasized has exceptions.
Ex "vedere" (to see) follows the above rule, while "credere" (to believe) does not and thus, they do not rhyme.
Fair enough! I only put 'upper secondary school' because it was the best suggestion I could find on the rather vague website of the Jamaican Government Education Department.
There are actually a lot of Jamaicans and people of Jamaican origin in Birmingham, where I live. I often hear the older people (those who would actually have grown up in Jamaica) on the busses speaking Jamaican English — it's lovely!
Isn't it? Do you have problems understanding it? I never did and I grew up thinking it must easily comprehended by others, but I've met a few people for whom that is not the case. It's not a completely foreign langauge now!
I can kind of just about understand it, but it's quite difficult. However, they're essentially all capable of switching to a more standard variety of English, so I tend not to hear it that often.
It's like when I was in Durham a few months ago in Northeast England. I heard ordinary working-class people (i.e. not the posh university students) speaking to each-other in what may as well have been another language, but if I were to start speaking to them, I'm sure that they would have responded to me in Standard English, albeit with a regional accent.
Ahh, I guess it's just because I grew up with it (my father in particular talks naturally with a thick accent unless in situatuions with other Americans). I don't speak with it at all, though some people have told me it creeps into my speech at certain times (obviously I am not aware of this). However, I think I sound like quite a fraud speaking it.
I know what you mean. Although I live in Birmingham, I actually speak RP, rather than with a Birmingham accent. However, some people sometimes tell me that I actually speak with Birmingham intonation, because I go up and down in a somewhat musical fashion and go very high-pitched when I get excited.
But I apparently sometimes sound vaguely South African, at least according to some. Not sure why though; perhaps it's because my mum was born in Uganda. ;)
But I apparently sometimes sound vaguely South African, at least according to some. Not sure why though; perhaps it's because my mum was born in Uganda. ;)
He, maybe it's the Afrikaans you've been learning creeping into your accent! :wink: :lol: _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
It's like when I was in Durham a few months ago in Northeast England. I heard ordinary working-class people (i.e. not the posh university students) speaking to each-other in what may as well have been another language, but if I were to start speaking to them, I'm sure that they would have responded to me in Standard English, albeit with a regional accent.
Benjamin: does it mean that understanding "working-class people" English was difficult for you?
Benjamin: does it mean that understanding "working-class people" English was difficult for you?
From that region, yes, because the regional dialect there is rather different from Standard British English and because I don't live there so I haven't heard it very much. However, I wouldn't have the same problem in Birmingham, because I'm used to hearing the local dialect, which is not all that different from Standard British English anyway.
Greg has reminded me... Middle English! Well, I can read it (I love Chaucer) and I know the official pronunciation, but I can't produce it myself.
Quote:
After I finish "Lycée"(High school I think ?)
For North Americans, yes. Here are the best translations of 'lycée' in various English-speaking places:
high school — United States, Canada
sixth form — England, Wales, Northern Ireland
S5 and S6 — Scotland
senior cycle — Ireland
college — Australia
forms 6 and 7 — New Zealand
grades 10-12 — South Africa
junior college — Singapore
upper secondary school — Jamaica
In France :
MATERNELLE [matERnel]
PRIMAIRE [pRimER]
CP [sepe] = cours préparatoire = onzième [ÕzjEm] : 6 ans
CE1 [se29~]= cours élémentaire 1 = dixième [dizjEm] : 7 ans
CE2 [se2d2] = cours élémentaire 2 = neuvième [n2vjEm] : 8 ans
CM1 [seEm9~] = cours moyen 1 = huitième [HitjEm] : 9 ans
CM2 [seEmd2] = cours moyen 2 = septième [sEtjEm] : 10 ans
SECONDAIRE [s@gÕdER]
Collège [kolEZ]
Sixième [sizjEm] : 11 ans
Cinquième [sE~kjEm] : 12 ans
Quatrième [katRi(j)Em] : 13 ans
Troisième [tRwazjEm] : 14 ans
Lycée
Seconde [s@gÕd] : 15 ans
Première [pR@mjER] : 16 ans
Terminale [tERminal] : 17 ans → bac [bak] = baccalauréat [bakalorea] (Abitur, matura, A-levels etc)
one. Englsh. :D I've attempted to learn other languages including Dutch, Portugeuse, Spanish, and Esperanto, slthough none of these attempts were really serious.
As you see in my signature I can speak / am studying 10 languages.
Dutch is my native language. I can also speak a couple of Dutch dialects.
I can speak English fluently. I can also understand several English dialects because in the past I've been to the UK a lot. I've been trying to mimic them, but no success. ;)
Afrikaans looks a lot like Dutch so reading it is no problem. I'm currently practicing the somewhat different grammar and different words. I can almost speak and write it fluently.
I had some German in college a couple of years ago and with some practice I will be able to get it to the fluent level again.
Ancient Egyptian is an extinct language. The only resources to learn it are the texts in the tombs and other graves of ancient Egyptians. There are several good books about how to read it and the grammar. I have completed a coursebook so I can read most of the hieroglyphic texts and write some myself.
I had French at school. Most of it has faded, but the basics have remained. With some practice I should be able to get it back to intermediate/advanced level.
I did a beginner course (New Zealand) Te Reo Māori last year, so I know the basics.
I also did a beginner course in Japanese, which also covers the basics.
I'm currently doing a course in Latin and I'm learning Swedish from a native.
I also started on: Ancient Greek, Esperanto, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese. But I've never got to completing a course in any of them ;)
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